Wallowa County was rocked by tragedy in 2008, with multiple fatal vehicle accidents, a logging death, a drowning and the death of a firefighting helicopter pilot.

But the year also saw celebrations and triumph, including Joseph High School’s state championship in girls basketball and an appearance of the Eagles’ football team in the state title game. There were changes on the political scene, and record high followed by a four-year low in gas prices.

Here is a look at the top news stories of 2008, as selected by the news staff of the Wallowa County Chieftain.

1. Summer of disaster

It’s been many years since Wallowa County experienced as many tragedies as in 2008, most of them during the summer months, starting in July with the drowning death of a Joseph woman, Deborah Fisher, in an irrigation ditch and the fatality of Lostine logger Jesse Savage on the job. In August the county mourned the loss of Lostine helicopter pilot Roark Schwanenberg, who was killed in a California wild fire crash, and Kasey O’Leary, only 15, who died in a wreck on Lime Quarry Road. If that wasn’t enough, there were four other fatalities on the county’s rural roads, including three persons dead in two wrecks on one day in October.

2. Champions!

Joseph High School sports fans were jubilant, when the 2008 Jo-Hi girls basketball team brought home a state championship for the first time since 1983.

The fans were just as proud of the football team, which placed second after making it all the way to the state championship game for the first time ever.

3. Business close, chang hands

A number of Wallowa County businesses closed or announced potential closures during the year, including D & R Auto Group, Radio Shack, The Art Angle, OK Theatre and Shell Mercantile. On the other hand there were numerous, more positive changes with many existing businesses expanding or changing hands. Bank of Eastern Oregon, Carpet One, beecrowbee, Crestview Cable and Enterprise Chevron are just a few examples.

4. “Change”

Ben Boswell said farewell to the Wallowa County Board of Commissioners after 16 years, in the wake of his challenge to Mike Hayward for the board’s No. 1 position in the primary; former Enterprise mayor Susan Roberts was elected to fill Boswell’s position. In other election news, Joseph has a new mayor (Dennis Sands) and president-elect Barack Obama learned to say “Wallowa” at a campaign rally in Pendleton.

5. Found!

Two exciting search and rescue operations in the county ended in success: Local snowmobilers, Sam Bowman and Brennon Anderson, survived after two night in the wild in January , and two Idaho toddlers were found safe and sound by a rescue dog after being missing for several hours at Wallowa Lake in July.

6. Rural funding

After a continuing effort by legislators and county commissioners, over the year – and a few almost-successes – to extend the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act payments for four years, it was finally successfully attached to the $700 financial system bailout bill approved by U.S. Congress in October. The bill means $1.2 million in funding, mostly for Wallowa County roads, this year.

7. Wolves and cougars

It was the year of the dogs and cats. Wolves were confirmed in the Eagle Cap Wilderness for the first time, and their status was still being debated throughout the year. In July a cougar walked through an Enterprise residential neighborhood during an afternoon family gathering, and one neighbor even took a cell phone photo of the big cat on his porch. The incident, perhaps, underscored the wisdom of ODFW’s plan to thin the cougar population a bit.

8. Hate crime

The whole town of Joseph was unnerved and outraged during the summer when a swastika was burned into the yard of Don and Evelyn Swart, a retired couple very involved in civic and city activities. A reward fund was set up and now tops $3,000, but at the end of the year the culprit had not yet been caught.

9. Gas prices

The highs and the lows was expressed in the price folks paid at the pump for gasoline. By Memorial Day escalating gas prices had topped $4 a gallon for the first time ever, with no end in sight; then just as rapidly, prices plummeted, and by early December fell below $2 a gallon, the lowest in nearly four years.

10. New ethics law

The expanded state ethics law that mandated city councilors and planning commission members fill out detailed Statement of Economic Impact forms (including information on family members) created turmoil among elected and appointed small town officials – all volunteers – throughout the state. After much soul searching, most in Wallowa County stayed in their positions, though two or three councilors and the entire Enterprise planning commission resigned in protest.