Pages past - Oct. 20

On this date ...

1987: A leaky water pipe flooded much of the north half of the Curry County Courthouse, causing an undetermined amount of damage and promising to have computers shut down for at least a week.

Philip Jackson, a county corrections officer who had been making a routine sweep of the building around 1 a.m., was credited with helping staunch the flow.

Jail Administrator Terri Emond said Jackson forced open a window and crawled through, dropping into water that was flowing over electrical lines and junction boxes to turn off the valve.

"It's a wonder he wasn't badly injured or even killed," Emonds said. "If it hadn't been for him, the damage probably would have been 100 times worse."

1972: Perennial Portales coffee shop Les' Sweet Shoppe had an ad in the Portales News-Tribune touting, "Our coffee is always fresh and still just 10 cents."

The ad also encouraged potential customers to "Try our delicious fried pies," and reminded them that, "There is nothing that hits the spot like our homemade chili on these cold days."

The shop slogan was "Where the elite meet to eat sweets!"

Pages Past is compiled by Betty Williamson. Contact her at: [email protected]