What happened in the Midlands on this day? Here's a sampling from the World-Herald archives.
LEXINGTON OFFICIALS HUNT FOR CAUSE OF BLAST
Jan. 24, 1979: Officials were attempting to pinpoint the cause of a Lexington, Neb., grain elevator explosion that killed one man and injured another. Both employees were believed to be doing maintenance high up on the elevator, one of the tallest structures in town at 120 feet. The explosion, accompanied by a huge ball of fire, shattered store windows three blocks away and sent concrete fragments flying through the air. Sheriff John Rohnert said there were about six other people in the vicinity of the elevator, but none was injured. The blast sent one of the victims into a snow bank about 75 feet from the elevator. The other was hurled over power lines, across U.S. 30 and into an alley near the Valley Implement Co., across the street.
1941: Extension of the territory of the Omaha Motor Club from three to 20 Nebraska counties and change its name to the Cornhusker Motor Club was revealed by club officials. Frank O. Malm, secretary and manager, said the franchise for operation in the 20 counties had been given by the American Automobile Association because the Omaha club increased its membership 50 percent last year. The additional 17 counties formerly were handled by the Nebraska Automobile Club with headquarters in Lincoln.
1984: A portion of an undersea world Midlands residents seldom see would be available for viewing in Omaha. Sharks, sea turtles, moray eels and hundreds of brightly colored fish native to the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea would be among the attractions in the Henry Doorly Zoo Aquarium in the zoo's Administration Building. More than 100,000 gallons of salt water would house a variety of fish in 16 of the aquarium's 22 tanks. But according to Randy Wisthoff, curator of education for the zoo, the major drawing card probably would be the 36-foot-long tank that ultimately would become "home" to a variety of eight or 10 sharks, the largest around eight feet long.
2004: With two wires clipped to his clothing and officers bracing him on each side, Omaha Police Officer Jacob Ritonya walked forward with determination. But when a surge of electricity shot through the wires, Ritonya crumbled. The Omaha Police Department hoped suspects getting zapped by a similar surge have the same reaction. Nineteen high-powered Tasers would be added to the department's repertoire of nonlethal weapons. The department unveiled its newest gadget at a press conference. The hoped-for result was fewer injuries to officers and suspects, said Officer Dave Staskiewicz of the Omaha police training academy. Sixty people — an all-time high — were arrested for assaulting officers in 2003.
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