LOCAL: Tips for beating the 100-degree
heat wave. PAGE 10
LOCAL: New sergeant, Wayne Chastain,
sworn in . PAGE 9
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Friday, June 26, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 26
K-9 Turbo set to retire
• FUNDRAISER
UNDERWAY FOR
NEW BCPD K-9
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Turbo, the Baker City
Police Department’s fi rst
drug-detecting K-9, has
served well for the last
eight years. On July 1,
10-year-old Turbo will be
retiring due to the passing
of measure 91 legalizing
marijuana.
“Most K-9 dogs retire
after about 12 years,
depending on their hips, so
he’s not that far off. Some-
times though, he doesn’t
act like he is 10 years old,
but he doesn’t have quite
the wind that he used to,”
Offi cer Rand Weaver with
the Baker County Police
Department and Turbo’s
handler said. “The vet
thought maybe he had a
torn ACL here a while
back, but he came out of
it. I mean he was hob-
bling around and favoring
his leg for a while but he
doesn’t act like it bothers
him now.”
Weaver, a 20-year police
veteran, has been Turbo’s
handler for the last six
years.
When Turbo fi rst joined
the force, Sergeant Wayne
Chastain was his handler.
Soon after, Chastain who is
a member of the National
Guard, was called to active
duty.
Turbo was reassigned
to Mike Harris. Harris
left the Baker City Police
Department to relocate to
La Grande and Turbo was
again reassigned to Offi cer
Weaver who has been with
him ever since.
Although Turbo had
already been through K-9
School, with each new
handler a two-week course
was mandatory. “It was his
third time there. The in-
structors said they ought to
just have Turbo teach it,”
said Weaver with a laugh.
During the course, K-9
handlers learn changes
of behavior in their dog
when they smell one of the
predetermine odors.
K-9 dogs usually start
their training at six to eight
months old. The type of
dogs they are looking for
are dogs with a lot of drive
that like to retrieve because
in the dog’s mind, that’s
what he’s doing.
SEE TURBO PAGE 8
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Offi cer Rand Weaver stands with soon-to-be-retired
Turbo outside the Police Department.
WWNF
completes
Subpart A
draft
• MORE CONTROVERSY ENSUES
AS DOCUMENT REQUESTS ARE DENIED
BY BRIAN ADDISON
Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
Whit Deschner adds a moment of levity after the offi cial unveiling of the bronze salt lick sculpture.
Forest Service Wallowa-Whitman National Forest
(WWNF) Supervisor Tom Montoya thinks the newly
revised Blue Mountain Forest Management Plan, the
document guiding all activities on the Wallowa-Whitman,
Umatilla, and Malheur national forests, will be completed
and signed by the Region 6 Regional Forester sometime
around the end of 2016.
Concurrently with the development the forest plan
revision, the United States Forest Service (USFS) staff
continues work on the Travel Management Plan Subpart
A in the WWNF based on the existing 1990 Blue Moun-
tain Forest Management Plan.
SEE WWNF SUBPART A PAGE 11
Bronze salt lick dedication Locals rise
• FORD FAMILY 4TH COHORT AND HBC
SPONSOR WEEKEND EVENT
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Saturday’s event had been almost two years in
the making—Baker City’s community was invited to
the dedication of the bronze salt lick sculpture by Whit
Deschner from 4-6 p.m. in Court Plaza.
Deschner crafted the bronze sculpture as a way to
raise awareness for Parkinson’s disease. Deschner is also
actively involved with the annual Great Salt Lick Auction
where all proceeds go toward Parkinson’s research.
Saturday’s community event had food, music provided
by Terry Lamont and Monica Paul and lots and lots of
smiles.
Historic Baker City (HBC) and The Ford Leadership
4th Cohort sponsored the event with HBC Program Man-
ager Jeff Nelson laughing as he perused the crowd.
“Hey, we’ve got a bronze salt lick, we can do any-
thing!” Nelson said. “This project began almost two years
ago and we are fi nally getting her done. Of course we’re
not even close to fi nished with the Court Street Plaza. The
City budget was just passed and it will go to the Parks
Committee. There was a design made up about 10 years
ago. We are going to kind of copy that, but they had a
fountain in the middle and some other stuff we won’t
Friday
Sunny and hot, highs in the mid 90s. Mostly
clear and mild at night with lows in the upper
50s.
Saturday
Sunny and hot, highs creeping up around 100.
Lows around 60 at night.
Sunday
Sunny with blistering heat. Highs in the low
100s. Chance of spotty shower or thunderstorm
is 20%. Lows at night in the low-60s.
do. The plan just isn’t fi nalized yet. Hopefully, I want to
make this (the street) all brick and have planters along
the sides. But we still have to keep room to bring trucks
in for the Christmas Tree—so that’s one of our main
obstacles.”
As the crowd grew, Nelson addressed everyone saying,
“I’d like to thank you all for coming out today. Enjoy this
great day, the great music and all the great food.”
After most of the crowd had prepared their plates and
eaten, Nelson introduced Maurizio Valerio of the Rural
Development Institute. “He has brought so much to Baker
City with his coaching and mentoring. Let’s give a big
round of applause for Maurizio Valerio.”
Valerio humbly took his place at the microphone. “A
couple of things. First I’d like to thank the Ford Family
4th Cohort and second, I’ve had many of you asking ‘Can
we purchase these shirts?’ Jeff is working on it.”
Valerio laughed referring to shirts provided for those
directly involved in the salt lick dedication, HBC mem-
bers and the Ford Family Leadership.
He said, “As we unveil this project there are a couple
special things about this. We see a lot of these kinds of
projects going. This project is particularly important to
this community, helping our own town. This bronze was
one of the salt licks that were actually sold in the past at
one of the auctions, which we have every year.”
With that Valerio began a countdown to the unveiling of
the bronze salt lick.
SEE SALT LICK PAGE 10
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
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The Baker County Press.
up through
GOP ranks
• TWO BAKER COUNTY WOMEN JOIN
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2 TEAM
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Two Baker County women, Carole Dyke of Baker
City and Suzan Ellis Jones of Bridgeport, recently took
a major step up the political ladder, becoming part of the
Congressional District 2 (CD2) executive team.
Jones is the Chair of the Baker County Republican
Central Committee and Dyke serves as Corresponding
Secretary in that same group.
Last Friday, with a midnight deadline, Jones was
elected by 85% of the votes cast by county chairs in that
district to become CD2 Alternate Chair, defeating Dennis
Linthicum, a former Klamath County Commissioner
who ran against Rep. Greg Walden for that congressional
position in the last election. Three other candidates also
ran for the Alternate Chair position.
SEE GOP PAGE 5
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Talon Colton Metal Works
Unity: Budget set
Vector Control battles mosquitos
5J: summer reading, SRO
Sgt. Chastain sworn in
Locals advocate for older Americans
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