Sorted by date Results 1 - 14 of 14
Days of Yore for July 25, 2024 10 years ago— Fire from an errant weed burning project is suspected of causing the fire that did major damage to a storage shed at the Gilliam County Road Department facility in southwest Condon. A strong wind from the west pushed the flames through the long building causing considerable damage to the building. Larry Hardie’s quick response in activating the water truck prevented more devastation. Jim and Diane Hassing and Nick and Cody Bet...
Joyce Anna Hickerson passed away peacefully on July 16, 2024 surrounded by her family. She was 97 years old. Joyce was born on November 22, 1926 in Kaukauna, WI, the second of five children. The family soon moved to Kelso, WA. After she graduated from Kelso High School she moved to Portland, OR to attend nursing school as a member of the World War II Cadet Nurse Corp through St. Vincent Medical Center, graduating from the University of Portland. She met the love of her life,...
Eros and Cupid. Bow, arrow, target. Ready. Set. Go! Early editions of Giovanni Boccaccio’s The Decameron (published first in the mid-14th century) feature arresting black-and-white wood-engraved illustrations. My 1761 copy’s title-page vignette depicts a chubby archer (Cupid) bending the ear of a man (Boccaccio himself?) spying half-naked ladies cavorting on a castle verandah’s balcony (Eros). Te 14th-century Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375) assembled 100 short...
WASCO, OR - North Central Public Health District extends its appreciation to the city of Wasco in Sherman County for approving a policy making its two city parks tobacco/vape-free. The Wasco City Council unanimously passed a policy in late May making Wasco City Park (the Old City Park) and Depot Park (Wasco Depot Park) tobacco/vape-free, effective July 1. NCPHD paid for four new signs for the parks, which were recently installed. Wasco City Clerk/Recorder Ian Melzer said,...
We thought we were out of danger when the fire came up to the field just across from our mailbox and we all breathed a sigh of relief. We had spent the week prepping after which my good friend and forest fighter Alan Thornton drove out from Portland to further prep my property. Steve Stebbins from Spray and he spent all night watering, cutting down a couple of trees, dragging portions of the tree into the field and digging trenches. They spent the night in my cabin with flames...
What began as a small fire on grassland just outside of Lonerock in Gilliam County has become one of the largest wildfires in Oregon's history. The Lonerock Fire has now burned more than 130,000 acres of grassland, pastures, timber, and structures – carving a swath of destruction through Gilliam, Wheeler, and Morrow counties. The fire has surpassed the Archie Creek Fire from 2020 and is Oregon's 20th largest wildfire. As of press time, the Lonerock Fire has burned 131,407 a...
The Oregon State Fire Marshal's Office says that the cause of the Lonerock Fire is still under investigation and would not comment on leads or theories. However, three reliable sources told The Times-Journal that the fire was started by a group of men riding four-wheelers and ATVs in high grasses outside of Lonerock on Saturday, July 13. Three sources, which have asked to remain anonymous, said that a group of men from out of state were visiting the area and were riding on...
Arlington is set for a big weekend as the Show N' Shine car show and A-Town Throw Down, 3 on 3 basketball tournament will be held at Earl Snell Park on Saturday, July 27. The weather is going to cooperate. According to the forecast, temperatures are set to cool this week and Arlington will have a high of 88 degrees on Saturday. This will make for ideal conditions for a car show and for basketball games. The Arlington Show N' Shine car show is one of the best in the region....
The Gilliam County Court surprised attendees at the July 17 court session in Arlington by awarding grant requests in full. During the June 26 court session, members of the Gilliam County Grants Committee recommended to partially fund operations grants to several non-profit organizations and the South Gilliam Co. Health District. The Gilliam Co. Operations Grant is one of several special grants available to non-profit organizations, special districts, and schools in the...
We are lucky to live in such a beautiful, remote, and quiet area away from the problems of the city. Living here has many advantages but also some disadvantages; one being medical care. We have been fortunate to have dedicated volunteers to run our ambulance, but those volunteers can only do so much. For reasons cited as burnout and lack of back up, our only two active EMTs resigned effective July 31, 2024. That leaves us with no ambulance service after that date. This is a...
FOSSIL, OR - The US Forest Service has awarded $300,000 to the Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District for the Wheeler SWCD Mass Timber Facility Project through the Wood Innovation Program. The award was one of 123 projects nationwide totaling more than $43 million through Community Wood Grants and Wood Innovations Grants - longstanding Forest Service grant programs that promote innovation in wood products and renewable wood energy economies. Since 2015, the Wood...
The little town of Lonerock escaped destruction this year but was not so lucky in the past. According to the Lebanon Express and The Fossil Journal, on the hottest day of the year in 1896, 106 degrees in the shade, a fire was started in a hotel by the 6-year-old son of the hotel keeper, Jack Andrews. The young boy allegedly set fire to a pile of clothes in a back room at 2:00pm. The hotel and furniture were consumed and due to a brisk wind flames carried to four other...
Some people are at their best when in a pinch. When the going got tough in the hours and days following the outbreak of the Lonerock Fire, dozens of men and women lept into action. In Lonerock, locals brought CATs and water tanks to save the town. With the South Gilliam Fire crew, volunteers responded quickly and helped stave off disaster. And even after fire crews arrived from around the country, these volunteers kept after it. There was no quit in these guys. The...
The Eastern Oregon Pioneers Association has canceled the annual Pioneer Picnic, which was scheduled for this Saturday, July 27. The annual event was established in 1900 by a group of pioneers and their descendants. Due to the wildfires in Wheeler County, organizers decided to cancel this year's picnic. Held at the Julia Henderson Pioneer Park in Wheeler County, the Pioneer Picnic is steeped in tradition and history. In its early years, the Pioneer Picnic was also a sleepover....
