10 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015
2015: A Year in Retrospect
June
July
June 5
July 17
New lieutenant sworn in. On Friday, May 29, Patrol
Sergeant Dustin Newman was sworn in as the Baker City
Police Department’s new Lieutenant.
Sanctuary or not? Baker County has found itself in the spotlight along with several
other eastern Oregon counties after landing on a list of “sanctuary” counties and cities—
over 275 nationwide—following the murder of a woman in San Francisco by an illegal
resident who had been released due to that area’s sanctuary policy.
Toddler on road to recovery. Caleb and Wesley
Kerns, in third and second grades respectively, saved
their little brother, Thomas, from a near drowning.
County told to pay legal fees. Umatilla Judge Ron Pahl has awarded Columbia Basin
Helicopters, Inc. “reasonable attorney’s fees” from Baker County.
Baker City man missing since May 18. The family
of a Baker City man, Ken Street, recently filed a missing
persons report with local law enforcement.
Citizens come out to prepare. A diverse group of in-
dividuals and organizations came together Saturday, May
30, to offer the Baker City community the first Emergency
Preparedness Fair.
June 12
Gina K. Swartz /
The Baker County Press
Lt. Dustin Newman
shows a softer side,
hugging his mom who
traveled to witness his
swearing in.
High-speed chase reaches 125 mph. Last Monday morning, around 4:06 a.m. Officer
Mike Lary, accompanied by Reserve Officer Dan Batchelor, noticed a 2007 Kia with a
cracked windshield in Baker City. Moments later they found themselves in a high-speed
chase across town and out onto the freeway headed east.
One soggy rally. Record-setting rains, thunder, lightning and a little hail greeted rid-
ers from the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally (HCMR) last weekend.
July 24
Class of 2015 graduates. Baker High School awarded high school diplomas to 109
graduates of the Class of 2015 Sunday, June 7 within Bulldog Memorial Stadium.
Predatory sex offender returns. Convicted predatory sex offender, Travis Scott
Jones, age 43, returned to Baker City a few days ago, immediately creating community-
wide concern not only about his presence, but his seemingly ever-changing address.
Local pilot escapes crash uninjured. On the sunny Sunday morning of May 31, sea-
soned pilot Troy Woydziak of Baker Aircraft was busy hauling his first load of the day
up to the Minam River Lodge, not yet knowing he was in for one intense ride...
New School Board chair elected. Board Vice Chair Kevin Cassidy was elected for
the position of Chair, and current Board member Melissa Irvine as Vice Chair.
Walden’s local staff changes. Kirby Garrett, formerly Field Representative for US
Representative Greg Walden in the La Grande office, has moved on to join Walden’s
staff in Washington D.C. Jorden Noyes will now fill his role.
Captain America visits. Allen “Captain America” Mullins plans to collect $500,000
in donations or to log 500,000 miles by 2020, in order to help make improvements on
and build new facilities for the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Warm Springs, Oregon.
July 31
June 19
Eight Baker County Search and Rescue volunteers participated in Eastern Or-
egon Search and Rescue (EOSAR) Region 5 training. The training was held June 5-7
at Bully Creek Park, just over the county line in Malheur County.
Sumpter lawsuit. Myron Woodley, Pat Lindrose, Karen Peters, Verne Hollopeter, and
Connie and Ed Marshal filed suit against defendants City of Sumpter and individuals
John Young, Marlene Bork, LeAnne Woolf, and Myrna Clark.
Oregon Sniper Challenge. Baker City competed against several of the world’s top
marksmen last weekend in an elite event unlike any this area has seen in the past.
Electric car charger station to open. This Sunridge will be the home toTesla Mo-
tors, Inc’s Superchargers’ new contiguous electric vehicle charging system.
Reality series features cabin with Unity ties. Two days ago, “Unplugged Nation” on
the FYI Channel featured a cabin in Hells Canyon owned by Dale and Betsy McGreer
of Clarkston and built in part by the Alexander family from Unity.
None hurt by envelope. The Baker County Sheriff’s Department was one of numer-
ous government offices targeted for envelopes with a suspicious substance.
Beloved band teacher to move. Jeff Sizer has accepted a new job beginning this
2015/2016 school year.
Sumpter politics abound. Forget speculation over upcoming presidential races.
Those interested in political intrigue need look no farther than Sumpter, Oregon, where
one completed and three prospective recall petitions have been filed.
August
June 26
BCPD’s drug dog to retire. On July 1, 10-year-old Turbo will be retiring due to the
passing of measure 91 legalizing marijuana.
WWNF Subpart A draft complete. 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.
