SPECIAL: Thanksgiving greetings from local
businesses. PAGE 8
BUSINESS: Popular turnkey business up for
sale on 10th Street. PAGE 3
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Friday, November 17, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 46
City: Proposed disorderly
property ordinance tabled
• STATE CODE
ORDINANCE ALSO
TABLED
BY GINA K. SWARTZ
Gina@TheBakerCountyPress.com
The Baker City Council
met Tuesday night for
their regularly scheduled
meeting. All Councilors
were present except for
Mayor Downing. Vice
Mayor Rosemary Abell
oversaw the meeting. After
the meeting was called to
order she lead the Pledge
of Allegiance and gave
the invocation. Abell then
turned to the agenda.
The fi rst matter was the
consent agenda, consisting
of a liquor license for a
new business that plans to
open in the old American
Legion building at 2129
2nd Street and the BIG
DEAL Grant. Councilor
Joseph moved to approve
the consent agenda with
a second by Councilor
Thomas. A unanimous vote
passed the motion.
Abell Called for Citizen
Participation, for any issue
that was not already on the
agenda. With a room full
of citizens, the fi rst to step
forward was Tom Muller.
Muller called for the
Council to cut three police
positions saving what
he estimated to be over
$150,000. His basis for this
request was that based on
a 2010 Census population
in Baker City was 9,809.
He personally thought
the population had gone
down by around 1,000
people. Based on his own
estimated guess he felt it
was outrageous to have so
many police offi cers.
Next to speak was Ryc
Reinks, He asked all City
Councilors if they knew
the exact dollar amount
in city coffers at that very
moment. When none
readily answered, Abell
commented that Finance
Director Jeanie Dexter
would need to be contacted
for that information.
Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press
SEE CITY COUNCIL
PAGE 2
About 20 people from around the community came
out to speak at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
Wolf shot
as it attacks
hunter
‘Sword in the Stone’ for kids
• CONSERVATION GROUPS DOUBT LAW
ENFORCEMENT’S ASSESSMENT
BY TODD ARRIOLA
Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
SEE WOLF PAGE 5
Kourtney Smith as Arthur and Jonathan Miles as Merlin performed at the library.
• ‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’ SCHEDULED FOR
AFTER THANKSGIVING
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Last Friday morning, the Baker County Public Library
had the Traveling Lantern Theatre Company perform
“The Sword in the Stone” by T.H White.
The play was put on by two actors—Kourtney Smith
and Jonathan Miles who were cast from Portland.
Smith and Miles taught their viewers about past
performers, who traveled in wagons to different areas to
perform and lit their stages with lanterns.
They explained that the company was named The Trav-
eling Lantern Theatre after the traveling performers.
“It’s a symbol of honoring the actors who came before
us,” explained Smith.
The play was interactive, encouraging kids to partici-
pate by helping the characters fi nd things such as a rabbit,
remember magic words to help Arthur change back from
a bird to a human, and cheer for Arthur at the end.
Two children were invited to participate as squires for
arguing knights, helping them with their wood swords,
shields, and helmets.
Following the play, Smith and Miles answered ques-
tions kids and adults attending had.
They showed the children how they made it seem
impossible to pull the sword from the stone and how they
made their owl puppet speak and move for the role of
Merlin’s owl Archimedes.
Friday
Mostly sunny through high clouds. Highs in
the lower 40s. Friday Night: Partly cloudy and
seasonable. Lows in the mid 20s.
Saturday
Mostly sunny and cooler. Highs near 40.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy and seasonable.
Lows in the mid 20s.
Sunday
Turning mostly cloudy with scattered rain/
snow showers. Highs in lower 40s. Chance of
precipitation is 30%. Little to no accumulation
expected. Night: Scattered rain/snow showers.
Smith and Miles had traveled to twenty-fi ve cities this
fall, beginning in the Seattle area, to the Bay Area, South-
ern California, and then will go to Southern Oregon.
They will be performing “The Sword in the Stone” and
then will do “A Christmas Carol” after Thanksgiving.
The Company does two shows in the fall, in the spring
they do two, and one during the summer. For the upcom-
ing spring of 2018, the company will be doing “Jonny
Appleseed” and “The Life of Leonardo da Vinci,” and in
summer will be “The Life of Mozart.”
“All the shows they do pick have these strong themes
in them, like things kids need to learn,” explained Miles.
“Sometimes there’s a history lesson or a little bit of, I
guess math and engineering lessons if they’re doing the
architect show.”
“And universal morals,” Smith added. “There’s always
something that a kid and an adult can learn about. For
this show it’s being compassionate, fair, courageous, the
idea that ‘Might for Right’ where if you have power, if
you are one of the people in power, it is your responsibil-
ity to take care of people who have less than you, have
less power than you. So they try and pick shows that are
either educational or have a morality lesson, while still al-
lowing for comedy and slap stick humor, a lot of falling.”
The Traveling Lantern Company was founded by
K.B. Mercer and Doran Elias. According to their website,
“Traveling Lantern has been educating and entertaining
children all over the country since 1985. Our mission is
to bring great stories to children, to draw them into an ac-
tive theater experience, to excite their minds and to tickle
their imaginations. We are deeply committed to providing
high quality, low cost arts programming to schools and
libraries.”
The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast:
Our forecast made possible by
this generous sponsor:
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
On Thursday, November 2, 2017, the Oregon State Pa-
trol (OSP) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wild-
life (ODFW) issued a press release of the investigation
into the shooting of a non-breeding, female gray wolf, on
Friday, October 27. Unsatisfi ed with OSP’s investigation,
and the subsequent ruling by the Union County District
Attorney that the death was in self-defense based on the
available evidence, Oregon Wild, along with 15 other
organizations, asked Governor Kate Brown to direct OSP
to reopen the investigation, on Thursday, November 9.
According to ODFW’s press release, “On October 27,
at about 11:30 a.m., an OSP Fish and Wildlife Trooper
and an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Biolo-
gist responded to the report of an elk hunter, who had
self-reported shooting a wolf in Union County. The two
responded to the hunter’s camp in the Starkey Wildlife
Management Unit (WMU).
Prepping
for winter
Submitted Photo.
Superior Towing is celebrating 20 years in business
and gearing up for winter.
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Superior Towing will be celebrating 20 years of serving
Baker County this December. Donn Christy, the owner of
Superior Towing, explained that they prepare for winter
the same way every year; they inspect and prepare their
equipment, inventory, and inspect their tire chains.
SEE WINTER PAGE 3
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Community Calendar
Opinions / Politics
Sumpter hears more about bears
Local artists needed
BMTD outages explained
Classifi eds
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