100 years ago — 1921

A running fight in the streets of Pendleton during which a speed of 40 miles an hour was made across intersections and shots were fired by officers in an effort to stop alleged booze runners was staged last night, and as a result of this fight, three men are in the toils today. According to Special Agent E. F. B. Ridgway, he lay in wait for the men out on top of the hill last night, and when they passed, he followed them. His car was cold, he declares, and he had difficulty in catching them until the men had got into town. He ran along behind them, down Court street in an easterly direction, turned at the intersection of Franklin and Court and kept going at a speed of 40 miles. “We saw a couple of jugs thrown from the car on Webb street,” Ridgway declares. After the men were arrested the officers went back to Webb street and were able to get all of the glass and about a quart and one-half of whiskey.

50 years ago — 1971

When you see a man wearing a uniform, a badge, and a gun, you can be pretty sure he’s a cop. If you see a woman wearing a badge and a uniform but no gun, are you looking at a lady cop? “Well, not exactly,” said Pendleton police chief Ernest Gallaher. “We call her a police matron.” One police matron in Pendleton, Carold (Mrs. Jim) Cameron, has been with the force for eight years. She is a certified police officer, and has all the authority that goes with the title. However, she doesn’t carry a weapon. All women on the force take police science courses at Blue Mountain Community College. “They are highly responsible women with a big job,” Gallaher said. “They have to be thoroughly trained in office procedure. They have to know how to make quick decisions, how to evaluate a situation instantly. And they always must maintain their professional demeanor. Their job is very complicated, and I think they should be reclassified upward.”

25 years ago — 1996

When Johnny Cash came to Portland last week, he did more than show thousands at the Rose Garden why he remains a music legend. He also made a dream come true for a developmentally disabled Hermiston man who is one of his biggest fans. Stanley LaFountaine, a resident of Betah House, spent a few moments before the Portland show visiting with his idol, “John John,” the Man in Black. The idea to take LaFountaine to the show came less than 36 hours before Cash was due to take the stage, said Betah Medical Coordinator David Florea. A former professional musician, Florea started working the phones to arrange the meeting. Florea, his wife and LaFountaine were taken backstage before the show to meet Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash. “It was the coolest thing,” Florea said. “Johnny treated him just like a relative.” Florea spent most of the show watching LaFountaine. “Stanley was crying and waving his arms,” he said. “He knew every song.”