What Happened On The Effective Date of the LEOFF Retirement System?

The Law Enforcement Officers & Fire Fighters Retirement System, “LEOFF,” was effective on March 1, 1970.  What kind of current events took place on that day?  According to the Seattle Times:

(1) Desegregation of the schools in the South was a current controversy and busing of students was being implemented to fight segregation and according to the Times, "Senate Votes Kill Anti-Busing Drive," and "Continued Racial Turmoil Is Expected in South's Schools."

(2) With respect to atrocities in the Vietnam War (e.g. the killing of 106 civilians), the headline was Army Chief of Staff "Westmorland Won't Testify on Massacre."

(3) Further, with respect to the Vietnam War, an article ran entitled, "U.S. Loses 1,500th Helicopter in Combat."  The U. S. Army had been caught keeping "files" of the political activity of protestors against the Vietnam War, and the headline was "Army Admits Having Other Files on Civilian Political Acts."

(4)   Hearing Aids could be purchased from Sears for $166.

(5) Medicare costs were spiraling up out-of-control, so Congress was considering reducing what medical providers were paid under Medicare (still a current and ongoing problem), described in an article entitled "The Medical-Cost Spiral."

(6) The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18, as reported in an article entitled "Wonderful Young Adults Entitled to Vote at 18."

(7) A 40-pound bag of steer manure cost 63 cents, a bottle of Woodbury Body Lotion cost 9 cents, and a woman's suede jacket could be purchased for $3.33.

So many interesting things were reported in the Seattle Times on the effective date of the LEOFF retirement system.  If you want to read the entire Section A of the March 1, 1970, Seattle Times, click here.