20 years ago – 1996
The Dalles City Council made its final vote Monday on an ordinance that reduces the size of the Urban Renewal Agency board, but retains three citizen members. The city manager’s original recommendation to reduce the board to solely city council members – for streamlining and to keep taxing decisions within the council – met with criticism from citizen board members. A compromise, proposed after meeting with the agency board, was to eliminate two of the five citizen positions by not refilling two posts where the terms expired June 30.
Locally, the RAPP (Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy Program) is working to bring individuals and organizations together which are concerned with teen pregnancy. “What RAPP is trying to do is educate young people to postpone sexual involvement,” said RAPP chair Mary Miles. “We’re doing that several ways, through the mentorship program that is going to be getting going this fall, and through Positive Direction Day Camp.” Positive Direction Day Camp tries to instill positive self-esteem and teach young people to respect their own opinions. “If they don’t want to do something, they don’t have to,” Miles said, “from deciding what they want to realizing what peer pressure is.”
40 years ago – 1976
For years Mrs. Nellie Chapman of The Dalles cherished a violin she often played at home and at gatherings. Police say this summer she was the victim of theft, losing the violin, money, and a waffle iron to men who arrived at her home posing as roofing inspectors. City police say that men came to her home saying they had been sent by the fire department to make a roof inspection. They demanded several hundred dollars as a fee. Mrs. Chapman declined payment, finally offering $10. It was while the men were that that her violin, a check, and the waffle iron were taken, police say. The check was later cashed on her account for more than $400. Police say they think the men were members of a traveling gang specializing in fraudulent home repair practices, but they have been unable to locate them.
60 years ago – 1956
WASHINGTON (UP) – The Public Health Service announced today that 17 states have turned back nearly 2.5 million Salk polio shots because of lagging demand. It was the biggest rejection of vaccine allotments in the history of the nationwide inoculation program. It signaled a serious slump in injections in a large part of the country. Officials said they are doing everything they can to stimulate greater use of the vaccine where demand is lagging. They consider this particularly important with the nation heading toward the peak of the 1956 polio season.
City Manager Gifford Miller was on the stand for the second day today in the Circuit Court trial involving a suit against The Dalles by B. A. Kliks of Portland who objects to the water rates charged the Commodore apartments, which he owns. Kliks, who is acting as his own attorney, questioned Miller yesterday afternoon and this morning about a report Miller had prepared prior to the time of the adoption of a city ordinance last July which charges apartment houses a minimum rate for each apartment that uses water. Kliks is contending that the apartment houses should be charged for the amount of water they use as are hotels, motels and business places rather than the one dollar per unit minimum which is stipulated in city ordinance 721. The trial has been punctuated by repeated objections on the part of City Attorney Charles Phipps to the method of questioning used by Kliks on the grounds that the apartment owner is testifying rather than questioning. 80 years ago – 1936
LONDON, July 24. (UP) – George Andrew McMahon was arraigned at Bow street court today, charged with offenses against the king under the treason act of 1842, and with possession of firearms, as the result of his attack on Edward VIII July 16. Sir Donald Bradley Somervell, attorney general, prosecuting in person, told the court McMahon had said: “I wish I had done the job properly. I could easily have shot him. It would have been better if I had shot myself.” So small was the court, across street from Covent Garden, that only a dozen of the crowd of 500 outside were admitted to the hearing. Somervell said charges were preferred against McMahon under the second section of the 1842 act. The first section deals with high treason and the second certain statutory misdemeanors including “presenting to the person of his majesty a revolver with intent to break the public peace and producing a revolver near the person of his majesty with intent to alarm his majesty.”
WASHINGTON, July 24. (UP) – International cooperation on a scale unequalled since the Boxer rebellion in China operated today to rescue beleaguered Americans and foreigners of all nations trapped in Spain’s bloody civil war. Virtually all major powers are rushing war vessels to the flaming Spanish peninsula. Friendly cooperation of all the great powers was informally operating to aid those trapped amid the bitter conflict. The United States was reciprocating in the international movement by aiding in removal of Belgian and other nationals in addition to her own citizens. The fast-developing international accord came as reports of more serious difficulties, especially for those trapped far from seaport cities. There was no word of American Ambassador Claude G. Bowers, cut off from all communication at his summer villa, five miles outside San Sebastian which has been the scene of some of the most sanguinary conflicts. Through French sources came word that the American summer embassy was “probably safe” but it was impossible to confirm the report. The French summer embassy at San Sebastian was damaged by shell fire.
FELTON, Cal. (UP) – At least one drug store in the state has become a “gold mine” even without pre-repeal liquor sales. Ore taken from beneath the store here has been assayed $2,215 in gold to the ton. The store is located on old gold fields.
100 years ago – 1916
DALLAS, Tex., July 24. – Circuses, baseball and the movies may go ahead and plan to run next year. The peanut acreage in Texas this year is 276,000 which is expected to yield 8,210,000 bushels, it was learned here today.
Dalles friends of Lewis Gunning, who has been ill in the United States naval hospital at Mare Island, will be pleased to learn that he is now back in the service. Mr. Gunning is enrolled in the United States navy, in the electrical department. Shortly after arriving at Mare Island to enter training, he was taken suddenly ill with pleurisy and was confined in the hospital several weeks.
A large touring car left the road, rolled completely over during its wild plunge down an embankment and landed on its side in the creek, 20 feet below. Six persons were in the car, none was thrown out, one suffered a few bruises about the face and the other five occupants of the machine have only the slightest kind of scratches to show for their exciting experience. The accident happened yesterday evening near the Manchester Lumber company’s mill, 14 miles south of The Dalles on upper Five Mile creek. U. J. Sanders, bookkeeper at the mill, with his wife and baby, came here yesterday to get their new automobile and Mrs. Sanders’ sister, Mrs. Minnie Myers, who had arrived in the city from Wasco. The party had almost reached its destination, being within 20 rods of home, when the car left the road and went into the ditch. Driving an automobile for the first time yesterday, Mr. Sanders lost control when he experience decidedly rough roads. The machine is not seriously damaged.
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