25 years ago this week — 2000

PENDLETON — Over 600 farmers from throughout the Northwest have packed the Pendleton Convention Center the last three days to hear and talk about something many of them are skeptical of, some are testing, and others are sold on – no-till, or direct-seed farming.

According to Doug Young, an agricultural economist with the Washington State University Extension Service, who spoke Wednesday morning, the Northwest is lagging far behind the rest of the world, and even other areas of the United States, in accepting no-till farming.

“In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a lot of farmers bought expensive no-till drills and they couldn’t make the system work, so they sold those drills at fire sale prices,” Young said. “But things are finally turning around.”

Young said there are a number of reasons farmers are looking at no-till farming again.

“One of the reasons for the great interest in no-till farming now are the other success stories elsewhere and the improvements in technology in the no-till system,” Young said. “Also the low commodity prices we’ve been experiencing the last few years. I think we’re looking for anything that is better and some way of cutting costs.”

In contrast to conventional farming, no-till farmers do not work up their solid in the traditional way. Rather than plowing the ground after a crop is harvested, no-till farmers leave the stubble or “residue” of the previous crops, and plant the next crop into the undisturbed soil with specially designed equipment.

Proponents of no-till farming say it cuts back on soil erosion, cultivation time and costs, and preserves the moisture in the soil.

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PENDLETON — U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden chose the Pendleton Senior Center as the backdrop for releasing results of a study regarding the plight of senior citizens in rural areas and the high cost of prescription medicine.

Wyden, a Democrat, has joined with Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, in proposing legislation to address inequities between prescription access for rural and urban seniors. He said he has the support of Sen. Gordon Smith.

“We are trying to get the legislation passed this session so these seniors can start getting their prescriptions,” Wyden told a crowd of about 50 seniors.

Wyden explained that “Medicare doesn’t cover prescriptions. The senior citizen has to pay for prescriptions out of pocket, so you are subsidizing the big health plans and HMOs that can then turn around and offer discounts to their customers in big cities.”

He asked to hear from senior citizens in rural areas regarding prescription costs in an effort to bring to light the plight of the rural elderly. Wyden noted that studies have been done on the problems of seniors in urban areas, but now it’s time to address the needs of Medicare-eligible seniors in rural areas.

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PENDLETON — High winds and low river levels weren’t enough to sink the Polar Bear Raft Race held Saturday on the Umatilla River.

Nine craft entered the water at the Southeast Eighth Street bridge about 11 a.m. Some time later, after entertaining a large group of onlookers who gathered along bridges and the river parkway, participants pulled their vessels from the water just east of the Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, where the Pendleton City Club treated them to a hot drink and a chili dog.

They were a little wet, a little cold, but not any worse off than one might expect for a winter raft trip.

“I just wanted to have a little fun and adventure – break the monotony of everyday life,” said Mack Temple, 64, the first person to finish the race.

“I almost got hung up in a few places, but I kept the front of the boat pointed down the river and didn’t have too much trouble,” he said of his blue rubber canoe called “Ice Cube’s Revenge.”

Temple wasn’t the winner of the race, however, because scoring was based on the time it took a vessel to finish the race divided by the number of people on the craft.

The winning team was made up of members of the Pendleton Fire Department, whose “Smoke on the Water” raft imitated a burning building but looked more like a large birdhouse.

50 years ago this week — 1975

The federal government wants a gluttonous tax bite out of the money it gave members of the Klamath Indian tribe recently for their land in southwestern Oregon, a bank representative says.

U.S. National Bank of Oregon manages the trust for the 135,000 acres of Indian land, which sold for $49 million. The 605 Indians who had rights to the land begins getting shares of the money last month.

Ray Lung, chief trust officers with the U.S. National Bank in Medford, said the bank had advised Indians that $64,000 of each $103,000 share would be subject to capital gains taxes. But the Internal Revenue Service, using a different base, claims $79,000 is subject to taxation, he said.

Leonard Neves, chief audits at the IRS district office in Portland, said it is “not an unusual situation where the tax base is in dispute when timberlands are involved.”

Lung said Congress may pass legislation exempting the Indians from paying any taxes on the proceeds from their land, which will be added to the Winema National Forest.

The Indians and the bank also are working for an increase in the federal payment for the land.

A request filed with Multnomah County Circuit Court on behalf of the Indians seeks a declaratory judgement that the trust could be charged for their costs in hiring their own appraiser. The bank hired three private appraisers.

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Winds exceeding 60 miles an hour hit Oregon from the coast to the Blue Mountains Tuesday night, crashing trees to the ground and cancelling several prep basketball games.

