##(Dec. 16, 1960) Going over plans for the McMinnville Bowling Association’s 11th annual handicap City Tournament, are, from left to right, Bill Tackett, the top money winner last season; Lyle Gould, tournament manager; Arvid Ekman, proprietor of Walnut City Bowl; Dave Hall, secretary-treasurer of the MBA; and Dick Wilson, defending champion in the A division singles. The tourney is scheduled to run Dec. 26-30 at Walnut City Bowl and Newberg Bowl.

##(Dec. 17, 1975) Mr. and Mrs. Robert Voepel of Amity accept checks from Norm Aldred of radio station KMCM. Checks are from citizens to help the Voepels and their five children after a fire destroyed their Amity-home and all its belongings Friday, Dec. 12. Appliances, clothing and furniture have also been donated. House was uninsured.

##(Dec. 16, 1960) Cook school children (front row) Becky Jensen and Danny Graves (back row) Craig Beard, Lora Loban, Vicky Day and Brent Geary, ready a Christmas song under guidance of teacher Mrs. Jean Hoem. Mrs. Hoem wrote several of the songs to be performed by the Monday night at the school during “An Album for Christmas” program.

##(Dec. 15, 1965) Looking at new books printed in extra-large type now available at the McMinnville Public Library are (I-r) Mrs. Ed Arms of McMinnville, Mrs. Velma Carsh of Yamhill and Charles Goudy of Newberg. There are about 50 volumes available which are on loan from the State Department for the Blind.

##(Dec. 15, 1965) Members of the Oregon Chapter of the International Organization of Women Pilots met in the flight lounge at McMinnville airport after a fly-in here recently. Each month the group — The Ninety Nines, Inc., —- fly to a different part of the state for their meeting. Roy Brixey, CD director, showed a film “Aero-Space, The Universe Within.” Hostesses were Peg Morgan, McMinnville; Charlotte Dodson, Portland, and Lillian Billings, Portland. Present were Peg Morgan, Lou Wicks, Charlotte Dodson, Lillian Billings, Nona Plamondon, Jan Amundson, Rose Marie Stoleig, Bonnie Bradford, Marcella Othus, Juanita Ellingson, Barbara Daufel, Kathy Elmore and Karen Elmore.

##(Dec. 13, 1960) Three Shepherds in the Columbus Grade School Christmas play, scheduled for presentation in the school gymnasium at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, are (left to right) Russell Peterson, Phillip Schroeder and Jerry Barber.

##(Dec. 16, 1970) Yamhill County Little Singers entertained crowd Friday night at the U.S. National Bank mall, one of a series of Christmas concerts being offered to shoppers and patrons in the area. Picture was taken through window.

##(Dec. 16, 1960) An unidentified black dog again this year made his appearance to visit Santa Claus in McMinnville to steal candy and possibly crowd in ahead of a few of the visiting children. Santa said that the dog has appeared annually for the past five or six years to catch pieces of candy dropped by youngsters. He gets more grouchy each year, Santa said.

##(Dec. 19, 1955) Yamhill County’s ice and snow turned to slush today in wake of warmer rains, posing hazards for sidewalk pedestrians rather than for motorists. County marked a number of motor accidents during Sunday’s snow and freeze. Forecast was for continued rain over the area.

Vintage N-R/Memory Lane Dec. 19, 2025

A look back at Yamhill County news

10 years ago

- A McMinnville resident has launched a campaign to fund protective vests for a pair of McMinnville Police Department canines. On patrol, dogs are often the first to encounter criminals the police are searching for, putting them at elevated risk, said Jenny Wilson, who once trained dogs for the Edmonds Police Department in Washington. She called the harnesses the local canines currently wear “very unsafe.” Wilson hopes to raise $2,000 to better equip the two of four MPD canines that draw patrol duty, Tucker and Axell.

-- Foundations are poured and work is continuing on the Carlton pool house project, which will replace a decrepit 1930s structure with a modern one in time for the opening of the 2016 swimming season. City Manager Chad Olsen said excavation revealed a pair of small oil tanks. They were used to feed the boilers that heated the pool and bath house long ago. The tanks have been drained and the soil around them will be inspected to ensure it’s not contaminated.

25 Years Ago

-- McMinnville doesn’t yet know what kind of service it’s going to provide with its citywide fiber-optic network, but now it knows how it’s going to connect it to the outside world. The McMinnville Water & Light Commission decided “conceptually” to join a cooperative venture of other rural utilities in building a fiber-optic network around the state that is designed to provide them with cut-rate internet connections. Northwest Open Access Network, or NoaNet, Spokesman Ben Doty said they hope to raise $21 million to create the Oregon network. MW&L would be responsible for $1 million of that, based on the size of the population it serves. The backbone of the system would be on BPA-owned fiber-optic lines, to which NoaNet has access.

McMinnville already enjoys Class I service — to the surprise of Doty, who was guessing Class III — because of its thriving and competitive telecommunications market.

-- Yamhill County Commissioners have decided to ask voters in 2002 to designate their offices as nonpartisan. The measure, endorsed unanimously by two Republicans and one Democrat on the board, would take effect in May 2004 if approved by voters.

50 Years Ago

-- John Desmarteau, currently program director for Rainbow Lodge Youth Care Center, will take over duties as manager of the McMinnville chamber of commerce the first of the year. He succeeds Dale Schumacker, who resigned effective Nov. 1 to assume a managerial post with a statewide realty firm. Desmarteau, 27, is a graduate of Sierra Catholic High School in Salem.

-- Newberg attorney and Dayton resident Stan Bunn, two-term member of the Oregon Legislature from Yamhill County, this week announced his candidacy for the office of attorney general. The 29-year-old graduate of Dayton High School told media during his announcement the position should be entirely non-political in its activities. “I will ask the 1977 Legislature to pass legislation making the office non-partisan,” he said.

-- Mobile home industry representatives attended a public hearing in force Wednesday to oppose a proposed Yamhill County ordinance proposal that mobile homes be allowed only in parks. It was suggested that Yamhill County adopt an ordinance allowing them on any property which can be used for single family housing.

The question is one of many being posed to commissioners as the end draws near to many months of staff preparation on new Oregon land use law that requires zoning ordinances correspond to comprehensive plans.