StorieS from the paSt

50 years ago

The Imperial County Board of Supervisors has decided to look into the possibility of setting up a food stamp or surplus commodity distribution plan in the Valley.

Representatives of the state Department of Social Welfare and the U.S. Department of Agriculture explained the two plans Monday to the supervisors.

Under the commodity distribution plan needy families are given parcels of food, under the food stamp plan they are permitted to buy for cash a certain amount of the stamps which are redeemable for certain foods at cooperating grocery stores. The stamps include a bonus of about 30 percent. In other words, $10 in cash would buy stamps to buy $13 in groceries. The federal government foots the difference.

Under the stamp plan, all families on welfare are automatically entitled to buy the stamps. They would also be available to persons with low incomes.

40 years ago

Calexico roared into Brawley on Tuesday night seeking a Desert Valleys League varsity basketball victory and ran up against a determined band of Brawley Wildcats.

The Wildcats had failed to win in two DVL outings. Ray Alvarado’s visiting Bulldogs had too much firepower for the Wildcats and recorded a 70-56 triumph.

Calexico didn’t lose an exhibition game before playing in the San Diego Kiwanis Tournament. The Bulldogs’ record had dropped to 8-5 before clawing the Wildcats.

Alvarado said he made a change in the Calexico zone defense. The Wildcats couldn’t cope and were outscored, 16-2 in the first eight-minute segment.

“We got our shots in the first quarter,” Brawley coach Jim Weaver said, “but couldn’t hit them. I think the first-quarter score decided the outcome.”

Calexico did its usual job of finding the basket. The Bulldogs worked inside for some layups and short jumpers, combining these with an assortment of distance goals.

30 years ago

After walking out of a negotiating session with Metropolitan Water District officials on Monday, Imperial Irrigation District Director Bill Condit is now recommending that the IID make a final offer and then terminate negotiations if a water transfer agreement cannot be reached.

Condit, a member of the IID negotiating team, said today that at the next board meeting he will recommend that the IID come up with a dollar figure and an inflation factor that are acceptable and present these figures directly to the MWD Board of Directors. If MWD does not accept this agreement then the IID should seek other customers for its water, he said.

“I think that’s very fair,” Condit said. “Obviously, they can accept it or reject it, or even make a counter proposal, but I feel that time is of the essence. We have to move on.”

20 years ago

BRAWLEY — With known gang members as central targets, federal, state and local law enforcement officials orchestrated a day-long sweep of about 100 homes throughout the north end of the county in an effort to clean up an area plagued by gangs.

The sweep, which brought the combined efforts of the county Probation Department and Sheriff’s Office, the state Department of Justice, the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, North County police departments and state parole officers, netted about 30 arrests — mostly for probation violations and warrants and a few for parole violations.