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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (April 10, 2015)
The Baker City Easter egg hunt —Page 12 Homemade Goodness: Chicken Burritos! —Page 11 Huntington Easter egg hunt —Page 10 Baker County Press Friday, April 10, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 15 Th eBakerCountyPress.com • Your local weekly news source! 75¢ LOCAL NEWS: HEADLINE STORIES • LOCAL ARTICLES • OUTDOORS • AGRICULTURE • CLASSIFIEDS Controversial gun control bill moves toward law GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY HELD MONDAY Pavilion construction begins LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WEIGHS IN ON SENATE BILL 941 Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press 15 golden shovels hit the ground Monday at noon to break ground for the new bandstand in the park. By Gina K. Swartz Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com It has been a long time coming! The Baker City Geiser-Pollman bandstand pavilion project began as only a conversation nearly 10 years ago. Monday saw a celebra- tion of all the dedication of those who either were in the conversation from the start or joined along the way. Members from the band- stand committee along with members from the contributing Soroptimists International, Baker Coun- ty, Architect Larry Abell, Contractor Mark Johnson of Sid Johnson & Com- pany and City Councilors Mike Downing, Rosemary Abell, Richard Langrell, and James Thomas all wielded golden shovels in a ground-breaking ceremony. Bandsta=nd commit- tee chair, Bob Hunsaker, addressed the crowd that gathered to watch the sym- bolic ceremony. He began by welcoming everyone and told the crowd “103 years ago John Phillip Sousa played in this park and in all likelihood he played in an almost new band shell that was put in in 1910.” See GROUND-BREAKING / Page 5 Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press SB941 is a hot topic this week in Salem. By Kerry McQuisten News@TheBakerCountyPress.com Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press Phyllis Badgley and Al Durgan, part of the project since its start, show off their shoveling skills. On Monday, the most recent gun control bill fraught with controversy, Senate Bill 941, swept through the Or- egon Senate Judiciary Committee on a three-to-two vote, strictly along party lines. Democratic Senators Floyd Pro- zanski and Ginny Burdick are SB 941’s chief sponsors. Prozanski has attempted similar bills in the past, but the Democrats had a smaller majority than now. Cur- rent numbers in the Senate mean the controversial bill is almost sure to receive enough votes on the senate fl oor to pass. Rather than go from the Senate fl oor to the House’s Judiciary committee, which is standard protocol, the bill has been tapped to go through the Democrat-controlled House Rules Committee instead, ensuring a path to the House fl oor where, again, it is almost sure to pass. The bill “declares an emergency,” meaning instant im- plementation, and requires any private person to complete transfer of fi rearm by appearing with the transferee before a gun dealer to request a criminal background check. See GUN CONTROL / Page 5 Commissioners clarify stance City and on coordination vs. cooperation Langrell reach settlement LETTERS, ARTICLE CREATE FIRESTORM OVER EASTER WEEKEND By Todd Arriola Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press Baker County’s three commissioners talked Wednesday about their stance with the USFS’ Travel Management Plan. Friday Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60s. Cloudy and mild at night with a low around 37. Saturday Cloudy with an increased risk of rain showers. Chance of precipitation is 30%, highs in the mid 50s. Low around 35. Sunday 30% chance for rain and snow showers, no ac- cumulation is expected. High of 47, low of 29. Last Friday, an article published in The Baker City Herald with the head- line, “Bennett, Kerns thank USFS” launched a fl urry of calls and emails span- ning hundreds of eastern Oregon citizens, including members of Forest Access For All (FAFA), media and various other groups and residents. In the center of the controversy, whether letters mentioned in that article signal a departure from Commissioner Mark Bennett’s former pro-coor- dination stance regarding the United States Forest Service’s (USFS) Travel Management Plan—a departure that might have left Chair Bill Harvey as the lone voice against the County taking a secondary role to the USFS through cooperation. Bennett clarifi ed this week, though, that he has not moved away from coordination. The fi rst letter from Bennett to Wallowa- Whitman National Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya, dated March 30, 2015, in its entirety, reads: “In follow up to our phone conversation on March 30, 2015, I ap- preciated the extension of 90 days granted to Baker County to submit addition- al data from the December closure date.” See COMMISSIONERS’ LETTERS / 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. 2015 Annual Meeting Saturday, May 2 | John Day By Kerry McQuisten News@TheBakerCountyPress.com After the trial date of April 2 was cancelled in the case of former Baker City Mayor and current City Councillor Richard Langrell and his wife Lynne versus the City of Baker City, it was evident a settlement was on the way. A recent ruling by Judge Ron Pahl from Umatilla, excluded presenting what the City considered important evidentiary materials at trial. After the past week, negotiations between the City’s Attorney, Brent Smith from La Grande and the Langrell’s attorney, Rebecca Knapp from Enterprise, were success- ful and a settlement amount of $50,000 was reached. Almost $17,000 of the settlement amount is reimburse- ment for past sewer and water fees, which were paid by the Langrells and their business, The Always Welcome Inn. The portion of the settlement amount will go toward recuperating payment for court fees, but the rest of the settlement will provided reimbursement for Knapp’s at- torney fees. The amount spend in attorney’s fees by the City in defending the suit was unavailable in time for print. ALSO IN THIS ISSUE FAFA discusses County/USFS 3-Match gun series ahead SVRR property transfer proposal 2nd interchange planning meeting Firemen’s exercises ahead Mining: MSHA classes, raffl e Page Page Page Page Page Page 3 5 7 8 9 10