LOCAL: City Planning discusses zoning
issues. PAGE 5
BUSINESS: New bakery to open in Halfway
in two weeks. PAGE 3
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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
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