STORIES FROM THE PAST
50 years ago
Would-be thieves broke into the administrative offices of El Centro’s Central Union High School last night, but apparently failed to find anything worth taking.
Vice Principal Blinn Tenney of the high school reported the incident to El Centro police shortly after 6 this morning.
According to Tenney, the thieves had evidently first tried breaking windows in the counseling offices and the principal’s office as a means of entry, but had discovered that they still could not gain entry that way.
The thieves then apparently forced open a rear door of the school’s library and had forced open the front door of the principal’s office to gain admittance.
Tenney reported the contents of file cabinets and drawers had been strewn about the office.
The thieves were evidently after cash, for Tenney reported that several cash boxes and several vending machines in the office had been ripped open, but as the money is stored in the school’s safe, the thieves were not successful in their search for cash.
40 years ago
Hospital Affiliates International, the firm that has operated El Centro Community Hospital since 1976, has made unofficial contact with Pioneers Memorial Hospital regarding the possibility of taking over management of the Brawley facility, a PMH board member said this week.
The Pioneers Board presently is seeking applications for an administrator to replace the late Alaric Valentin.
Trustee Fred Klicka said Monday that he received a telephone call from an HAI representative who wanted to discuss the proposal.
An HAI representative said today the contact was “strictly unofficial” and indicated it was more of an offer of assistance.
Klicka stated he is “dead set against” a corporate management firm operating the Brawley hospital. He feels other trustees agree with him.
“I think the people of this town would go absolutely bananas if they thought a corporation was coming in to run the hospital,” Klicka said.
30 years ago
Employees at the Alfred M. Lewis Inc. in El Centro are watching the financial movers that could lead to a takeover of the Lewis wholesale grocery company to the Price Co., which operates 39 Price Clubs in six different states.
“Naturally we are concerned. Everybody is concerned about their jobs. Everything is up in the air. They are not telling us anything. All we know is what we read in the papers,” said Frank Culp, manager of the El Centro Alfred M. Lewis store.
What the employees have been reading in the paper is the Price Co. announced six weeks ago it had a tentative agreement to buy out Alfred M. Lewis and would, if the deal went through, merge the Lewis Co. into a Price Co. subsidiary. Today Dan Carter, a Price Co. vice president, said the Price Co. bid is in the hands of the Lewis shareholders.
On Wednesday, the Price Co. announced it had cut its offer from the previously announced $40 per share to $37 a share. The lower price per share cuts the package price from $52 million to $48.1 million. Carter said the Lewis board of directors voted to recommend that Lewis shareholders accept the offer.