17 Dec 1958
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 23 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Athens Messenger
Location
Athens, Ohio, United States of America
Date
Dec 17, 1958
Page
1
A Bogota department store blaze on a Tuesday night killed 82 people and injured 50 as shoppers flooded the narrow interior. Most victims were women trapped on a mezzanine or stairway amid panic, with the fire blamed on a short circuit in a light bulb display. The disaster prompted national mourning and funeral arrangements by the government.
A four day brush fire roared across more than 50 000 acres in Southern California near San Juan Capistrano with over 2000 firefighters battling the blaze. Eighteen structures were destroyed and residents faced ongoing danger as cold winds hindered suppression. A tracer bullet likely started the fire.
The Supreme Court set January 16 as the execution date for Bell Blankenship, 43, for the Gallia County Jail fatal shooting of Loren Borden, 26, in Gallipolis. He snatched a sheriff’s gun, wounded another prisoner, and was later convicted of first degree murder.
Stark County Prosecutor Norman J. Putman ruled public employees have a right to unionize. The opinion came after deputy dog wardens joined Teamsters Local 92 as their bargaining agent and union rep Paul P. Meyer pressed wage demands and grievances procedures.
New York union members of the Newspaper Mail and Deliverers Union voted down a federal mediator's plan to reballot on an old contract. The rejection overturned the committee's earlier decision to resubmit the $7 wage package to members on Thursday.
TOKYO Chinese leaders face the task of announcing Mao Tze tung will resign the presidency in January while remaining head of the Communist Party. Foreign diplomats report no successor named as policy tightening and stability are stressed.
Fire destroyed the Crawford Steel Foundry Co plant in Bucyrus Ohio early today. The loss amounts to a million dollars and the cause of the blaze was not determined immediately.
Coroner Dr Walter McCarron says sneak smoking in the school near the stairwell and combustible materials stored there are the most important findings in the Our Lady of the Angels tragedy. Arson squad officer Drew Brown testified two boys saw smokers between 2 20 and 2 30 pm and the alarm rang at 2 42 pm. The origin remains undetermined with indications of accident and no evidence of volatile liquids.
Pennsylvania Power and Light and Westinghouse Electric drop plans for a large scale reactor near Philadelphia. The move follows calls for more research and marks a setback to private industry leading peaceful atomic power development.
Bernard Goldfine a New England textile tycoon and Sherman Adams associate faced three contempt charges in Boston court. He denied one count and with Miss Mildred Paperman pleaded innocent to contempt for failure to produce IRS records. Judge Charles E. Wyzanski ordered an immediate trial.
In Columbus a part time Ohio State University student, David S. Smith, 20, admitted killing 24 year old Janice Ora Porter, who was days from giving birth. Authorities say he entered her home, bound and gagged her, assaulted her, and shot her in the forehead with a .22 revolver. Myron Porter, 26, husband and a senior at OSU College of Dentistry, was not present during the incident.
The nose cone of the Thor missile launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base marks America's first ballistic missile firing under combat conditions. A second Thor from Cape Canaveral completed a coast-to-coast test, as a regu lar crew operated the launch and the missile reached space fringes before propelling its nose cone toward a 1500 mile impact area. Maj. Gen. David Wade called the shot a great success.
A split within the Republican ranks widens over Everett Dirksen as a candidate for Senate floor leader. Dirksen expects election at the January 7 caucus with support from Styles Bridges. insurgents led by Senator George Aiken vow a forward looking leadership fight and predict gains in 1960.
Blustery northern sections saw gusts up to 58 mph as arctic air lingered in the Dakotas and Minnesota. Temperatures fell near zero in spots while snow moved into the Great Lakes and northern Atlantic regions, and warmer air was expected to spread across Gulf and Atlantic states.
A rare hurricane swept across France Tuesday night causing extensive damage and killing at least nine people. The storm inflicted thousands of dollars in damages and disrupted regional life.
Angelo Litrico of Rome offers two hand made vicuna overcoats and a golfing jacket to the Italian Embassy for delivery to the White House. Ambassador Brosio will see they reach President Eisenhower as officials keep silent on the matter.
The Air Line Pilots Association warns 1500 American Airlines pilots may strike at 11 59 p m Friday over wages and working conditions amid emergency bargaining in Chicago. ALPA said negotiations would continue while American said reservations would still be accepted in New York.
Ohio faces high prison expenses due to an inadequate probation system. The Ohio Committee on Delinquency and Crime says the state’s lack of an effective probation program increases costs as Ohio ranks 12th in national prison commitments, fueling overcrowding in its penal institutions.
Ohio state counties received five million dollars in advance of the regular February poor relief distribution. A 1.65 percent tax on public utilities funds the relief, with more payments expected late January or February. Counties listed include Athens 13414, Guernsey 13912, Hocking 8095, and Washington 32249.
A men's dormitory at Wilberforce College was heavily damaged by a Tuesday fire. Officials termed the blaze accidental and started in a student room. Christmas vacations will begin two days early for most burned-out students, per college vice president George Valentine.
Jerry Poston legislative correspondent for the Dayton Daily News will be press secretary for Gov elect Michael V DiSalle.
NATO supreme commander General Lauris Norstad pressed foreign ministers to accelerate deployment of intermediate range American guided missiles on European bases. He cited Berlin as the only base accepting missiles, with Italy close and French delays hindering an adequate force. Dulles warned against overreacting to Soviet nuclear threats while warning of large Soviet force projections.
In Springfield Ohio a coroner ruled murder death by own action in the shooting deaths of 65 year old Albert J. Snodgrass and his 45 year old wife Jennie found dead at their New Carlisle home. Snodgrass shot his wife with a rifle then killed himself in the same manner.
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