THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016
2016: A Year in Review
January
Lieutenant accepted into
FBI training academy
For the fi rst time at the
Baker City Police Depart-
ment (BCPD), one of its
offi cers has been accepted
into the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) Na-
tional Academy in Quan-
tico, Virginia. Lt. Dustin
Newman will travel east to
attend the 10-week training
program this summer.
High-speed chase leads to
crash across from OSP
“It was apparent the
suspect did not slow down
when he went through the
10th Street intersection and
we are extremely fortunate
that cross traffi c was not
struck as well,” said Baker
City Police Chief Wyn
Lohner.
On December 23, last
Wednesday, a high-speed
chase that led the Oregon
State Police (OSP) in
pursuit of a vehicle on
I-84, ended with that same
vehicle crashing into two
other vehicles and com-
ing to rest right across the
street from the OSP offi ce
on Pocahontas Road in
Baker City.
A $15 minumum wage?
$9.25 per hour. That’s
the current minimum wage
in Oregon. That translates
to around $20,000 per year.
Tuesday evening Rep-
resentative Cliff Bentz
hosted a town hall meet-
ing at the Sunridge Inn to
discuss proposals to hike
Oregon’s minimum wage
to $15 per hour over the
next three years.
Bentz is against this
— Weekly Hay Report —
Friday, December 23, 2016 — Eastern Oregon
proposal.
Prices trended generally steady in a limited test
compared to week ago prices. Most demand lays
with the retail/stable hay. According to some
producers, horse owners prefer lower sugar, higher
protein hay. The recent snows slowed movement as
trucks couldn’t get to the farms to get loaded.
Hammonds Imprisoned
On Monday, Harney
County ranchers Dwight
and Steven Hammond,
ages 73 and 46, turned
themselves in to Federal
authorities and were trans-
ported to prison in Cali-
fornia. The father and son
were required to purchase
their own airline tickets,
but have been allowed to
share the same cell.
Lawsuit fi led against
gray wolf delisting
On November 9, 2015,
the Oregon State Fish and
Wildlife Commission, with
a vote of 4-2, removed the
Gray Wolf from the List of
Endangered Species, under
the Oregon Endangered
Species Act.
In response, on Decem-
ber 30, 2015, Cascadia
Wildlands, the Center For
Biological Diversity, and
Oregon Wild collectively
fi led a legal challenge to
that decision.
New Council Member
Daniel Lowe was unani-
mously appointed to fi ll
a vacancy on Baker City
Council.
Lohner elected to OACP
position
Baker City Police Chief
Wyn Lohner was elected
Tuesday morning to
the District 15 Director
position for the Oregon
Association Chiefs of Po-
lice (OACP), serving the
northeast Oregon area.
Cradle to Career Event
Tons Price Range Wtd Avg
Alfalfa — Large Square Good/Premium
30 140.00-140.00 140.00
Alfalfa / Orchard Mix — Small Square Premium
15 165.00-165.00 165.00
Timothy Grass — Large Square Fair
35 100.00-100.00 100.00
USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov
— Cattle Market Report —
Submitted Photo.
Hammonds: A row of fl ags adorned the route of the
support rally.
held
Over 100 people from
Baker, Union, Grant, Har-
ney, Umatilla and Malheur
counties as well as OSBA
(Oregon School Board As-
sociation) representatives
Jim Green and Morgan
Allen, gathered together
with legislators or staff
representatives of legisla-
tors at a 5J-hosted event
Tuesday.
Justus runs for Commis-
sioner
Baker County rancher
Kody Justus announced
today that he will fi le with
the Baker County Clerk by
Friday afternoon for a run
at the open County Com-
missioner seat vacated by
Tim Kerns.
X-Drive gets new gig
In August of 2014, Baker
City native and Baker
High School grad, Jeremy
Brunner, along with a pow-
er-packed lineup of rock
industry veterans, released
their fi rst CD together as
the band X-Drive.
