Living History: Y2K a bust

20 years ago - Jan. 6, 2000

The Y2K problem is almost nonexistent. That’s what emergency management personnel in Wadena County found out New Year’s Eve as did the rest of the world. They were out in full force, but found themselves with little to do--even the police. Wadena County Emergency Management Director Wayne Terry set up a command station in the Wadena County Courthouse Auditorium where he, Commissioner Lyle Freer, Wadena Police Chief Lane Waldahl and Management Information Services Director Bob Dittes monitored things at the county level. Three sheriff’s department dispatchers manned E911 that evening. “Everything went fine,” Terry said. “I was there until 12:45 am. The lights didn’t even flicker.”

The Wadena Wolverines boys hockey team celebrates a victory at the Dec. 28-30 Holiday Tournament. The Wolverines defeated Morris, Windom and Crosby/Ironton/Aitkin for the tournament championship.

60 years ago - Jan. 7, 1960

Wadena Clinic announces the purchase of the Brownsey apartment at the corner of Jefferson St. and Franklin Ave., with the ultimate purpose of erecting a new clinic building on that site next spring or summer. Previous plans for a new clinic building go as far back as 1929 involving the then Egleston property recently acquired by the city for parking purposes and later the site now occupied by the present telephone building. The depression entered the picture nullifying the Egelston property project, and the plan was abandoned. The Wadena Clinic has been located on the second floor above the Wadena Hardware store for many years. The long flight of stairs to it is not conducive to the best interests of clinic clientele and has long been the primary motive toward ground floor quarters.