8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015
2015: A Year in Retrospect
January
February
January 2
February 6
The Baker County Press begins its second year!
A new team begins at the Courthouse. On Tuesday, December 30 at 10 a.m., friends,
family, and co-workers gathered in the Commissioners Chambers of the Baker County
Courthouse to attend the swearing-in ceremony for Bill Harvey, County Commission
Chair; Mark Bennett, County Commissioner; Cindy Carpenter, County Clerk; and Alice
Durflinger, County Treasurer, all elected to their positions this November.
Murder for hire plot. Emily Munsell, age 24 and a resident at 1356 Dewey Avenue
in Baker City, was arrested last Friday and charged with one count of solicitation to
commit murder.
Huntington gets grant. The City of Huntington has been awarded and has accepted a
$3 million grant from the Infrastructure Finance Authority, or IFA, to totally replace the
City’s existing sewer system.
January 9
‘Gold Rush’ cast hits
the snow. Sumpter hosted
some famous visitors last
weekend when part of the
crew from TV’s “Gold
Rush” drove in for a snow-
mobiling trip.
Brooklyn School alarm
system suspended. After
three false alarms in just
over four months, Brook-
lyn School’s panic button
system will be temporar-
ily suspended until some
Photo courtesy of The Depot Inn
upgrades
can be made to the
L-R: Members of the ‘Gold Rush’ cast Jim Thurber,
plastic
around
the trigger ap-
Jack Hoffman, Kathy Reedy (The Depot Inn), and
paratus.
Todd Hoffman.
Cascade Natural Gas moves into new center. The new center sits on a lot near the
intersection of Broadway Street and 13th Street and includes a 5,400 square-foot shop
complete with welding bay, inventory room, and space to store equipment and park
vehicles.
January 16
New City Council sworn in. The first order of business conducted at Tuesday night’s
City Council meeting was administering the Oath of Office to new councilors Ben Mer-
rill, Mack Augenfeld, James Thomas and Rosemary Abell.
Emily Munsell indicted on four counts. According to the District Attorney’s office,
Munsell was indicted on two counts of solicitation to commit murder, one count of con-
spiracy to commit murder, and one count of attempted aggravated murder.
Locals attend Forest Plan meeting. Thirty-five people representing a broad range
of forest interests, including some from Baker County, attended a meeting January 8 in
Pendleton, facilitated by the United States Forest Service to discuss the Blue Mountain
Forest Plan Revision.
B2H meetings come to county. On Thursday, January 8, 2014, around 50 people
attended an open house for the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Draft Environ-
mental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line
Project
January 23
Unsung heroes and
miracles. Last weekend
was marked by a huge
pileup on I-84 involving
dozens of vehicles, and
a series of additional ac-
cidents on secondary high-
ways across the county.
Though the freeway was
shut in both directions
from Ontario to Pend-
leton most of Saturday,
not a single fatality was
reported.
Tracking the meth trend. With the string of methamphetamine-related arrests in
Baker County over the last month, the topic of this particular drug is steadily rising to
the top of many conversations. Meth is no stranger to Baker County, according to those
acquainted with the substance’s history, dating at least as far back as the 1950s locally.
County gives strong ‘no’ to MOU. “After review of the new MOU (Memorandum
of Understanding) that the Forest Service has presented to all the counties within the
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, we have decided to no longer participate in this
MOU for the following reasons...”
Potato predicament. Baker Valley potato producers received a potentially devastating
blow last month when the H.J. Heinz Company (Heinz) announced that the company
would not be renewing its contract with them for 2015.
February 13
Council calls special session to talk about pot. Ordinance #3336 Regulating Com-
mercial Marijuana Operations was the topic that filled Council Chamber at Tuesday’s
City Council meeting.
Cop killer remains in prison. A gathering of police chiefs from around Oregon trav-
eled to Salem to sit in the audience January 27 and witness the parole hearing of con-
victed John Day cop killer Sidney Dean Porter, age 55. Their goal? To prevent Porter’s
pending release, which had been scheduled. Among that eastern Oregon group were
Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner, Chief Brian Harvey of La Grande who initiated
the movement, and Chief Richard Gray of John Day.
Ace Hardware to move. The not-so-tightly held secret is out: Thatcher’s Ace Hard-
ware is moving to Resort Street.
Candidate for ORP chair comes to Baker City. Bill Currier,the current vice chair
for the Oregon Republican Party (ORP), visited Baker City Wednesday afternoon for a
quick visit with county-level party leaders.
February 20
Kitz calls it quits. On
Friday the 13th, just a
day before Oregon State’s
birthday, embattled fourth-
term democratic Governor
John Kitzhaber submitted
his letter of resignation.
Local woman receives
medal posthumously.