Now Brunner is back
in the studio—in Boise
this time instead of Los
Angeles— recording a
handful of covers, as well
as some original material,
for an upcoming movie
soundtrack.
Blood shed in Harney
County
The occupation at the
Malheur National Wildlife
Refuge 30 miles outside
Burns was marked by
bloodshed early Tuesday
evening with the shooting
death of Robert LaVoy
Finicum, age 55.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Vale, Oregon
Cattle sold through the auction: 456
Steer Calves
300-400# Bulk 126.00 - 154.00 Top 155.00
400-500# Bulk 137.00 - 151.00 Top 152.00
500-600# Bulk 132.00 - 146.00 Top 147.00
Heifer Calves
300-400# Bulk 119.00 - 132.00 Top 134.00
400-500# Bulk 104.00 - 126.00 Top 128.00
500-600# Bulk 115.00 - 123.00 Top 124.00
Yearling Steers
600-700# Bulk 121.00 - 131.00 Top 133.00
700-800# Bulk 107.00 - 116.00 Top 117.75
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Yearling Heifers
600-700# Bulk 115.00 - 123.00 Top 124.00
700-800# Bulk N/A Top N/A
800-900# Bulk N/A Top N/A
900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A
Thin Shelly Cows 39.00 - 49.00
Butcher Cows 51.00 - 58.00
Butcher Bulls 53.00 - 66.00
Pairs Young 975.00 - 1375.00
Hfretts. 62.00 - 79.00
Stock Cows Old - N/A
ProducersLivestock.com
541-473-3136
February
Hoopes challenges Ash
for Sheriff’s position
On Wednesday, long-
time Sheriff’s Deputy John
Hoopes announced that he
will be fi ling this week,
challenging Sheriff Travis
Ash for that position in the
upcoming May election.
New 911 Call Center
director hired
Baker County announced
this week that Hope Lind-
sey has been named Direc-
tor of the Baker County
911 Consolidated Dispatch
Center.
70 mph speed limit com-
ing in March
With the passing of
House Bill 3402, parts of
Oregon will see a speed
limit increase. There will
be an increase from 65 to
70 on Interstate 84 from
The Dalles to the Idaho
border and the limit will
bump up to 65 on sev-
eral secondary highways
in Central and Eastern
Oregon, including portions
of U.S. 20, U.S. 26, U.S.
95, U.S. 97, U.S. 197, U.S.
395, OR 31, OR 78 and
OR 205.
Three charged in path-
way assault
Jason David Brown of
Baker City and out-of-state
friends, Christopher Wade
Wymbs and Bryan Wil-
liam Morris have all been
formally indicted on two
counts each of Assault in
the Fourth Degree for their
involvement in an assault
that happened Novem-
ber 14, 2015, on the Leo
Adler Pathway behind Ace
Hardware.
Two arrested for robbery
at knifepoint
Last Friday afternoon,
Brandy Lee-Ann Winston,
20, and John (Tucker)
Scott Urlacher, 20, were
arrested at their apart-
ment on Indiana Avenue in
connection with an armed
robbery that occurred the
previous night at the Baker
Truck Corral.
According to Baker City
Police Chief Wyn Lohner,
at least one of the suspects
held an adult female victim
at knife point in the Truck
Corral ladies restroom.
Love of country at center
of Rural Lives Matter
rally
The temperature was just
above freezing, and the
venue had been redefi ned
at the last minute—but
those obstacles didn’t stop
a group of just over 80
individuals from attending
the Rural Lives Mat-
ter Rally a couple miles
outside Halfway.
Bike chop shop busted
Sunday morning was an
eventful one for neighbors
on Kirkway Drive, who at
7:45 a.m., looked out their
windows to see the police
descend on the residence
of Justin Bruce and his
mother.
The scene as described
by Baker City Police Chief
Wyn Lohner that brisk
morning, was that of a
“bicycle chop shop.”
