Piece of History | Nap Pietryka noticed something special during the American Legion and VFW posts' flag retirement ceremony in Randolph. One particular flag that had been thrown away in the collection bin was made of noticeably nicer fabric. And on closer inspection, Pietryka found that it was five stars short and in relatively nice condition. Pietryka rescued the flag from the burn pile and took it home to find that the 45-star flag is at least a century old. Utah became the 45th state in 1896 and the star-spangled banner displayed 45 stars until 1907, when Oklahoma was admitted to the Union. Pietryka reckons that the flag would be of great interest to many collectors. (Herald / Tim Calabro)