North Powder FFA
barbecue fundraiser
—9
District Basketball
Tournament
—7
The
Lefty’s Taphouse
set to open
—8
Baker County Press
Friday, February 27, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 9
Th eBakerCountyPress.com
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LOCAL NEWS: HEADLINE STORIES • LOCAL ARTICLES • OUTDOORS • AGRICULTURE • CLASSIFIEDS
Bark beetles, dead trees, and the Protesters
politics of forest management
come out
against
dispensaries
CITY APPROVES FIRST READING
OF BUSINESS LICENSE WORDING
SERVING TO BAN DISPENSARIES
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Brian Addison / The Baker County Press
Vicki Freeman (at left) helped organize an anti-pot
dispensary protest on Tuesday at City Hall.
By Gina K. Swartz
An area on the south side of Dooley Mountain treated by a Forest Service prescribed burn.
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
By Brian Addison
Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Arvid Andersen drives
the Dooley Mountain high-
way (OR Highway 245) to
the Burnt River Valley and
views the world around
him through the eyes of
a professional forestry
consultant and experienced
timber cruiser.
As he looks out across
the forests of southern
Baker County he points
out dead and dying pine
trees speckling the land-
scape and he sees bigger
problems on the horizon.
Large Ponderosa pine
trees dead and dying from
bark beetle infestation,
conifers invaded by Dwarf
mistletoe, and the result-
ing increased potential for
catastrophic forest fi re run
through Andersen’s mind.
The conditions on the
forestland on and around
Dooley Mountain and the
south fork of the Burnt
River region are the result
of decades of a federal for-
est management and tim-
ber program locked down
by regulations, says Ander-
sen and others close to the
problems including Baker
County Commissioner and
Burnt River region rancher
Mark Bennett, and long-
time Bridgeport timberland
owner Lynn Shumway.
The lack of active for-
est management and an
adequate timber harvest
program has set the stage
for what Andersen sees as
a bark beetle infestation
ready to turn epidemic.
See BARK BEETLES / Page 3
5J superintendent finalists
See DISPENSARIES / Page 10
CANDIDATES APPEAR AT MEET AND GREET
Sheriff
resigns
By Sunny Werner
Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The library at Baker
High was packed as
crowds of teachers, School
Board members, interested
parents, curious commu-
nity members, school staff
and reporters fl ocked to
meet and question the three
remaining candidates for
the position of Superinten-
dent of Baker District 5J
last Friday.
The three contenders
are Betty Palmer, cur-
rently holding the posi-
tion of Principal at South
Baker Intermediate; Mark
Whitley, currently Super-
intendent of Schools Grant
School District #3; and
Robert Vian, Superinten-
dent of Schools in Orofi no,
Idaho.
Ben Merrill, BHS
Principal, explained that
Last week, a group in favor of marijuana dispensa-
ries protested in front of City Hall the day of a special
City Council Session to discuss the issue. This Tuesday,
another group—those against dispensaries in Baker
City—countered with their own peaceful protect during
the noon hour on the day of the scheduled City Council
meeting on the same subject.
At that City Council meeting, the fi rst reading of a re-
vised business license was approved, which will include
new wording saying businesses in Baker City will com-
ply with federal, state and local laws. This wording could
have the effect of banning dispensaries since marijuana
is a federally controlled substance, even though it will be
legal statewide in Oregon July 1, 2015.
Vicki Freeman of Baker City, who led the protest, said
she wasn’t affi liated with any particular group—she was
simply a member of a local church who helped spread
the word. She, along with Jessy Raczowski and Matthew
Pedersen, solicited protest help from the congregations of
several local area churches.
By Kerry McQuisten
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Sunny Werner/ The Baker County Press
Sunny Werner/ The Baker County Press
Sunny Werner/ The Baker County Press
Robert Vian.
Mark Whitley.
Betty Palmer.
Baker High’s Culinary
Arts Program had prepared
and submitted a bid to the
School Board for the hors
d’oervres, which were
created and served by the
students in the programme.
“This is a great oppor-
tunity for them to practice
the full catering experi-
ence,” he explained. “From
the pricing of materials and
the bidding right through
cooking and presentation.”
Kevin Cassidy, Vice
Chair of School Board, ex-
plained some of the issues
affecting the understand-
ing of the general public
and factors affecting the
candidates applying for the
post.
“What many people
don’t realize,” he said, “is
that the school district is
like a really big corpora-
tion. Sometimes people
just look at the salary, and
they think wow, that’s
more than anybody else
around here is getting!”
Friday
Mixed rain and snow, little to no accumulation
expected. Highs in the upper 30s. Chance of
precipitation is 70%. Low around 25.
Saturday
A slight chance of an early snow shower, other-
wise mostly cloudy. Highs around 35. Chance of
precipitation is 20%. Lows in upper teens.
Sunday
Clear skies with abundant sunshine. Highs in
the upper 30s. Lows at night in the lower 20s.
See 5J / Page 9
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by
this generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
On Wednesday morning,
Sheriff Mitch Southwick
announced his resignation
to the Baker County Board
of Commissioners during a
special work session.
According to those who
witnessed at least part of
the work session, the res-
ignation came as a surprise
when Southwick stood and
Submitted Photo.
asked for fi ve minutes of
Mitch Southwick.
the Commissioners’ time.
He then shook each of
their hands and gave them his written resignation letter.
Southwick’s current term would have ended at the end
of 2016.
See SHERIFF / Page 10
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Permits: Bandstand, Parkway
Langrell hearing
Strange lights in the night sky
Students hear about organ donation
Teenage runaway found safe
Wellness Watch: Infrared saunas
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