30 years ago

MARQUETTE — Karen and DeWayne Reeves, both 23, walked around the shiny new Chevrolet compact and squinted in the bright light of the Superior Dome Friday. With Karen toting 10-month-old Danielle, the couple stepped back and took the long view. With a sticker price of well under $10,000 making it one of the least expensive cars at the Marquette Area New Car and Truck Show, it was big investment for a young family just starting out. Looking along with the Reeves family were thousands of central Upper Peninsula residents, many driving distances in wintry weather to review the more than 300 new cars and trucks on display this weekend. MFC First National Bank in Marquette, which co-sponsored the show with the Mining Journal, will offer a special interest rate during the show which ends Sunday afternoon, said Tim Ryan, vice-president of consumer loans. The lower interest rate, coupled with dealers’ willingness to bargain, should jar loose sales, said Ryan. There is a $1 admission. Visitors to the Superior Dome receive a ticket for a drawing on a new car, donated by one of the eight Marquette-area dealerships participating in the show.

60 years ago

MARQUETTE – All 15 counties in the Upper Peninsula voted against a new state constitution in Monday’s state election, a canvass of the votes shows. Despite the fact that some of the U.P. counties are normally Republican, and that the Republican Party and Gov. George Romney threw their full weight behind the con-con proposal, not one county north of the Straits backed the measure. In all, 40,789 votes were cast against the constitutional proposal and 29,900 ballots favored the measure, leaving a “no” vote margin in the Upper Peninsula of 19,889. The state total, however, was for the new constitution, which will go into effect next year. The state margin was over 12,000 in favor of con-con. Marquette County electors-despite “yes” pluralities in Marquette and Ishpeming-registered 5,122 votes against and 4,288 ballots for the constitution, a margin of 844.