100 years ago, 1913
“Auburn’s need of an auto fire truck was emphatically shown by the fire this morning,” said Chief Merrill of the Auburn department about the burning of the W. C. Briggs buildings Wednesday morning. “The teams made a good run and it couldn’t be expected that the engine could be any sooner. We have only two horses on that heavy four-ton steamer and on a long run like that it is a hard pull. If we could have had a truck that could pump water a part of the buildings might have been saved.” During the time since Lewiston got their auto truck, that one piece of apparatus has paid for itself several times in the amount of property it has saved.

50 years ago, 1963
William J. Mendelson, president of the Hillcrest Poultry Co., Commercial St., Lewiston, said last night that only three pickets were parading before the processing plant yesterday and that production work was back to full capacity. Mendelson said that those who walked off their jobs earlier this week were back at work yesterday with the exception of the few who maintained the picket line.

25 years ago, 1988
Lewiston’s 9,000 water customers are in for a surprise Saturday. City officials are proposing a 54 percent rate increase for home owners and a 73 percent raise for industrial users in an effort to pay for recent improvement projects. The increase, the first since 1983, will help the Sewer & Water District cope with a deficit of more than $272,000 incurred over the past year. The raise still leaves Lewiston’s rates among the lowest for comparable areas of the state.