STORIES FROM THE PAST

50 years ago

The County Supervisors are drawing up a resolution urging state and federal legislators not to pass any new gun-control regulations until the subject has been carefully studied.

The resolution will be patterned after one by the supervisors of Tomumne County, which urges no new gun legislation until the “hysteria following the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy dies down.”

Supervisor Charles Kilgore, who deals in rifles and shotguns, pointed out that all firearms sold are supposed to be registered with the federal government through a law that has been in effect since 1937; the measure is not universally enforced.

Kilgore explained that he and other reputable gun dealers keep a list of the guns they sell, listing the caliber, serial number and who they are sold to. these listings go to the Alcohol and Tobacco Division of the Internal Revenue Service.

40 years ago

Alford’s Liquor Store — in the Aaron Alford family for more than 30 years — has been sold to long-time El Centro businessman Orval Sells.

Sells and his wife, Marie, operated the El Centro Dairy Queen at Imperial and State for 10 years before moving to San Diego in 1974. For 1 1/2 years before returning to the Valley last August, they operated a liquor store in Kearney Mesa.

Alford’s built a new concrete block-construction store at Fourth and State in 1976, under the ownership of sons Mike and Tom Alford.

Mike Alford has now become re-associated with his mother, Irene Alford, in Alford’s Distributing, liquor wholesalers, with the store’s sale to Sells. Tom Alford is engaged in ranching in Oregon.

The Alfords first opened Alford’s Liquor on Main Street in 1944. The family started in the wholesale business in 1947, then moved the business to its long-time location of 441 State St., where the wholesale office remains.

30 years ago

Bird watchers, fishermen, hunters and environmentalists are all expected to benefit from improvement projects currently underway at Finney and Ramer lakes in the Imperial Wildlife Area south of Calipatria.

Some of the projects, including improvements at Finney Lake, are nearing completion.

Both Finney and Ramer lakes and the surrounding area are teeming with birds, fish, rodents, reptiles and amphibians, and various types of plant life. Over 300 species of birds have been seen in the area and there are plenty of bass, channel catfish, carp and bluegill in the many bodies of water in the area.

The lakes and ponds are rimmed by a thick growth of riparian vegetation including mesquite, palo verde, tamarisk and palm trees, cattail and cane.

20 years ago

BRAWLEY — About 80 Wrestlers from around the Imperial Valley, and some from as far away as Coachella, got quite a lesson in the art of grappling Tuesday.

Lou Montano, the wrestling coach at Columbia University, was in town to demonstrate a few holds and dispense some encouraging words.

Montano, who wrestled and played football and baseball at Calexico High, brought a positive message to the wrestling room at Brawley Union High School. Montano’s message to his high school-age crowd was a simple one.

“I tried to stress the opportunities that wrestling and athletics have given me, just being involved and getting the opportunity to get a wonderful education,” he said.

“I tried to point out that coming from Calexico and the Imperial Valley and being involved in wrestling really gave me a goal to shoot for. I got a wonderful opportunity for an education.”

Montano’s wrestling skills landed him a scholarship to CalPoly San Luis Obispo. It was there that his career on the mats really took off.