25 years ago this week — 1999Keep your fingers crossed and hope for cool nights and days that are not too warm.

That’s the advice of Steve Jaeger when he’s speaking about the heavy snow load in the Blue Mountains and the potential it carries for flooding. Jaeger is a soil conservationist at the Pendleton office of the Natural Resource and Conservation Service.

In a snow survey conducted at the Tollgate and Meacham snow stations Wednesday, Jaeger said he found snow levels well above average, especially at the Tollgate station.

“There is a lot of water up there,” Jaeger said. “We just have to keep our fingers crossed that it’s just going to freeze every night for the next 30 days.”

In addition to the accumulated snow, Jaeger said there was about 6-8 inches of fresh snow at Tollgate.

Friday’s snow depth at Tollgate was 102 inches, with a water content of nearly 36 inches, which is 137 percent of the 30-year average of 26.2 inches for this time of year. The snow depth at Tollgate was down a bit from last month, but the snow was denser, Jaeger said. Last month the snow depth was 110 inches, with 36.5 inches of water.

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They are such an elusive animal that they don’t even have a consistent name. They have been called mountain lions, pumas and panthers. But in the United States they are best known as cougars.

As elusive as they are, cougar interaction with humans has been increasing nationwide in recent years. In Oregon, ever since Measure 18 was passed in 1994 — banning the use of hounds in hunting cougars and bears — more sightings of cougars have been reported as well as more incidents of cougar-caused injury and death to livestock.

The local area is no exception.

Last October an Athena area resident shot a cougar that attacked his dog near his home on Wildhorse Creek. Around the same time there were two unconfirmed reports of cougar sightings on the outskirts of Milton-Freewater.

In Hermiston last July a cougar was reported in the fields next to Rocky Heights Elementary School, and earlier in the year another person reported seeing a cougar near East Theater Lane and 10th Street.

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The thought-provoking musical “The Night Henry Stopped Smoking” provided healthy messages and an opportunity for students at Hawthorne Elementary to take part in an original theatrical production Monday morning.

Developed by the American Cancer Society and the Portland Opera, the lovely musical comedy made Hawthorne its first stop on its swing through Oregon and Washington. Pilot Rock Elementary was second on the tour schedule Monday afternoon.

A troupe of nine actors addresses the health effects of tobacco through the eyes of an uninformed smoker. The operetta tells the story of Harry, who dreams he has awakened inside his own lung. After confronting angry air sacs, blood cells and nerves that pump the heart, he realizes the consequences of his habit and decides to rescue his body.

“It really showed us how smoking can hurt your lungs and nerves,” said second-grader Taylor Lovell.

50 years ago this week — 1974Oregon State Police arrested three youths Monday in connection with a spill of aqua sulfur that threatens contamination of wells on seven farms near Milton-Freewater.

Charged with seven counts each of second degree criminal mischief were Danny L. Campell, 19; Garcia Javier, 19, and Andre Martin Robert, 18, all of Milton-Freewater. They are being held in the Umatilla County Jail, Pendleton, with bail set at $505 on each count.

They were charged with shooting up and draining the aqua sulfur fertilizer tank owned by Farm Chemicals, and also were charged with using .22 caliber weapons to shoot up six tractors owned by Eber Howard and Herb March.

The water supply of seven farms appears to be in danger from the spill of chemical, said Umatilla County Health Officer Dr. Tamara Vega, Pendleton.

Dr. Vega said there apparently is no danger to the water supply of the city of Milton-Freewater. She said the only threat appears to be to farms below the spill site on Couse Creek. The farms have shallow wells, some as little as 11 feet deep, Dr. Vega said.

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Umatilla County Planning Director Peter Watson said Wednesday that the contractor building four-lane Highway 11 north of Milton-Freewater has these alternatives for continuing a controversial rock-crushing operation:

Move the crusher from the west bank of the Walla Walla River to the east bank, to comply with a county conditional use permit.

Or, apply for a zone change. The west bank of the river north of Tum-A-Lum Bridge where the crusher site is zoned residential. The crusher is not allowed in this zone. The east bank is zoned general rural, and this allows the crusher on a conditional use permit.

