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Friday, June 3, 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 23
In honor of the fallen
• ANNUAL
MEMORIAL DAY
REMEMBRANCE
HELD
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On a climatically near-
perfect Memorial Day this
Monday morning at 11
a.m., community members
gathered in the Veterans
Section, between Legion
Drive, and Veterans Drive,
at Mt. Hope Cemetery in
Baker City, to pay respect,
and to honor those fallen,
during a special Avenue of
Flags service.
“Ladies and gentlemen,
thank you for joining us on
this hallowed day, Memo-
rial Day, here at Mt. Hope
Cemetery. If you will
please stand and join me,
I’d like to start off with the
Pledge of Allegiance of
America,” said Veterans of
Foreign Wars (VFW) Post
#3048 Commander Bobby
Henshaw.
Following the Pledge, he
said, “With me are my fel-
low brothers. We’re going
to start off with our open-
ing prayer, provided by
Chaplain Austin Coates.”
Coates prayed, “Let us
bow our heads. May the
Lord, our God, bless us
all present here, to me-
morialize those who died,
to preserve liberty, and
freedom in our nation, and
in the world.
“May the Lord, our God,
remember all of those who
sacrifi ce gave this nation
its greatness, progress, and
richness.
“May our memory in
them be an honorable one,
full of thanksgiving to the
Lord, who accepted them
into His kingdom.
“The Lord is for all, and
in Him, we believe, and to
Him, we pray remember
all who died, in the service
of their country, whether in
the air, or on the land, or in
the sea.
“Oh Lord, be gracious
and merciful unto them,
and let your light shine
upon them, for you are
our God, and unto you,
we ascribe glory, now, and
forever. Amen.”
Henshaw introduced
the guest speaker, Baker
County Commission Chair
Bill Harvey.
SEE MEMORIAL DAY
PAGE 4
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Memorial Day as celebrated at Mt. Hope Cemetery
in Baker City.
Wyden
holds town
hall
Burnt River bus driver
retires after 25 years
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Tuesday, May 31,
2016, 9 a.m., Senator Ron
Wyden hosted a Baker
County Town Hall meeting
in the Baker High School
(BHS) auditorium, discuss-
ing a variety of topics,
with students, and other
interested members of the
local communities, pres-
ence which included all
three County Commission- Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
ers. The meeting included
an Honor Flag presentation, Sen. Ron Wyden.
from Wyden to Baker County
Commissioner Tim Kerns, who is retiring at the end of
2016.
BHS Principal Ben Merrill called the meeting to order,
welcomed the crowd, and led in recitation of the Pledge
of Allegiance.
SEE WYDEN PAGE 5
Submitted Photo.
Patty Trost has driven two routes for the Burnt River 30J School District over a quarter-century. Trost, re-
tired last month, poses above with her fi nal bus, dubbed by students as Scooter.
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
For 25 years, Unity’s Patty Trost carried what she calls
her “precious cargo” across the southern part of Baker
County. But with the end of this school year at Burnt
River’s School District 30J, Trost retired.
Said Trost, “I started working at the Burnt River School
in 1991. Besides all the training that goes along with
becoming a school bus driver, I learned a lot from Gail
Bradford, Debbie Gregg, and Tina Kandle. Gail was the
maintenance and mechanic at school and Debbie and Tina
were the other bus drivers. We were ‘Gail’s Angels.’”
Back during those early years, Trost took the Bridge-
port Route—bus number 9—one of just three routes all
leading to Unity.
She recalls, “I had between 25 and 30 students and the
school enrollment was around 100-115. I also volun-
teered that year in the elementary room with Mrs. Smith’s
K-3. I helped out for two hours every morning for the
entire school year. Prior to the beginning of the next
school year, the school board hired me as a teacher’s
assistant. I continued to drive the Bridgeport Route and
worked in the class room. I also did a few activity trips.”
SEE PATTY TROST PAGE 5
Submitted Photo.
Trost’s 2007 Driver of the Year award for safely
transporting her “precious cargo.”
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Friday
Mostly sunny with highs in the mid 80s. Clear at
night with lows in the 50s.
Saturday
Sunny and warmer with highs in the upper 80s.
Mostly clear at night with lows in the low 50s.
Sunday
Hot and mostly clear. Highs in the mid 90s.
Mostly clear at night with lows in the mid 50s.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
Man arrested
for motorcycle,
car, gun theft
On May 31, around 8
a.m., Deputy Tracy Howard
stopped Anthony Dettman,
29, of Nebraska, on Camp-
bell Street in Baker City for
riding a motorcycle without
a helmet.
Upon investigation, How-
ard discovered that Dett-
man was in possession of a
stolen fi rearm and operat-
ing a stolen motorcycle.
The motorcycle had been
stolen from Duane Ewing
Photo Courtesy of the Baker County
of Haines earlier in the
Sheriff’s Offi ce
morning.
Anthony Dettman.
Oregon State Police and
Baker City Police Department
assisted Deputy Howard after the initial stop. Around 10
a.m., Howard responded to the area of South Rock Creek
regarding a passenger car that was off the roadway in a
ditch. Howard discovered the passenger car had been sto-
len out of Nebraska. In a subsequent interview, Howard
learned Dettman had stolen the car in Nebraska and after
driving off the road, stole Duane Ewing’s motorcycle.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
County: ASL, ambulance, etc.
“So I was thinking...” column
Classifi eds
“The Outdoor Column”
Yard sale helps house fi re victims
BHS honors night
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