36 years ago this month

Preferred Equities Corp. of Nevada, developers of Calvada Valley recreational community, reports land sales for the first year of operations totaling more than $10 million.

More than 2,000 people living in 45 states and seven foreign countries have bought property in the development, which is designed to serve a potential population of 52,500 people.

Preferred Equities has sales offices in Las Vegas and Reno and is currently establishing a network of company brokers throughout North and South America and Western Europe.

Plans to build a modular home construction plant in Pahrump Valley have firmed up and could become a reality as early as next month with the first homes coming off the line as early as this summer, according to Bob Craig, president of the new company, BCE Enterprises Inc.

"We do not have a written commitment for financing the plant and the equipment. When completed, the facility would have an appraised value of around $290,000." Craig said. It will take six to eight weeks to construct this type of plant.

The early stages of the project should employ 40 to 50 people, with that number increasing to 150 possibly by the end of the year.

30 years ago this week

The Teachers Corps School Community Council, in cooperation with the 5th District Court Juvenile Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Pahrump Arts Council, Pahrump Community Library and 4-H, has put together the most comprehensive summer activities program ever presented for youth and adults in Pahrump Valley.

The program will be offered during the eight-week period of June 26 to Aug. 18. The cooperative venture will add volleyball, ping-pong, badminton, dances, golf and visits to the Meadows Playhouse in Las Vegas, as well as previously offered activities.

Previously offered activities, still on the summer agenda, include water skiing, swimming lessons, summer day camp, softball, arts and crafts, Spanish classes and more.

Nye County is considered as a possible missile base proposed by the Air Force. The missile in question is a new land-based intercontinental ballistic system.

Because it is mobile and experimental, it has been designated MX. The system has been under development since 1974, but no final decision has been made on its deployment.

President Carter has drastically reduced funding for the program. Critics say it will be too costly -- an estimated $40 billion -- and will only enflame the nuclear arms race with the Soviets at a time when we are bargaining for arms limitations.

Realistically, what is going on at this point is a preliminary investigation of available sites for a missile program that may never be built.

20 years ago this week

Amargosa Valley once again is making an effort to strike a blow for a bigger tax base by seeking to annex Yucca Mountain.

An earlier effort was sidetracked with the creation of Bullfrog County, which carved 144 square miles out of Nye County atop Yucca Mountain. However, Bullfrog was found unconstitutional and has passed into history.

Nye County commissioners will hear a request by Amargosa town council members that the annexation be undertaken.

Details of a proposed sale of Saddle West to a southern California contractor are in the final stage.

An accountant for J.Wayne Stewart is scheduled to arrive in Pahrump and spend the weekend going over points in the sales agreement, according to Saddle West consultant Jack Sanders.

Stewart has never been in the gaming business before, according to Sanders. However, last year he applied for approval to purchase the Del Mar Race and Sports Book, but the application hit a snag and reportedly was dropped without prejudice.

The sixth annual Elks Helldorado Trail Ride, co-sponsored by the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce, will kick off the events of the 54th annual Elks Helldorado April 30. The fee for the beautiful two-day ride, which originates at Trout Canyon, approximately eight miles south of Pahrump on Highway 160, is $40 per person.

The price includes cowboy breakfast, sack lunches and steak dinners for the two days; it also covers food and water for the horses.

10 years ago this week

The Arcon Pahrump Center for Healthcare officially became the Pahrump Medical Center again on April 1.

But instead of an outside operator, the Utah-based management firm Rural Health Management Corp. is now perched in the driver's seat, with the Pahrump Community Hospital District board working the pedals from behind the scenes.

Exactly what that will mean for the facility should become increasingly clear in the coming weeks and months.

Pahrump Town Manager Mike Cosgrove sent the town board a cautiously optimistic message during a workshop held to discuss the proposed county fairgrounds project.

Cosgrove said the Bureau of Land Management seems more than willing to help the town acquire 875 acres of its land for the ambitious plan, but an apparently reluctant Senate Appropriations Committee in Washington, D.C., has the final say on the matter. More significant is the possibility the town may have to pay for some, most or all the acreage because of definitions the BLM employs for land use.

If American Stores Co. was going to offer a statement after 24 hours of being in business in Nye County, it might go something like this:

"Pahrump has been very, very good to us."

The opening of Lucky and Sav-on Drug was well received by the locals. Sav-on opened first. Customers were very pleased with the 17,000-square-foot building in Pahrump, they packed the aisles within minutes and every check-out counter had long lines.

The Lucky store, opening later in the day, drew a large crowd as well. A full 30 minutes after opening, shoppers and their carts were still lined up outside, waiting to make their way into the 62,433-square-foot store.

The Monster Truck and Motorsports Spectacular show that attracted a standing-room-only crowd at the Pahrump Valley Speedway in July is back for an encore.

Five big blown monster trucks, including "Unnamed, Untamed," and "Priority One," will be flying through the air and crushing cars Saturday Night at the Speedway. There will also be a Jet Funny Car Fire Show, where a junk car will be chained to the jet car and melted to the ground with up to 200-foot flames.