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For a few days in my musings, I felt so thankful that Thanksgiving is the only holiday that hasn’t been commercialized. But those thoughts quickly vanished when the whole slew of Black Friday ads started to coattail on Thanksgiving and bombard my tablet. BUY ME NOW AND PAY ME LATER!! Black Friday isn’t just one day anymore, it’s morphed into a whole week. I often contemplate on the excess in our society. Everyone I know – and that includes me – struggles with too many thin...
It’s nice to see Main Street being revived. When locals can come home and do good, it’s wonderful. With the holidays coming up, I would like to remind everyone of the reason for the season. May the Christmas spirit be with you all year long. Donna Yonce Condon, Oregon...
I sell fine and rare books from my lair in beautiful, downtown Spray, Oregon. I used to profess cultural anthropology, gender studies and the peoples and cultures of the insular Pacific. I specialized in ethnographies of third-gender traditions and the technologies of transsexualism. I love the study of culture and of the modes of human subsistence. Sometimes the above congeals in a single book. Merian C. Cooper's Grass, published first in March of 1925, is one of them. Grass...
Last week I wrote about the Fill Your Pantry event in Redmond and how I burst with joy to see such bounty, especially the 25 pound bags of colorful produce. That event reminded me of the time that my friend Rachel and I took a class from the OSU extension service on agriculture in the Willamette valley. We toured many commercial farms, orchards and processors. One of the farms we visited was the Montecucco family farm in Canby, Oregon. The farm has grown rhubarb, beans,...
By Fiona Whatley, 4-H Student Reporter When the meeting started, leader Donna Bates welcomed all of the members. Cameron Whatley led us in The Pledge of Allegiance and Anna Bates led us in the 4-H pledge. Kylee Anderson took roll call and each of us introduced ourselves and shared one thing any judge taught us during fair. Secretary Kylee Anderson read the minutes of last year’s last meeting. Donna Bates reminded everyone to enroll in 4-H. She explained the options for the H...
Days of Yore for November 21, 2024 10 years ago— The public is encouraged to participate in Wheeler High School’s annual Turkey Trot on Nov. 26. The event is a 3K loop that starts and ends at the high school, and winds through the city of Fossil. The winner in each category wins a turkey. The North Gilliam County Rural Fire Protection District will sponsor the Arlington Firemen’s Ball in the new fire hall in Arlington. The proceeds of the dinner and auction will benefit Denis...
In March of 1994, a group of local citizens completed the long journey of establishing a retirement center in Condon. Summit Springs Village was established thirty years ago and to commemorate the groundbreaking, the retirement center held a party for the residents and the community on Friday, November 15th. Director Hanna Bass and staff decorated the center with balloons and a festive spirit was in the air. A large charcuterie spread and wine greeted the thirty-plus visitors...
In August, a family in Fossil was thrown into grief when Tino Espinoza, a husband and father of three, died unexpectedly. Catherine Espinoza and her three children left to stay with family and friends – uncertain of the future. Earl and Jennifer Mortimore of Twickenham, who had employed Tino, felt the need to help the family in their time of need. Jennifer worked tirelessly over the next three months to fight for Catherine and her kids. Jennifer began by contacting an a...
The Gilliam County Historical Society celebrated its 50th annual meeting and dinner at the Hotel Condon last Saturday. At an overflow capacity, the event was well attended. Board president Eileen Potter welcomed members and guests of the Historical Society. Potter informed those in attendance that this would be her final year as the board's president, as she was spending more time with her new grandson Bodie in Walla Walla. Potter will remain on the board, and outlined a...
The Times-Journal published an article on October 31 stating that the Wheeler SWCD, in partnership with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and Sustainable Northwest, has been awarded a $21.2 Million Regional Conservation Partnership Program Agreement. The five-year project will kick off in 2026 (Not 2025). DelRae Ferguson is the NRCS staff member. The Wheeler County Local Work Group Meeting helped to identify the needs for this project – we incorrectly identified the group as the Greater Waterman local workgroup m...
We have a strong village. It is such a pleasure to receive correspondence from our appreciative citizens of Arlington Oregon such as below from James Metzker. The City of Arlington recently purchased a dump trailer for clean-up of our city. With this purchase, the city was able to loan the trailer to Venessa and Joe Williamson along with the Nazarene Church crew of whom took the time to provide and take part in a clean up day for other citizens of our beautiful little city as you will read below. In addition, another letter...
City Council, I would like to publicly acknowledge the outstanding community service provided by the Nazarene Church. Their recent and ongoing efforts to assist residents in the lower mobile home park have been truly commendable. The church members have generously volunteered their time and resources to help haul off garbage and debris, yard maintenance, minor and sometimes major electrical repairs, structural repairs as well as various plumbing repairs. These are tasks that many residents were unable to accomplish on their...
“In Springfield, they are eating the dogs. The people that came in, they are eating the cats. They’re eating – they are eating the pets of the people that live there." This direct quote from a presidential candidate (and others just like it from City Council meetings, web-site and cable news chirons and Facebook page postings) show that adult Americans have lost their minds. Following a presidential debate, the X account of “Black Insurrectionist” proclaimed an affidavit from...
