8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2017
Local
‘Taste of Baker City’
ushers in autumn again
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Saturday, October
7th, Baker County Locals
and visitors celebrated the
annual Taste of Downtown
Baker City put on by Baker
City Downtown.
Restaurant and busi-
ness owners and workers
offered samples of their
menus or specialties for
participants to enjoy.
For the event, par-
ticipants were able to buy
Taste Tokens for a dol-
lar each and use them to
exchange for samples from
restaurants and businesses.
This year, participants
were given a “tasting
spoon,” a sheet to receive
stamps from vendors—and
when participants had six
stamps, they could enter
to win one of three $100
Baker Bucks Gift Certifi-
cates.
The event draws in
many visitors and locals to
downtown Baker City.
“My grandmother lives
in Baker and, so we visit,
and then when you started
having Taste of Baker we
would come and now that I
have a car that can manage
the Sierra Nevadas, I come
every year,” said Sarah
Bowden of Stockton, Calif.
Returning vendors in-
cluded Sweet Wife Baking,
Earth and Vine, and Main
Event.
“It’s a really great event
for our downtown. It
brings a lot of people into
downtown,” explained
Jenny Mowe, owner of
Sweet Wife Baking. “We
always have fun. It’s a
nice, fun event.”
This year, Mowe offered
caramel apple macaroons,
mini red velvet cupcakes,
s’mores brownies, Kahlua
chocolate cheesecake, and
others.
Mary Stevenson,
owner of Earth and Vine
explained that she has
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
A line of foodies wait to sample the wares at Earth and Vine.
participated in the Taste of
Downtown Baker City for
nine years.
This year, she offered
artichoke dip with toasted
focaccia bread, triple-layer
cheese tort, and a Brie
apple bacon flat bread.
She explained the arti-
choke dip and the cheese
tort are both house-made
with her recipes from when
she originally opened.
“It’s just a really great
downtown event,” said
Stevenson. “It gets people
out there and we get to
showcase our food. It’s a
great event.”
Kari Bachman, the
daughter of the owner of
Main Event explained that
this was the first year she
participated in the event.
They offered prime rib
street tacos with avocado
horse radish and a pretzel
with a homemade beer
cheese.
“I like it; it’s fun. It gets
people out and trying our
stuff and it gets people
downtown,” said Bach-
man.
Alyssa Peterson, one of
the owners of the family-
run Peterson’s Chocolates,
explained that they have
participated in the event
for around four or five
years. They offered drink-
ing chocolate, four differ-
ent types of brittle, five
types of truffles, five types
of chocolates, and five dif-
ferent types of cups.
“We love being part
of it, it’s really fun,” said
Peterson.
Denise Harman, owner
of Hearts and Petals, par-
ticipated in the event for
the first time this year and
offered in-store coupons
for $5 off and three dif-
ferent flavored truffles—
huckleberry, peanut butter,
and pumpkin spice. She
opened her business De-
cember 1, 2015.
“We want to do anything
that has to do with com-
munity and downtown
Baker City, Oregon,” said
Harman.
“BELLA’s has partici-
pated for 20 years, this is
the 21st year of Taste,”
explained Beverly Calder,
owner of BELLA on Main
Street. “I sold Tokens the
first year but BELLA’s has
been open for 20 years,
so this is our 20th year of
Taste. It started the year
before I opened the store
and I was involved with
the Downtown Organiza-
tion and it seemed like
such an incredible way to
celebrate the season and
it’s such a big city thing
to have a taste event, and
we’re a small city but we
have great food.”
BELLA offered a three
cheese plate with a goat
cheese, a sheep cheese, and
a cow cheese with a Guava
Paste and Spanish nuts and
a demonstration by Cody
Cook.
They also offered Hot
Spiced Chai Tea and Tom
Bumble Oregon Bark
organic chocolate.
Suspect caught
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Officer Regan radioed the information and dispatch
confirmed that the person Officer Regan recognized as
Robert James Gray (11/18/1987) did have a valid Proba-
tion Violation Detainer for his arrest.
