25 YEARS AGO

Nov. 25, 1997

After odor issues from C&B Livestock in Hermiston and the proposed Stanfield compost facility, an upstart emu operation in Boardman caused a bit of discontent.

In a rural Boardman neighborhood along Kunze Road, to the great confusion of neighbors, many animal pens were being built. By July, that curiosity turned to concern as the pens were being filled with 100 emus each.

“It became obvious to everyone out here this was not just a small farm raising a few animals. It was a commercial feedlot,” neighbor Mike Wetherell said.

Then, when an additional 2,000 emus arrived, alarmed neighbors called the county planners. Since the state classified emus as livestock, unlike chickens or turkeys, a conditional permit was required. Issues came about, though, as the planners were not familiar enough with emu operations and the permits they required.

At first, the main concern was odor from manure. To counter this, Harry Ashcraft, owner of the feedlot, pointed out that what little manure there was would be hauled off, unlike the stockpiling methods of cattle stockyards. As for water contamination, he claimed there would be none and that his operation had been inspected several times, by the Department of Agriculture among other organizations.

50 YEARS AGO

Nov. 23, 1972

To solve the hazardous student jaywalking issue, the Hermiston School Board unanimously voted to construct a fence along the junior high school.

The goal of the fence was to funnel students to a crosswalk and eliminate the temptation of jaywalking shortcuts. In addition, it would eliminate the heavy bicycle traffic that entered North First Street at the end of the school day by cutting out the parking lot.

The original proposal, of a fence running from the ARCO service station to the crosswalk near Dairy Queen, came from board chairman Lee Baggaett at an October meeting. It was later decided to extend the fence to the end of the junior high football field.

The 650-foot long, seven-foot-tall fence was estimated to cost roughly $2,600, which would be covered by the contingency fund. On top of that, it was pointed out the fence would create additional costs, such as providing more parking spaces. However, the board did not want further delay, as board member Kathleen Meyers added, “This board said a long time ago that it wanted a fence.”

75 YEARS AGO

Nov. 27, 1947

Contrary to what some had believed, the McNary Dam would not pose too much trouble for establishments along the Columbia River.

In fact, Col. O. E. Walsh, district engineer for the U.S. Army, claimed most railroads and highways would not have to be relocated due to the elevated water level. Instead, it would just be a matter of getting them to a higher elevation, over the 340-mark above sea level.

Many bridges also required being raised, though the amount was fairly minimal. For instance, the Union Pacific bridge near Pasco-Kennewick only needed a 10.5-foot lift while three and a half feet was all that the nearby Northern Pacific one required.

Another topic of interest was merging two parallel railroads along the Columbia. Due to their close proximity, engineers were studying the possibility of placing the Union and Northern lines on the same track, which would necessitate the establishment of a centralized traffic control, but was more practical.

90 YEARS AGO

Nov. 24, 1932

As the year draws to a close, the joys of Christmas and winter fun tend to come to mind. However, it is also the prime time for sickness.

The 20th annual Christmas Health Seal campaign was about to start up, a program conducted by the Umatilla County Health and National Tuberculosis Associations. Purchasing the specialized seals not only supported tuberculosis aid efforts, but also educational programs and disease research.

According to A.H. Norton, local assistant to general committees, “the funds derived from this sale will revert directly to Umatilla county and this community in the form of nursing and social service by the county nurse, Mrs. Ruth Hinegardner.”

Hinegradner had traveled great distances to treat tuberculosis cases, having made 187 visits in Umatilla county alone. In addition, she arranged for patients to be sent to Eastern Oregon Tuberculosis Hospital at The Dalles so they could receive specialized care.

Sales for Umatilla county were planned to open the day after Thanksgiving and continue to Christmas Day, giving folks ample time to make a contribution.