FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 11
2015: A Year in Retrospect
August
October
August 28
October 9
Workshop held on protecting western way of life. Fred Kelly Grant and his panel of
expert grassroots advocates came to Baker City August 20-22, teaching the best method
of protecting local interests against ever-increasing federal agency regulations.
Transparency topic of ORP tour. “Power does not check itself,” said Anne Marie
Gurney, Chair of the Oregon Republican Party’s (ORP’s) Government Transparency
Committee. Gurney brought the party’s Transparency and Listening Tour to Baker City
Tuesday night.
Chopper lands hard. Last Wednesday, August 19, at about 7:15 p.m. pacific time, a
Sikorsky S-61A helicopter working on the El Dorado fire 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.
Training officials meet at Police Department. The Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training (DPSST) sent some of its leadership team across the state, visit-
ing with members of local law enforcement agencies on its 2015 Listening Tour.
Hay donations. Rancher Mike Williams is helping collect hay for livestock owners
in John Day, after the Canyon Creek wildfire decimated grazing lands and burned feed.
Chandler Herefords inducted in Hall of Fame. In its 126th year of operations, the
family will travel to Missouri to collect the award.
Police find books in tree. Victorian-era books and photos were discovered during a
police call.
October 16
East Face Project. The East Face of the Elkhorn Mountains Project is a collabora-
tive effort by the United States Forest Service (USFS), Oregon Department of Forestry
(ODF), the Natural Resources Conservation District (NRCS), and private land owners.
September
Dogs attack, kill alpaca. Around 5:45 p.m. last Sunday is when Lise Madson of
Sparta was alerted to a disturbance outside her home by the bark of her standard poodle.
September 4
Commissioner meets with Governor. Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett
attended a meeting in Portland on Thursday afternoon, August 27th, to discuss with
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Governor Kate Brown and others, the topics of
the Greater Sage-Grouse and the effects wildfires have had on eastern Oregon.
Sumpter City Council held a brief Emergency Meeting. August 28th. The meet-
ing was called to add and remove signers to all accounts, elect a new Head of Council,
and review Letters of Intent from those interested in serving on Council.
McKim resigns from School Board. McKim vacates his position on the board with
about two years remaining on his term to accept a job with the Veteran’s Health Admin-
istration in Roseburg, Ore.
Bus driver shortage. Baker School District 5J Transportation Supervisor Wayne
Paxton and Dispatcher/Bus Driver Nathan Osborn both have formed a singular opinion
about the number of available extra bus drivers: There aren’t any.
Baker City Council. Mike Kee will retire in six months, and Sandy Lewis was ap-
pointed to the open Council seat.
October 23
Parents protest. The room was full at the 5J District Building on Tuesday evening for
the regular meeting as parents gathered to protest the new math curriculum.
Kerns won’t run. Tim
Kerns announced that he
will not seek another term
as County Commissioner.
Cutting the fire breaks. For Jerry McKinney and Paula Sawyer of McKinney
Trucking, driving and operating a dozer to cut fire lines becomes a way of life for three
months of the year.
September 11
‘ Monumental’ land grab. The Owyhee Canyonlands in central and southern Mal-
heur County in Oregon are the next proposed designation, covering 2.5 million acres, in
the sights of the Obama Administration.
More double sewer/water issues. Wednesday afternoon, City Councilor Richard
Langrell accompanied Glen VandenBos, who leased property from the Bootsmas on
Windmill Road, to a brief closed-door meeting with City Manager Mike Kee.
$402K suit against City, Baker Loves Bikes, settled. A year-long litigation process
between Joyce Elaine McDannel of Pinal, Arizona vs. the City of Baker City and the
nonprofit organization, Baker Loves Bikes, came to an end on August 19th.
Dooley Mountain damage. A tour through the Dooley Mountain area proves a
sobering and awe-inspiring experience as the once beautiful green landscape has been
replaced with 100,000 acres of blackness and total forest fire devastation.
New K9 arrives. Officer
Coleton Smith spent two
weeks with the BCPD’s
new drug dog, Capa, com-
pleting training. The pair would arrive in Baker City on Halloween.
Officer Coleton Smith and Capa hit it off right away
in Florida this week.
