53 Years Ago Feb. 5, 1959

MONEY — Three Cleveland Hill students found $9,514 in a bag off Beryl Drive in Cheektowaga but did not get to keep any, as it was the money of a Twenty-First Street woman, who put it there before leaving on vacation, not wanting to leave it in her house.

DRAINAGE — While there was no disagreement over the need for storm drainage in the central part of Cheektowaga, there was no consensus over the extent of the problem, or amount of drainage needed.

CANDIDATES — Four candidates engaged in a battle for the office of police justice in Sloan: incumbent Edward J. Stachowski, who was endorsed by the Citizens Party and Liberty Party; Donald A. Gredwick, who was endorsed by the Independent Party and CBL Party; Walter Dombrowski, endorsed by the Peoples Progressive Party; and Chester Glogoza, endorsed by the Sloan Progressive Party.

43 Years Ago Feb. 6, 1969

BUILDING — Due to the controversy over changing the old Gabryel Lumber building into a dance hall, the Cheektowaga Town Board considered a plan to issue permits for all dance halls in town.

DOGS — A Cheektowaga town justice announced all owners of unlicensed dogs in the town would be issued summons, pay for the license and court costs and possibly a fine.

CHARTER — The Exchange Club of Cheektowaga received its charter from District President Charles McEvoy.

25 Years Ago Feb. 5, 1987

COUNCILMAN — The Cheektowaga Town Board ended a more than three-month battle by unanimously naming Rudy A. Santa Maria the new Town Councilman. His appointment filled the vacancy left when John V. Rogowski resigned Oct. 26 to become town justice. The unanimous decision was in contrast to the tie that split the Town Board at its Dec. 15 meeting, when Santa Maria and Donald Wegner each received three votes.

NOTICE — The estate of William Michno, who reportedly attacked a Cheektowaga police officer and was shot and killed by the officer in Oct. 1986, has filed a notice of claim against the Town of Cheektowaga. Mr. Michno, of West Seneca, attacked Officer Gary Edenhofer behind the Try-It Distributing Co. and was shot in self-defense, according to police. He was one of three men allegedly set to burglarize the building. The other two were charged with criminal trespassing and attempted larceny.

UFOS — While some people shun the report of unidentified flying objects, John Lombardo of Cheektowaga takes such claims seriously. Lombardo recently was appointed director of the New York section for the Mutual UFO Network. “Our job is to see if there is any value to the claims,” said Lombardo. “What we are dealing with intrigues me. We are a reactionary network. If people come to us, we react to their claim.”

SWEEP — In a pleasant change, all four Cheektowaga high school boys varsity basketball teams were victorious on the weekend. Cleveland Hill beat Alden, 59-54; Maryvale topped Iroquois in triple overtime, 69-68; Cheektowaga Central defeated Springville, 44-37; and John F. Kennedy beat East Aurora, 67-65.

One Year Ago Feb. 3, 2011

RETIREMENT — After more than three decades of transforming gender roles and serving the people of Cheektowaga, Christine Ziemba is ready to relax. The first female Cheektowaga police chief has announced her retirement after nine years in that position and 34 with the department. It marks the end of a career that showed that not only can women be police officers, but that they can lead with efficiency.

Do you have a memory of the Cheektowaga area you would like to share with Bee readers? Send it to “Out of the Past,” Cheektowaga Bee, 5564 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14221.