On Monday, the family
of Dean Jones of Baker
City was presented with a
bronze replica of a Con-
gressional Gold Medal for
her World War II service in
the Civil Air Patrol (CAP).
Kerry McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Gilbert and Dean Jones outside their fence at the
home in which they lived for decades in Baker City.
Cattle rustler gets six months. On February 12, 2015, a 12-person jury convicted Ly-
nette Bullington, 64, of 39554 Cemetery Road, Sumpter, Oregon, of two counts of Theft
in the First Degree, and four counts of Unauthorized Use of a Livestock Animal
February 27
Bark beetles, dead trees and the politics of forest management. Arvid Andersen
drives the Dooley Mountain highway to the Burnt River Valley giving an interview as
a professional forestry consultant, accurately predicting the areas that would go up in
flame later in the summer of 2015.
Protesters come out. Last week, a group in favor of marijuana dispensaries protested
in front of City Hall the day of a special City Council Session to discuss the issue.
Sheriff resigns. On Wednesday morning, Sheriff Mitch Southwick announced his res-
ignation to the Baker County Board of Commissioners during a special work session.
5J superintendent finalists gather at BHS. The three contenders are Betty Palmer,
currently holding the position of Principal at South Baker Intermediate; Mark Witty,
currently Superintendent of Schools Grant School District #3; and Robert Vian, Super-
intendent of Schools in Orofino, Idaho.
Photo courtesy of OSP.
While several were injured in the pileup near Pleas-
A behind-the-scenes look ant Valley Saturday morning, there were no fatali-
at the Oregon House. Most ties.
voters don’t give a passing
thought to the two months nestled between November Election Day and the January
swearing-in ceremony.
But for the winning candidates, those months right after the election are life-chang-
ers—particularly if you’re a first-time elected official, a newbie to Salem.
Chamber of Commerce hands out awards. Around 100 attendees gathered at the
Baker Elks Lodge on 2nd Street last Saturday for the Baker County Chamber of Com-
merce’s 88th Annual Awards Banquet, honoring individuals for their dedication and
volunteerism in the community.
January 30
MOU still unsigned by counties. United States Forest Service (USFS) Region 6 For-
ester Jim Peña has a goal of finalizing the revised Blue Mountain Forest Plan within one
year. On Monday, January 26, the USFS met with commissioners from several Oregon
and Washington counties with hopes to obtain signatures from those commissioners on
an Memo of Understanding (MOU) defining county vs. USFS roles in the process.
Mining summit exposes issues. The perception outside the state goes that Oregon
is closed for business when it comes to mining and mineral exploration. That was the
opinion stated by several expert panelists during the Eastern Oregon Mining and Ag-
gregate Development Summit 2015, held Tuesday, January 27.
More meth arrests. On January 22, 2015 at about 9:52 a.m. Baker City Police
arrested Carmon Deon Hendriksen, 2036 Grove Street on one count of Delivery of Con-
trolled Substance (Methamphetamine), one count of Possession of Controlled Substance
(Methamphetamine); and Anthony Allan Myers, 2036 Grove Street, one count of Viola-
tion of Release Agreement.
Hospice workers let grief soar away. On Wednesday morning, Heart ‘n Home Hospice
released biodegradable balloons, shaped like white doves, to represent the 26 patients
who have passed away in the last month or so.
March
March 6
Mark Witty becomes new 5J superintendant. Mark Witty, 51, becomes the Baker
School District’s new superintendent after agreeing to a two-year contract that pays him
$124,500 per year. The school board gave Witty the unanimous nod during a special
meeting Thursday, Feb. 26.
BHS mock trial team competes. Last Saturday Baker High School’s Mock Trial
team traveled to Vale to compete in regional competitions. The team finished with a
respectable second place win, closely behind Vale.
Hoopes submits letter of interest. On Monday morning, Deputy John Hoopes tossed
his hat into the ring for the interim Baker County Sheriff position.
County Commissioners’ March 4th meeting. The Brownfields project at lime and
appointment of a new sheriff were key topics.
March 13
Choosing an interim sheriff: Travis Ash (left) and John Hoopes fielded public ques-
tions Wednesday morning, both competing for the interim sheriff’s position.
Council takes an unexpected turn. City Council meeting, the Council chose to hear
a first and second reading of a previously dismissed ordinance, ordinance #3336, which
would ban marijuana dispensaries in Baker City limits.
Transfer of public lands. House Bill 3444 in Oregon, a statewide and local push is
steadily growing toward the effort of taking those lands back into State control.
Cooperative law enforcement agreement. The agreement between local and federal
law enforcement agencies provides $6,500 per year to an annual County Sheriff’s De-
partment patrol budget of $1.2 million, according to Southwick, who signed it.