This Week in History

25 years ago (1999)

School security discussed in wake of Colorado shootings

A tragic event of the magnitude of the school shooting in Littleton, Colorado, this week causes school administrators across the nation to evaluate their security procedures.

The Lincoln County School District had already made changes following the fatal shooting about a year ago at Thurston High School in Springfield, and further discussion will likely take place in the wake of this week’s tragedy.

Fred Meyer planned for Lincoln City

While it’s too early to set a date, a Fred Meyer official confirmed Tuesday that the one-stop shopping center giant plans a Lincoln City store.

The site under consideration is on the east side of U.S. Highway 101 at 36th Street, near McDonald’s. Fred Meyer has the land under contract at this time.

Teen gets 25 years for stepfather‘s murder

Loy D. Watkins Jr. was sentenced to 25 years in prison Tuesday for murdering his stepfather.

Watkins, saying he missed the man he killed with a baseball bat, told the court he was sorry and was taking responsibility for his actions.

Watkins’ attorney maintains that his client did not intend to kill the man but only wanted to “teach him a lesson.”

Fishermen reach agreement over undersea cable line

Astoria fisherman Scott McMullen, one of the organizers of the fishermen’s group that recently negotiated an agreement with AT&T concerning undersea fiber optic cable, said the deal would not have gone through without the effort of State Rep. Terry Thompson, D-Newport.

The agreement, McMullen said, “is a landmark and should provide benefits to fishermen from all along the coast, as well as to the cable operators.”

50 years ago (1974)

Yaquina due home later this week

Oregon State University’s research vessel, the Yaquina, will return to her home part at Yaquina Bay late Saturday or early Sunday.

The ship has been in South American waters on a research cruise since mid September of last year.

Police want pay at valley scale

Wayne Hass, president of the Newport Police Association, says city officials have to recognize the need to properly pay policemen.

The city and the association have reached an impasse in negotiations, and the city has asked the Public Employees Negotiations Board to appoint a mediator.

Public works director exonerated in council vote

Lincoln City Public Works Director Russell Hamm was completely exonerated of any wrongdoing Monday in a special city council meeting.

Hamm had been accused a week earlier by Mayor John B. Kiefer of failing to pay for certain items purchased through the city.

After examining purchase orders and receipts, however, council members and the mayor were satisfied that the public works director had fully reimbursed the city for the purchased items, and that he never intended not to pay.

Law Day program scheduled by Lincoln County attorneys

Attorney Harold Gates of Lincoln City next week will be tried on a drug charge in a mock trial at Newport High School.

The entire senior class at Taft High School will join Newport students at the program at noon on Wednesday, which is being sponsored by the Lincoln County Bar Association in recognition of Law Day on May 1.

75 years ago (1949)

Waldport school condemned by state labor official

Waldport grade school is in such bad condition “that further use as a school building should be denied,” W. E. Kimsey, state commissioner of labor, recommended in a letter received this week by the school board.

“General conditions of this building are far below safety standards,” he wrote.

Flames in boat burn fisherman

Ted Howe, local fisherman, suffered a badly burned hand and leg at Newport Monday morning when a motor backfired, setting afire his clothing in the engine room of his boat, the Tides.

Howe leapt into the water to extinguish the blaze. He was taken to the office of Dr. Hardeman in Newport. His injuries were painful, but are not expected to be serious.

Daylight saving time begins Monday

At a recent meeting of the Toledo City Council, it was decided to adopt the same daylight saving time as the city of Portland had.

Portland business interests started preparations to place that city on daylight saving next Monday morning.

Supt. G. Harland Davis, of the Toledo schools, states the schools will also make the changeover at the same time.

Two dodge death as boat capsizes

Two Depoe Bay residents, Harlan Evans, 20, and George Osborne Jr., 17, were rescued Monday afternoon after a dinghy in which they were riding capsized in the rough ocean.

The two were thrown into the water at the mouth of the channel. Evans grabbed onto the rocks without aid. However, Osborne clung to the boat but was washed off. He nearly drowned before Sydney Neal, who operates a market on the shore above the channel, raced down the bank and into the channel. He grabbed Osborne and held onto him until a bystander tossed a rope and pulled them both out.

100 years ago (1924)

Universal closing hours adopted by business houses

The business men of Toledo have decided to the man to adopt a certain time to close their places of business. This decision was reached at the meeting of the Toledo Business Men’s league held Tuesday evening, at which every business house in town had a representative.

Toledo will be a closed town so far as buying merchandise on Sunday is concerned.

Log hauling on city streets up to county court

The much talked of and debated question as to whether a permit should be granted by the Toledo City Council to allow the hauling of logs through the streets of the city came to a sudden end so far as the city is concerned.

The city attorney explained to the city fathers that according to the statutes, they had absolutely no jurisdiction in the matter and that the question was entirely up to the county court to decide.

Republicans have big majority in Lincoln County

The Republicans of Lincoln County are exactly three times the number of Democrats, according to figures tabulated in the county clerk’s office.

There are exactly 3,433 registered voters in the county, 2,386 of whom are registered as Republicans and 795 are Democrats. The largest precinct in the county, so far as registered voters are concerned, is North Toledo, which has 432.

Yaquina residents protest against proposed crossing

Some 20 residents of the Yaquina District gathered at the courthouse Tuesday afternoon for the purpose of protesting against the proposed changes from an overhead crossing to a grade crossing over the Southern Pacific Railroad where it crosses the county road north of the Pacific Spruce Mill in Toledo.