Last week, my neighbor Geoff Brownell told me about the 9th annual “Central Oregon Fill Your Pantry” event at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds. The event was a bulk buying farmer’s market and food was being sold in 25 and 50 pound bags and boxes. Jerry and I were already planning to go shopping in Redmond on Saturday so we decided that I would attend the event while he shopped at Walmart. This was an opportunity to stock up for the winter, just like folks did back in the “olde...
Days of Yore for November 14, 2024 10 years ago— After working with the wood that some call an anomaly since 2006, Kendall Derby wants his In the Sticks juniper sawmill at Fossil to be the market leader for producing quality juniper lumber. Just a year ago on November 12, the Arlington Church of the Nazarene was destroyed by an arson fire. This weekend they will have a ground breaking ceremony for their new church. After the devastating fire, the congregation was determined t...
As Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative members gather this week for the annual meeting at the Condon Elks Lodge, they will celebrate the coop's eighth decade in operation. September 18, 1940, marked a significant milestone for residents across our rural communities. On that day, the Directors of Columbia Basin Electric Cooperative, Inc. gathered to sign the Articles of Association, laying the foundation for an essential new service: electric power in our homes, farms, and busi...
Days of Yore for November 7, 2024 10 years ago— The spirit of Halloween took on a macabre atmosphere as the mystery of an abandoned pickup on South Main Street in Condon Friday turned into a full-blown manhunt for a former Condon resident. As of Tuesday morning, Darcy Gale Allen was still missing. (In the next week’s paper, it was reported that Mr. Allen was found deceased in a stubble field about a mile southeast of Condon on Nov. 4.) Centenarian Dewey Thomas of Wasco com...
Suddenly the weather has shifted and now we start to think about food that sustains and soothes. What better comfort food is there than warm macaroni and cheese? A restaurant in Southeast Portland named Noble Rot is famous for their macaroni and cheese. My friend Sunny once lived near there and we would often take a stroll to get Noble Rot’s famous macaroni and cheese. They served it piping hot along with a delightful twist on this classic dish – a sweet condiment made out...
The 2023-2024 U.S. public school year registered a tripling from the previous year of the number of books banned, mostly by conservative Republican Christian “citizens panels” and conservative Christian home-schooling moms and with the help of Republican legislatures. Colonization and the Wampanoag Story was one such casualty. Debbie Reese, founder of the American Indians in Children Literature group, said “To claim this book is fiction dismisses our perspective and histo...
Sir, I am writing to strongly advocate for keeping the stop sign at the intersection of E. Spring and S. Jefferson streets in the old ball field neighborhood. As a resident of this area, I have witnessed firsthand the increasing traffic concerns at this intersection, which pose a significant safety risk to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists alike. Reasons for Concern: • High Traffic Volume: Both streets experience high traffic volume, particularly those that avoid going through town on main street from HWY 19 to continue o...
By Cora Munkers, 4-H Student Reporter The Gilliam County International Club met Sunday, October 6th for their first meeting of the year. Club Officers were voted on for the 2024-2025 year and were awarded as follows: President: Adam Gibson Vice President: Locy Munkers Secretary: Harper Sallee Reporter: Cora Munkers We talked about the upcoming fundraisers the club will be participating in which include the Willamette Pie Sales (October) and the Christmas Tree Sales starting th...
Collectively, roughly 47% of all adult Americans have lost their damned minds. Outrage erupted recently in Texas among schoolkids, parents, teachers, librarians, booksellers, publishing companies and literacy program advocates as a Montgomery County “Citizens Review Panel” acceded to the demands of right-wing advocates that Linda Coombs’ Young Adult book, Colonization and the Wampanoag Story, not be banned but reclassified as “fiction.” Most of you, Dear Readers, like most...
A while back, I bought a bag of potato chips and they were unlike any I had ever eaten. Their texture was firmer and crunchier than what is usually found in potato chips. They had a lovely tawny golden brown color. The explosion of flavor was savory and salty and a slight sweetness hummed in the background. They not only tasted good, they felt great, all the way down to my toes. That bag brought me pure pleasure! Why were these chips different? Curious, I read every word on...
Editor, Thank you for the opportunity to provide an endorsement for Jeremiah Holmes as a candidate for Wheeler County Sheriff. I met Mr. Holmes this summer while participating on an incident management team managing the Fossil Complex…more specifically, the Service Fire. I observed Mr. Holmes in his role as Wheeler County Fire Defense Board Chief and in his current role in the Wheeler County Sheriff’s office. Over the two weeks I worked with Mr. Holmes, I found him to care deeply for the citizens of Wheeler County. He sho...
Days of Yore for October 31, 2024 10 years ago— Paul Goddard was posthumously inducted into the Portland Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in a ceremony held in Portland. Goddard graduated from Lincoln High School in 1958. He was selected for his athletic achievement in football, basketball and baseball. Klindt’s Booksellers at The Dalles will host author Jane Kirkpatrick for a book signing of her latest title, A Light in the Wilderness. Jane, a former Sherman County residen...
