Just in time to mark the 39th anniversary Saturday, May 18, of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens, the Chronicle received a big manila envelope from a Washington man. Inside was a poem Guillermo Castaneda wrote about that sunny Sunday morning in 1980, about experiencing the “total eclipse” of ash-induced darkness that sent him and his family scurrying inside in fear.
On Sunday, May 18, 1980, at 8:32 a.m., the bulging north flank of Mount St. Helens slid away in a massive landslide — the largest in recorded history. Seconds later, the uncorked volcano exploded and blasted rocks northward across forest ridges and valleys, destroying everything in its path within minutes.
The Missing in America Project has arranged for the unclaimed cremains of six veterans to be transported from La Grande to Willamette National Cemetery in Portland for internment with honors on Friday, Aug. 4. A flagline will be formed at the Chevron station near The Dalles Bridge at 9:15 a.m. to honor the service of the veterans during the escort’s fuel stop. Community members are invited to bring a flag and pay their respects.
The Wasco County Commission has set the 2017 seasonal burn ban to go into effect just after midnight on July 1. The ban continues until local fire officials determine in late summer or early fall that the danger of fire season has passed.