A Umatilla Electric Cooperative Association official in Hermiston said the only power failure in its services area was in the Weston Mountain region where trees fell across several lines. The outages began about 4 a.m. today as winds hit their peak. Dale Kopaz of Umatilla Electric said work crews were on the scene and expected to have service restored by noon.

Pacific Power and Light Co. in Pendleton said 10 customers in Pilot Rock, Athena and Weston were briefly without service. PP & L manager Mel Joy said the trouble, mostly with jumper wires, began about 4:30 a.m.

Pacific Northwest Bell Telephone in Pendleton reported no difficulties.

Law enforcement authorities in Pendleton reported no wind damage in the Pendleton area, while Milton-Freewater Police reported very heavy winds and falling tree limbs, but no serious damage.

The U.S. Weather Service at the Pendleton Airport said winds in the area reached a high of 60 miles per hour early this morning. Between 4 and 6 a.m. winds averaged 30 to 40 m.p.h with gusts up to 50 at the airport, which went to emergency power as winds approached 60 m.p.h.

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If you think you have to go somewhere in Eastern Oregon today, think it over – get a warm drink and sit down in front of the fireplace instead.

Highways are icy in all directions from Pendleton and chains are advised or required on all passes through the Blue Mountains.

Seven inches of light, fluffy snow fell in Pendleton last night and the forecast calls from more snow showers through the weekend.

Pendleton and Pilot Rock schools closed today and kids headed for sledding hills. The Pendleton-Baker basketball game scheduled for Pendleton tonight has been canceled, and the post-game dance has also been called off. Harris Junior Academy in Pendleton continued to operate today.

A report from Albany said the Linn-Benton Community College basketball team still planned to be in Pendleton tonight for a game with Blue Mountain Community College.

The mid-morning road report said 24 inches of new snow has fallen at Meacham and chains are required for travel on Interstate 80 North. Further east, it’s snowing in Ladd Canyon south of La Grande and chains are advised.

Snow has started to drift at Battle Mountain south of Pendleton on Highway 395 and chains are advised.

100 years ago this week — 1925

President Calvin Coolidge received an official invitation to attend the 1925 Pendleton Round-Up last week from Arthur S. Rudd, who has just completed his fourth year as field representative of the local cowboy show and who is in the east this winter attending Columbia university and working in the interest of the Pendleton enterprise.

The interview with the chief executive was made possible through the cooperation of Senator Robert Stanfield’s office and C. Bascom Slemp, the president’s secretary. Mr. Rudd has about five minutes alone with the president, during which time he described the show, telling of its value in keeping alive the spirit of the old west and extended the invitation to the president and his official family. President Coolidge, while indicating that his attendance at the Round-Up was not probable, said that he was pleased that his western friends had remembered him in this regard and that he could readily understand the value to the nation in keeping alive the western spirit. He extended his greetings through the visitor to the civic organizations which are back of the Round-Up.

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Economy has been the watchword during the past year of the city administration, according to the annual report made by Thomas FitzGerald to the city council at its meeting last night, and he appended a financial statement to his report, prepared by Edwin Winter, in charge of the city’s books, showing that expenses were cut to a minimum during 1924.

Receipts during the past year were $85,775.5, according to the report, and operative expenses were $80,66.27. Actual cash on hand includes $1,516.33. During the year the city paid $3,500 on the purchase of the Byers Grove property for a city park, purchased a new truck for the street department and placed $2,500 in the sinking fund.

The report of the city recorder together with the financial statement of the city follow:

To the Honorable Mayor and Common Council of the City of Pendleton:

Herewith I submit for your consideration my annual report as City Recorder of the City of Pendleton for the year 1924.

The year has been an uneventful one in the city government with economy as the watchword.

There were 327 cases tried in the Recorder’s Court during the year resulting in the collection of fines in the sum of $3,913.85.

There were 127 building permits issued during the year resulting in the building improvements in the sum of $81,778.00.

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That the Umatilla county courthouse is no longer large enough to afford adequate facilities for county business in many of the offices is the expression of opinion made by the grand jury in the report made to the court shortly after 12 o’clock today. The county jail is about one-half large enough to take care of prisoners, the report indicated, and a recommendation was expressed by the grand jury that the county issue bonds for the purpose of building a new jail, or establish a sinking fund to take care of construction at some future date.

Next to the jail, the greatest congestion prevails in the clerk’s office, the report said. The vault for the accommodation of county records is small and is practically full now, and added space will be a necessity within a short time.

Commendation of the way the county farm has been manager was expressed by the grand jury, and particular praise was given Mrs. A.G. Hall, wife of the superintendent, for the sanitary condition of the kitchen and dining room. A recommendation that an enclosed passageway between the hospital and the dining room, which is located in another building, be constructed so inmates of the hospital will not be compelled to go outdoors to get to the dining room, was made.