THE TIME MACHINE

From past files of The Star News

10 YEARS AGO

July 15, 2010

City electric utility customers will see a 21.3 percent increase in their electric bills staring July 1 as the result of a rate change imposed at the federal level.

The City of Medford electric utility maintains a local distribution network and purchases power from Xcel Energy which is then sold to consumers. The rate Xcel can charge to customers such as Medford Electric Utility is regulated by the federal government.

In the past, this has been set as a flat rate which Xcel must go through a formal process to change.

Xcel had asked the Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) to approve the creation of a “formula rate.”

Electric Utility Manager Mike Frey describes the new rate as a massive spreadsheet formula where several variables are inputted at one end and the rate is calculated based on those variables. What this essentially allows is for the power company to adjust rates in the future without going through a formal rate review process.

25 YEARS AGO

July 19, 1995

The Medford Library Board selected architectural firm of Frye Gillan Molinaro of Chicago to design the new addition onto the current library build- ing.

While all three architectural firms who made presentations to the board on Monday evening were qualified for the project, each had different strengths. Lonn Frye of Frye Gillan Molinaro was described by many at the meeting as a “visionary” who can “pull the public together.” Father Dennis Meulemans said, “Frye’s presentation was at the level of a spiritual experience, while the rest were just pedestrian.”

50 YEARS AGO

July 16, 1970

Efforts on the part of the Medford city council to comply with new state regulations governing the operation of a municipal dumping grounds ran into opposition last week by citizens.

Some 65 interested citizens attended a special meeting of the city council Wednesday, July 8, when Gary Burdick, Madison, engineer with the solid waste disposal section of the department of natural resources, explained the requirements to operate a solid waste disposal area. He said that the operation of the Medford dumping grounds is in violation of state anti-pollution measures.

75 YEARS AGO

July 12, 1945

At an enthusiastic meeting held in the old theatre building by some 35 Rib Lake residents Tuesday evening, it was decided to build a new show house in the village. The estimated coast of a satisfactory structure is between 25 and 30 thousand dollars. There seemed to be no question of ability to sell plenty of stock to finance the affair.

The proposal, long in the minds of Rib Lake boosters, is brought to a head at this time by the need of repair of the old opera house and by the fact that it will probably be remodeled for use as a Farmers Union feed store.

100 YEARS AGO

July 14, 1920

We are indebted to the county road authorities for the following information regarding construction and repair work in Taylor County’s roads: The road work has been unusually handicapped this season thus far on account of abnormal rains. There has been a succession of very heavy rains during June, which started after a comparatively dry May and at just the time when the sink holes or rubber mud holes were beginning to heal up.

125 YEARS AGO

July 13, 1895

The Frenchman, past or present, who speaks English especially well and does not pronounce English names with an accent that is peculiarly French is very rare indeed. President Felix Faure now holds the honors throughout all France for his excellent English, and English men resident in Paris, as well as the public men of London, who have opportunities of knowing, say that he quite equals Napoleon III in his fluency a l’Anglaise. M. Faure, in fact, is the first of the president who has been able to pronounce English well.