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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 2015)
AGRICULTURE: Baker County Livestock Association has potluck in the park. PAGE 3 The LOCAL: Long-awaited School Resource Officer sworn in. PAGE 9 Baker County Press TheBakerCountyPress.com 75¢ All local. All relevant. Every Friday. Friday, August 28, 2015 • Volume 2, Issue 35 Workshop teaches protection of the western way of life • FRED KELLY GRANT LEADS 3-DAY BAKER CITY COORDINATION SEMINAR, COMMISSIONERS FROM 3 OREGON COUNTIES ATTEND BY BRIAN ADDISON Brian@TheBakerCountyPress.com Fred Kelly Grant and his panel of expert grassroots advocates came to Baker City August 20-22, teach- ing what has proven to be the best method of protect- ing local interests against ever-increasing federal agency regulations and projects. Grant offered “Coordina- tion 101,” a 20-hour course held at the Baker County Events Center and attended by about 30 citizens. Several county commis- sioners, including event organizer and chair of the Baker County Board of Commissioners Bill Harvey, Baker County Commissioner Tim Kerns, and Wallowa County Com- missioner Paul Castilleja, attended the workshop. Baker County Commis- sioner Mark Bennett collected the seminar’s materials, but had to leave to tend to his cattle in the wake of the El Dorado Fire. Another commis- sioner from Lake County and one from a county in Washington State also at- tended. Grant was fi rst asked, 25 years ago, to help ranchers in Owyhee County, Idaho protect grazing interests from increasing regulations proposed by the Bureau of Land Management. At fi rst glance, Grant told the ranchers he could tie up the court system through administrative procedure and guarantee the ranchers only 18 months of grazing at historical levels. SEE WORKSHOP PAGE 10 Brian Addison / The Baker County Press Famed lawyer Fred Kelly Grant conducts the Coordination 101 Workshop in Baker City, Aug. 20 - 22, with organizer and chair of the Baker County Commissioners Bill Harvey in the background. Local fire chiefs train for chopper fires, ‘hard landings’ BAKER CITY POLICE SEARCH FOR OWNER OF HIDDEN ‘TREASURE’ • PILOTS WALK AWAY FROM JUST SUCH A LANDING DURING THE EL DORADO FIRE BY TODD ARRIOLA Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com Photo courtesy of the Baker City Police Department. Two photo albums were among the items found in a bag, with photographs inside spanning much of the Victorian era, some dating back to the 1870s. Last Wednesday, August 19, at about 7:15 p.m. pacifi c time, a Sikorsky S-61A helicopter working on the El Dorado fi re eight miles southeast of Unity, carrying pilot Gary Wiltrout, 67, of Boise, and co-pilot Scott Talada, 65, of Baker City, experienced a hard landing due to engine failure. The landing occurred on the west portion of the fi re near King Creek, near a medical unit serving fi refi ghters on the line, according to Oregon Department of Forestry Incident Commander Link Smith (the aircraft was under operational control of the ODF). Smith said, “When the helicopter came to rest, both (pilots) exited the helicopter and signaled that they were unhurt by waving to the medical unit. While no signifi - cant injuries were apparent, both individuals were trans- ported by ambulance to St. Alphonsus Ontario Medical Center for further evaluation.” SEE HELICOPTER TRAINING PAGE 11 Victorian-era photos, Local rancher books from 1900s found organizes hay donations • BOOKS HIDDEN IN A TREE REMAIN MYSTERY TO LOCAL POLICE • BAKER COUNTY HAY IS ON ITS WAY TO JOHN DAY BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com “Somebody wanted to keep these safe,” said Offi cer Shannon Regan. “We just want to be able to fi nd the rightful owner and return these items.” Regan says back on July 7th, she was out on a call when a resident mentioned she’d heard a “ruckus” in the alley behind her home. When Regan went to investigate behind the 1545 Sixth Street address, she was surprised, by chance, to spot a bag stuffed in a tree alongside a fence. “The bag was originally one of those cloth bags from a grocery store up in Seattle, but the bag really could have come from anywhere at this point. Inside it, the books were wrapped up in plastic ziplock-type bags,” Regan said. SEE VICTORIAN PHOTOS PAGE 9 Friday Cloudy with patchy areas of smoke, highs in the upper 80s. Patches of smoke leading to cloudy skies overnight. Lows in the mid 50s. Saturday Partly cloudy with a chance for showers and thunderstorms. Highs in the lower 80s. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Lows in the upper 40s. Sunday Sunny and mild with highs near 80. Partly cloudy at night with lows in the mid 40s. BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Photo Courtesy of the Baker City Police Department. Several books found in the bag date back to the mid-1900s, and the photo albums to the late 1800s. Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County. Our forecast made possible by this generous sponsor: Offi cial weather provider for The Baker County Press. Local rancher, Mike Williams, recently added his name to the list of individuals throughout eastern Oregon and beyond who have come together to provide support to livestock owners in the John Day area, after the Canyon Creek wildfi re decimated grazing lands and burned feed. The “Hay for John Day” drive has garnered donations from all over the state. Kristen Currin of Elgin coordi- nated with Jim Hamsher of Prairie City to set up online donations and information. SEE HAY DONATIONS PAGE 5 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Eagle Complex fi re takes cabin Sumpter Mayor likely recalled Huntington’s food bank vandalized City passes new pot ordinance Career profi le: Police Chief Local women start horse rehab Page Page Page Page Page Page 4 5 5 7 8 8
