20 Years Ago THE HASTINGS STAR-GAZETTE January 17, 2002 The people have spoken, Pipeline route will not include Hastings Met Council decides wastewater pipe will be constructed between Empire and Rosemount (story by Jeff Mores) Short summary: after residents voiced their concerns, the Metropolitan Council decides not to route a pipe discharging effluent from the southeast metro suburbs to the Mississippi River. Instead, they took a second look.

“I’m very happy to see they’ve changed their minds,” resident Jim Carrol related of the review. “Our biggest concern was what would happen if the groundwater ended up getting polluted out here. We have wells out here in the country, and we didn’t want the ag land to get screwed up either. I don’t think (the Metropolitan Council) really thought things out first. I think it’s one of these deals that just looked good on paper. I think the decision to reroute the pipe is all around good for Hastings.”

January 10, 2002 Headlines for 2002 Hastings graduate Dan Campbell qualifies for the Olympics.

YMCA moving to Westview Prescott baby is first born in 2002 at Regina District to consider childcare options Short summary: parents in ISD 200 sent survey with options for kindergarten-age children related to childcare.

40 Years Ago THE HASTINGS STAR-GAZETTE January 14, 1982 WANTED: Boys for family living class (Story by Mary Perkins) Short summary: Boys are underrepresented in the family living class according to gender ratio. With 130 total students, just nine (6.9 percent) are boys. With male input in class, “the girls quickly learned that boys have the same ideas, feelings, and opinions.” Among the opinions voiced were that it was ok for girls to ask boys out sometimes, and that it would be neat if they (the girls) paid as well. Other boys shared that it helped build skills needed in the future.

“A lot of the guys I talked to last year said they should have taken the class,” one senior boy related. “I think it’s a great class. I had a lot of them. I learned a lot.”

Court say Fisherman’s road is private property (Story by Al Shaffer) Short summary: The Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Jon and Katherine Grunseth regarding Fisherman’s Road in a dispute with the Town of Ravenna. Described by the court as a “two-rutted trail of road,” the span of one mile between County Road 74 and Vermillion Road was not owned by the town, which had no record of claiming the road, and only one maintenance incident recorded for same. A neighbor testified of gravel being placed at the end of the road just once in 24 years. Grunseth spent $25,000 to defend himself in court, having closed off the road with a log gate after trespassers caused trouble by way of heaving drinking, guns, and driving vehicles on his land back in 1979. He was told at the time of purchase that it was a private road, with nothing unearthed to the contrary.

“It cost me probably close to $25,000 to defend myself,” Grunseth said. “After spending that kind of money, you can understand why I get upset. It was just a complete and total waste of money.”

News from Across the River 100 Years Ago THE PRESCOTT TRIBUNE January 12, 1922 OUR TOWN Not some other town, just this town, Our Town.

Our town is just what we make it: it means home to most of us; it has been my home ofr many years and I feel that I have reason to be interested in it. I think it is a pretty fair town, too, though like most of ourselves it might be improved. We could not ask for a better location; it is one of the beauty spots in this part of the country…. Shall the atmosphere of the place be wholesome and clean; and the streets safe at all times for young feet to walk in?

(Signed) “One of us” High School Play January 19th The high school play entitled “Nothing But The Truth” will be given at the Opera House on next Thursday evening with the following cast of characters: Gwendolin Ralston, Mary Kaplan, Robert Bennett, Dean Leseman, E. M. Ralston, Fred Budworth, Mrs. Ralston, Salome Welch, Ethel Clark, Mary E. Longworth, Mabel Jackson, Bernidean Wolfe, Sable Jackson, Florence Fiedler, Bishop Doran, Collis Druley, Mr. Van Dusen, Harry Snyder, Rick/Nick? Donnelly (the first letter is partially missing), Bernaryd Neinstadt, Martha the Maid, Grace Filkins.

The copy was received too late to give any description of the play in this issue. The tickets will be 20 and 35 cents with an extra charge of 10 cents for reserved seats. Make your plans now to attend and see the bill for particulars.

115 Years Ago CANNON FALLS BEACON January 18, 1907 The Claquers How They Do Their Work in the Theaters of Paris The question of employing claquers in New York theaters has been agitated, but it is safe to say that the American sense of humor will never permit this. The claque in European cities consists of a small body of men, under the orders of a chief, who undertake to applaud actors and actresses at certain times. The only one in the band who is remunerated (i.e. “paid”) is the chief. The men under him get the privilege of seeing the pay without paying for their seats.

School Notes A fire alarm was given on Friday afternoon and proved of no little excitement to all. It was observed that while the Juniors showed the utmost self possession, the Seniors looked wildly excited and nervous, prostration was almost feared in a few cases. Report cards Monday morning! And a cruel awakening they were to a few poor mortals.

OXFORD Locals Oxford has nothing to offer. All quiet. Rumors of this and that, but nothing very definite. Yes, we know M. Davis has returned from his vacation at Ellsworth, Wis. Good Bye.STANTON Locals J. J. Dack made a business trip to Anoka Saturday.

VASA Locals Rev. Billings of Cannon Falls conducted services at the M. E. church last Tuesday evening.

156 Years Ago THE HASTINGS CONSERVER Tuesday, January 9, 1866 Shall we have a schoolhouse?

It is a notorious fact that the city of Hastings—with a population upwards of three thousand, and nine hundred children between the ages of five and twenty-one—has not so much as a shed under which to educate the rising generation, and it would be safe to say that today one hundred children, who should be at school every hour or its session, are kept at home in idleness or worse, for want of room in the buildings now occupied.

For five years or more it has been the question at each annual school meeting, “shall we have a schoolhouse?” For want of cooperation among the friends of the cause of education, and by reason of vigorous opposition, it has as often failed.

Miscellaneous Items Nine hundred pounds in bank notes were found sewed up in the waistcoat of Tom Sayers after his death.

It is rumored at Washington that the President will soon issue a proclamation declaring the work of restoration of the Union complete. And from Europe: What will become known as the process of pasteurization is reported as successful from experiments by one “M. Pasteur” with wine preservation, heat thought to kill fungi that brought chemical changes to the wine.