20-40-100 Years Ago — Jan. 31
31—100 Years Ago Jan
January 31, 1923
John W. Fout, a well known farmer of near Harmony Grove, accidentally fell from the second story of his barn on Monday afternoon and suffered a fractured skull. He was taken to the City Hospital, and although his injury is serious, it was reported on Tuesday evening that he was doing as well as could be expected. Mr. Fout and his son, Bowyer, were hanging a door from the loft of the barn. Somehow Fout slipped and fell a distance of 10 or 12 feet.
More than two hundred and fifty persons attended the card party in aid of the Frederick Baseball Club at the State Armory on Tuesday evening. The large auditorium was brilliantly lit and made for a very attractive appearance. Bridge and five hundred were played. The tables were lavishly arranged and no effort was spared to offer the guests a pleasant evening.
40 years ago
January 31, 1983
Relations between the Frederick County Commissioners and the district school board, two agencies inextricably linked through the funding process, have been plagued in the past with mistrust and lack of communication and show no signs of improvement. That relationship was illustrated when the commissioners first saw the school board’s 1983-84 budget proposals in newspapers. Even Sterling E. Bollinger, the commissioner’s liaison to the school board, had no prior knowledge of the board’s proposed budget and neither did any of the other commissioners.
The noise level in Frederick probably set a record Sunday around 9 p.m. That’s when Washington Redskins fullback John Riggins ran 43 yards to score the go-ahead touchdown, giving the Redskins a 20-13 lead over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
(Editor’s Note: The News-Post does not have access to 50 Years Ago archives for August 1972 through March 1973. The “50 Years Ago” roundup will return April 1, 2023.)
20 years ago
January 31, 2003
Frederick County is the worst violator of a state law requiring a sufficient number of election polling places, and compliance would require budget increases for the county’s elections department, according to Director Stuart Harvey. The law aims to prevent overcrowding of polling stations by requiring equal numbers of polling stations and precincts. But Frederick County has 38 polling places and 56 precincts.
As the FBI wraps up its latest anthrax investigation in the Catoctin Mountains, Frederick County officials are wondering if the check is in the mail. An FBI spokesman declined to say what, if anything, the agents found and would not say whether they would return. Meanwhile, Frederick County filed a bill to reimburse the highway crews and firefighters who helped with an earlier search of the area in December. “We haven’t been paid yet,” said Walter Murray, deputy director of operations for the Department of Fire and Rescue Services.