Three to run for Com-
missioner seat
Local rancher and Natu-
ral Resources Advisory
Committee member Kody
Justus fi led fi rst, fol-
lowed by local CPA Bruce
Nichols. Retired Bureau of
Land Managment employ-
ee David Hunsaker also
picked up his paperwork
to fi le, but withdrew from
the race last week, citing
a pending double knee
surgery.
On Wednesday, Jeff
Nelson of Historic Baker
City and Blue Mountain
Community College’s
economic development
program became the latest
candidate to fi le.
All three candidates are
running on the Republican
ticket this May.
Merrill leaves BHS prin-
cipal position
Baker High School Prin-
cipal Benjamin Merrill is
moving to a new position
within the Baker 5J School
District. Merrill will take
on a new principal position
at Eagle Cap effective the
fi rst of July.
‘Gold Rush’ to fi lm in
Baker County
After a year of rumors
and speculation, it’s of-
fi cial—the Discovery
Channel’s mega-hit “Gold
Rush” has fi nally “panned
out” for Baker County.
The show’s star, Todd
Hoffman, said in an in-
terview Tuesday evening,
“This is the answer to a
prayer for us, coming back
to Oregon.”
Gubernatorial candidate
comes to Baker City
Last week at the Quail
Ridge Golf Course Club-
house, a dozen or so Baker
County citizens, including
Baker County Commis-
sioner Mark Bennett and
physicians Charles Hoff-
man, Neal Jacobson and
Nancy Hutnak, gathered to
meet and listen to William
C. “Bud” Pierce.
Hells Canyon Motorcycle
Rally hot topic at Council
A large crowd gathered
in Council chambers as
Tuesday evening’s meet-
ing commenced, includ-
ing several who waited
in anticipation of joining
in on the Hells Canyon
Motorcycle Rally discus-
sion, which had been
well-publicized prior to the
meeting via Facebook and
other outlets. Many feared
several in the community
were against holding the
rally locally again.
— Log Price Report —
Prices are based on the majority of saw mills in
Northeastern Oregon and Central Idaho. The prices
listed below are a composite prices of various saw-
mills willing to visit with me about this topic.
Ponderosa Pine—small diameter class 8-11 inches
diameter class $250 per mbf. Only one sawmill was
willing to buy small diameter pine at this time.
Ponderosa Pine—medium diameter class 12-17
inches diameter class $300 to $350 per mbf
Ponderosa Pine-large diameter class 18 plus inches
diameter class $380 to $410 per mbf
The Pine prices are still approximately $40 per mbf
below average lumber/log market due to 2017 fi re
salvage
Doug Fir & Western Larch—$380 to $420 per
mbf. Normal prices typically ranged between $425
to $475 per mbf.
White Fir-$300 per mbf. Normal prices typically
ranged between $340 to $360 per mbf.
Engelmann Spruce—$350 at one Idaho sawmill,
other sawmills including with White fi r prices.
In general, the log prices still impacted from 2015
fi re season and fi re salvage that resulted. Sawmills
are starting to get log yard inventory in line with
sawmill production needs. With a new Administra-
tion as of 1/20/2017, a more normal economic envi-
ronment should result and hopefully a more healthy
housing situation will result in a better climate for
Northeast Oregon Sawmill and private forest land-
owners.
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Andersen Forestry Consulting
— Precious Metals Report —
Price per ounce, USD
Gold: $1,142.50
Silver: $16.08
Platinum: $899.25
Palladium: $667.25
Bloomberg.com
— Ag Commodities —
Corn: $348.50/bu/USD
Wheat: $401.50/bu/USD
Soybeans: $1016.50/bu/USD
Oats: $227.75 bu/USD
Rough Rice: $9.51/cwt/USD
Canola: $508.75 CAD/mwt
Live Cattle: $117.38//lb./USD
Feeder Cattle: $126.85/lb./USD
Lean Hogs: $65.10/lb./USD
Bloomberg.com