BUSINESS: Albertsons, Safeway location
guessing game continues. PAGE 3
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LOCAL: 5J School Board chair, vice chair
elected. PAGE 8
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Friday, July 29, 2016 • Volume 3, Issue 31
Friends of the Fair
pie auction raises $6K
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County
Conference and Event
Center, 2600 East Street in
Baker City, hosted another
successful annual Baker
County Friends of the Fair
Appreciation Dinner and
Pie Auction Tuesday eve-
ning. The Defrees were
named Fair Family of the
Year, and the event brought
in around 100 people,
and $6,325 (about $5,500
after costs), which will be
used to make fairground
improvements.
Social hour began before
6 p.m., as the crowd
gathered, including the
Sumpter Valley-based De-
frees—Dean, Sharon, and
daughter Dallas (Dean’s
father, Lyle, was unable
to attend). The Defrees
family received nomina-
tions for Fair Family from
Oregon State University
(OSU) Extension Service
Forestry Agent and County
Leader Bob Parker, John
and Kate Rohner, and
Michelle Kaseberg.
Dean said the Defrees
have managed about 1,200
acres land for the last 45
to 50 years (the property’s
been in the family for 107
years), which they’re cur-
rently thinning, as part of a
fuels reduction effort. The
family also raise around
250 head of cattle, mar-
keted through cooperative
Country Natural Beef. The
largest customer for the
family is Whole Foods,
Dean said.
He said, “I had no
idea,” the family would
be nominated, and he was
surprised to learn of the
honor, when a reporter
contacted him last Friday
for some comments.
Sharon, a Biology
teacher at Baker High
School, and Dallas, an
Oregon State University
graduate who moved back
to the area, were equally
surprised with the nomina-
tion.
Todd Arriola / The Baker County Press
Tyler Brown, winner of a $450 pie held by Dallas
Defrees, with proceeds benefi tting the Fair.
SEE PIE AUCTION PAGE 5
Armstrong nugget gets
Joseph
updated display at bank sworn in on
City Council
• PUBLIC ARTS
MASTER PLAN
ADOPTED,
GROCERY STORE
UPDATES GIVEN
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Tuesday evening’s City
Council Meeting began
with an executive session
Gina K. Swartz /
where council discussed
The Baker County Press
labor negotiations and the
New City Council
City’s current and pos-
member Loran Joseph.
sible future litigations. The
regular scheduled meeting
commenced immediately following the executive session.
All councilors were present.
SEE CITY COUNCIL PAGE 5
Samantha O’Conner/ The Baker County Press
U.S. Bank’s Baker City branch recently gave its famous Armstrong gold nugget (center, back) a new display
case in the lobby.
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Thursday, July 21, US Bank in Baker City unveiled
their new gold display, including everything from the old
scales to a new case. The company began the redesign
process for the display three years ago—and it now holds
the gold nugget and the rest of the collection.
The gold nugget, weighing 80.4 oz., has brought atten-
tion to Baker from tourists for nearly half a century.
“When I fi rst got here, Donna, my assistant manager—
we started talking right away about the display,” said
Koby Myer, the new US Bank manager. “And there is
still more that we want to do with it.”
Myer felt the old display did not focus on the actual
gold nugget and the new display has it sitting up and
brings attention to it right away.
“It is something we defi nitely are proud of,” said Myer.
“US Bank is proud to have it here and we just wanted to
showcase it better.”
Their new plan for the display is to have lighting that
lights up the nugget, and they are hoping to have it done
in the next couple of months.
The gold nugget was discovered by George Armstrong.
Myer explained there are many stories regarding how and
when he found it.
Articles written about the nugget say he found it in
June 1913.
In one story, “Strike it Rich!” by Robert C. Rapp he
was walking with his brother and hit it with his foot. He
kicked it and saw color among the mud and dirt and they
immediately brought it to the bank so it was protected.
“That was how we acquired it. They didn’t sell it, they
just took a loan against it,” said Myer. “It was only for
$500. At that time, the value of it was only around $1,400
according to what they say in the stories and he didn’t
want to sell it, he just wanted to protect it.”
US Bank was formerly known as the First National
Bank of Baker until 1959 when they merged with US
Bank and it has been with the bank since then. Myer
found old photos of the previous banks.
The building, The Nugget, burned down and the US
Bank building today was built in 1960 on that site where
it has been ever since. Myer plans to redisplay those
photos once they learn more about them.
“There was a narrative that actually played on that case
at one time,” said Myer. “We’re going to redo it. We’re
going to have a woman we met at our dedication last
week and she is going to come in and redo our narrative
for us.”
At the event July 21, Ginger Savage, the Executive
Director of Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, and Board
Members accepted the US BANCORP Foundation Grant
awarded to Crossroads.
The nugget can be seen on display year-round at the
Baker City branch of U.S. Bank located on Main street
across from the historic Geiser Grand Hotel.
Nonpartisan
issue goes
on ballot—
again
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The effort to make Baker County Commissioner seats
nonpartisan, which was soundly rejected by voters last
fall, is once again slated for the ballot in Baker County.
In May, Kate Rohner, Michelle Kaseberg and Mike
Rudi obtained a ballot title through the local District At-
torney’s Offi ce. They dubbed their new political group,
“Kick Politics out of Baker County’s Business” and
began gathering signatures. Last year, the nearly identi-
cal political group supporting the same idea was called
“People over Politics,” and though the individuals who
signed up as the Chief Petitioners versus signature gather-
ers have switched, the makeup of the group remains es-
sentially the same with last year’s Chief Petitioner Randy
Joseph gathering multiple sheets of signatures, aided by
Jan Kerns, among others.
SEE NONPARTISAN ISSUE PAGE 5
Friday
Sunny and warm. Highs in the mid 80s. Clear
and cooler at night. Lows in the mid 40s.
Saturday
Sunny and warmer. Highs in the upper 80s.
Mostly clear and cool at night. Lows in the upper
40s.
Sunday
The hottest day of the weekend. Sunny and hot
with highs near 90. Lows near 50.
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
League of OR Cities meeting held
New offi cer sworn in
EOU trustees to meet
New wolves discovered in Imnaha
Police bike patrol activated
Sumpter: City Hall gets facelift
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