Locals rise through GOP ranks. Two Baker County women, Carole Dyke of Baker
City and Suzan Ellis Jones of Bridgeport, recently took a major step up the political lad-
der, becoming part of the Congressional District 2 (CD2) executive team.
Bronze saltlick dedicated. Baker City’s community was invited to the dedication of
the bronze salt lick sculpture by Whit Deschner from 4-6 p.m. last Saturday in Court
Plaza. Deschner crafted the bronze sculpture as a way to raise awareness for Parkin-
son’s disease.
July
July 3
2A rally turns racially
charged. Locals and
Sheriff Joe Arpaio faced
off against paid protesters
in Salem last weekend as
the crowd turned racially
charged.
‘Surviving America’
films here. The Sumpter
area will again be featured
on a reality television
show airing on a major
Submitted by The Depot Inn
network this fall. The town ‘Surviving America’s’ Dave Canterbury (left) poses
played host last week to a
with Weldon Reedy of The Depot Inn.
group filming a new show
called Surviving America. The cast and crew lodged at the Depot Inn in Sumpter.
Kiss tribute band to perform at Barley Browns. Phantom Kiss will kick off the Hells Canyon
Motorcycle Rally this year.
Cattlemen talk water supply. The Baker County Livestock Association (BCLA)
hosted a meeting on Wednesday, June 24, at the Best Western Sunridge Inn, the focus
of which was a presentation by Baker County Soil and Water Districts (SWCD) District
Manager Whitney Collins, regarding the critical water supply situation in the Rock
Creek drainage area, west of Haines.
July 10
A blues legend passes. Baker City’s own Jimmy Lloyd Rea was born Oct. 6, 1951
and died in a Nampa hospital on June 30, 2015 from complications caused by diabetes.
Truck used in chase recovered. The May 12th high speed chase during which Da-
mon Robinson led law enforcement near the rugged Marble Creek trailhead may have
ended with the suspect in jail—but that left the problem of removing the abandoned
white 1997 Dodge 3/4-ton pickup from its resting place 2,130 feet down the mountain-
side.
Haines Rodeo captures audience despite heat. Unseasonably hot temperatures
marked the Haines Stampede rodeo grounds over the Fourth of July weekend.
August 7
Shrine All Star game played. The East team ran to victory by a score of 25-0 in
Oregon’s 63rd Annual East West Shrine All-Star Football Game, August 1.
Eastern Oregon counties protect local interests. Several counties are enacting
coordination with federal agencies. Attorney Fred Kelly Grant will highlight these laws
in a 3-day workshop.
NRA competition held in New Mexico. Local competitors Gauge Bloomer, Braden
Staebler-Siewell and Ben Spaugh scored high in the shooring event.
Relay for Life lights luminarias to music. For the seventh year in a row, Baker
City’s Jason Jordan Smith volunteered to play the bagpipes, walking around the Baker
High School track as the luminarias were set aglow.
August 14
Inside the first GOP presidential debate. Cove’s Rep. Greg Barreto and wife, Chris,
who also serves as his legislative assistant, flew from Oregon to attend, as did Oregon
Republican Party (ORP) Chair Bill Currier and ORP’s National Committeeman Solo-
mon Yue, all of whom have spent time in Baker City on multiple occasions.
Baker County burns.
Two large fires ignited on
Dooley and Burnt River
Canyon. The Cornet Fire
created a level-three evac-
uation for Stices Gulch
and other areas of the
county, sending residents
out of their homes.
Sumpter recalls. More
recall elections will pro-
ceed in the City of Sumpt-
er, as recall petitions on
Council members Toni
Thompson, Ada Oakley,
and G. LeAnne Woolf were
turned in and signatures
verified by County Clerk
Cindy Carpenter this week.
Suzan Ellis Jones / The Baker County Press
The Windy Ridge-Cornet Fire swept through Bridge-
port Valley, burning this pole and several others in
half, knocking out power in the community.
August 21
Ag producers gather to discuss fire losses. “We’re looking at a potential of 20
permittees whose allotments were affected,” said Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Field Officer Lori Wood on Monday.
Wildfire bravery and survival. As fire crews begin to maintain perimeters around
the Cornet/Windy Ridge Fire, early stories of bravery, loss, and heartache begin to
surface.
Wildfires: 120,000 acres scorched in Baker County. Fire near John Day/Canyon City
becomes nations number one priority.
Stices Gulch residents return home. The mood was remarkably cheerful as about 35
residents who had been evacuated from Stices Gulch, and firefighting volunteers, met at
the Greater Bowen Valley Rural Fire Department’s firehouse for a briefing and update
on the Fire Management Plan by Fire Chief Jim Devlin on Monday evening.