25 years ago this week — 1999

PENDLETON — A throng of hot air balloonists are hoping for calm skies this weekend as the third annual Wildhorse Hot Air Balloon Bash takes to the skies Friday.

Each morning through Sunday, 23 balloonists will attempt to launch their colorful airships from the McKay Park and take a one-hour flight to a landing zone at the Wildhorse Resort.

“It all kind of depends on the wind,” said event coordinator Michelle Liberty of Wildhorse Resort. “Anytime the weather is right, they want to go up.”

The balloonists participating this year were selected by invitation only. The Wildhorse balloon, Wind Warrior, is piloted by Laurie Spencer of Boise and has participated in a total of seven balloon rallies in the region this year.

Friday night at dusk, balloons will be tethered to the ground at the powwow grounds in Mission and sent up into the air for a choreographed “night glow,” in which lights attached to the balloons will be displayed in a variety of patterns.

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PENDLETON — A big red X marks the spot where the Pioneer Humane Society plans to build an animal shelter.

It’s a symbolic start, but the financial equation to the problem of stray animals in Umatilla and Morrow counties is still a long way from being solved.

The Humane Society recently received an extension on its lease with the city of Pendleotn to build its shelter on 4.3 acres at the Eastern Oregon Regional Airport. The extension gives the charity three years to begin building the facility and five years to complete construction, according to Tina Bennett, president of the Humane Society’s board of directors.

She estimated the cost of the animal shelter at $250,000. The 125-foot by 40-foot facility is projected to have 34 large kennels, 10 small kennels and an area for holding cats.

About 13 percent of the shelter’s construction cost has been raised over the past three years and is being held in a savings account.

Bennett noted, however, that part of the 13 percent is in-kind services, such as a local excavator who has offered to donate time and equipment to level the property, or the pro-rated value of donated office equipment.

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PENDLETON — Hawthorne Elementary teachers are in the loop this year as they try a new way of teaching students in first, second, fourth and fifth grades.

“Looping” involves first-grade teachers following their students to second grade, and fourth-grade teachers doing the same when their students move on to fifth grade.

“Because we have an uneven number of grades here, we aren’t able to include the third grade,” Principal Jerry Archer explained. “We are constantly looking for newer, better ways of teaching our children.”

Like most school districts in the region, Pendleton’s middle school includes sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

Hawthorne moved toward looping when the school received a federal grant to fund another first grade classroom.

The school had a blended first and second grade classroom, which included students at both levels. Teachers felt a benefit from having students for two years, and that was an edge they didn’t want to lose. By instituting looping, the school was able to have a straight first-grade class, making it eligible for the grant, while not losing the benefit of students having the same teacher for two years.

50 years ago this week — 1974

Ho Hum. Umatilla County Assessor Rod Esselstyn said Monday – guess what? You’re right. Property taxes have gone up again.

It’s an old story. But there’s a new mix from the same old ingredients. It’s inflation. Inflation promises to push your property tax bill even higher, and soon, Esselstyn wanted in his annual statement telling property owners the sad news.

Despite work by some budget committees – the county’s, for example, and the City of Pendleton’s — to keep spending within very tight limits, other taxing units found it necessary to increase the bite.

The county’s total property valuation increased $80.7 million, 18.4 percent, to a record $518,744,926. That sounds good because it reduces the tax rate. But the total tax bill is higher than ever, too.

“Even though the rates in most cases have gone down, most taxpayers, especially dryland farmers, will find tax bills substantially higher, due to revaluation and changes in market value,” Esselstyn said.

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HOLDMAN, Ore. (AP) — Members of the National Farmers Organization are opposed to the slaughter of cattle or withholding livestock from the market, Ben Holdman, president of the Oregon chapter of the NFO said today.

Holdman also said the slaughter of 658 dairy calves by farmers in Wisconsin was not sanctioned by the National NFO but the press has failed to report that.

“We held meetings on this around the state and our members voted against any slaughtering or major holding action at this time,” Holdman said.

