From the files of the Polk County News ...

In 1932, state road contracts contained a minimum m wage stipulation of 15¢ and hour and not more than 12 hours a day or 60 hours a week ... Carl Center, vice president of Center & Abernathy and the Center & Powell company of Copperhill and Etowah, died at age 64 ... President Hoover was renominated by Republicans ... At the movies: “As You Desire Me,” with Greta Garbo.

In 1952, Democrats nominated Paul Campbell for Sheriff and Jim Hitch for tax assessor ... Nurses were encouraged to attend an Institute on Tuberculosis Nursing ... Governor Browning was in Benton campaigning for reelection ... Rural roads salted for improvement were Oak Grove, Pin Hook and Cookston Creek ... Appliances were on sale for $5 down.

In 1962, Sheriff’s deputies foiled a car theft and dismantling ring in the mountains ... Dedication was held at Benton Memorial Gardens, adjacent to the old Benton cemetery ... On the Deal’s List at UT: Rebecca Passmore, Martha Smith and Linda Thomas ... Janie McClary was named Junior Miss Majorette in the state ... Copper Basin Medical Center offered a 13-month practical nursing program ... Gubernatorial candidate Frank Clement was scheduled to speak in Benton.

In 1972, there was a question about who would appear on the Democrat ticket for sheriff after a recount of the primary election votes showed Matt Witt got more votes than Whitey Ramsey ... Senator Howard Baker voices is dissatisfaction with clear cutting in the Cherokee National Forest ... Rickey Dill and Bobby Stone represented the sate in the national Trouble Shooting Contest in Los Angeles ...  Richard Fisher announced his candidacy for District Attorney General.

In 1982, a Trenton man drowned when he slipped out of his tube on the Hiwassee. He was not wearing a life jacket ... The Chamber of Commerce planned Fourth of July activities in Benton ... Jerry Holmes was named president of Peoples Bank of Polk County ... Road Superintendent Henry Witt told the county council he could not also serve as Sanitation Supervisor ... There were 32 Polk students graduating from Cleveland State ... On the Dean’s List at Tennessee Tech: Patricia Craig, Janice Frazier, Rhonda Newman, Robin Rush and Sandra Long ... Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Green celebrated their 50th anniversary ... Area nursing students awarded pins were Phylis Biggs, Patricia Jayne, Wanda Galloway, David Holder, Elizabeth Boone, JoAnn Ralston.

In 1992, the county commission delayed a vote on the national flood insurance program. Assessor Frank Bishop said he would not administer it if it passed ... A beer license was denied to Hightower Forest Campground because of the poor road condition leading to the campground ... Commissioner Bill Allen voiced concern about the amount of money being spent for the medical needs of prisoners ... TSSAA changed the classifications for football from three to five.

In 2002, the county commission questioned the amount of unpaid court fines and fees … An 11-year old Dalton girl was killed in a jet ski accident on Parksville Lake … The school budget was on hold awaiting results of state legislature … Work on the sewer line for the new high school began … The Family Violence Center asked the county commission for help to stay open … A Reliance man was charged with illegal firearms sales … A Benton police car was totaled after a speeding teenager lost control and crashed into it … Daniel Walkingstick continued to claim part of the Cherokee National Forest as his inheritance … A group of travel writers visited the Tennessee Overhill …