STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Calexico’s first foray to attract industry proved moderately successful at a dinner meeting last night in the De Anza Hotel.
Men representing eight U.S.-connected industries located in Mexicali were welcomed by Mayor Joe Acuna Jr. and Robert Dibb, chairman of the Calexico Chamber of Commerce’s industrial committee.
The meeting was to explore the possibility of establishing office operations in Calexico for U.S. firms manufacturing goods in Mexicali.
The approach, as outlined by Dibb and others, was that Calexico has an abundant, trainable and stable labor force.
Calexico’s willingness to establish an industrial park was discussed by the city engineer, Virgil Bryant of El Centro. Three sites were presented as possibilities, although none has been selected formally by Calexico City Council.
40 years ago
A group of scientists from the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory predicted Wednesday that geothermal energy can be developed in Imperial County without causing serious adverse environmental effects.
They also said current technology can produced 1,300 megawatts of power with geothermal energy from the geothermal reserve, which is capable of producing between 10,000 and 40,000 megawatts of electricity for at least 30 years.
The scientists, who have been studying the Valley for three years under a federal Department of Energy (DOE) contract, reported that findings during a press briefing at the Imperial Valley Country Club on Wednesday.
The briefing is part of a three-day conference on geothermal energy, during which researchers and the press will tour Valley geothermal sites. They also will tour the geothermal power plant in Cerro Prieto, south Mexicali.
30 years ago
COACHELLA — The Central Spartans won the Coachella Valley High School Soccer Tournament here Saturday.
Central posted a 4-1 win over a team from Las Vegas in the first game, defeated Coachella Valley 1-0 in the second round game and won the event with a 1-0 shut-out of Palm Springs in the title game.
Central’s Sergio Ramirez was named the Most Valuable Player in the tournament. Ramirez scored the winning goal against Coachella Valley and Palm Springs.
Central is now 5-1 on the season and was ranked sixth in the Southern Section’s 2A division before the tournament.
20 years ago
CALIPATRIA — A 64-year-old prison escapee was found hiding on a canal bank a few miles north of Calipatria State Prison on Monday more than 15 hours after he escaped from the prison’s minimum security area.
Colie Genatues Marshall, reportedly from New York, walked away from the camp-like facilities of the prison’s minimum security area shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday.
Calipatria State Prison Lt. Q.F. Lovelace said the only obstacle on Marshall’s path to freedom was a non-electrified fence, which he presumably scaled. The minimum security area is outside the prison’s walls.
Once over the fence, Lovelace said Marshall walked east across open fields until he was finally found by a search team, using a tracking dog, at 1 p.m. Monday in some bushes along the Highline Canal near McDonald and Wiest roads.