LOCAL: Mayors gather at luncheon to
discuss cities across Baker County. PAGE 7
The
LOCAL: Hawk rescued on the ice at local
truck stop. PAGE 8
Baker County Press
TheBakerCountyPress.com
75¢
All local. All relevant. Every Friday.
Friday, February 3, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 5
Nine snow slides block
areas around County
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
This winter’s snow
loads and above-freezing
temperatures combined to
cause nine slides so far,
on Thursday and Friday,
January 19 and 20, the two
biggest ones in the Rye
and Burnt River valleys,
according to Baker County
Road Master Jeff Smith.
On Thursday, January
19, Smith said, there were
six snow slides—he said
the Road Department uses
the term, rather than ava-
lanches, because of their
relative size—fi ve along
Snake River Road, and one
on Rye Valley Lane—the
biggest one at fi fteen to
eighteen feet deep, the full
width of the road, and fi fty
yards long.
There were three more
slides on Friday, January
20, including two along
Snake River Road, and
the second biggest one,
in Burnt River Canyon,
at eight feet deep, and
twenty-fi ve feet wide.
“Typically, they’ll hap-
pen that way, because
the (rise in) temperature
is what really turns them
loose... The snow load on
those steep slopes, that we
haven’t had for a while...”
Smith said, speaking about
the surge of snow slides
that week.
Smith said, “The one at
Rye Valley, it just came
down with such a force,
that it just landed in the
middle of the road, and
there was enough of it, it
just fi lled the whole road.”
The Rye Valley slide was
the only one of the nine
that was cleared with a
backhoe, the rest having
been cleared with graders.
All of the slides were
cleared on Friday, after
about thirteen hours of ef-
fort total, he said.
SEE SNOW SLIDES
PAGE 7
Photo submitted by Pam Haney.
This avalanche near Dark Canyon Road in Burnt
River Canyon was 8’ deep by 25’ across.
New Council undergoes MayDay
Inc. speaks
orientation, budget
out about
concerns loom
abused men
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Gina Swartz / The Baker County Press
At left, Fire Chief Tom Wells explains the workings of the Baker City Fire Department.
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
A special City Council meeting was held Tuesday Janu-
ary 31, 2017 at 5:30 p.m. in Council Chambers at City
Hall.
The purpose of this meeting was for new Councilors to
have an opportunity to meet department heads and hear
a brief overview of each department from which they
would likely hear throughout their tenure. The meeting
was an orientation of sorts.
With the looming budget season approaching, each
department in the City will be appealing to the Budget
Board, which is composed of Council and several volun-
teer citizens, for funding of their departments.
Having Council familiarize themselves with the depart-
ments and their functions will aid in decision-making
when the time comes.
After Mayor Downing called the meeting to order and
before each department took its respective turn speaking
to Council, the three candidates who have applied for the
two open Council seats each were given the opportunity
to introduce themselves and address Council.
First to speak was Dan McQuisten, a lifelong Baker
City resident and owner of the Eltrym. McQuisten has
also served on the Baker City Budget Board and the His-
toric District Design Review Commission.
Next to speak was Daniel Buck. Buck has lived in
Baker City for two years. He has a legal background in
criminal defense and family ties to the timber industry.
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Snow showers. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
Light accumulations expected. Highs near 30.
Friday Night: Scattered snow showers.
His grandfather was a local millwright. He expressed an
enthusiastic interest in learning about City government.
Last to speak was Adam Nilsson. Nilsson introduced
himself to Council at the last meeting saying he also had
lived in Baker City for two years and was eager to serve
his new community.
Council then began hearing from department heads.
As the department heads began addressing Council it
was apparent that they should prepare to hear at Budget
time each department asking for additional funding and
or additional personnel.
A defi nite theme was formed as each department
described how they have been operating on a “more with
less” budget and each would like to see that change.
Fire Chief Tom Wells spoke fi rst, giving an outline of
his department. He also advised that the Fire Department
responded to 1,933 calls in the last year and looking back
at the history of call volume, their calls were increasing
3.2% annually.
He advised Council that he was working on obtaining
a Federal Grant to fund more positions but was unsure if
that would happen and they needed more staff.
Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner spoke next.
He also advised Council of his need to staff more of-
fi cers providing statistics of how much of an increase in
service calls there has been since 2010 when he lost a
position and overtime budget for his department.
SEE CITY PAGE 5
SEE ABUSE PAGE 5
County discusses
zoning change in
Sumpter
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board of Commissioners held its
fi rst, regular session of the month, on Wednesday, Febru-
ary 1, 1017, 9 a.m., in the Commission Chambers of the
Baker County Courthouse, including an extended public
hearing regarding a zoning change request in the Sumpter
area.
Present from the Board were Chair Bill Harvey, Com-
missioners Mark Bennett and Bruce Nichols, and Execu-
tive Assistant Heidi Martin.
SEE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS PAGE 5
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Rain and snow showers likely otherwise mostly
cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s. Chance of pre-
cipitation is 70%. Saturday Night: Scattered rain
and snow showers, otherwise mostly cloudy.
Scattered rain and snow showers, otherwise
mostly cloudy. Highs in the upper 30s. Sunday
Night: Scattered rain and snow showers.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic
Violence (NCADV), “One in four men is a victim of
some form of physical violence by an intimate partner
during their lifetimes” in the United States. 24% of inti-
mate partner physical violence victims are male and one
in eight men is severely injured by an intimate partner.
This total does not include the high number of emotional
abuse cases.
“The abuser makes a choice to be abusive,” explained
Cassie Martin, a Victim’s Advocate at MayDay Inc. “And
a lot of people think that substance abuse, like drinking
or using drugs, makes the abuser be violent. But that is
not the case because even when an abuser gets clean and
sober, they often resort to their abusive behavior. So it’s
absolutely a choice that they make.”
According to Martin, abusers have lived in situations
where settling disputes and abusive interaction have
physically been modeled to them as what women or men
are supposed to do.
“I think that most physical abuse is always led on and
nurtured from emotional abuse to fi nancial abuse to
spiritual abuse,” explained Martin. “And then they isolate
their victims and then they have them completely under
their control. Often times, men who are abused are not
just abused by women. A lot of the clients that have come
through our offi ce lately are being abused by their father
physically as an adult. It’s not just a female abusing the
man; it is often times coming from relatives who are be-
ing abusers.”
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
NRAC goes over USFS issues
SWCD holds awards banquet
Opinion: LaVoy Finicum remembrance mtg.
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
Trailer burns
Orpheum Theater meeting held
Chamber Directors elected
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
Page
3
4
5
8
8
9