In a meeting Tuesday afternoon among Watson, representatives of the State Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Dist. Atty. Jack Olsen, the county board of commissioners, and Otis Jordan, project manager for contractor S. D. Spencer and Son, it appeared that Spencer’s operation was within the scope of a conditional use permit issued last Nov. 28.

But Watson said Wednesday minutes and other documents reveal a clear understanding on the part of Spencer that the crusher was to be located on the east bank of the stream, although the permit doesn’t say so explicitly.

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Motorcycle madness, all part of spring fever for a lot of persons. It has Pendleton Police Chief Ernest Gallaher watching closely.

“Most of the cycle riders are responsible and observe both the law and other person’s property rights.” But Gallager said, “A minority does not observe either and the activities of this minority tend to reflect adversely on the reputation of all motorcycle riders.”

Gallaher said the motorcycle has to have all the required equipment, including an adequate muffler, to be ridden or pushed on a public highway, street or right-of-way.

The operator must have an operator’s license and a motorcycle endorsement.

It means that unlicensed persons, including those under 16 years old, can legally ride only on private property, Gallaher said.

But the cycle can be ridden on private property only with the consent of the property owner. It is trespassing to ride on a person’s property without permission, even if the property is not posted, Gallaher said.

“It puzzles us that many of these young people do not seem to understand they are trespassing. Even if the property is not posted, if a person is on that property without permission or lawful cause he is trespassing,” Gallaher said. “Usually in these cases we issue a written warning on the first offense and take into custody on the second.”

100 years ago this week — 1924One of the first pieces of heavy artillery in the fight for the republican nomination for senator will be fired here tonight when George L. Baker, mayor of Portland, will be here to address local people on the issues of the campaign.

The meeting will be held in the Alta theatre and will be called to order at 8 o’clock, the time having been changed from 8:15 so that wrestling fans may attend the political meeting and the wrestling match between Ray McCarroll and Ralph Hand at Happy Canyon.

Mayor Fee will introduce Mayor Baker this evening. Portland’s George , as Mayor Baker is often called, is not expected to reach Pendleton before 6 o’clock this evening. He will arrive in the west end of the county on his motor trip from Portland about noon or shortly thereafter and will either speak or at least stop and meet the people in all the towns along the highway.

Tomorrow he will be in the east end of the county.

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Harry Leroy Pettit, nine year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Petitt of Riverside was instantly killed this morning about 8:30 o’clock when he was struck by a car driven by Ed Garris at the junction of the old Oregon trail and the Oregon-Washington highway. The lad’s skill was fractured and he was otherwise ingested, and death was instantaneous.

According to the statement of the accident made to the sheriff’s office by Mr. Garris the lad had just crossed the Riverside bridge over the Umatilla and with a companion was coming up the pavement in the cut. Both children were on the left side of the road when the car came into view, and the lad, who was riding a scooter, shot across the road, leaving the other child on the left side of the road.

Mr. Garris’ car was out on the bank when stopped, according to Deputy Sheriff Lavender.

“Mr. Garris told me that after the little boy cut across the road he was powerless to prevent hitting one of the children,” Deputy Sheriff Lavender said.

The two children are said to have been on their way to school when the tragedy occurred.

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Those who desire to hear both sides of the issue relating to the adoption or rejection of the county unit plan at the coming primary election may have their wish tomorrow evening. At a meeting to be held at the court house the county unit plan and its advantages will be explained by State Superintendent Churchill and County Superintendent W. W. Green. The negative side of the question will be presented by M. L. Watts and B. B. Richards of Athena and J. T. Lieuallen of Adams. The meeting is to start at 7:30 and will be under the auspices of the X-Club.

State Superintendent Churchill is now here and will address meetings at several points. He speaks at the McLaughlin high school in the east end of the county tonight.

At noon tomorrow he will talk before the Exchange club. On Wednesday evening he will be at Hermiston and will give a talk at the high school under the auspices of the Parent-Teacher association.