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
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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
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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
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