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10 YEARS AGO

Aug. 18, 1998 — Critics of a proposed vehicle registration tax got their message across loud and clear Monday night, prompting the Fairbanks City Council to abandon the idea, at least for now.

Meanwhile, the council moved ahead with a proposal to sell a prime block of downtown land to an Anchorage developer; authorized spending $20,000 to help fund design of a parking garage, to be located on Lacy Street near Big Ray’s; and approved an ordinance reimbursing 25 percent of garbage collection fees to residents age 65 and older.

25 YEARS AGO

Aug. 18, 1983 — The Chena Lakes Recreation area is about 60 percent complete but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the next six weeks are critical if the contractor is to meet the scheduled completion date of March 1984.

Meanwhile, borough officials are working on a proposal to be presented at the borough assembly to fund the first year of operations and purchase the equipment for the site.

50 YEARS AGO

Aug. 18, 1958 — Every fair has its weight guessers and John M. Peters of Box 473, Fairbanks, was the best at the 27th annual Tanana Valley Fair. He submitted an entry in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner’s contest, one of approximately 750 people who entered guesses.

Peters, who won a year’s free subscription to the Daily News-Miner, guessed that the newsprint used in publication of the 1957 Progress edition weighed 65,750 pounds.

And, business manager Jim Hall tallied records and found that actual weight of newsprint used was 65,928 pounds for the 35,000 copies.

75 YEARS AGO

Aug. 18, 1933 — Returning from an emergency flight to Crooked creek on the Toklat river in the Mt. McKinley district, Ed Young, piloting a Pacific Alaska Airways plane, and Dr. Aubrey R. Carter arrived in Fairbanks shortly after 4:00 o’clock yesterday afternoon.

Dr. Carter received a wire from Harry Liek, who was at Savage river, Wednesday morning that Mrs. Eugene Morris was critically ill and needed medical attention immediately, explaining the nature of the case. He left here soon afterwards with pilot Ed Young.