Following are summaries of local news stories from the pages of the Intelligencer Journal and New Era. This column appears on page B1 of the printed newspaper each Monday. The items are researched and compiled by staff member Tim Buckwalter. Full versions are available on microfilm at the Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St.

25 years ago

2 STRIKES: Teacher strikes in two local districts quickly came to an end as negotiators reached agreements on new three-year contracts. A strike in Hempfield lasted two days. A strike in Donegal ended after three days, as administrators began opening schools without striking teachers. (Sept. 7 and 8, 1984)

RING THEFT: A squirrel and an unidentified woman were suspects in the theft of a $2,000 diamond ring that belonged to an 84-year-old North Broad Street man who had dropped it while cleaning it in his backyard. The ring landed on one of several peanut butter crackers the man had set out for the squirrels. It stuck to one of the crackers, and a squirrel ran off with it and into Reservoir Park. Several days later, the victim saw a man with a metal detector in the park, and when he asked if he ever found anything, the man showed him the ring. The victim explained it was his, but a woman accompanying the man with the metal detector asked to see it, and the pair walked off with it and did not return. (Sept. 13, 1984)

50 years ago

VISITS RUSSIA: A Landisville teacher, returning home after two weeks in the Soviet Union, said he found the Russians friendly toward Americans but sold on the communist system. “They are very friendly people,” said Amos R. Herr, head of the social studies department at Hempfield High School. “That I cannot exaggerate. The friendliness exists in all classes of people — from the university student through the peasant.” But the Russians he met in Moscow, Kiev, Rostov and Stalingrad were also skeptical about reports of the American people’s accomplishments. When he showed them photos of his farm, Herr said, many of them “didn’t believe it. They thought it was pure propaganda.” (Sept. 8, 1959)

MARKET PLANS: Consolidation of the Central and Southern markets “could mean more business for standholders at less expense for the city,” a city planning consultant said. In the event of such a merger, the consultant said, he would like to see the Central Market retained on the basis of its architecture. Standholders were nearly unanimous in their suggestion that the Central Market needed modernization, not a location shift. (Sept. 9, 1959)

CLEAN COUNTY: A state health official responsible for the detection and apprehension of narcotics addicts in a 12-county area said he considered Lancaster County to be as clean as a hound’s tooth. “You have no problem here,” John G. Hoffman of the Pennsylvania Narcotics Control Section declared after a talk to two service clubs at the Stockyard Inn. But he said he was concerned about abuse of some over-the-counter and prescription drugs, and would like to see more of them regulated by the state. (Sept.; 11, 1959)

75 years ago

BURGLAR ROUTED: A lone burglar who ransacked four homes in the city’s west end was routed when a resident discovered him on the stairs of a fifth home at 5 in the morning. The burglar fled from the home, in the 1000 block of Wheatland Avenue, leaving tools in a field nearby. Police say the burglar entered each home through a dining room window, then opened the front and rear doors to ensure he had a quick escape route. Then he went upstairs and searched bedrooms while residents slept. (Sept. 7, 1934)

LABOR STRIFE: Five people were hurt when 400 textile strikers threw stones at workers at the Stunzi Silk Company Inc. plant in Ephrata. The Ephrata mill was closed and 300 workers thrown out of employment. The strikers then moved on to New Holland, where they prevented workers from entering the plant of Frank Ix and Sons, and the mill was closed. At Leola, the mob was dispersed by state police. Four days later, a crowd estimated at 1,000 picketed the Stehli Silk Mill, attacked textile workers and threw bricks and stones through windows on the west side of the building. Seven people were arrested and nearly 20 were injured. The plant’s manager said none of its employees had been involved in the disturbance, and the plant was operating at full capacity. (Sept. 7 and 11, 1934)

KILLED ON SHIP:  A Lancaster man was among scores of people killed when the Morro Castle ocean liner caught fire and burned about 8 miles off Asbury Park, N.J., en route from Havana to New York. The death toll eventually was placed at 137 out of 549 passengers and crew. The cause of the fire was never officially determined. Speculation ranged from an electrical short circuit to arson by a crew member. (Sept. 8 and 10, 1934)

SHOT FATHER: A 15-year-old Manheim Township High School sophomore was arrested and charged with murder in the shooting death of his father. The youth told police he fired at his father twice with a 12-gauge shotgun after being beaten for refusing to help sell pretzels at the Reading Fair. (Sept. 10, 1934)

100 years ago

POST GAME: Members of the Lancaster Base Ball Club were wined and dined at the Rossmere Hotel as their last official act of the season. Manager Marty Hogan was presented with a check for $500, and each player received a gold watch. (Sept. 8, 1909)

RABID DOG: A rabid dog bit six other dogs in a single block in Manheim. In all, a dozen dogs were shot after being bitten by the rabid canine. (Sept. 11, 1909)

TEXAS FEVER: An outbreak of Texas fever was discovered in cattle on a farm near Maytown. A few cattle were badly diseased and died. As a precaution, a sale of cows at Gantz’s hotel yards in Mount Joy was halted by authorities and the animals were quarantined. (Sept. 11, 1909)