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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (April 3, 2015)
Keating student places first in essay contest —Page 5 The FFA Ag Issues team places sixth at State —Page 3 Baker County Press Th eBakerCountyPress.com Friday, April 3, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 14 • Your local weekly news source! 75¢ LOCAL NEWS: HEADLINE STORIES • LOCAL ARTICLES • OUTDOORS • AGRICULTURE • CLASSIFIEDS WWNF road analysis ongoing as comment period ends Sumpter fire: Trooper carries woman to safety Photo Courtesy of OSP The home of Lorraine Wells in Sumpter suffered damage after a vehicle ignited out front. Brian Addison / The Baker County Press Taken from atop Spring Garden Hill overlooking Baker City toward part of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, the east slope of the Elkhorn Mountains, with the WWNF headquarters hidden by greenery. By Brian Addison Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com The United States Forest Service (USFS) began a process in 2007 to analyze and determine the transportation needs in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. The pro- cess, spanning eight years, has proven a monumental task for the USFS partially because it deals with a vast, intricate forest road and trail system estimated at about 9,400 miles, and partially because local residents have resound- ingly rejected nearly every attempt by the USFS to reduce and limit forest ac- cess routes. Part of the road analysis by the USFS has involved input from the public, county governments, and native American tribes to help identify and include roads not otherwise plotted on USFS maps. The offi - cial public input period on what is referred to as Sub- part A of the 2005 Travel Management Rule ended on March 31, 2015. “Subpart A of the Travel Management Rule is an analysis to identify the minimum sustainable road system needed for safe effi cient travel and protec- tion of natural resources for management and use of National Forest System lands,” explained Larisa Bogardus, USFS Acting Public Affairs Offi cer. “It is not a decision; it is merely an analysis of what is needed by the Forest (Service) to administrative- ly manage the Forest.” See WWNF / Page 8 Bentz’s Baker County blitz STATE REPRESENTATIVE HOLDS FIVE TOWN HALLS IN ONE DAY Haines Town Hall By Todd Arriola Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Huntington Town Hall By Eileen Driver Eileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press Rep. Bentz’s Haines town hall at The Frontier drew about 30 people, including Chuck Chase (at left) of Baker City. Friday Mostly clear and sunny with highs in the upper 60s. Slight chance of rain showers overnight with lows in the mid 40s. Saturday Chance of rain showers, otherwise mostly clear in the later parts of the day. Highs in the low 50s with a 40% chance of rain. Lows in the mid-20s. Sunday A wealth of sunshine with highs nearing 60. Partly cloudy and cool at night, warmer than the night before though. Lows around 35. Last Friday, Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-Ontario) held a series of fi ve public town halls across Baker County, with additional town halls the following day in adjoining counties within his district. The Baker County Press covered two of them. Haines. Representative Cliff Bentz addressed a group of around 30 people last Friday, March 27, at the Frontier Restaurant in Haines, as part of a series of nine town hall meetings across District 60 on both that day and Saturday, March 28. These meetings gave Bentz an opportunity to discuss the status of issues from the 2015 Legislative Session with members of the communities, who shared their own concerns. It was an early start Friday as Bentz met with community members and other interested individuals in Halfway at Wild Bills & Co. Restaurant at 6:30 a.m., then in Richland at Richland City Hall at 9 a.m., and in Haines at the Frontier at noon. Bentz kicked off the Haines meeting by inform- ing the crowd that he’d been to the two meetings earlier in Halfway and Richland. See BENTZ TOWN HALLS / Page 9 City may settle Langrell suit By Gina K. Swartz Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com In light of a recent ruling by Umatilla County Judge Ronald Pahl, Baker City Council intends to offer Richard Langrell, who currently still sits on the Baker City Coun- cil, a settlement agreement. Judge Pahl’s ruling would exclude bringing in what the City considers important evidentiary materials at trial in the lawsuit of Richard W. Langrell v. City of Baker City. As a result, Thursday’s scheduled trial was canceled. In a statement from Langrell, he indicated, “Supposed- ly the City has decided to settle but I haven’t seen a check yet.” He laughed. “By the end of today (4.1.15), I should know something. It’s all been agreed to, it’s just that I don’t to like believe things until I actually see the check.” Council felt the exclusion of the materials would be dif- fi cult to overcome. The City intends to contact Langrell’s attorney, Rebecca Knapp of Enterprise, to offer a settle- ment of the matter rather than continuing on to a trial that was scheduled to begin April 2 in Baker County Circuit Court. See LANGRELL V. CITY / 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. On March 29, 2015, shortly after noon, Oregon State Police (OSP) Senior Trooper Brad Duncan of the Fish & Wildlife Division in Baker City, was patrolling in the town of Sumpter, southwest of Baker City, when he saw what appeared to be a vehicle on fi re with three people standing nearby. One person was attempting to put out the fi re with a fi re extinguisher but was not having any success. Senior Trooper Duncan told the people to get away from the now fully engulfed vehicle for their own safety. As he did so he noticed a large propane tank be- tween the residence and the vehicle, which he feared may explode. Senior Trooper Duncan learned the residence was owned by 81-year-old Lorraine Wells who was believed to still be inside the home. As the fi re spread to the resi- dence, Sr. Trooper Duncan and Firefi ghter David Stell- man of the Sumpter Valley Fire Department went to the door to inquire and Senior Trooper Duncan went inside to look for the woman. Shortly after entering the home, Senior Trooper Duncan located Wells and her son, Geoffrey Wells, still inside the residence. Wells was seated in a chair and her son told Senior Trooper Duncan she was unable to stand or walk on her own. As smoke poured into the residence through the door and the house began to burn, Senior Trooper Duncan carried Wells out of the house and to his patrol vehicle. Later on, Sumpter Valley Fire Department was able to extinguish the fi re. During the investigation it was determined the fi re was started while a third occupant of the residence was work- ing on the fuel system of a vehicle in front. Red Cross arrived to assist the occupants with shelter, food, and other services to the three adults. OSP was assisted by the Sumpter Valley Fire Depart- ment and the Red Cross. Firefi ghter Stellman was con- tacted and approved the use of his name. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Sage-grouse CCAA Op-Ed: Oregon Firearms Federation City has goal-setting meeting Shop local! Service Directory Baker City native serves on ship County Commissioners coverage Page Page Page Page Page Page 3 4 5 6 9 10