May 25, 1972
Sweet Home firemen answered a call from the Boise Cascade plant west of town to extinguish a small blaze in a pile of sawdust near the mill.
The fire was caused when a dump truck hauling the sander dust from a bin to the dump site hooked a power line and set the load on fire. There was no damage and the driver was not injured, but power to the plant was cut off.
The House passed legislation amending the Fair Labor Standards Act for the fifth time since 1938.
When the act was last amended in 1966, the minimum wage was increased to $1.60. The new action would raise the minimum wage for non-farm workers to $1.70 an hour in 1972, $1.80 in 1973, and $2 a year later.
When the Fair Labor Standards Act was enacted in 1938, the first statutory minimum wage was 25 cents per hour.
Dedication of a memorial flagpole will highlight the Memorial Day service for war dead at Gilli-land Cemetery.
The flag pole is a memorial gift from Mr. and Mrs. William H. Dimick, honoring their son, Specialist 4 Harley (Danny) D. Dimick, who died in the line of duty in 1969, and to all war dead of Vietnam.
Dimick was serving in Vietnam with Co. A, 1Bn, Infantry, SS-BSM-2PH at the time of his death. He was 20 years old.
May 21, 1997
The city is considering an ordinance that would impound immediately the vehicles of drivers who are uninsured, driving under the influence or driving while suspended or revoked.
Municipal Judge Jad Lemhouse said the intended effect of the ordinance would be to gain compliance with motor vehicle laws.
His concern was that a high number of people continually drive while suspended or uninsured.
In Lebanon, a towing ordinance has reduced the number of driving while suspended or uninsured citations. Lemhouse believes an effective way to deal with the offenders is simply to take their cars away.
Police Officer Rich Culley was able to hold his most recent fugitive in one hand.
Rachel May reported her boyfriend’s iguana had escaped.
The iguana, belonging to Frank Finnell, was spotted in the 2100 block of Main Street near Specialty Welding. When Culley arrived, the iguana was gone, but witnesses reported it was picked up by someone.
Culley located the iguana at Jason Larson’s residence, who also keeps the reptiles as pets. The pet was safely returned to Finnell.
The Tree Commission and Don Menear’s family and friends gathered to dedicate a tree to his memory at East Linn Museum. The tree is the second celebration tree to be placed in the Tree Commission’s new celebration tree program. The first was to Gene Ellis at City Hall. Menear died last year.
When 3-year-old Tarlin Hussey slipped in the bathtub and cut his chin open, a Sweet Home Taxi driver transported him to the hospital free of charge. Josh Hester, 18, and Chris Massee, 17, were babysitting Tarlin at the time of the accident. They called paramedics, who said the boy would need stitches but the situation didn’t warrant an ambulance ride.
The babysitters were going to wait for the parents, who were expected home soon, but when Tarlin became nauseous, they called the taxi service and explained their dilemma. Cab owner Bettie M. Nelson said she didn’t mind driving the boys to Lebanon for free, and refused payment from the parents the next day. Tarlin received 15 stitches.
Municipal Court Judge Jad Lemhouse is requesting the City adopt Oregon parental responsibility statutes into Sweet Home’s ordinances. The statute can be used to cite a parent with failing to supervise a child if the child, 14 or under, is brought within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, violates curfew or fails to attend school. He said the ordinance gives the city an opportunity to exercise control over that person’s behavior.