On July 31, 1928, Leo the Lion roared for the first time at the beginning of MGM’s first talking picture, “White Shadows in the South Seas.”
In 1964, country star Jim Reeves died when the plane he was piloting crashed during a thunderstorm near Nashville, Tennessee. He was 40. His pianist, Dean Manuel, also was killed.
Also in 1964, a Rolling Stones concert in Belfast was stopped after only 12 minutes because of rioting fans.
In 1970, Chet Huntley said “Good night, David,” for the last time to David Brinkley. Huntley retired from the NBC “Nightly News” after 15 years.
In 1971, James Taylor reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with “You’ve Got A Friend.”
In 1987, a judge in San Francisco ruled that singer Dave Prater and his new partner Sam Daniels could not bill themselves as Sam and Dave. The original Sam and Dave, with Sam Moore, had a string of hits including “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Coming.”
In 1990, Zsa Zsa Gabor was released from jail in El Segundo, California, after serving a 72-hour sentence for slapping a Beverly Hills police officer.
In 1991, Black Crowes lead singer Chris Robinson was given six months’ probation for spitting on a customer in a 7-Eleven store in Denver.
In 1996, Aerosmith fired longtime manager Tim Collins, who later hinted that the band was back on drugs.
In 1998, actor Gary Coleman turned himself in to police after allegedly punching a female fan who asked for his autograph.
Today’s Birthdays: Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell is 93. Actor Susan Flannery (“Bold and the Beautiful”) is 85. Actor France Nuyen (“South Pacific,” “The Joy Luck Club”) is 85. Singer Lobo is 81. Actor Geraldine Chaplin is 80. Singer Gary Lewis of Gary Lewis and the Playboys is 79. Actor Lane Davies (“Lois and Clark”) is 74. Actor Barry Van Dyke (“Murder 101,” “Diagnosis Murder”) is 73. Actor Alan Autry (“In the Heat of the Night,” “Grace Under Fire”) is 72. Jazz pianist-actor Michael Wolff (“The Naked Brothers Band’) is 72. Actor James Read (TV’s “Charmed,” film’s “Legally Blonde”) is 71. Actor Michael Biehn (“The Terminator,” ″Aliens”) is 68. Singer-guitarist Daniel Ash (Love and Rockets, Bauhaus) is 67. Actor Dirk Blocker (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) is 67. Drummer Bill Berry (R.E.M.) is 66. Actor Wesley Snipes is 62. Country singer Chad Brock is 61. Musician Fatboy Slim is 61. Guitarist Jim Corr of The Corrs is 60. “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling is 59. Actor Dean Cain (“Lois and Clark”) is 58. Actor Jim True-Frost (“American Odyssey,” ″The Wire”) is 58. Actor Loren Dean (“Billy Bathgate,” “Space Cowboys”) is 55. Actor Eve Best (“Nurse Jackie”) is 53. Actor Annie Parisse (“How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days”) is 49. Actor Robert Telfer (“Saved By The Bell”) is 47. Country singer Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band is 46. Actor B.J. Novak (“The Office”) is 45. Rapper Lil Uzi Vert is 30. Actor Rico Rodriguez (“Modern Family”) is 26.
National Night Out will be celebrated on Tuesday evening, August 6th. A community event is planned in Litchfield’s Central Park that evening from 5-to-7:30 p.m.
Robbie Brown says the Palomino Brothers will be performing, there will be hot dogs, chips, water, and root beer floats, along with games and other activities for all ages, and it’s all free. She says one of the main purposes of National Night Out is to get to know your neighbors as well as law enforcement officers and fire and rescue personnel.
Brown says there were smaller block parties years ago in Litchfield, but some of the organizations that were organizing them decided to join forces and have one big event in Central Park. She says other communities in Meeker County will also have block parties next Tuesday evening including Watkins in McCarthy Park, Grove City in Windmill Park, Cosmos in the city park and Dassel at Spring Lake Park. For more details, go to workingasonelitchmn.com or do a search on Facebook for National Night Out in each community.
The League of Minnesota Cities has recognized 25 state lawmakers, including State Representative Dean Urdahl, as 2024 Legislators of Distinction. Chosen legislators are honored for specific actions that aided efforts of Minnesota cities during the past year’s legislative session.
Legislators of Distinction are approved annually by the League’s Board of Directors in recognition of the collaboration of state and city officials needed to successfully serve shared communities and meet the unique needs of rural, urban, and suburban residents across Minnesota. Award winners received a letter of appreciation and a certificate. A copy of the acknowledgement letter was also sent to the mayor of each city in the legislator’s district.
To be eligible for the award, legislators must achieve one or more of the following criteria:
Be generally and reasonably accessible to League representatives,
Seek input on issues of importance to cities,
Listen to League concerns and be receptive to League-provided information on issues,
Sponsor and/or support League initiatives,
Speak out on behalf of the interest of cities, and
Demonstrate the importance of partnership between the state and cities.
Rep. Urdahl is retiring after a distinguished legislative career during which one of his priorities was making sure the state prioritized water, sewer, and transportation funding through the passage of strong capital investment bills. During his final session, Rep. Urdahl continued to push for a strong bonding bill and supported city efforts to find workable alternatives to legislative proposals to require replacement funds for any city infrastructure project receiving state funds.
