OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015 &RQÀDJUDWLRQVWDNHWKHLUWROO on communities, emergency responders and journalists ZKRUHSRUWWKHGHYDVWDWLRQ W hen the telephone rang in the Pendleton home of my grandfa- ther on the night of Dec. 8, 1922, it was a long-distance call from Astoria where a ¿UHKDGEURNHQRXW E.B. Aldrich and his partners owned the Astoria Evening Budget newspaper in addition to the East Oregonian in Pendleton. *UDQGIDWKHU SDFNHG KLV EDJ DQG KHDGHG WR WKHUDLOZD\VWDWLRQZKHUHKHERDUG ed a train to Portland and thence to Astoria. $V KH WUDYHOHG 3XEOLVKHU 0HU le Chessman in Astoria was hosing water on the newspaper’s roof. The ¿UH UDSLGO\ EXUQHG RXW RI FRQWURO destroying as many as 30 downtown EORFNV 1HDUO\ $VWRULD UHVL dents were left homeless. Damage WREXVLQHVVHVDQGSURSHUW\H[FHHGHG PLOOLRQ Steve WLQHQHZVFRYHUDJH1DQF\0F&DUWK\ of Cannon Beach was acting editor GXULQJWKH¿UH 2YHUWKHFRXUVHRIPRUHWKDQWZR ZHHNV RXU UHSRUWHUV DQG SKRWRJUD SKHUV FDSWXUHG WKH HVVHQFH RI IHDU DQG WUDJHG\ WKDW FRPHV ZLWK VXFK D PDVVLYH FRQÀDJUDWLRQ 7LP 7UDLQRU and George Plaven from the East Or- egonianWUDYHOHGWR*UDQW&RXQW\WR KHOSRXWWKHEagle’sWZRH[KDXVWHGUH porters, Angel Carpenter and Cheryl Forrester LUH HQWHUHG RXU FRPSDQ\¶V OLIH +RHÀHU6HDQ(OOLVIURPWKHCapital DJDLQ ODVW PRQWK $ DFUH ¿UH LQ PressDUULYHGODVWZHHN *UDQW&RXQW\WKUHDWHQHGWKHFRPPXQLWLHVVHUYHG HSRUWLQJ RQ D IDVWPRYLQJ HYHQW OLNH WKLV E\WKHBlue Mountain EagleRQHRIRXUFRPSD LVDOVRDQHQGXUDQFHWHVW3XEOLVKHU0DULV Q\¶V ZHHNO\ QHZVSDSHUV 7KH &DQ\RQ &UHHN &RPSOH[¿UHKDVDOUHDG\GHVWUR\HGKRPHV VD:LOOLDPVZRUNHGVWUDLJKWGD\V+HUVWDII jeopardized the town of Prairie City and come ZRUNHG 'HVFULELQJKHUSHUVRQDOWUDYDLO:LOOLDPVUH ZLWKLQDTXDUWHUPLOHRIRXUSXEOLVKHU¶VKRPH,W FRXQWHG³:HZHUHSDFNLQJIRUHYDFXDWLRQDQG LVRQO\SHUFHQWFRQWDLQHGDVRIWKLVZULWLQJ This major event happened while the Eagle ,ZDVVHWWLQJVSULQNOHUVRQWKHURRI,FOLPEHGRII was in the midst of hiring an editor. Over the WKHODGGHUDQGWKH¿UH¿JKWHUVJUDEEHGPHE\WKH VXPPHULQWHULPHGLWRUVKDGFRRUGLQDWHGLWVURX VKRXOGHUVDQGVDLGµ,W¶VWLPHIRU\RXWROHDYH:H F R Cheryl Hoefler/The Eagle Blue Mountain Eagle Publisher Marissa Williams working from the office in John Day. DUHWDNLQJDVWDQGDW\RXUKRXVH¶ ³:H KDG QLQH SLHFHV RI ¿UH¿JKWLQJ HTXLS PHQW DW RXU KRXVH ,I WKH\ KDG ORVW RXU KRXVH WKH\ ZRXOG KDYH EHHQ LQ WURXEOH ZLWK &DQ\RQ City.” (YDFXDWHG :LOOLDPV DQG KHU KXVEDQG VDW ³DFURVVWKHFDQ\RQDQGZDWFKHGRXUKRXVHDQG WKHSODQHVGURSSLQJ¿UHUHWDUGDQW´ 7KHUHVXOWVGHPRQVWUDWHWKHSRZHURIGLJLWDO QHZV SXEOLVKLQJ 7KH Eagle ZHEVLWH DXGLHQFH LQFUHDVHG P RUH WKDQ SHUFHQW 7KHLU HHGL WLRQJUHZSHUFHQW2QRQHGD\$XJDQ DVWRXQGLQJSHRSOHZHUHHQJDJHGRQWKH Eagle’s)DFHERRNSDJH ³7KHRXWSRXULQJRIDSSUHFLDWLRQIURPRXWVLGH RXUDUHDLVSKHQRPHQDO´VDLG:LOOLDPV³:HKDG WKDQN\RX¶VVXFKDVµ:HOLYHLQ+LOOVERURKDYH XUZHEVLWHVDOORZHGRXUZHHNO\QHZVSDSHUV IULHQGVWKHUHLQ*UDQW&RXQW\ZHFDQ¶WWHOO\RX WREHGDLO\QHZVRSHUDWLRQV$VWKH¿UHSUR KRZPXFKZHDSSUHFLDWHWKLVFRYHUDJH¶´ gressed, the Eagle’sVWDIISRVWHGPLQXWHE\PLQ 7KHUH ZHUH VWLOO SULQW HGLWLRQV WR SXEOLVK XWHXSGDWHV7KH\DOVRXVHGVRFLDOPHGLDWRWHOO :LWK WKH KHOS RI RXU FRPSDQ\¶V GHVLJQ VWXGLR the story. LQ 6DOHP WKH Eagle SURGXFHG GUDPDWLF IURQW ³:LWK)DFHERRNLWZDVHDV\WRTXLFNO\XS SDJHVWKDWFDSWXUHGWKHLQWHQVLW\RIWKH¿UHVWKH load photos, as well as video,” said Williams. FRXUDJHDQGVNLOORI¿UHFUHZVDQGWKHDQJXLVK ³:HKDGDIURQWURZVHDW:HVDWWKHUHIRUIRXU RIIDPLOLHVZKRORVWWKHLUKRPHVDQGEHORQJLQJV straight days.” — S.A.F. O STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager HEATHER RAMSDELL, Circulation Manager Founded in 1873