36 years ago this month

Area interest in the proposed Farmer's State Bank in Pahrump Valley has prompted backers to proceed with an application for a bank charter.

Tim Hafen, spokesman for the sponsoring group, said that based on about 100 replies from Pahrump, Tecopa, Shoshone, Death Valley, Amargosa and Beatty, he thought it reasonable to project possible deposits of about $1.5 million.

One of the largest crowds in the history of Tonopah is expected for the second annual Jim Butler Days celebration Memorial Day weekend. Gov. Mike O'Callaghan will be on hand to participate in the multitude of weekend events.

The giant party will kick off with a grand ball Friday night in which people are invited to dress in Jim Butler turn-of-the-century attire.

30 years ago this week

Nell Worden's and Tom Bennett's BW Services became the 60th member of the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce during the regular monthly meeting.

BW Services announced it would expand its business by adding farmer's insurance for auto and home coverage. Bennett said that after completing schooling, he will offer real estate appraisals.

BW is also expanding working hours and will build an office building on Manse Road.

It's a long wedding march from eastern Canada to Southern Nevada, but it's the only way you can be married under a cottonwood tree in Calvada if you live in Toronto.

Cathy Phillips and Stephen Littlefield are both 22 and in love with Calvada as well as each other.

On April 14, 1978, they took their marriage vows under the green cathedral arches of the century-old cottonwood tree that now shades one of the emerald green fairways on the country club's new championship golf course.

20 years ago this week

April went out like a lion last week, and Pahrump residents were literally picking up the pieces this week after intense winds with gusts some people believe reached more than 80 mph wreaked havoc throughout Southern Nevada. The strong gusts uprooted trees, blew over storage sheds and caused residents to flee indoors to escape clouds of blowing sand that blasted the area.

Valley Electric Association officials last week counted ballots cast on proposed changes in the cooperative's bylaws and found that more than 80 percent of the voting consumers approved them.

Proposed changes would have added a second member from the Pahrump-Sandy Valley district to the board of directors and would have made it more difficult for another utility to take control of the rural utility company.

Joe Richards of Crystal revealed this week that he has donated a fire truck to Crystal.

The truck is fully equipped but needs some work. It will be helpful in fighting fires in the tiny development until more sophisticated equipment can be brought in from Pahrump or Amargosa Valley, Richards said.

Richards, who owns two brothels in Crystal and one in Lathrop Wells, has been a generous benefactor to service organizations in Amargosa Valley, Beatty and Pahrump, contributing large sums of money and making major capital investments in such things as firefighting equipment.

10 years ago this week

Nye County's unemployment rate for the first quarter of 1998 was 4.2 percent, according to the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation.

According to the department, Nye has a total labor force of 14,030, compared to 13,300 a year ago. Of the current number, 13,450 have jobs. Nye has the sixth-largest labor force among the state's 17 counties.

Record-breaking fall and winter rainfall took a heavy toll on the valley when storms struck intermittently from September to March, but an even more menacing danger of the intense saturation may not be seen until acre after acre of overgrown desert vegetation dries out.

That's when the fires come.

Virtually every fire service agency in the Western United States anticipates a dangerous fire season, which traditionally runs from May through September.

The first round of serious budget work concluded Tuesday afternoon, and if what was proposed comes to pass in the very worst way possible, Pahrump residents could be hit with a 34 cent tax increase.

It is, predictably, not a proposal that is warmly endorsed by Pahrump commissioners Cameron McRae and Red Copass. The issue revolves around the state's $3.64 cap on property taxes.

It is an eyesore that can be seen alongside virtually every highway and roadway in the valley.

It accumulates on the edges of intersections, in vacant lots and the surrounding desert.

It is an embarrassment to the community and, in some instances, poses health risks to the people who live here.

Trash, garbage, rubbish, waste, junk, crap -- whatever label it's tagged with -- has covered the valley in recent years as if a long-dormant volcano erupted under the Pahrump landfill and blew 30 years worth of discarded debris all over town.

The Pahrump Valley Chamber and roughly 65 crews composed of 30 local businesses, organizations, and individuals declared May 16 as D-Day for the trash.

Chamber President Patricia Cox said designated areas have been given to various organizations for cleanup and stresses the day be set aside for the entire valley to remove garbage from its own neighborhood.

McRae will provide hundreds of large trash bags, and Pahrump Valley Disposal will place trash bins along the road and dispose of them free of charge.