100 YEARS AGO...
There was 100 percent attendance at the meeting of the Rockdale Truck Growers & Marketing Association, held in the executive office at the Chamber of Commerce.
The case of H.C. Ledbetter contesting the will of the late Mrs. Lizzie Wilson in county court attracted much attention over the state. Mrs. Wilson was well and favorably known and the suit involved a large amount of money.
Fat hogs weighing 90 pounds up were to be bought March 12 and 26 at W.D. Turner & Co. in Rockdale.
“The lignite industry in Texas is just in its infancy, and there are great possibilities in the direction for the future,” declared Bruce Gentry of Rockdale, state inspector of mines, who was in Dallas.
FORTY YEARS AGO...
Rockdale City Council approved a rate-hike increase request by Lone Star Gas Co. in an attempt to prevent a ruling by the Texas Railroad Commission on an 18-month-old appeal by USG which could result in retroactive rate hikes, according to City Manager Robert Luckey.
Texas Power & Light Co. were set to file with the Texas Public Utilities Commission request for a $197.9 million system-wide rate increase, Ron Price, TP&L manager in Rockdale, said.
A two-bedroom residence on east Cameron Avenue was destroyed by fire. The fire was thought to have started in an electrical circuit in the rear of the house.
The annual Noon Lions Variety Show was scheduled for March 27 in the Rockdale High School auditorium. One change to the show, it would be competitive this year with the acts vying for trophies for the top three places.
TWENTY YEARS AGO...
Money collected from the 48-cent property tax approved last August by city voters was keeping Richards Memorial Hospital open. While that was hardly shocking news, Therry Andris, interim administrator for the financially troubled facility, had some numbers to back up that assertion during the board meeting. The $369,000 from the year’s property tax so far collected represents 71 percent of the $580,000 billed.
All three incumbents filed last week, seeking new terms on the Rockdale City Council in the May 5 election.
Things were buzzing in Thorndale: A new drag strip, Realtors were talking about the possibility of two 50-unit hotels being constructed, TISD enrollment was up, a movie, “Rookie,” was considering shooting scenes in Thorndale and a new Chamber of Commerce building was under construction.
Action by the Texas Railroad Commission on the Neighbors for Neighbors petition that seeks to derail the Three Oaks Mine in Lee and Bastrop counties, might come up as soon.
TEN YEARS AGO...
The hunt for a fugitive sought in connection with a multi-vehicle, high-speed chase, which claimed the patrol car of Constable Herbie Vaughan, was apprehended in a much less frantic way. The suspect was arrested at his mother’s Rockdale home. Police said they found him hiding between the mattress and box springs of a bed.
Rockdale’s Workforce Solutions of Central Texas, which had been called the “best rural workforce operations in Texas” by its regional director, was faced with closing unless there were changes in legislation being considered at the federal level.
A raid on “eight-liner” gaming machines in Cameron and Rockdale resulted in 29 of them being rendered useless. Chief Deputy Sheriff Chris White said the raids, one in Rockdale and three in Cameron, were the result of a five-month-long investigation by the Sheriff’s Special Investigations Unit.
The May 14 Rockdale City Council election got its first east ward candidate when Melody Dawson filed for an east ward city council seat. She was the only candidate to date. Incumbent Gerri Offield announced she would not seek a new term.
Incumbent west ward councilman Doug Calame was seeking a new term.
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