BUSINESS: Cutter’s Edge trains Greater
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from around the county. PAGES 11-16
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Friday, June 5, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 23
New lieutenant sworn in
• DUSTIN NEWMAN
TAKES HIS OATH
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Friday, May 29, Pa-
trol Sergeant Dustin New-
man was sworn in as the
Baker City Police Depart-
ment’s new Lieutenant.
Newman, who joined
the Baker City Police De-
partment March 4, 2014,
replaces Kirk McCormick
who left the Department in
April to take a Police Chief
position out of the state.
Newman began his
career in 1999 as a reserve
with the Polk County Sher-
iff Department, and has
been in law enforcement
for over 15 years.
Most recently, Newman
was a Patrol Sergeant with
Polk County, spending
his last fi ve years with the
Department in that role.
“I left a Patrol Sergeant
spot to come over here
for an offi cer spot and got
promoted shortly after,”
said Newman.
Only months after arriv-
ing in Baker City, in July
of 2014, Newman was pro-
moted to Patrol Sergeant,
fi lling a vacancy created
when Sergeant Josh Bryant
left the Department.
Newman and his family,
he said, “Love Baker City;
it’s a neat place. We came
over to raise our kids and
it’s done everything we
could’ve imagined.”
City Recorder/Human
Resource Manager Luke
Yeaton Administered the
Oath to Newman in City
Council Chambers to a
small crowd that included
Newman’s family, City
employees, law enforce-
ment for the City Police
Department, Baker County
Sheriff Travis Ash, and
members of OSP.
Newman’s parents, who
were traveling from the
west side of the state were
held up by a truck wreck
near milepost 259 outside
of La Grande, delaying the
ceremony.
A tractor trailer pulling
two fl atbeds of lumber
failed to negotiate a curve,
resulting in a rollover that
spilled the lumber across
all lanes of travel closing
the interstate for hours
while the lumber and
wreckage were removed.
ODOT took time to inspect
a bridge support that was
struck as well.
SEE NEWMAN PAGE 5
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Lt. Dustin Newman shows a softer side, hugging his
mom who traveled to witness his swearing in.
Toddler on
road to
recovery
• 15-MONTH-OLD NEARLY DROWNS,
SIBLINGS ASSIST IN SAVING HIS LIFE
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Brian Addison / The Baker County Press
Local home food storage expert Janice Nelson displays home food storage techniques and hands out
dehydrated fruits and vegetables during the Emergency Preparedness Fair, held at the Baker City National
Guard Armory, Saturday, May 30.
SEE TODDLER RECOVERING PAGE 8
Citizens come out to prepare
• COUNTY’S FIRST ANNUAL
PREPAREDNESS FAIR HELD AT ARMORY
BY BRIAN ADDISON
Brian @TheBakerCountyPress.com
A diverse group of individuals and organizations came
together Saturday, May 30, to offer the Baker City com-
munity the fi rst Emergency Preparedness Fair.
The event was presented by Baker County Emergency
Management and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Jason Yencopal, manager of Baker County Emergency
Management and newly appointed director of 911 Con-
solidated Emergency Dispatch, was key in organizing the
Emergency Preparedness Fair and hopes to build upon
the positive start and make it an annual event.
Yencopal targets the month of September for next
years’ Emergency Preparedness Fair to align it with na-
tional emergency preparedness month.
The fair was supported by community partners includ-
ing the American Red Cross, the Baker County Chapter
of the Oath Keepers, The Baker County Sheriff’s De-
partment, the City of Baker City, and The Baker County
Press.
About 60 people attended the event throughout the day
and were offered classes and vendor displays to learn
how to recognize and prepare for emergencies and how to
assemble an emergency survival kit.
Friday
Partly cloudy. Mostly clear skies with the
minimal threat of a shower/thunderstorm. Highs
around 78 and a low around 54.
Saturday
Partly cloudy. Mostly clear skies with a more
probable threat (30%) of a shower/thunder-
storm. Similar high/low to Friday.
Sunday
Partly sunny. Mostly clear skies with a 30%
threat of showers/thunderstorms in the after-
noon hours. High around 79. Low around 56.
“The purpose of the Emergency Preparedness Fair is
for people to get general information on different types of
emergencies and to begin making plans, building emer-
gency kits, and being informed,” said Yencopal. “Regard-
less of the type of emergency, the kit won’t change—it’ll
work for all types of emergency.”
Upon entering the Baker City National Guard Ar-
mory, participants were greeted by Torie Andrews, Baker
County Public Health Department Emergency Prepared-
ness Coordinator. Andrews helped citizens sign-up for
the Code Red Emergency telephone notifi cation system.
While all landlines in the Baker County area are auto-
matically part of the system, Andrews explained that
not all people have landlines and instead carry cellular
phones. These individuals must sign-up and register their
cellular phone numbers to be included in the Code Red
Emergency system.
The Code Red Emergency phone calls go out to inform
citizens of public health emergencies which may include
evacuation notices, missing children alerts, air quality
warnings during fi re seasons, food and disease outbreaks,
or severe weather events.
Most recently the Code Red Emergency system was
deployed in 2013 to inform local citizens of the crypto-
sporidium contamination to the city water supply, accord-
ing to Andrews.
Anyone may register for the Code Red system by sign-
ing into the data base at: www.baker911.org.
SEE PREPAREDNESS FAIR PAGE 5
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
Next Tuesday at the Haines School’s year-end as-
sembly, two grade-schoolers will be honored. Caleb and
Wesley Kerns, in third and second grades respectively,
were instrumental in saving their little brother, Thomas,
from a near drowning last week.
According to the Baker County Sheriff’s department,
on May 26, 2015 at about 4:17 p.m., Baker County
Consolidated Dispatch received a 911 call from mother,
Ori Kerns, after her 15-month-old son, Thomas had been
found fl oating in a pond at her residence and was not
breathing and unresponsive.
Thomas had been found in the pond by his sister, Ki-
ley (age 5) and was pulled from the water by his brother
Wesley (age 8). Thomas’ other brother, Caleb (age 9)
dialed 911 for his mother.
Baker City
man missing
since May 18
• STREET WAS
SCHEDULED FOR
HEARING, WIFE
‘VERY WORRIED’
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The family of a Baker
City man, Ken Street,
Photo Courtesy of the Baker County
recently fi led a missing
Sheriff’s Offi ce.
persons report with local
law enforcement.
Kenneth Street.
According to Baker City
Police Chief Wyn Lohner,
and Street’s wife, Sherrie, he was last seen on May 18,
when he said he was leaving to go work at a house or
cabin in the Medical Springs area. Law enforcement in-
vestigated the cabin but found no evidence as to whether
Street had been there or not, said Lohner.
SEE MISSING MAN PAGE 8
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Forest supervisors send open letter
County: Chip seal, tax issues
Photo and logo contests announced
HBC Board meets, plans
Halfway: Contentious land issue
Huntington: Steak Feed
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