October 30
Former Baker City man sentenced to 35 years. Benjamin Nelson, age 27 and
formerly of 1201 Reservoir Road in Baker City, was sentenced this week to 35 years in
prison, and must register as a sex offender, according to Multnomah County officials.
September 18
Transfer of public lands
draws officials to Baker
City. Utah State Represen-
tative Ken Ivory visited
Baker County for the sec-
ond September in a row last
weekend with a three-day
stay in the area this time.
9/11 vigil held in front
of armory. Early in the
evening of Friday, Sep-
tember 11, a group of
local residents gathered on
the sidewalk in front of the
Baker County Armory on
Campbell Street.
Photo courtesy of the BCPD.
Man cited in dog at-
tack. On October 18 at
about 9 p.m., Brian Mar-
shall of Sparta was issued
a citation for having a dog
as a public nuisance. The
citation came as a result of
the lethal attack on neigh-
bor Lise Madson’s alpaca
last week
Baker County affects state political platform. A local delegation of elected precinct
committee people (PCPs) from Baker County traveled to Bend at the end of last week to
attend the Oregon Republican Party’s biannual platform convention.
Dredge celebrates another season. Saturday, October 31st will be the last day this
year to visit the dredge in Sumpter. The Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage area
closes for the season on November 1st.
Submitted Photo.
L-R: Baker County NRAC member Kody Justus,
Rep. Ken Ivory, David Holloway and forester Arvid
Andersen look at the burn area on Dooley Moun-
tain.
Dry Gulch Fire. An explosive single-vehicle rollover was the cause of the Dry Gulch
Fire, which started on Saturday.
Wingville Cemetery gets marker. Local community members and others from across
the state came together on what could be described as a climatically perfect Patriots
Day
September 25
Cell towers are hot issue. The Baker City Planning Commission reviewed the appli-
cation from Verizon to install two, 100-foot cell towers within Baker City limits.
Sage-grouse. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell came with welcome news: the Greater
Sage-Grouse will not be placed on the federal endangered species list.
Huntington pot ban. Citizens of Huntington have begun a “Ban the Ban” protest in
response to last Tuesday night’s Huntington City Council decision to ban marijuana
dispensaries, following in the footsteps of Baker City and Baker County.
October
October 2
Wildfire documentary filmed. This Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Jon Scott Hart
of Sound Image Productions, filmed footage and interviewed Baker County residents
who are still dealing with the aftermath of the 103,000-acre Cornet/Windy Ridge Fire
County passes NRAC plan. Baker County Board of Commissioners met to vote on
approval of the County’s Natural Resources Plan, sent to them for the second time by
the Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC). Commissioners looked out on a
packed room as the meeting began with disagreement.
Fuji TV films at Geiser Grand. The Geiser Grand will serve as the feature location
for Fuji’s newest “golden hour” or prime time series, which translates most accurately
as “Mysteries of the World.”
November
November 6
600 turn out to discuss
Owyhee Monument. A
town hall meeting on the
proposed Owyhee Canyon-
lands National Monument,
chaired by Representative
Cliff Bentz of Ontario,
was held October 29 in the
Adrian High School gym-
nasium The controversial
monument would involve
up to 2.5 million acres in
Malheur County.
City, police face federal
civil rights lawsuit. “The
allegations of retaliatory
treatment are completely
Sunny Werner/ The Baker County Press
false,” said Baker City
Police Chief Wyn Lohner
The yearling bear turned to look at photographers in
this week. Last Thursday
an 11th street yard Sunday, as ODFW staff prepared
morning, journalist Brian
to tranquilize and transport the animal.
Addison, formerly of Baker
City, filed suit against the
City of Baker City, Lohner,
and up to 10 as-of-yet unnamed “Doe” officers from that department.
Cougar kills sheep up Goodrich Creek. Six sheep were killed Sunday night, or pos-
sibly during the wee hours of Monday morning, in what the Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife is attributing to a cougar attack.
A bear in there! Baker City had an unusual trick-or-treater this year: a young black
bear came to town to see what treats the town had to offer. Ken Spence of 11th Street
thought his dogs were making an unusual fuss on Sunday morning. “They were act-
ing weird,” Spence said, “and at first I thought I saw another dog in the yard.”He went
outside to check, and realized the intruder was a young black bear.