FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2016
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
2016: A Year in Review / Local
May
Healthy kids day held
Despite the windy and
cool weather, plenty of at-
tendance was noted during
a Baker County YMCA-
sponsored Healthy Kids
Day event, held Saturday,
April 30, 2016, from 9
a.m., to 1 p.m., at Geiser
Pollman Park, in Baker
City.
County, Sunridge discuss
TLT penalties
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held
its first, regular session of
the month, on Wednesday,
May 4, 2016, 9 a.m., in the
Commission Chambers, of
the Baker County Court-
house with a Memo of
Understanding involving
the Sunridge Inn’s pay-
ment of Transient Lodging
Tax penalties key on the
agenda.
Three interview for City
Manager
After some of the final
candidates for the City
Manager position, soon
to be vacated by retiring
Mike Kee, either dropped
out of the running or ac-
cepted other positions,
three remaining candi-
dates interviewed in front
of City Council early in the
week.
911 calls not recorded
The Baker County Board
of Commissioners held an
emergency, regular ses-
sion on Wednesday, May
11, 2016, 10 a.m., in the
Commission Chambers of
the Baker County Court-
house, in order to address
the critical issue of Baker
County 911 Consolidated
Dispatch Center’s failed
Stancil Recorder.
GBVRFPD holds open
house
The Greater Bowen Val-
ley Rural Fire Prevention
District hosted an open
house on Saturday, May
7th. Besides grilled burg-
ers and dogs, drinks, and
sides, the event featured
information on fire alarm
installation and fire safety,
and offered giveaways for
kids and adults.
Water rates go up
It wasn’t the 17.5%, 19%
or even the 25% water
rate increase that had been
tossed around over the
past month, but in the end,
City Council still voted to
increase Baker City water
rates by 11.2% total. The
increase means a 10%
jump in base and usage
rates, with an additional
1.2% increase to adjust for
inflation.
Commissioner race a
nail-biter
With only 38 votes sepa-
rating Republican candi-
dates Bruce Nichols and
Kody Justus in Tuesday’s
County Commission-
ers primary election, the
results of that race most
likely will not be official
for 14 days, according
to County Clerk Cindy
Carpenter. Unofficially, it
appears Nichols has taken
the race.
Unity man burned
On Monday afternoon,
Fred Amans, 67, of
Unity, was Life Flighted to
Boise after sustaining third
degree burns in a work-
related accident.
Amans performs mainte-
nance for the Burnt River
Motel and Market, includ-
ing a small rental cabin on
the property in which the
explosion that burned him
Elk perish
occurred.
New 911 system installed
The Baker County
Board of Commissioners
held a regular session on
Wednesday, May 18, 2016,
9 a.m., in the Commission
Chambers of the Baker
County Courthouse, high-
lighted by an important
911 Consolidated Dispatch
Center recorder installation
update.
Local teens save truck
driver’s life
When they completed a
CPR class to supplement
their babysitting skills
at the end of January,
little did Sydney Slobig,
a sophomore from Baker
City, and Sydney Palmer, a
junior from Haines, know
they’d soon be using their
newfound knowledge to
save a man’s life.
Veteran travels to D.C.
“It’s just something that
I like to do... It just gives
the kids an insight of what
it was like, back in 1941
...” said local World War
II Marine Corps veteran
Robert Bennett.
June
30J bus driver retires
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.
Wyden holds town hall
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.
Man arrested for motor-
cycle, car, gun theft
On May 31, around 8
a.m., Deputy Tracy How-
ard stopped Anthony Dett-
man, 29, of Nebraska, on
Campbell Street in Baker
City for riding a motor-
cycle without a helmet.
Baker County gets first
ever presidential conven-
tion delegate
Last weekend, several
GOP Precinct Committee
People from Baker County
traveled to Salem. Oregon
Republicans met at the
Oregon State Fairgrounds
to select delegates and
alternates who will repre-
sent the State of Oregon at
the Republican National
Convention in Cleveland,
Ohio.
Among those elected
to one of those delegate
positions was Suzan Ellis
Jones of Bridgeport.
Newspaper owner ar-
rested
The owner, editor, and
publisher of The Record-
Courier newspaper, Gina
Deann Perkins, age 50
of Goodrich Creek, was
arrested Saturday the 4th
after two incidents, one
at a private residence at
50416 Anthony Lakes
Highway, just outside of
Haines, technically North
Powder.
