1998 — Sculptor Stephen Neal poses with the model of the proposed memorial sculpture he is submitting to the Greater Hermiston Chamebr of Commerce.

25 years ago this week — 1998

Since the early days of this century, flooding has been a periodic but devastating problem for Stanfield. Widening Stage Gulch and the annual removal of debris from the waterway through town has helped.

So have new bridges, first on Dunne Street and Hoosier Road in 1987, then on Highway 395 when the roadway was widened in 1989. Adding the Sherman Street Bridge and the Barbara Street Pedestrian Bridge in 1996 almost alleviated the problem to some degree.

But Stage Gulch continues to stymie growth in this town of 1,600.

Because many areas in town – including the entire business district and most of the residential neighborhoods – remain below the 100-year flood plain, new businesses are reluctant to locate in Stanfield because of the continuing concern of a flood.

“The major part of the ‘old’ city area is the flood plain,” said Stanfiled mayor Tom McCann. “This restricts the amount and quality of development in the flood plain and has resulted in a blighted condition in some areas where any new housing or businesses are costly to build.”

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The Pioneer Humane Society is nearing the halfway mark in its drive to raise $750,000 to build a shelter on four acres provided by the city of Pendleton on Airport Hill.

The preliminary designs for the 5,300-square-foot shelter have been completed, said Don Bennett, general operations director for the society. The engineering process has begun, he added, but construction can’t begin until half of the needed funds are in hand.

The society is seeking grants from several sources but is relying heavily on public donations.

“If every family in Umatilla and Morrow counties sent in $10, we’d have enough to build the shelter and operate it for a year,” Bennett said.

To bolster the fund-raising effort, the society is selling commemorative bricks. Supporters can also sponsor an individual kennel for a year or a lifetime.

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Tuesday marked what likely will be the last polling place election in Oregon. Measure 60, which would make all elections vote-by-mail only, was passing this morning, according to preliminary statewide returns.

Assuming the measure takes effect, voters in this state will decide future political battles while sitting at their kitchen tables.

Among the rows of portable voting booths and bustle of a relatively good turnout at Hermiston’s Thompson Hall, volunteers who have passed out ballots and helped voters for years had mixed views about the impending end of polling place elections.

“I think it’d be great because people can take their time at home to consider their votes,” said Marge Karnowski, chairwoman of Precinct 105, which covers an area north of Hermiston.

Though she has volunteered to help staff polling places for at least 30 years, Karnowski said she voted by absentee ballot this time and she sees no problem with a change.

Karie Walachi, sitting at the Precinct 104 table, agreed, saying vote-by-mail would allow more voting by elderly people and others who cannot easily leave home. She also voted by absentee ballot this time.

75 years ago this week — 1948

Plans of the present city administration for recreational development are now centered on a program combined with the new sewage disposal plant site development, which would afford Pendleton a park of several acres, Mayor Hugh Bowman announced today.

The park would include fireplaces for the use of picnickers, playgrounds for kiddies, tennis courts sufficient to accommodate all, a modern baseball diamond, and one or more softball fields with club house facilities and other conveniences, he said.

“The recreational program of the city is gradually taking shape through the ‘long range’ planning as adopted by the administration and through their consistent and tireless study of the problems at hand,” the mayor’s statement said.

“The acquisition of the property for the new sewage disposal plant has provided an ideal site, as the site is larger than required for the plant and can be improved readily to fit the needs of a number of our recreation problems. It was necessary to purchase more land than needed for the plant in order to get the required site, since the owner would not partition the land.”

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Pendleton voters, favored by dry weather, were going to the polls today in numbers which indicated heavy balloting in the general election.

Six key precincts in Pendleton reported 649 votes cast up to about the noon hour, which represents 23 per cent of the registered voters in those polling places, or nearly as heavy a percentage as during the record local presidential vote of 1944.

Four years ago at the same time 24 per cent of the voters had gone to the polls – but there weren’t nearly so many registered voters then.

The morning cote would indicate a 75 to 80 per cent vote today, it was estimated locally, and some held it was possible that a greater percentage would mark their ballots than ever before.

At any rate, it appears election boards would be faced with a big counting task tonight, with 5,136 registered in the city and 15,732 in Umatilla county.

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W.R. Nugent, president of the McNary Development association, said last night that the state apparently is in favor of a Columbia river bridge at Umatilla.

Nugent had just returned from a trip to Salem where he conferred with officials of the state highway commission.

The association, Nugent disclosed, is seeking amendment of Senate Bill 562 which provides for money to be used for the construction of bridges across the tops of dams. Engineers report that such a bridge is not feasible for the McNary sight.

Copies of a resolution asking for the amendment were sent to both Oregon and Washington congressional delegations. In another resolution passed last night the association asked for an immediate allocation of $25,000,000 to complete the dam.

Nominating committees also were chosen last night to prepare names for the election of officers which will be held at the December meeting.

100 years ago this week — 1923

Members of the state supreme court were guests of honor at the Rotary club luncheon today and Judge John McCourt, spokesman for the court on the occasion gave a highly interesting informal talk. The judge spoke of the tendency towards elimination of the middleman and pointed out that those in crafts coming in the category of middle man face a situation where they must justify their existence by the service they render.

Three new Rotary members, Sol Raum Louis Cruikshank and W. J. Clarke were “initiated” today. In each case the new member was presented by the member sponsoring him and talks on Rotary purposes were made by members of the education committee, led by S. R. Thompson.

The Rotarians voted to cooperate in the proposed Father and Son banquet to be given in November. The matter was presented by J. W. Maloney, local chairman and by A. E. Yount, interstate boys’ secretary of the Y. M. C. A.

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The Buckaroos journeyed over to Walla Walla today to engage the Walla Walla high school eleven in what promises to be a real battle. Hundreds of townspeople and students accompanied the team as the game is perhaps the most important on the local’s schedule.

Though weakened by the loss of Harold Hatton, quarterback, Pendleton will put up a stiff fight and enters the list with an even chance of bringing home the bacon.

Aside from Hatton the remainder of the eleven is in excellent shape and are prepared for the toughest struggle yet this fall. Walla Walla is also in good shape and considerable enthusiasm has been worked up in that city over the prospects of another victory over Pendleton. Wa-Hi one last year and the year before but Coach Taylor and his crew are determined that there will be no repetition of those victories this afternoon. Incidentally this season to date has been an excellent one for the evening of old scores.

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Cornell, Yale and Syracuse now bask in the football spotlight in the east. Each of the three on Saturday clashed with mighty foes, Cornell encountered the then unbeaten Dartmouth eleven and came away with a 31 to 7 victory. Yale overwhelmed the powerful army team, 31 to 10, and Syracuse broke the clean record of the Penn State eleven by the score of 10 to 0. By their victory Cornell, Yale and Syracuse remain as the only big eastern teams victoria in all the games played.

Three other elevens, Rutgers, West Virginia and Washington and Jefferson have yet to taste defeat, but in each instance a tie score shows on its record and its standing is thereby lowered.

Dartmouth’s clean-cut victory over Harvard the previous week led to predictions of a close battle with Cornell. Had the green exhibited the same errorless play it showed against Harvard that prediction might have materialized. But on Saturday Dartmouth was guilty of costly fumbling, wild passing and faulty generalship, and Cornell’s alert eleven transposed such misplays into scores.