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
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