On this day in music, January 12, 1969, Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut in the UK. Featuring a mix of blues covers and hard-rocking originals (including “Good Times Bad Times” and “Communication Breakdown”), the album was recorded in a mere 36 hours, not long after the band had formed. Initially called The New Yardbirds (an offshoot of the legendary blues-rock band), the group was forced to change their name. “Led Zeppelin” jokingly referred to the band’s chances at success, but their album proved otherwise, spending more than a year on the UK chart (where it peaked at No.6), and landing in the Top Ten in the US, Australia, Spain, and beyond.
In 2003, founding Bee Gees member Maurice Gibb unexpectedly passed away at the age of 53, following complications from surgery. With a seemingly endless stream of hits like “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” “Massachusetts,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “Stayin’ Alive,” Gibb and his brothers made a deep cultural impact during their lengthy career together.
In 2002, memories of the late R&B star Aaliyah continued to shine bright when her posthumous single, “More Than A Woman,” topped the UK pop chart. The singer was killed in a plane crash months earlier, while she was en route to shoot a video for her hit, “Rock The Boat.”
In 1977, The Police held their first rehearsal at drummer Stewart Copeland’s London flat, with Henri Padovani on guitar. The band would release their debut single, “Fall Out” (their only recording featuring Padovani, before he was replaced by Andy Summers) in May.
In 1974, The Steve Miller Band scored their first No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with “The Joker.”
In 1964, as their fame continued to grow, The Beatles appeared on the British TV show, Sunday Night At The London Palladium. Their five-song set included such hits as “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “Twist and Shout,” and “All My Loving.”
BORN ON JANUARY 12
1926: Ray Price
1946: George Duke
1951: Chris Bell (Big Star)
1954: Felipe Rose (Village People)
1968: Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan)
1970: Zach de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine)
1974: Mel C (Spice Girls)
1993: Zayn Malik (One Direction)
Ecumen of Litchfield has all kinds of services available to help people in the community with their daily living needs. Both Home Care and Hospice have a variety of services that can be provided.
Jillian Miller says the Home Care services range from therapy, personal care and skilled nursing.
Miller says if you would like more information about Home Care, call 320-693-7367. She says Hospice services are also available through Ecumen of Litchfield and they can use more volunteers to help with things like companionship and administrative tasks. For more information about Hospice, call 877-300-1672.
Nicole Larson says the assisted living facilities at Ecumen of Litchfield were fully occupied as of the end of the year, but she anticipates an opening at both Emmaus Place and Bethany within the next month. She says you can schedule tours of the facilities and get on a waiting list and there is no pressure when you do so.
Larson says if you’d like more information about Ecumen of Litchfield housing, call her at 320-373-6370.
The Farm Family Recognition Program honors farm families from throughout Minnesota for their contributions to the agriculture industry and their local communities. Locally, the Extension Committees in Meeker, McLeod and Wright Counties are looking for nominations.
The program exists through the continued support of and coordination by University of Minnesota Extension; the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences; and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Each year, one family from each Wright, McLeod, and Meeker County is recognized as the Farm Families of the Year. To select the families, nominations are sought from key stakeholders and agribusinesses in the community. The nominations are then reviewed by the Wright, McLeod or Meeker County Extension Committee – Farm Family of the Year sub-committee, which is responsible for selecting the new Farm Family of the Year. For more details, call 693-5275.
On Sunday evening at 7:02, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a vehicle that went through the ice on Green Lake in front of the Rush Brown public water access landing at 8387 North Shore Drive of Spicer. The driver of the vehicle, 22-year-old Blake Hiltner of Paynesville, was out of the vehicle and was uninjured.
Hiltner was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Trailblazer on Green Lake when the vehicle broke through the ice about 100 yards in front of the landing. As the front end of the vehicle broke through the ice, Hiltner was able to exit through a window. The vehicle then broke completely through the ice and was fully submerged in about 8-feet of water. The ice depth was about 3-to-5-inches at the place where the vehicle broke through. In the area where it broke through appeared to be a path that had been driven on numerous times in recent days.
Assisting the Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office were New London Fire Dept., New London Ambulance, Spicer First Responders, Spicer Fire Dept., Kandiyohi County Rescue Squad and the Minnesota DNR.
