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Newspaper
Grafton Sentinel
Location
Grafton, West Virginia, United States of America
Date
Dec 26, 1957
Page
1
Rain will end today with clearing skies and a cold night. It will be flat and colder with a low in the 20s. Friday will be fair early, then increasing clouds and a touch colder in the afternoon. Temperatures: highs around 49, lows near 18. recent readings show 11 am today around 42 to 47 with yesterday’s high 47 and low 42 at Tygart Dam.
City Hall disclosed that a fire service charge may be imposed by Brafton to fund fire department expansion. The ordinance, passed on first reading, would levy 75 cents per quarter on domestic water users and 1.50 on business classifications to support a special ladder truck and a new West Side station manned around the clock, with an effective date if approved set for April 1, 1958.
Digest reports from London that Moscow radio envisions futuristic Soviet housing for short Russians built of lass with ultraviolet sunbathing light. Predictions describe windows unnecessary for winter sun exposure.
William B. VanDyke aged 20, former Morgantown resident, leaped to his death into a 425 foot air shaft at a Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania mine following a quarrel with his girlfriend. State Police report he announced intent to kill himself after the argument.
Grafton area returns to normal after a quiet Christmas holiday. Offices reopen, most businesses back in operation though a few closed for extra time off. Shoppers filled Main Street for last minute gifts though activity dropped sharply after 6 pm. Christmas Day saw limited business and many meals with friends. Churches held well attended services, a serious highway accident reported nearby, and persistent rain marred the holiday.
Donald Atwood, 53, entered the Steubenville police station on Christmas Eve and asked to be jailed. After the desk sergeant refused, Atwood rammed his fist through a door. He was treated for four stitches to his right hand and jailed for the eighth time this year.
New York reports the highest US temperature Wednesday at 82 in Fort Myers Florida and a frigid low of 21 below zero at Fraser Colorado, illustrating wide seasonal swings across the nation.
Eight year old Mike Strong of Silver Spring Maryland faces removing his right eye after a 1953 accident and sends a Christmas card to Carroll Hall a Washington sportswriter who recently lost an eye to a hockey puck. Mike hopes for strength from family and his grandfather who wears an artificial eye.
The Christmas holiday period ended with a high road toll. National Safety Council figures and United Press tallies show about 217 deaths from traffic crashes and related fires and accidents during the holiday stretch, with Ohio leading fatalities at 19 and several multi death wrecks reported.
Baltimore and Ohio railroad workers in Grafton received welcome news after an earlier furlough notice. A December 30 furlough was cancelled by a later posting, as the company cited declining traffic and revenue prompting economy steps.
West Virginia Institutions Commissioner Theodore T. Dorman announced trips to northern state facilities January 2 through 4. He will visit the State Forestry Camp for Boys at Davis Tucker County the State Industrial School for Boys at Pruntytown and the State Industrial Home for Girls at Salem to evaluate operations and seek recommendations from Blackburg.
A Christmas storm delivering heavy rain and limited snow moved eastward threatening hazardous driving in New York and Pennsylvania mountains. West winds up to 45 mph hit the upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes, while rain and freezing rain raised travel dangers in northern Minnesota, the upper Great Lakes, and southern Appalachians. Pacific Northwest winds 40 to 50 mph battered coast and northern Rockies with half to an inch of rain and several inches of snow, adding five to seven feet of snow in high mountain passes.
President Eisenhower set Christmas aside to finalize a missile focused legislative program for Congress. He is expected to request the largest peacetime military budget, about 40 billion dollars, to counter the Soviet space age threat, with bulk of defense funds already printed and a White House plan to raise spending by roughly two billion. The President and Mrs. Eisenhower spent Christmas quietly at their home, sharing a turkey with family.
A man visited Halifax police to pay bail for 10 drunken inmates, claiming to be Santa Claus when asked his name. He asked for receipts, then disappeared, leaving officers curious about the anonymous benefactor.
In Wausau Wisconsin a Christmas card addressed to Neil Jones was returned to sender marked address unknown. Jones serves as postmaster and is the only person with that name in the city of about 40 000, leaving the card’s fate unresolved.
A fragmented report notes rising alcohol use in the Soviet bloc as citizens drink to cope with life under Communist rule. East Germany shows widespread bar and street drunkenness while youth crime linked to intoxication prompts officials to threaten penalties and raise the drinking age from 16 to 18.
Charleston Governor Cecil H. Underwood ends a 36 hour Christmas holiday with plans to issue the 1958 legislative call by Friday or Saturday. The 30 day session opens January 8 and centers on a records budget of about 105 million dollars. Potential items include road construction, education funding, and possibly a special session on educational issues. The State Board of Public Works warned the tax must be reenacted to avoid a multi million dollar shortfall. Other proposed issues include real estate tax matching funds and pending claims against the state.
A reader notice invites daily Bible portions in the Sentinel. It promotes family Bible reading as an old American custom and directs readers to find today’s reading on Page 4.
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