Keating student
places first in essay
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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
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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
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