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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 29, 2017)
LOCAL: City Planning discusses zoning issues. PAGE 5 BUSINESS: New bakery to open in Halfway in two weeks. PAGE 3 The Baker County Press TheBakerCountyPress.com 75¢ All local. All relevant. Every Friday. Friday, December 29, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 52 Special: 2017 in Review January New year, new offi cials. Family and friends were in attendance as the Oath of Offi ce was administered to fi ve individuals at the Baker County Courthouse, on Friday, December 30, 2016: Baker County District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff, Baker County Commissioner Bruce Nich- ols, Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash, Baker County Assessor Kerry Savage, and Baker County Sur- veyor Tom Hanley. Theft reported at local mine. The Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce received a report of a break-in and robbery at the mining claim up Clark’s Creek in the Bridgeport area, owned by Marvin and Phillip Wirth and family. The claim has been featured on this season of “Gold Rush” on the Discovery Channel. Crossroads gets a tou- chup. Crossroads Carnegie Art Center’s interior is being repainted and all the lights will be LED light retrofi tted, except for the lights in the gallery which were already retrofi tted in 2012. Burnt River forms new Initial Attack organiza- tion. A newly formed resource in the fi ght to combat range fi res early on is Burnt River Initial At- tack (BRIA), an expanding group of volunteers with a mission that includes a communications and re- sponse coverage area that spans the 30J School Dis- trict, in an effort to assist state and federal agencies during the wildfi re season. Rare Pine-Eagle School Closure. For the fi rst time in recent memory, Half- way’s Pine Eagle Schools closed Wednesday and planned for closure Thurs- day due to snow. Local travels to Trump inauguration, ball. Former Baker 5J School Board member Kyle Knight traveled quite liter- ally through snow, ice and dark of night in order to make it from Idaho back through Oregon to Port- land to catch his fl ight to Washington D.C. Feeding deer creates traffi c hazard. ODFW says feeding hay to deer along Hwy. 86 by mem- bers of the public, as well-intentioned as it is, may be doing more harm than good. Photo courtesy of Joelle Crowther. On everyone’s minds—how much more snow was on the ground all over Baker County by January 2017, shown above, compared to this winter. SEE 2017 IN REVIEW PAGE 7 Suspect tazed in tense arrest Cathedral needs roof repair On December 23, 2017 at about 11:21 p.m., in near-zero temperatures, Baker City Police Offi cer Coleton Smith initiated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass with an obscured plate on Best Frontage Road, near H Street in Baker City. The vehicle failed to Photo courtesy of the BCSO. stop for the emergency lighting and continued Michael Payne. east on H Street and then turned north into the Elkhorn Biomass (Northwest Forest Products) property, located at 41921 Best Frontage Road, and stopped near the shop. While Offi cer Smith waited for a backup offi cer, the passenger failed to obey commands to show his hands and stay near the car. This passenger, identifi ed as Mi- chael Allen Payne (06/17/83) continued to move away from the vehicle and behind Offi cer Smith. Payne was close enough that Offi cer Smith was able to tell him he was under arrest for Failing to Obey the Lawful Order of a Police Offi cer. Meghan Andersch/ The Baker County Press Roof damage, visible from the street below (at right) is in need of repair to protect the gorgeous cathedral (above) from the weather by next year. • $130K REMAINS NEEDED FOR PROJECT SEE ARRESTS PAGE 5 BY MEGHAN ANDERSCH Meghan@TheBakerCountyPress.com Due to cumulative damage, including from last year’s hard winter, the Saint Frances de Sales Cathedral in Baker City will be getting a new roof soon, hopefully in the spring. Water damage from leaks will be fi xed later. Due to the complexity of the job and the steepness of the Gothic architecture, the cost of a new roof will be $250,000. The roof was last replaced in the ‘80s. The diocese gave a generous donation and the offi ce has also written several grants, so the amount left to raise is about $130,000, explained Ann Kniesel in the parish offi ce. Donation letters have been sent out to all parish members. Any additional fundraising activities will be determined after the holiday season has passed. Kniesel said they would like to preserve the historical building, and to do that, the roof must be replaced. Construction of the cathedral began in May 1905 and it was dedicated in 1908. The cathedral is built with tuffs- tone from Pleasant Valley; its two towers stand 112 feet above the ground. Eight stained glass windows were installed in 1923, at a cost of $1,000 for the large windows and $500 for the small ones. Additional stained glass windows were installed in the 1960s. The most recent renovation was completed in 2007 and featured new tiles, carpeting, and stands for the statues along with much restoration work. The cathedral in Baker City is considered the bishop’s Friday Cloudy with a high around 36. Chance of freez- ing rain and rain. Southeast winds around 5-10 mph. A low near 24 and rain and snow showers. Saturday Partly cloudy with a high around 35 and a chance of rain and snow showers. Northwest winds around 5-10 mph. Saturday Night: Partly cloudy with a low near 22. Sunday Mostly sunny with a high around 32. South to southeast winds around 5-10 mph. Sunday Night: Partly cloudy with a low near 22. church, and he presides at major feasts and celebrations, including Christmas, Easter, and Holy Week. The Catho- lic Diocese of Baker includes all of Oregon east of the Cascades. The bishop resided in Baker City until 1985 when the Chancery offi ces were moved to a more central location in Redmond. The cathedral provides religious education for youth and adults, including daily Mass and a Spanish Mass the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. They also have a food bank, open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. till noon. A family may access this service four times per year. Kniesel explains the aid is meant to get families “over a hump.” The church also assists with gas and motel vouchers. Kniesel explained they have had to cut back on some services due to limited funds. Around $30,000 in aid was given last year, funded through donations. Donations for the roof or to support community ser- vices can be dropped by the offi ce at 2235 1st Street in Baker City Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. The Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center forecast: Our forecast made possible by this generous sponsor: Offi cial weather provider for The Baker County Press. Colton, horses fine after minor accident BY KERRY McQUISTEN News@TheBakerCountyPress.com Around 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve, Baker City Police opened an information case report regarding a minor ac- cident involving Baker City’s iconic Ron Colton Carriage Rides. Colton, who has been providing sleigh and carriage rides to the community and tourists for years, was loading up passengers at the historic Geiser Grand Hotel on Main Street, when something spooked one of the horses, ac- cording to Sgt. Wayne Chastain. Witnesses stated they believed a drunk individual was responsible for frightening the horse. Police were unable to confi rm that detail. SEE COLTON PAGE 5 ALSO IN THIS ISSUE Events Calendar, News of Record Agriculture market reports Opinion / Politics Classifi eds PRCF helps foster kids at holidays Special: New Years messages Page Page Page Page Page Page 2 3 4 6 9 10
