What happened in the Midlands on this day? Here's a sampling from the World-Herald archives.
WIRE LINES RESTORED
Feb. 5, 1945: Communication and power facilities were nearing normal as repairs proceeded on damage caused by a sleet storm, but highway conditions, although improved, continued to be treacherous. The Northwestern Bell Telephone Company said the sleeting occurred in an area centering from Holdrege to Norfolk up through Mitchell and Aberdeen, S. D., to Lemmon, S. D., on the North Dakota line. Damage estimated at $15,000 was caused. Sixty-five communities, including Norfolk, were temporarily isolated by the storm, officials said.
1969: Sunday and nighttime bus service in Omaha would be reduced, Omaha Transit Company President Harry W. Springer said. He said the number of routes would be cut from 11 to 7. Buses would run at one-hour frequencies under the new arrangement. Springer said the reduction was an economic move brought on by a lack of riders. He said the company was operating its Sunday and late night service at a loss.
1988: The Youth Emergency Services would seek a second short-term shelter for teenagers. The Bellevue-based group planned to open the new shelter in Omaha, said Executive Director Robert Knott. "That is where the largest percentage of clients come from," Knott said in an annual report on the shelter. Douglas County authorities said they would welcome a YES shelter in the city. Knott said that the turn away rate at the Bellevue home, 2616 Edwards St., was growing. It provided short-term care and counseling for 119 youths, ages 13 to 18, in 1987 but had to refuse 563, he said. Douglas County Juvenile Court Judge Joseph Moylan said another shelter, in Omaha, was needed.
2001: A power spike at a Qwest switching center grounded out power, causing about 15,000 telephone lines in north-central and northwest Omaha, including Immanuel Medical Center, to go dead for about two hours. The station at 78th and Girard Streets, one of 11 in Omaha, directs incoming and outgoing phone traffic. The station lost power between 7:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Some customers in the affected area continued to report phone problems the next day, said Karla Ewert, a Qwest spokeswoman. Ewert said she didn't know how widespread the problem was or what was causing it. "We're still trying to get our hands around it to determine exactly what it is," she said.
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
