STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Virgil Pinkley resigned effective today as editor and publisher of this newspaper and affiliated ones in the Pinkley California Newspapers.
He said he had sold his interests to the South Bend Tribune, majority owner of the Indio Daily News, Imperial Valley Press of El Centro and the Brawley News for the past three years.
Pinkley said he would announce his future plans shortly.
“I am happy and proud to have played a part in developing and improving this newspaper,” Pinkley said. “We have labored constantly to render more public service and provide leadership to the areas served.
“I am grateful to readers and advertisers for their support of our efforts and for the many courtesies and considerations they have extended me personally. I have been blessed by many new and fine friendships here which will continue.
40 years ago
El Centro needs “at least $3 million of water treatment plant improvements right now,” according to a representative of the company that is preparing the city’s first master water and sewer plan.
“You could limp along with $2.5 million,” said Richard Waddell of Design Sciences Inc., in a master plan progress report to the City Council on Wednesday evening. “But the rest of the improvements are essential and are needed right now.”
Design Sciences has completed the first draft of a survey for the city’s water treatment and sewer systems. The company was commissioned by El Centro about a year and a half ago to formulate a plan.
“Even after all the improvements are made you have to figure that you need to invest at least $200,000 a year on improvements in water treatment,” Waddell added.
The $3 million does not include the construction of the proposed La Brucherie Road sewer line, which is slated to be built to relieve sewer pressure on the Imperial Avenue line.
30 years ago
A Pacific Bell computer malfunction cut long-distance service for up to 10 hours Monday for many subscribers in San Diego and Imperial counties.
Subscribers in the two counties served by the 619 area code were affected.
However, while some numbered the affected telephone subscribers at 800,000, most Imperial County residents reported little or no troubles getting through to the outside world via their telephones.
The only trouble in completing long distance calls was experienced by local people who were trying to call numbers located in San Diego.
Pacific Bell technicians worked all day on the defaulting electronic switching machine that malfunctioned about 9 a.m.
The malfunctioning machine handles about two million calls a day, according to a Pacific Bell spokesman who reported that few of the calls handled by the machine went through Monday.