LOCAL: Sen. Ron Wyden holds Baker City
town hall. PAGE 8
The
LOCAL: Vehicle pulled from Haines Pond.
PAGE 10
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Friday, October 20, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 42
Oregon’s Supreme Court comes to BHS
• CASES HEARD AT THE HIGH SCHOOL
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
This week, Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice
Thomas Balmer came to Baker City for case hearings
held at the Baker High School on Tuesday. Balmer was
joined by the six other justices for the Oregon Supreme
Court: Meagan Flynn, Jack Landau, Rives Kistler, Martha
Walters, Lynn Nakamoto, and Rebecca Duncan.
Balmer was appointed as Chief Justice in 2001 has
been a member of the court for 16 years. As Chief Justice,
he was elected by other members of the Court and is in
charge of the entire state court system.
“When we take the court to schools outside of Salem,
where we ordinarily hear arguments, is to meet the local
offi cials and talk to the press and just sort of show the
fl ag and tell them what we do,” said Balmer.
Balmer explained the fi rst case discussed a statute that
says if a person has been convicted of drunk driving for
the third time, they can lose their license forever. For this
case, the defendant had two previous convictions, but one
was in the state of Georgia and he did not have a lawyer.
His lawyer argued that the conviction shouldn’t count as
he did not have a lawyer to represent him.
Kailyn McQuisten / The Baker County Press
Baker High School’s Mock Trial Team had lunch with Oregon’s Supreme Court Justices during their visit to
the school on Tuesday.
SEE SUPREME COURT PAGE 5
County
approves
$99K to
City
Mechanic helped keep
the Blue Angels soaring
• $99K WILL HELP CITY POSSIBLY ACCEPT
SAFER GRANT
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker County Board of Commissioners held its
second regular session of the month on Wednesday, Octo-
ber 18, 2017, 9 a.m., in the Commission Chambers of the
Baker County Courthouse.
Topics discussed included, among other details, com-
ments from Tom Muller to the Board regarding County
Planning Commissioner Rob Crawford’s home additions,
and approval of $99,000 to be paid to the City over the
course of three years, to assist with funding issues. This
funding will help the City to possibly accept a SAFER
grant to fund new fi refi ghter positions.
Downing files
for County
Commission
Chair
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
SEE DOWNING PAGE 5
• NAVY VETERAN KNOWS AIRCRAFT
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
SEE COUNTY PAGE 8
Current Baker City
Mayor Mike Downing
has fi led with the Baker
County Clerk’s Offi ce
to run for the position of
Baker County Commis-
sion Chair.
Submitted Photo.
Some of the aircraft on which Bennett used to work sitting inside a hangar.
Submitted Photo.
Mike Downing.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs
near 50. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Night:
Mostly cloudy with early scattered showers.
Lows near 30. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with scattered rain/snow showers.
Highs in the upper 40s. Chance of precipitation
is 60%. Night: Mostly cloudy and milder with
scattered showers. Lows near 40.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with scattered showers. Highs in
the upper 50s. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Night: Mostly cloudy with early scattered show-
ers. Lows near 40.
For nearly four decades, Navy Veteran Mike Bennett
had a career that helped keep military pilots, and even the
Blue Angels, up in the air. Bennett, who now cares for
his elderly father, worked on military aircraft for 37 years
before retiring and moving to Baker City.
Bennett joined the Navy and worked on the McClel-
lan Air Force Base in Sacramento Calif., beginning his
career with the Civil Service working on F-111s, A-10s
and F-15s, before it closed and he was transferred to San
Diego, California.
He worked on all the F-18s in the fl eet.
Bennett said he began as a mechanic and worked his
way up to crew leader—and then became a supervisor.
He also helped repair the Blue Angels’ aircraft, fi xing
clipped tips and other necessary touch-ups they needed.
Bennett worked on NASA’s experimental aircraft
F-111.
He was stationed in San Diego and the military has
TDYs (Temporary Duty Assignment) where mechanics
are sent out to an area where an aircraft has broken down,
and they work on it until it is fi xed.
In Fallon, Nevada, Bennett worked in The United
States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program,
more popularly known as TOPGUN, as the fi eld supervi-
sor for three months.
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Mike Bennett recalls his career.
SEE NAVY MECHANIC PAGE 9
The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast:
Our forecast made possible by
this generous sponsor:
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
City / County talk SAFER grant
“So I was thinking...” by Jimmy Ingram
5 arrested in high risk apprehension
“The Outdoor Column” by Todd Arriola
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
Wolf depredations confi rmed
EORT auditions begin
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