BHS’s FFA group over 70 strong —Page 3 The Historic Baker City plans big for 2015 —Page 5 Sumpter chili feed and bonfire —Page 10 Baker County Press Friday, January 9, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 2 Th eBakerCountyPress.com • Your local weekly news source! 75¢ LOCAL NEWS: HEADLINE STORIES • LOCAL ARTICLES • OUTDOORS • AGRICULTURE • CLASSIFIEDS Brooklyn ‘Gold Rush’ cast hits the snow school alarm system suspended SUMPTER’S CONTINUING TV CONNECTIONS Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press Brooklyn School on Washington has experienced three false alarms in just over four months. Photo courtesy of The Depot Inn L-R: Members of the ‘Gold Rush’ cast Jim Thurber, Jack Hoffman, Kathy Reedy (The Depot Inn), and Todd Hoffman. By Meghan Andersch Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Sumpter hosted some famous visitors last week- end when part of the crew from TV’s “Gold Rush” drove in for a snowmobil- ing trip. “Dozer Dave” Turin, Jim Thurber, Andy Spinks, Jack Hoffman, and Todd Hoffman stayed with Weldon and Kathy Reedy at The Depot Inn. Kathy Reedy said the crew were good guests and “great people to talk to.” She said they don’t think of themselves as anything special. Reedy explained that they invited her husband to go riding with them, telling him when he declined (not wanting to bug them), “Hey, we’re just normal people.” “Gold Rush” is a televi- sion show that focuses on the trials, tribulations and ultimate rewards of placer mining, so far in Alaska and the Yukon Territory in Canada. Later seasons focused on mining op- erations in Guyana, South America. The fi fth season began airing last October. Reedy said the party had nine snowmobiles in their group and reported that they all had a great time. While rumors have been fl ying for weeks about the possibility of a new season of the show being fi lmed in various corners of Baker County, there has thus far been nothing to corrobo- rate that notion. See GOLD RUSH/ Page 10 By Kerry McQuisten News@TheBakerCountyPress.com After three false alarms in just over four months, Brooklyn School’s panic button system will be temporar- ily suspended until some upgrades can be made to the plastic around the trigger apparatus. Monday morning, police and other responders were once again called to the school after one of the alarm devices—a fob that is designed to hang around the necks of school staff and teachers—was accidentally pressed. After this third false alarm, many parents expressed extreme frustration, stating they and their children no longer knew when to take an alarm seriously. 5J Superintendent Walt Wegener acknowledged, “We are sensitive to the multiple alarms and feel that we must do better for children, families and fi rst responders.” See BROOKLYN ALARMS / Page 5 New Year’s baby arrives Cascade Natural Gas plans January move into new center By Brian Addison Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com Cascade Natural Gas Corp has a newly con- structed operations center in Baker City and plans to move in by the end of January. The new cen- ter sits on a lot near the intersection of Broadway Street and 13th Street and includes a 5,400 square- foot shop complete with welding bay, inventory room, and space to store equipment and park ve- hicles. The offi ce area expands another 1,300 square-feet with three separate offi ces, six work spaces, and a meeting/training room. “The new building offers a better training facility for our employees. We’ll also have a shop for our equipment and ve- Friday Submitted Photo. Brian Addison / The Baker County Press Cascade Natural Gas hopes to move into its new operations center this month. hicles,” said Mark Hanson, spokesman for Cascade. “We are making a commit- ment in the community to continue to provide safe and reliable service to our Mostly sunny with a high around 38. Areas of fog in the morning, mostly sunny skies after- ward. Low around 26. Saturday Mostly cloudy with a high of 38. 30% of after- noon showers. Lows in the lower 20s at night. Sunday Mostly sunny with a high of 36. Cloudy with a chance of fl urries overnight. Chance of precipi- tation is 30%, lows in the upper 20s. customers.” Cascade Natural Gas Corp’s Baker City offi ce moves from the previous location in a leased build- ing on 10th Street. Cascade made the invest- ment and now owns the lo- cal offi ce and shop facility. See CASCADE GAS / 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. Saint Alphonsus Baker City is pleased to announce the arrival of the hospital’s fi rst New Years baby. Remington Gallegos was born on January 1st at 1:17 a.m. Weight: 7 lbs., 15 oz. and measuring 20 inches. He was born to Shannara McGuire and Anthony Gallegos. Remington is also welcomed by his older brother Mason McGuire. Both mother and baby are doing well. To commemorate the hospi- tal’s New Year’s baby, Saint Alphonsus Baker City presented the family with a basket fi lled with baby clothes, diapers, blankets, Alphonzo the bear and other items parents of newborns need and enjoy. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Thomas Angus makes top 100 list Mining Association meets COPS program expands services Feds to focus on sagebrush Wrestlers perform best yet Ore-Ida load lost in semi crash Page Page Page Page Page Page 3 7 8 8 9 10