STORIES FROM THE PAST

50 years ago

Howard Worthington of Imperial, a director of the Southern California Aviation Council, Inc., which met Wednesday at Calexico’s De Anza Hotel, indicated the feeling among council technicians was that Imperial County is lagging in the development of airport facilities.

Citing the heavy increase in air traffic over the past few years, Worthington said he felt governmental agencies concerned with airport development in Imperial County were not thinking large enough.

“It is a time for optimism when we begin to consider long-range facility and airport use in Imperial County,” he declared.

Calexico City Attorney Bob Fox, also a council director, told of the sharp increase in air traffic at Calexico International Airport while county Administrator Roy Cooper discussed the same increase at Imperial County Airport.

40 years ago

Divided into two separate divisions, Brawley and Central were the top performers among Imperial Valley track teams at the annual Coachella Kiwanis Relays Saturday.

The Spartans and Wildcats are preparing to fight Indio and Coachella for Desert Valleys League titles. The Rajahs and Arabs led the varsity class a year ago.

Steve Maddox saw his Central thinclads place fourth in varsity and third in frosh/soph. “My girls were a big disappointment to me,” the Central coach related.

Coachella and Brawley fought it out in two classes of another division. The Arabs ousted the Wildcats by a 73-45 difference in points in the varsity class.

30 years ago

VALENCIA — The Ripon Christian Knights got a last gasp, three-point basket to send the game into overtime, then defeated the Calipatria Hornets 67-63 in double overtime to claim the Division V boys’ state basketball championship here Saturday.

Calipatria had to play both overtimes without the services of senior guard Robert Romero, who fouled out with seven seconds left in regulation. It also had to finish without junior forward Mike Moss, who fouled out in overtime.

In the final minutes, the Hornets went ahead by three points and had a chance to increase the lead three different times from the free throw line. But the normally reliable Hornets missed the front end of three consecutive one-and-one chances, leaving the door open for the Knights to send the game into overtime.