10 Years Ago 1997

Two 13-year-old boys were rescued by a Snohomish County Sheriffs search and rescue hovercraft Sunday after they were swept downstream by the rapid current. They were wading in the south fork of the Sillaguamish River just downstream from Granite Falls when they stepped into a hole and were carried away by the current, said Jan Jorgensen, spokesperson for the Snohomish County Sheriffs Office. After they were swept away, the two boys managed to climb onto a rock in the middle of the river. They waited there approximately 45 minutes until someone saw them. By then it was almost 8 p.m. Firefighters stayed near them until the county rescue team arrived. They were finally lifted from the rock at 9 p.m. and taken to a hospital. Neither of them were injured.
A shooting between juveniles brought sheriffs search dogs and a helicopter to the Lake Goodwin area Sunday evening. According to Sheriffs spokeswoman Jan Jorgensen, a 16-year-old male suspect riding in a car driven by another juvenile got into an altercation at Wenberg State Park on East Lake Goodwin Road. He fired a gun from the car at about 4 p.m. No one was injured. Fourteen witnesses saw the car drive away. Near the Lake Goodwin Store on the 1600 block of 172nd Street NE, a Snohomish County Sheriffs Deputy stopped the car. The suspect fled running westbound, Deputies recovered the pistol, which had been stolen. Sheriffs deputies, including the K-9 unit, searched for over two hours but did not locate the suspect, Jorgensen said. The sheriffs helicopter also joined the search until called away to a rescue on the Stillaguamish River near Granite Falls.

25 Years Ago 1982

The Arlington community has rallied to help the Arlington Food Bank continue its assistance to local residents. Ever since word got out that the food banks supplies had dwindled, local organizations and individuals have poured in relief through donations of money and food items. During March and April, 1982, the food bank has deposited $2,983 from donations made by such groups as the Lady Lions, Arlington Community Chest, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club. Its been really overwhelming, said Francis Beaster, a food bank worker, about the community response. The large donation of money and food has the food bank projecting supplies will last until summers end. The main suppliers of food items to the food bank are area churches. Instead of just two churches collecting food items from its parishioners each month, all eight churches involved with the food bank are collecting food every month. The churches involved in the collection program are the Arlington United Church, Peace Lutheran Church, Free Methodist church, Immaculate Conception Church, Assembly of God Church, Our Saviours Lutheran Church, the Arlington Baptist Church and the Smokey Point Community Church. The food bank has recently received permission from four food stores to place drop boxes on their premises: Safeway, Thrifty Foods, Bills Superette and Johnnys Grand Central. Boxes are currently being constructed. The Arlington Boys Club has already placed drop boxes in Thrifty and Safeway for the food bank. Other groups helping the food bank include the areas two sororities, the Eta Theta and the Xi Delta Chapters of Beta Sigma Phi, and students at Arlington High School. The students brought a canned food item for admission to a dance and the items were given to the food bank. Since March 1, only persons with no income could receive food items because a large demand in January and February greatly reduced supplies. Because of the support from the community, the food bank is lifting the restriction after the 15th of each month. Through the second half of the month, the food bank will again supply food to persons who have lost homes due to fire, flood and other catastrophes, to help between applying for and receiving public assistance and assisting those where welfare grants do not meet needs. Although the food bank directors are dropping the restriction on eligible participants for half of each month, the demand by persons with no income is still high. Over 100 families with no income have been assisted by the food bank over the last two months. The big demand on the food bank began in January when 39 families were assisted compared to 14 in 1981. In February, the number of families jumped close to 100 compared to 13 in 1981. The heavy use of the food bank is attributed to the sagging economy thats caused widespread unemployment in the Northwest. The food bank works on a referral basis. The following are the persons or organizations allowed to make referrals: Local pastors or lay leaders, Helping Hands, Arlington Police Department, Everett Food Bank, Department of Social and Health Services and the Arlington School District. The referral persons call food bank contact persons and inform them of a family in need, number of days of food needed and for how many persons and set up a time for food pickup. The contact person calls a food bank volunteer, who assembles the food box and gives it to the recipient.

50 Years Ago 1957

Mr. Nelvin Larson became the first repeat winner in our Mystery Farm contest when his name was drawn for the second straight week, this time from 25 entries who correctly identified the Art Anderson Dairy, located in Silvana. The Anderson Dairy is operated by Art Anderson, who is renting from his mother, Mrs. Signe Anderson, wife of a well known Silvana pioneer, Mr. E. O. Anderson, now deceased. The elder Anderson became Arlingtons first mail carrier, packing the mail by foot through the woodlands from Silvana. The spot he chose for his homestead lies in an elbow of the Stillaguamish River, so that water runs on two sides of the farm. Art Anderson is the youngest of 12 children who eventually blessed the Anderson family. He looked back on a childhood full of fun and adventurous excursions along the river in the company of an army of brothers and sisters and neighbor children. He noted that modern young folks seem to be missing out on the fun of getting together for games, camping and fishing trips across the river that used to last a week at a time, with trips home for food supplies. Cars, television and canned entertainment have taken over, for better or for worse. Nearly every year the Anderson farm buildings become an island, with the river water flooding on all sides. The biggest flood Art remembers topped the pasture fence posts by several feet, brought on by an early Chinook wind. This was followed by a quick freeze, and the Silvana people enjoyed a community ice skating festival. Mr. Anderson is driving a milk truck for Meadowsweet Dairy in addition to milking 23 head of Guernseys and caring for 28 head of young stock. He started with 10 head five years ago and raised a few pea crops. He is now within sight of his goal of 35 milking head. Art and his wife, Ardelle, have two children, Judith, 14, and Sandra, 5. His mother is living in her own home on the farm.