Looking Back on Jan. 17

A $16 million smolt monitoring facility is being installed at the John Day Dam as part of efforts to better track the life cycle of endangered salmon. A Spokane, Wash., firm, PK Contractors Inc., is handling the project, which is expected to be operational in spring 1998, said Mike Colesar, mechanical engineer at the John Day Dam. The elevated chute will be right next to the south fish ladder, Colesar said.

Gov. John Kitzhaber will ask the legislature to fund $94.2 million in new jail beds, including $3.3 million for a Mid-Columbia regional jail. Kitzhaber announced Thursday he would request the funding at a special session, to begin Feb. 1, which will address jail funding requests and lottery revenue shortfalls. The new jail beds – approximately 1,486 would be built under Kitzhaber’s proposal – would house less serious offenders now incarcerated in state prisons.

40 Years Ago-1976

A five-county plan to attract tourists on the Washington side of the Columbia River was spelled out at a meeting Wednesday evening at the Dallesport community building. The meeting was held under sponsorship of the Washington State Department of Commerce and Development and featured an address by William Leif, regional administrator of the department’s Southwest Washington field office, Vancouver.

The Dalles High School Jazz ensemble and Mt. Hood community college Jazz Ensemble will present a concert Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Larry McVey, Mt. Hood’s jazz director, and Dick Dorr, The Dalles High School director, are in charge of the program. The concert is being sponsored by TDHS to help pay the cost of the spring trip to California when the Crimson and Grey Showband will perform at Disneyland’s “America on Parade Pageant.”

60 Years Ago-1956

A $25,000 damage suit is on trial in Circuit Judge Malcolm Wilkinson’s court today, with Joseph Amore suing Dr. B. A. Russell as the result of a two-car accident here on April 25, 1952. Both principals are Dalles residents. Amore contends he suffered injuries to his head and right wrist as a result of the accident at Ninth and Garrison streets.

The Sherar’s bridge secondary highway was washed out yesterday at a point east of Tygh Valley at the Deschutes River, the State Highway Department said today. Officials said the road “will be closed for some time.” The washout occurred on the Wasco County side of the river, near the bridge.

80 Years Ago-1936

Continuing wet weather is hampering delivery of piling being used for construction of the Port of The Dalles docks, it was reported today by engineers and contractors attached to the project. Inasmuch as all the piling used have been cut in mountainous areas either on upper Mill Creek or on the slopes of Mt. Adams back of White Salmon, hauling over unimproved roads during the unusual wet spell of the last two weeks has created a serious problem, it was stated.

Damages of $2,500 was awarded Mrs. Frank W. Saunders, The Dalles, by a circuit court jury late yesterday for injuries which she suffered as the result of a fall in the A. M. Williams & Company store here three years ago. It took the jury, composed of eight men and four women, five hours to reach their verdict.

100 Years Ago-1916

The cause for all the comment regarding the poor exhibit which was made by Wasco County at the San Francisco exposition has been learned at last. The many complaints made by local people who attended the fair have been the source of considerable worry to Secretary T. B. Philips of the Business Men’s association, who worked hard to get up a fine exhibit and sent it to the exposition. Secretary Philips began the work of unpacking the exhibit, which was recently returned. Upon examining some of the displays he found large attractive labels pasted on them, which read: “Willamette Valley, Oregon.” The labels which were pasted on each exhibit by Secretary Philips had been scraped off, the Willamette Valley label being substituted.

Just about the fastest thing in basketball games ever witnessed in The Dalles will be seen in the high school gymnasium this evening when the local quintet will meet the Jefferson high school tossers who were the undisputed interscholastic champions of Portland last season. Captain Cohen and Tyler will be the forwards of Murray’s five, Steers will do the leaping at center and Youdavitch and Pashek will guard.