Step back in time features news items from The Daily Star 25 and 50 years ago.
25 years ago
Jan. 30, 1987
DELHI _ Area referees and high school coaches say they're having problems in the stands and not on the floor these days.
This week, an overzealous fan ended up in town court in Roxbury and pleaded guilty to harassing a referee. Although most basketball court disputes don't end up in front of a justice, referees and coaches say that behavior at games today is a far cry from the days when everybody remained quiet for a foul shot.
The incident that ended up in court started on Jan. 14, when the Roxbury girls basketball team played Downsville at Roxbury.
Other referees say they have been harassed, even though they have not pressed charges before. High school basketball games played in "shoebox gyms" are their toughest test, referees say. For about $40 a game, some wonder whether or not it's worth it.
50 years ago
Jan. 30, 1962
The odyssey of seven New York State college students, began last August, ended this week in a Panamanian jungle, washed there by mountainous seas and stalled by mountains of red tape.
"Things are really bad right now," Robert Hinds of Gloversville reported in a telephone conversation with The Star from Colon, Panama last night.
While the phone crackled and the sound of his voice faded and then came back strong, Hinds described unsuccessful efforts to get official action to lift members of his party out of the Darien jungle along the coast of Panama some 60 miles from Colon.
Dan and Tom Twomey, Jr. of Worcester are in the party stranded in Panama. Thomas Twomey, father of the 20 year old twins, said wires had been sent to Rep. Samuel Stratton, Sen. Kenneth Keating, Sen. Jacob Javits and others in an effort to get help to the boys.
The trip began in August for the collegians who planned the venture as a good will mission to Latin America.