Officer Regan lost sight of Gray and other Baker City
Police Department (BCPD) police units responded and
began searching. Gray was spotted at about 12:57 p.m. in
the area of Myrtle and Walnut Streets, where he pedaled
away from pursuing officers up an alley.
Gray ditched his bike in the backyard of 1130 Resort
Street jumped a fence and ran toward the river.
Gray crossed the river where he was cornered again
by BCPD units in the backyard of 1380 Dewey and then
jumped back in the river and started walking up stream.
Gray was surrounded by several BCPD units and a
Baker County Sheriff’s Deputy, while still in the river.
Gray dropped his backpack in the river and let it float
away, but it was retrieved by Sgt. Wayne Chastain who
waded into thigh-deep water in full uniform to do so.
Chief Wyn Lohner also walked into the river.
Gray then complied with commands and walked to the
shore where he was taken into custody by Officer Regan.
After backpack was retrieved by Chastain, who then
deployed Canine Capa on the backpack, Capa alerted,
indicating drugs inside the backpack. A search warrant for
the backpack was issued, and user amounts of meth found
inside as a result.
Gray was charged with Probation Violation Detainer;
Escape III; Criminal Trespass II (two counts); Offensive
Littering; Placing Offensive Substances in Waterway;
PCS Meth, and more. However, due to Oregon’s recently
revised and more lenient drug laws, none of these charges
are felonies.
Suspect flees,
crashes car
On October 07, 2017 at 3:03 p.m., Baker City Police
Officer Weaver attempted to contact Brandi Kasinger at
Safeway regarding multiple warrants for her arrest.
Kasinger was parked at Safeway and was seated in a
Honda Accord in the driver’s seat. Kasinger ignored Offi-
cer Weaver’s commands to stop and drove at him, nearly
striking Officer Weaver with her vehicle.
Officer Weaver called out a pursuit and attempted to
catch up to Kasinger as she traveled at a high rate of
speed on Campbell Street, heading westbound.
Kasinger failed to maintain her lane as she passed a
vehicle, near Campbell and College Street, leaving the
roadway and crashing through a telephone pole and street
sign on the south side of the road.
The telephone pole fell and damaged a vehicle stopped
at the stop sign on Campbell in the Eastbound lane.
Kasinger ran from her disabled vehicle and Baker City
Police continued in a foot chase as Kasinger entered
multiple yards attempting to avoided custody.
Kasinger was taken into Custody by Baker City Police
as she jumped over a fence in the 2300 block of Madison
Street and surrender to approaching police.
During this investigation Baker City Police learned
Kasinger had left a minor child alone at Safeway when
she took off to avoid her arrest.
Oregon State Police arrived to assist the Baker City
Police Department and at Baker City Police’s request
took over the crash investigation at Campbell and Col-
lege.
Huntington
man steals car
On 10-05-17 at approximately 8:56pm, the Baker
County Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting a
disturbance at 180 ½ West Adams Street in Huntington,
Oregon.
Deputies from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office re-
sponded to the location and contacted all parties involved
in the disturbance. The disturbance did not lead to a
criminal offense.
During the investigation John B. Buehler arrived at the
residence and deputies learned that he was in possession
of a stolen vehicle.
The car, a 1994 Saturn Station Wagon had been stolen
out of Pendleton on 09-29-17.
John B. Buehler was arrested and charged with Unlaw-
ful Use of a Motor Vehicle. The vehicle was impounded
and towed to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office pending
further investigation.
BMTD Board
has vacancy
The Blue Mountain Translator District is seeking
applicants interested in filling an upcoming vacancy on
its Board of Directors. This position will be filled by
appointment, completing a term of office that will be
renewed by election in February 2019. Members of the
Board are responsible for setting District policy, guiding
staff, approving refunds, and representing the interests of
the District in public. The Board meets once per month.
Interested applicants should call the District Office at
541-963-0196 or email staff at bmtd.org@gmail.com for
more information.