The Tooele Transcript Bulletin has published Tooele County news since 1894. Here is a flashback of local front-page news from 25, 50, 75 and 100 years ago that occurred during the first and second and third week of December.
Dec. 14-16, 1993
Grantsville Middle School officials confiscated a loaded handgun from a 14-year-old male teen during school after the weapon fell to a classroom floor.
The student purportedly told officials that he had brought the semiautomatic .22-caliber pistol to school for “protection” from other students.
“I believe he had the intent to harm another child or children with the gun,” said GMS Principal Sandy Shepard.
The boy said other kids had been harassing him.
“He said he was specifically after two boys. I am very concerned about the incident,” Shepard said.
Thursday’s front page featured an update on dispatching services in the county.
County commissioners were apparently done bickering with Grantsville and Tooele City over dispatch fees.
Commissioners told the cities they must pay a fee increase or lose the service.
Commissioner Leland Hogan said the County would terminate its dispatch contract on Jan. 30 if the two cities refused to pay the increase.
Dec. 10-13, 1968
The commander of the newly organized Deseret Test Center briefed newsmen during the week on the mission of that facility.
The Center organized in July comprises the test facilities of Dugway and administration and supervisory offices at Fort Douglas.
Brigadier Gen. John G. Appel said the specialized mission of the base was to provide the Army with a capability for testing chemical, biological and radiological munitions, agents and related materiel and equipment.
Later in the week, new officers were selected to head the Tooele County Chamber of Commerce.
Elected to the office of president was Lawrence Hood of Hood’s Walgreen Agency Drug Store. Jack Cox, manager of Brown’s was elected first vice-president and Wayne Parker, manager of Parker’s Music Company, was elected second vice-president.
Those elected to serve as directors of the Chamber were Ruth Pitt, Naomi Jensen and Dean Hunt.
Holdover directors were Sidney G. Atkin, M. Abbott Grode and Marian Winegar.
Dec.14-17, 1943
Tooele City Mayor Sol J. Selvin announced that the City was making another application for a $38,000 grant from the federal government to finance the full amount of repairing the old city water tank and constructing new feedlines to the tanks.
The application indicated that the Public Federal Housing Authority had nearly completed the construction of several blocks of Defense homes in Tooele, including one block in the Tooele Highlands that could not be served with culinary water and water for fire protection by the current waterworks system.
The front page announced the retirement of James O. Elton, manager of the International Smelting and Refining Company and father of the great Elton Tunnel. He would retire on Dec. 31.
Frank A. Wardlaw Jr., who had wide experience in the mining business and had been assistant manager of the smelter for more than a year, would succeed Elton.
Dec. 13, 1918
The body of Luke Vasalvich, an Austrian, was found at the No. 3 train station, about six miles from Tooele Wednesday at noon by Sheriff Adamson.
Vasalvich and his partner, Joe Davis, are said to have left Bingham Tuesday with 10 gallons of whiskey, the greater part of which was in cans. The whiskey was discovered by the sheriff in a ravine where he found the body of Vasalvich. It is believed that Vasalvich froze to death.
Davis returned to Tooele and was taken into custody by the sheriff. He is being held on pending examination into Vasalvich’s death.
Correspondent Mark Watson compiled this report