Standoff ends well
On June 2, 2016 at about
3:12 p.m. Baker City Po-
lice received the report of a
man at 2010 Grove Street,
recently released from
prison, who had a firearm.
Speaker visits
Oregon State Speaker
of the House, District 44
Democrat Tina Kotek,
joined by District 60
Republican Representative
Cliff Bentz, and Kotek’s
Chief of Staff, Tim Inman,
hosted a Breakfast with the
Speaker, to discuss local
issues in a round-table
format, at the Sunridge Inn
Restaurant, on Friday, June
3, 2016, 7 a.m.
Former Halfway couple
killed
Husband and wife,
Lance and Jade Simpson,
both Pine Eagle graduates
formerly of Halfway, were
killed last Friday afternoon
when their pickup left a
dirt road and plunged more
than 600 feet down into
a ravine, Hobble Creek
Canyon, in Utah.
McNeil crowned
On June 11th, Baker
City’s Lori McNeil was
crowned Mrs. Oregon
United States 2016.
Bookmobile gets make-
over
From cleaning through
completion, the Baker
Library District’s bookmo-
bile underwent a make-
over—18 hours total—at
the hands of Oregon Sign
Company last weekend.
One killed outside
Haines
A head-on collision
on Highway 30 outside
Haines took the life of one
and seriously injured two
others Monday evening.
Walden holds townhall
Around 45 members of
the community attended
a town hall, hosted by
U.S. Congressman Greg
Walden, at the Sunridge
Inn Restaurant June 20.
July
Cycling event celebrates
15 years
From Thursday, June 24
to Sunday, June 26, Baker
City celebrated the 15-year
anniversary of the Baker
City Cycling Classic.
new building
The Eastern Oregon
Regional Theater, EORT,
announced its soon-to-be
new location in the historic
Orpheum Theater on Main
Street.
Sumpter recalls mayor
The votes are in for
Sumpter’s recent recall
election with a high per-
centage of the town’s 133
registered voters taking
part.
Ballots were due Tues-
day, June 28th. Unofficial
results for the recall of
mayor Leland Myers are
53 yes votes and 51 no
votes.
Best Western, Sunridge
files for bankruptcy
Late last month, Town-
ridge, Inc., dba (doing
business as) Best Western
Sunridge Inn, of Baker
City, filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection,
in the District of Oregon
U.S. Bankruptcy Court in
Portland, citing financial
issues, pending litigation,
and the need to restructure
debts.
‘Gold Rush’ stars go to
Haines
Todd Hoffman, Jack
Hoffman, Andy Spinks,
Dave Turin, Jim Thurber,
and several other cast
and crew members from
the Discovery Channel’s
“Gold Rush” brought their
families to Haines last
Sunday for the town’s 4th
of July celebration.
Regional Theater gets
30, which includes Baker
County, took an informal
tour of Huntington on
Wednesday, July 6.
Local woman attends
RNC
The slate of 28 delegates
and their alternates from
Oregon to represent at the
Republican National Con-
vention (RNC), includes
for the first time a Baker
County resident, Suzan El-
lis Jones. Jones is chair of
the Baker County Repub-
licans.
5J to stick to four-day
week
July 11, the Baker School
5J School District board
members met to discuss
calendar options for the
2016-17 school year.
‘House Hunters’ films
here
A film crew from the hit
Home and Garden Chan-
nel (HGTV) show “House
Hunters” shot footage in
Baker City last week with
the crew and a couple of
potential buyers being seen
along with a local real-
tor all over the downtown
area.
Ferrioli tours Huntington
Senator Ted Ferrioli, the
Senate Republican Minor-
ity Leader from John Day
who represents District
Celebrities, politicians
join parade
Last Saturday’s Miners
Jubilee parade was filled
with guests from out of
town, including Jim Thurb-
er and Jack Hoffman from
the Discovery Channel’s
hit show “Gold Rush.”
Todd Hoffman was origi-
nally scheduled to appear,
but was unable to return
from a trip on time.
Nonpartisan issue back
on ballot
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.
New Councilman
Loren Joseph has been
appointed to fill a va-
cated term on Baker City
Council.
