Years Ago

Today is Monday, March 28, the 87th day of 2011. There are 278 days left in the year.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

On this date in:

1898: The Supreme Court, in United States v. Wong Kim Ark, rules that a child born in the United States to Chinese immigrants is a U.S. citizen.

1941: Novelist and critic Virginia Woolf, 59, drowns herself near her home in Lewes, Sussex, England.

1969: The 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, dies in Washington, D.C., at age 78.

1979: America’s worst commercial nuclear accident occurs inside the Unit 2 reactor at the Three Mile Island plant near Middletown, Pa.

VINDICATOR FILES

1986: William M. Cafaro, chairman of the board of Cafaro Co., says that unless Youngstown provides proper arrangements to allow people to go directly from parking to an enclosed mall, it’s not going to attract retail business downtown.

New Castle community leaders are attempting to assess the impending loss of that city’s downtown Strouss-Kaufmann’s store, while vowing to make every effort to restore economic life to the downtown area.

1971: Katy Gordon, a 12-year-old 6th grader at St. Nicholas School, wins the 18th annual Youngstown diocesan Spelling Bee. Her father, Clyde Gordon, was Struthers spelling bee champion as an eighth grader, and her mother, Naomi was the St. Nicholas champion .

Canton Lehman ends Champion High’s hopes of a state Class AA basketball championship by defeating the Golden Flashes, 68-63, in Columbus.

1961: Robert F. McGonagle, head of the state’s surplus commodities program, says Mahoning County will receive at least 10 surplus food commodities for distribution to welfare clients. Among the items will be dried milk, rice, flour, corn meal, eggs, lard, butter, pork and gravy, beans and rolled oats.

President Kennedy calls on Congress to scuttle plans for a nuclear powered war plane, a project that has extended over 15 years at a cost of $1 billion.

1936: Mahoning County Prosecutor J.H. Leighninger says he will pursue his own investigation of alleged fake insurance claims, despite a request by Alfred A. Benesch, state finance director, that the Ohio Supreme Court order a special investigation.

The Photogenic Machine Co. of Youngstown is gaining national exposure for its lamps that are used by photographers and for photo-engraving and health lamps.