He said meetings of NFO members in Oregon will be held later this month to discuss how the farmers should react to the poor cattle prices.

“Cattlemen are numb,” Holdman said. “They’re between the rock and the hard spot.”

“This is the time of year to sell calves,” Holdman said. “Summer pasture is over. Feed prices are high.”

He said farmers, who borrowed money to buy cattle last year, are being pressured by banks to sell their livestock to pay their notes.

“Last year, bankers were allowing $350 to $400 on a red heifer. If we sell now we lose $25 to $30 on every head because costs have gone up. Numerous people have told me the pressure from the banks is terrific. Money is tight.”

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Umatilla County Sheriff Paul E. Jones resigned today in a courtroom and pleaded no contest to a charge of perjury.

Undersheriff James Carey now assumes command of the sheriff’s department, until the Umatilla County Board of Commissioners appoints someone to replace Jones.

Three misdemeanor charges against Jones were dismissed by Circuit Court Judge Don Kalberer, St. Helens, who was appointed to hear the cases after Judge William W. Wells, Pendleton, disqualified himself.

In another development. Chief Jailer Dennis Trump of the sheriff’s department was cited Thursday by Oregon State Police for illegal possession of venison. Informed sources said Trump shot deer while on forest patrol for the sheriff’s department under a contract with the U.S. Forest Service. He was supposed to be watching for rustlers and game violators.

Also cited in the venison case was a neighbor of Trump, Roland Eidam, Pendleton.

State police sources said six deer have been seized, at least two of them were does that were hanging in the garage.

100 years ago this week — 1924

Dr. Walton Hibbard, C.S.B. of Los Angeles, Calif., member of the board of lectureship of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass., addressed an audience that filled the Alta theater last evening. Dr. Hubbard was introduced by J.S. Johns, who said:

James says: “Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” In Matthew, it is recorded that John sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him: “Art thou he that has come, or do we look for another?” Jesus did not reply with a treatise on theology, but instead referred them to his works, saying: “Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have gospel preached to them.” He said on another occasion: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.”

In Christian Science, the worlds which Jesus did are against being accomplished; and in this accomplishment, the lost element of spiritual healing has been restored to Christianity.

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The Buckaroo football squad is driving ahead with full steam up in preparation for the game on Saturday afternoon with Hermiston high school in Round-Up park. Realizing the toughness of his opponents, Coach Taylor is sending his boys through real workouts and is perfecting a new series of plays with which to work on the Irrigators.

The squad appears a little weaker than for the Baker game as Bill Newtson is temporarily out of the fray while Harold Hatton, quarterback, has not yet fully recovered use of an injured ankle. In an effort to secure a satisfactory field general to handle the team Taylor is working on both Cliff Christenson and Loye McGee with a view of using them in the signal calling berth. mcGee who has been playing end, looks good behind the line and may develop into an excellent quarter.

New ends seem likely for the Hermiston game. Dale and Harthrong having the call over McCulley and McGee at present as McGee is being drilled for backfield work while McCulley is being used in a guard berth in order to give more speed to the center of the line. Dale and Harthrong are both strong and fast and full of fight and should develop into capable wingmen.

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Voters in Umatilla County who are registered for the general election November 4 number 12,201, according to the tabulation that has just been completed in the office of R. T. Brown, county clerk.

This is a gain in registration since the May primaries this year of 1,072 voters. Of this number the greatest gain has come in the republican party with 473 added to the party registration, and 404 have been added to the democratic registration.

The registration for the fall election is divided as follows: Republican, 8,116; Democrat, 3,758; prohibition, 74; socialist, 76; independent, 137; miscellaneous, 40. The registration last spring was as follows: Republican, 7,643; Democrat, 3,354; prohibition, 54; socialist, 70; miscellaneous, 188.

If the percentage of the votes registered is cast this fall in the same proportions relatively that was cast in the 1922 and the 1920 elections, 10,000 ballots will be used by voters. In 1922 approximately 80 per cent of the registered vote was out, and four years ago, when the total presidential vote was 8,234, about 82 per cent of the registered voters cast ballots.