Armstrong nugget’s new
display
Thursday, July 21,
US Bank in Baker City
unveiled their new gold
display, including every-
thing from the old scales to
a new case. The company
began the redesign process
for the display three years
ago.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Ratliff explained that the depth of the water at such a
distance from shore prevented them from moving in any
heavy equipment to help break up the ice so the elk might
swim to shore, or from finding another way to reach them
that wouldn’t jeopardize human lives.
The elk had broken through at four separate locations.
“We had to assess the situation and just let them be,”
Ratliff said. “Sometimes these things are hard to under-
stand.” Ratliff said as they watched, he knew the remain-
ing elk would, sadly, eventually succumb and simply
become “part of the reservoir.”
Upon closer inspection Ratliff said it appeared that the
elk had crossed the same ice several times in the past, and
there were signs that the 41 had bedded down along the
edge of the waters nearby. It didn’t appear to him that the
elk had been startled, but instead had simply been walk-
ing calmly across the ice—until it began to crack.
Ratliff said it appeared as though the ice had shifted
that morning, with evidence of water flowing up over the
edges where it hadn’t previously.
In addition to the two men from ODFW, one Oregon
State Police officer responded. Ratliff said he spoke to
seven different residents.
Sharon and Harold White were two residents who
trudged through the 18” of snow along the banks trying to
get a better look at the scene unfolding.
“I was heartbroken all day,” said Sharon White.
She noted that no one had seen the lone survivor—that
one elk calf—perish, and that citizens hoped it had been
picked up in the herd of 150 that passed safely across the
ice Wednesday morning.
Wildlife perishing either on top of, or falling through
thin ice, is not uncommon in the winter months of eastern
Oregon, Myatt said; however, an event of this scale is
rare.
“There was an incident in Colorado just last year when
20 elk fell through,” Myatt said.
Powder
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
“The snow isn’t quite as deep as usual up high in the
mountains but it is off to a good start especially in the
northern Blue Mountains,” stated Sather.
The La Grande Ride team, which includes Sather
and Hurd, continues to be diligent in leading the region
in snow safety data. The most comprehensive winter
recreation information is available on the website, www.
LaGrandeRide.com, along with the Regional Snow Fore-
cast, where “we have your mountain weather dialed.”
So far this year, the forecasts have been spot on for
where to go, and when to go, to find fresh powder.
The mountain snow may be soft and playful, yet the
hidden danger of avalanches lurks—especially with all
the new snow.
On December 19th, an avalanche closed Highway 204
between Tollgate and Elgin. There have been some other
signs of instability including road cut avalanches we have
reported.
While attempting a side hill during a regular snow and
avalanche study outing, Hurd triggered a small slide
beside the road. Simple tests like side-cutting on a safe
small slope can be a telling indicator of instability on the
bigger slopes. When red flags like this exist, you should
stay away from slopes above 30 degrees.
“The snowpack is growing steadily—since the storms
have been coming every three to five days—and there’s
been little melting of snow surfaces at higher elevations,
which is unusual compared to this time last year,” said
Hurd. “The threat of avalanches will remain high over the
next several weeks, including for the Blue Mountains in
Baker and Union County.”
Current forecast models are anticipating the arrival of
yet another winter storm in the next three or four days.
New snow will be likely for all areas of Baker, Union,
and Wallowa Counties.
The future of winter 2016-17 is still unknown, but if it
continues at the current trend a lot of snow still has yet to
fall.
Sky lanterns
now illegal
As of January 1, 2017, sky lanterns (also known as
aerial luminaries, Chinese lanterns, mini hot air balloons,
UFO balloons, wish lanterns, etc.) are illegal to release
into Oregon airspace.
A sky lantern is a paper sack suspended over a flame,
usually from a small candle or other lit device. The hot
air from the flame causes the balloon to rise into the air
and be carried off by the wind.
"Although they are pretty, sky lanterns are uncontrolled,
open-flamed devices that pose an extreme fire hazard to
people, property, and the environment" said Oregon Chief
Deputy State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple. "Once
released you have no control over where they may land.
They could end up on someone's rooftop, in a tree, or a
pile of debris and cause an unwanted fire."
A number of states, as well as countries such as Ger-
many, Australia, and Brazil have outlawed sky lanterns.
As of January 1, 2017, releasing a sky lantern into
Oregon airspace will be a Class A violation subject to a
maximum penalty of $2,000.