STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Residents beyond the El Centro city limits around the Valley Plaza shopping center, who had been hesitant about annexing their areas to the city, were stimulated into reaching a decision Wednesday night by the city council.
The council voted unanimously to jack up their water rates for the next three months, after which “the water will be turned off” if they fail to annex.
The solid vote followed a brief debate on the ultimatum motion, with Mayor Herb Koeing and Councilman William Riddle, Everett Shaw and DuBois McGee questioning the fairness of such an “or else” demand.
40 years ago
The time may come in the Chaparral League basketball race where all foes can do to the Imperial Tigers is wave goodbye as they grab the varsity division championship.
Imperial is looking more and more like the 1978 CL title holder. The Tigers chopped up Holtville, 53-37, Tuesday to run their league record to 4-0.
Ron Smart of the Tigers was impressed with the way the Vikings played the first half. He felt Larry Meek set up a good game plan for action in the IHS gym.
“They worked for the good shot,” Smart said, “and slowed down the game’s tempo. We were down by six big points late in the second quarter.”
Frank Ramirez helped bringing the Tigers back. He scored four points late in the second stanza and grabbed two big rebounds as the Tigers surged into a one-point lead.
30 years ago
Southern Section administrator William Clark dominated a meeting of umpires Monday in El Centro and told them if they are not happy with the way the Imperial Valley Baseball and Softball Umpires Association is being run, they should run for office in the association.
The meeting was originally called to set up a new organization for local umpires, but Clark said from the start no new association in the Valley would umpire high school baseball or softball games.
Clark also indicated the Southern Section is firmly behind Dr. George Blek who is the assignment secretary for the Valley. The umpires association had threatened not to work this season if Blek remained as assigner.
Clark told the meeting, “We have one unit in the Imperial Valley. The Southern Section is not going to recognize two units. We have three schools in this area. It does not necessitate two units. George Blek is our assigner. He will continue as our assigner.”
20 years ago
U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended three truckloads of undocumented immigrants over the weekend, including 177 taken into custody Sunday after a Sheriff’s Office deputy noticed irregularities with a tractor-trailer rig’s license plate.
The two other mass apprehensions, which also involved the transportation of immigrants via tractor-trailer rigs, were at the Border Patrol’s Highway 86 checkpoint at Kane Spring on Friday and Saturday.
In each instance Border Patrol officials said the cramped conditions could have resulted in disaster for the undocumented immigrants, who were essentially traveling in places where cargo normally would.
According to Angel Randy Clark, a Border Patrol spokesman, Sunday’s bust, the largest of the three weekend mass apprehensions, came after an east side El Centro resident called the Sheriff’s Office at 10:40 p.m. to report the presence of a tractor-trailer rig in her neighborhood.
The Sheriff’s Office activity log noted the caller told deputies the rig repeatedly drove through the neighborhood, sometimes with its headlights off.