Dec. 9, 1917

At 2 o'clock this morning, the family of Ray Quinn, occupying the house on the lower Howland farm in Union Springs, awoke to find their home in flames and that they were nearly trapped.

Dec. 9, 1937

A German admits to killing a woman and four men. Jean Dekoven, a dancer, is among the murder victims.

Dec. 9. 1997

A cylindrical object taped with batteries and wires sent Auburn High's students and faculty scurrying coatless into drizzly,

30-degree weather Monday morning. A teacher discovered the device in a third-floor bathroom about 10:20 a.m., said Auburn police Detective Patrick Shea. The teacher notified the school security guard, who told office workers to set off the school's fire alarm. “When you don't know if it's a real bomb, you have to treat it like it is,” school district Superintendent William Miller said. “We have an obligation to protect students and

faculty. We just had to sit and wait.”

Dec. 9, 2002

There will be a community-wide New Year's Eve party this year, but it won't be an official “First Night” celebrated annually in many cities across the country. Local organizers decided to ring in the New Year with a smaller family celebration than those offered as “First Nights” in Syracuse, Albany and Binghamton. With little time to promote this year's party, the local group would also have had to pay a $3,000 to $4,000 membership fee to the national First Night organization, and that high price-tag made it impossible to pursue the “First Night”connection for Dec. 31, said organizer Ellie Beck, administrator for Cayuga Counseling Services. Instead, organizers will consider staging an official, nationally affiliated “First Night” celebration in future years.

- Compiled by Linda Simmons