From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Jan. 1, 1986:

• A front-page photo shows a man in a tie and tweed jacket standing next to an old clock with the hands pointing at 12:00. The caption reads, “With the hands hitting 12 o’clock, Horace Masden, a master of time, bids adieu to 1985. Masden, owner of Masden’s Watch and Bible Supplies, 816 Mass., has been keeping track of Father Time for the past 60 years.”
• Local police were happy to report little drunken driving in the city on New Year’s Eve. The log book showed only two arrests for driving under the influence, and there had been no injury accidents reported.
• New laws going into effect on this date in 1986 included regulations on asbestos removal, tough new restrictions on vehicle dealer license plates, and simplification of probate procedures for estates.
• First-baby-of-the-year honors were still unclaimed at press time. The obstetrics department at Lawrence Memorial Hospital reported a quiet night.
• Rock singer Rick Nelson, his fiancee, and five other people had been killed while flying from Guntersville, Ala., to Dallas to perform in a New Year’s Eve concert.