OPINION: Representative proud to have
voted against SB941. PAGE 4
BHS FUN FEST: High School holds almost-
end-of-year celebration. PAGE 10
The
Baker County Press
TheBakerCountyPress.com
75¢
All local. All relevant. Every Friday.
Friday, May 15, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 20
Friends of NRA raises
$9.5K for Sierra Bingham
BY KERRY McQuisten
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Saturday evening,
the Powder River Friends
of the National Rifl e Asso-
ciation (NRA) gathered at
the Elks in Baker City for
their well-attended annual
fund raiser.
This year’s banquet was
the group’s fourteenth.
Toward the end of the
evening, the tone of the
room grew somber accord-
ing to several guests, as
the announcement came
that North Powder’s Sierra
Bingham was once again
in a hospital in California
awaiting a second heart
transplant. Parents Jason
and Stacy Bingham have
enlisted the help of friend
Kevin Bradford to create
a new version of www.
heartsforbinghams.org,
which will allow for online
donations to help cover
medical expenses.
Three of the Bingham
children—Sierra, Gage and
Lindsey—have experi-
enced or are experiencing
heart failure.
A number of impres-
sive items were donated
by local individuals and
businesses, one being a
handgun that was won in
the auction, then donated
back—a process that re-
peated, raising money for
the Binghams.
The hat was also passed
around the room, and a
number of individuals who
didn’t win silent auction
items placed money they
might have spent into that
hat.
$9,500 is still an esti-
mate of the total amount
raised—the fi nal number
may have exceeded that
fi gure, but wasn’t available
before this article went to
print.
SEE FRIENDS OF NRA
PAGE 7
Submitted Photo.
This auction item, a Stars & Stripes Guitar signed by
Ted Nugent, was underwritten by Baker Aircraft.
Inmate dies
of meth
overdose
• PLASTIC BAGGY FOUND IN STOMACH
DURING AUTOPSY
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Offi cer Mike Lary performs an “arresting” balancing act with a tray of drinks, including a few kids’ cups.
On Saturday evening, 28-year-old Joshua Pantle was
pronounced dead at St. Alphonsus—Baker City after
showing signs of medical distress while incarcerated at
the Baker County Jail.
Around 3 p.m., earlier that day, police were called to
a home on Second Street, just off David Eccles in South
Baker, where Pantle and two others were arrested on
criminal trespass charges.
According to the Oregon State Police, at 3:30 p.m.,
Pantle was brought to the County Jail. At 5:43 p.m. he
showed signs of medical distress while in his holding
cell. Two minutes later at 5:45 p.m., an ambulance was
dispatched to respond to the Baker County Jail, arriving
at 5:49 p.m. At 6:07 p.m. the ambulance with Pantle as
the patient arrived at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center.
SEE INMATE PAGE 9
Barley’s customers Tip-a-Cop
• SECOND
ANNUAL FUND-
RAISER BRINGS IN
$1.5K FOR SPECIAL
OLYMPICS
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Thursday night the
Baker City Police Depart-
ment worked for tips to
raise money for the Baker
City Chapter #511 of the
Special Olympics.
This is the second year
in a row the Police Depart-
ment has participated in
the event.
Last year the event
was held June 12 with the
group raising $2,330 with
$1,230 in tips and a check
from Barley Browns of
$1,100.
This year volunteers
from the department Sha-
ron Bass, Michael Lary,
Sergeant Dustin New-
man, and Reserve offi cers
Ruthie Boyd and Justin
Phlaum served up favorites
to eager customers at Bar-
ley Brown’s Brew Pub on
Main Street from 5-8 p.m.
The group raised $946
in tips with a $600 dona-
tion from Barley Brown’s,
bringing the total to $1546.
Local Special Olympics
Treasurer Stephanie Tweit
said, “Customers would
walk in and have a bit of
a worried look when they
saw all the cops but once
I explained what it was
all about with the Special
Olympics they instantly
had a big smile and chuck-
led, especially the out-of-
town guests. I was amazed
at all the people from out
of town stopping in Baker
for dinner.”
This year several of-
fi cers new to the fund-
raiser from the Baker City
Police Department joined
the cause and Barley’s
was training several new
Friday
Cloudy skies with scattered showers and thun-
derstorms throughout the day. Highs in the mid
60s, chance of precipitation is 50%. Low of 43.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and
thunderstorms. Highs in the low 60s, chance of
precipitation is 40%. Low around 40.
Sunday
Cloudy and warmer with a chance of scattered
showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the mid to
upper 60s, chance of precipitation is 40%.
Man leads
police on
mountain
chase
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
• CITIZEN USES
FIREARM TO HELP
CAPTURE SUSPECT
THE NEXT DAY
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Reserve Offi cer Ruthie Boyd turns in an order at the
counter.
employees so it made for
a quick learning process
but according to Tweit, “It
went very well all around.”
One of the newbies to the
fund raiser was reserve of-
fi cer Ruthie Boyd, who has
“waited tables before” and
was having a blast doing it
for a good cause.
SEE CHASE PAGE 9
SEE TIP-A-COP PAGE 3
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 Tuesday afternoon,
residents of south Baker
began reporting a white
pickup truck followed by
police vehicles “fl ying”
out of the area and onto
Highway 7 southbound.
2015 Annual Meeting
Saturday, May 2 | John Day
Photo Courtesy of Dispatch.
Damon Robinson is a
registered sex offender
with a past record
including burglary.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Public Works Advisory Committee
5J: 2015-2016 Budget
Locked & Loaded: Road Cleanup
City Council: Herbicides, Budget
County: Public Lands Resolution
Ash Grove Receives Awards
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
3
5
7
7
8
10