These are some highlights from the News Journal on Feb. 5, 1972:
National headlines
• ‘North Viets Report VC Reject Nixon Peace Plan’
“PARIS (AP) — North Vietnamese Premier Phan Van Dong says his Viet Cong allies have rejected President Nixon’s eight-point peace plan, the North Vietnamese delegation to the Paris peace talks reported today.”
• ‘Auto Periscope Set To replace Rearview Mirror’
“WASHINGTON (AP) — Motorists, prepare to say goodbye to the conventional rearview mirror in your family automobile. Four years from now, by government edict, drivers will start peering through overhead periscopes to see what’s behind them.
“The new equipment gets rid of the blind spots that are a hazard with the interior and exterior rearview mirrors now employed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”
Locally
• ‘Simulators Used In Driver Training’
“Sixteen Wilmington High School students can drive their cars on the freeway, down a crowded city street or up a narrow county road … at the same time! This is being accomplished not in actual automobiles, but with simulators in driver training classes at the high school. The complete unit, valued at $35,000, is provided by the state at no cost, other than insurance on the units, to the school.” Pictured with the simulators were instructor Dean Waddell and student Kyle Lundy.
• The Clinton-Massie FFA chapter met. Keith Moore reported on the chapter farmer degree initiation and Mike Mays, Charles Hager, Mark Trampler and Moore received the degree.
• “Ralph Doak, purebred Spotted Breeder from Wilmington, has made entries in the national Spotted Winter Type Conference March 2-4 in Lubbock, Texas.”
• Wilmington High School’s basketball team fell to Hillsboro 65-50, dropping the ‘Cane record to 1-13 despite 18 points by Robert Raizk and 17 by Mark Carnahan. Blanchester fell to Waynesville 74-67 as guard Jerry Penny led the Wildcats with 22 points and Phil Snyder had 17.
• Obituaries were listed for W.V. Custis of Melvin; and Ella King, 71, of Wilmington.
• Playing at the Murphy Theatre was Sean Connery as James Bond in “Diamonds Are Forever.”