STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
The El Centro City Planning Commission gave its blessing Tuesday night to a proposal which calls for building a motel and retail complex in front of the Kaibab Apartment development on Highway 86.
Grass, trees, flowers and bushes now grow on the large tract of land fronting the highway.
“We hope to make it a completely packaged modern city within a city,” James L. Young, business development officer for the Kaibab Lumber Co., said.
“In addition to a motel,” Young revealed, “we will build various retail units like a barber shop, grocery store and such, as conveniences for the apartment tenants and motel guests.”
40 years ago
“We have to develop a running game” doesn’t seem that important of a statement until one checks the 1977 statistics for coach Joe Evangelist and his Central Spartans.
Central played five Desert Valleys League games a year ago and didn’t score one touchdown on a rushing play. Completed passes accounted for seven touchdowns.
Evangelist enters the current pre-season practice schedule knowing this is a rebuilding year for the Spartans. Central returns only two offensive linemen.
The Spartans had some enjoyable experiences the first seven weeks of the 1977 campaign. But, Central fans would just as soon forget the final two weeks.
Central brought the season to an end first by losing the Victory Bell Game to Brawley, 14-0. Evangelist refused to show films of the game to his players.
Central was invited into the playoffs. The first round of SCIF action produced a 62-7 loss to Walnut. Evangelist opens this year with a fine array of assistant coaches.
30 years ago
CALEXICO — Bowing to pressure from Emerson Avenue residents, the City Council Tuesday denied a Police Commission request to make Emerson Avenue one-way southbound and instead directed city staff to study the cost of making Railroad Boulevards East and West the principal thoroughfares for Mexicali-bound traffic.
Councilmen Ricardo Ortega, Victor Legaspi, Patrick Hashem, and Mayor Antonio Tirado voted in favor of the Railroad Boulevard option. Councilwoman Amalia Katsigeanis was opposed.
The plan entails an immediate diversion of Mexicali-bound trucks to Railroad Boulevard West and an eventual diversion of Mexico-bound cars to Railroad Boulevard East, now a dirt road.
A separation of cars and trucks is necessary to lessen the chance of serious collisions near the border, according to Police Commission Chairman Arturo Rioseco.
20 years ago
As some take advantage of the extended Labor Day weekend, which in other parts of the country marks the end of summer, others are hard at work, even on the day set aside for fun and recreation.
Of course, the service industry must remain open to provide food, bed and entertainment to all those out having fun on Labor Day weekend. Retailers also are marking the end of summer and the last good weekend for school shopping.
Another part of that service industry is Labor Ready, which places temporary employees into temporary positions in the Valley.
Business is good at Labor Ready, even on Labor Day.
Robert Rios is the new manager at the El Centro business, which specializes in placing workers in temporary positions within an hour, mostly in general labor, construction and even clerical jobs.
Rios was promoted last month after prior manager Fred Nogales was promoted to managing the North Hollywood branch of Labor Ready.
The business began eight years ago in Tacoma, Wash., and has exploded onto the temporary labor market. Rios said the company, already with locations throughout the United States and Canada, is looking to expand into South America, Europe and the Pacific Rim.