36 years ago this month

One of the oldest and liveliest tourist attractions in Tonopah is the pipe-smoking guy with the Walt Whitman beard, referred to as Mizpah Andy.

As a goodwill ambassador for the Mizpah for the last 11 years, Andy plays the part of the old prospector - red flannel shirt, boots, a rope belt and a western hat. Fact is he has paid his mining camp dues. Born Feb. 7, 1888, Mizpah Andy moved to Goldfield in 1906 to try his luck in gold. He has never, since 1906, completely left the prospecting game.

The third Anniversary Celebration at Circus Circus rolls along in high gear with the unique Zodiac Disc daily providing some of the greatest cash prizes ever won in the West.

In the first two weeks of the celebration, more than 300 winners shared more than $15,000 in cash awards.

The world's greatest circus acts continue to thrill Circus Circus visitors with continuous performances including famous aerial acts, high wire performers, animal acts, and outstanding specialty performers.

30 years ago this week

The Pahrump Community Library should be completed and ready for use by January, according to John Layer, Nye County maintenance superintendant.

The new roof and ceiling have been installed at the former jail located behind the Nye County Complex. The library advisory board heard the results of the renovation work at the November meeting. Many new additions will be added, including audio-visual equipment and more books.

Everything is a go for the new go-cart track at Saddle West on Highway 160. Wulfenstein Construction is building the track for Saddle West owner Bob Huffman.

The track, located behind the casino, is expected to open Nov. 26. Within a week of opening, bumper rails will be added. Saddle West recently opened an arcade featuring 16 automatic games, pool table and a soda fountain.

20 years ago this week

The strike that's estimated to have taken more than $4 million out of the Pahrump and Tonopah economies over the past 10 weeks came to an end Thanksgiving week.

Picket lines came down Sunday and 50 percent of the work force at the Nevada Test Site returned to work Monday. The rest of the work force was returning during the week.

The Culinary Union voted to ratify a new five year contract with Reynolds Electrical and Engineering Co., the prime contractor at the Nevada Test Site and the Tonopah Test Range.

The suit challenging the constitutionality of Bullfrog County will be heard Dec. 15 by senior Judge David Zenoff in Goldfield.

The session will determine whether the matter will go to trial. District Attorney Phil Dunleavy expects the issue to be ultimately settled in the state supreme court. Either side that loses in a lower court will probably appeal according to Dunleavy. Dunleavy challenged the creation of Bullfrog on 37 different points, most of which were constitutional issues.

District Judge William Beko ruled last Friday that Sheriff Stick Davis has a vote on the county's prostitution licensing board - thus voiding a section in the county's new brothel licensing ordinance.

Under the new law, the three county commissioners were given voting status while the sheriff's role was regulated to investigating applications without a vote. Beko's decision was the result of a suit brought against Nye County by Western Best Limited, owners of the Chicken Ranch brothel.

10 years ago this week

Pahrump Town Board member Gary Hollis went to Washington D.C. last month with a list of things to talk about.

He told Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Richard Bryan and Rep. Jim Gibbons that there are a lot of issues in Pahrump that need their attention, including the fairgrounds project and problems caused by recent flooding.

The congressmen responded and within weeks, Hollis and a host of other Pahrump officials were meeting at the town office with two legislative representatives, Peter Arapis of Reid's office and Gregory Daines of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The compromise between Pahrump's Desert Utilities and its customers has left the owner of the water company satisfied and the customers as satisfied as they can be with a rate increase.

The two sides came to an agreement earlier this month following several weeks of disagreements over how much customers should pay for their water every month.

Desert Utilities owner Hollis Harris said he originally proposed the increase to recoup a portion of the money he has spent upgrading the water system in Allen Estates, where the majority of his customers live.

Residents believed the proposed rates were excessive and sought representation from the consumer advocate division of the state attorney general's office.

Two enterprising Pahrump couples are hoping Subway is the right way to break into the valley's increasingly competitive chain-restaurant business.

John and Joanne Schifano and Richard and Carol Hinkle are teaming up to bring the popular sandwich shop to Pahrump in as little as a month.

John, who will serve as manager for the restaurant, said they will begin interviewing potential employees in the next week or two.

He expects to need a minimum of 10 employees, mostly part-time. The sandwich shop will be located inside a recently completed office complex on Highway 372, west of Pahrump Valley Blvd.

Amy Ellenwood's volleyball career at UNLV didn't end the way she hoped it would. But the way she went out spoke volumes about the kind of player and person she is.

"It's my senior year and I wanted to go out in style," the former Pahrump Valley High School two-time all-state player and school valedictorian said. "Going out in this manner was depressing after working so hard in the summer."

Ellenwood, who went from a walk-on last year to a starter team captain this year, was enjoying a solid senior season when she tore a ligament in her ankle during practice.