1923: Only fire department vehicles can use sirens

1998 – 25 years ago

• For the first time since the early 1980s, Rochester schools will start classes before Labor Day next school year.
• Rochester Orchestra and Chorale has been awarded a Bush Foundation grant of $45,000 in its second year as an independent organization.

1973 – 50 years ago

• Sharon Kelly and Cathy Mueller are Lourdes’ representatives on the first-ever girls All-Southern Minnesota League basketball team.
• Margo Miller, a junior at Rochester Mayo, has been selected by American Field Service to attend school in Lima, Peru, for a year.
• Two Rochester Mayo High School students won first place in the Big Nine Declamation meet. Meg Robsahm won in serious prose, and Melinda Didishelm took first in humorous interpretation of literature.

1948 – 75 years ago

• Governor Luther W. Youngdahl took steps to integrate African Americans into the Minnesota National Guard without segregation. The governor has sent a request to the secretary of defense in Washington asking for approval for a nondiscriminatory policy. (On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 banning segregation in the Armed Forces.)
• The new 1948 Cadillac four-door sedan, series 62, is now on display at area dealers. The vehicle is powered by the Cadillac V-8 engine with Hydra-Matic drive.

1923 – 100 years ago

• The city is endeavoring to remove all snow from the main thoroughfares to prevent serious water issues during the spring thaw.
• As a result of the unanimous vote of the Rochester city council, the use of sirens on regular automobiles is prohibited. A siren can only be used by the Rochester Fire Department motor vehicles.