news-record.com

75 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 1935:

Auction sales for the 1934-35 season were closed out Jan. 31 on the Reidsville market with the sale of about 30,000 pounds of tobacco. This brought sales for the season to about 8.1 million pounds.

The latest sales consisted primarily of the common types of tobacco and resulted in an average of $14 to $15 per hundredweight.

Precise figures for the present season are not yet available but the market should show an average of $27.25 to $27.50 per hundred. That would make the current crop about as profitable to the grower as any since 1919.

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Jesse Layne Thompson of Reidsville pleaded guilty in Danville Corporation Court to hit-and-run driving and was given 60 days on the city farm. He reportedly struck a parked car, turning it over and dumping a passenger onto the ground.

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Dr. Alexander M. Cox of Madison spent a day in Henderson, where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the 115th Hospital Company of the National Guard, which is in Madison.

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The management of Carolina Cotton and Woolen Mills division of Marshall Field and Co. gave an anniversary party at the Fieldale Lodge in Fieldale, Va., for Ernest D. Pitcher, who has completed 50 years of service to the company. Twenty-six of those years were spent in Spray as secretary of the Carolina Cotton and Woolen Mills.

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The Spray Y faltered in the first quarter and that was enough to cost them the game, falling to E.M. Holt of Burlington, a collection of ex-collegians. Although Spray outscored the visitors 26-25 in the final three quarters, they were never able to overcome their poor start, losing 43-32.

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50 years ago
From the Greensboro Daily News, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 1960:

Work on the new Morehead Hospital between Spray and Draper should be finished by March 1, according to the contractor.

Cement floors are now being poured and finishing touches made to all four floors. Some of the kitchen equipment has arrived and other furnishings are expected daily. Workers installed a wall of Vermont marble in the lobby during the past week.

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A valuable collection of historical material from the library of the late Lawrence E. Watt, Reidsville attorney and historian of the County Historical Society, has been given to the society by his widow, Mrs. Elsie Watt, according to J.O. Thomas of Leaksville, society president.

Included in the collection are historical clippings, old newspaper files, maps, books and other items .

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Harvey P. Brooks Jr. of Salisbury joined the staff of Consolidated Central YMCA this week as physical director. He is a physical education graduate of Pfeiffer College.

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William B. Lucas, legal counsel for Fieldcrest Mills, was named Tri-City Young Man of the Year by the Tri-City Junior Chamber of Commerce during a Bosses’ Night dinner in Leaksville. Guy Buckle made the award.

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Reidsville High nipped Winston-Salem Gray 46-43 in a basketball game played at Reidsville but Morehead High of Tri-Cities was less fortunate, falling to Mount Airy 48-37 in a game played at Morehead.

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25 years ago
From the News & Record, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 1985:

Farm income in Rockingham County was $40.4 million, up more than $5 million over the year before. The difference was that tobacco brought higher prices in 1984 and the weather was more conducive to growing crops.

Tobacco remained the county’s leading crop by far, with the golden leaf bringing in $26.6 million, according to figures compiled by the Agricultural Extension Service. This was well above 1983 when tobacco brought farmers $23.4 million.

Second as an income producer was livestock, poultry and dairy products, which brought in $8 million in income. This was up from $7.9 million in 1983.

Because of better weather, other crops such as grain corn also produced more income. Grain corn produced $824,850 in 1984, up from $226,389 the year before when heavy spring rains and then a summer drought reduced the yield.

“We’re running up on about everything,” said Extension Service Chairman Frank Green. “I think overall it was a good year for farmers.”

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The county’s unemployment rate hit double digits in December, climbing to 11.2 percent from November’s 9.7 percent. The closing of an Owens-Illinois plant in Eden and temporary textile layoffs accounted for most of the increase, with 4,000 people out of a workforce of 41,960 being unemployed.

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GSX Services of Reidsville has been hired to help remove two drums from an Asheville landfill believed to contain a chemical warfare agent that causes hallucinations. GSX, formerly known as Triangle Resource Industries, is a hazardous waste management firm. 

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Jim Hardy, Reidsville school superintendent, and Richard Schultz, county school superintendent, announced they will retire this summer.

This has prompted the Reidsville Chamber of Commerce to suggest this would be a good time for the Reidsville and county school systems to merge.

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On the high school basketball courts, both the Morehead Panthers and Rockingham boys lost to Guilford County teams but the Reidsville boys beat Eastern Guilford 67-48. Morehead fell to Western Guilford 70-60 and Rockingham lost to Southern Guilford 62-60.

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10 years ago
From the News & Record, Jan. 31-Feb. 6, 2000:

The United Way of Rockingham County has met its goal of $1.3 million despite hundreds of layoffs in the county in recent months.

The organization has $1,300,499 pledged and expects to divide this among 27 member organizations.

Rick Hurley, United Way executive director, said that in four years with United Way, more than 6,000 jobs have been cut in the county, including reductions by companies that traditionally have been strong supporters of United Way. He noted that after hard times, such as last fall’s hurricanes and the job cuts, people do tend to give more to charitable organizations.

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Melting snow caused about 2,000 gallons of fuel to spill at a Reidsville gas station.

Fire Marshall Charles Fagg said someone working on submersible pumps at the Times Turn Around at West Richardson and Freeway drives left the caps off the fuel tank and then snow melted into the tanks, causing the fuel to overflow. A clean-up crew from Times Oil Company was brought in to handle the spill.

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The Western Rockingham Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 20th anniversary with 300 members, up from 290 in 1996 and 130 when it started.

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Tom Barbour, owner of Picture This One-Hour Photo and Studio in the Eden Mall, was named the Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Eden Chamber of Commerce at its 44th annual membership meeting at Meadow Greens Country Club.

Barbour was cited for his involvement with the Morehead High School career/mentor program, the Special Olympics and the American Cancer Society. He also was praised for sponsoring the Eden YMCA Tennis Association and for his work with the Eden Apple Festival.

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Reidsville High defeated Eastern Alamance 68-57 and McMichael High of Madison-Mayodan fell to South Stokes when a desperation fling from backcourt by South Stokes’ Dominique Harrison went into the basket, giving visiting South Stokes a 59-56 victory.