8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2017
2017 in Review
Photo courtesy of Chance Quintana.
Photographer Chance Quintana of Haines said he
looked forward to taking photos of the eclipse for two
years, and even captured the pink edging.
August
Community holds night
out. On Tuesday August,
2, nearly 800 people at-
tended the annual Com-
munity Night Out at the
Geiser-Pollman Park in
Baker City.
City Council Mem-
ber cited for criminal
trespass. At around 8:40
p.m. last Tuesday, August
1, Baker City Council
member, Adam Nilsson
(46) of Hillcrest Drive in
Baker City, was cited for
criminal trespass while in
possession of a firearm,
and second degree criminal
mischief at the old Lime
plant near Huntington.
Nilsson’s companion,
Ashley Schroder (30) of
Portland, was also cited
with trespass.
Shrine Game held.
Saturday, August 5th was
the 65th annual East West
All-Star Football Game
that benefits Portland Shri-
ners Hospital for Children.
The event was filmed by
and aired on ROOT Sports
Network.
Woman jailed on
murder charges. Kira
Vansickle, age 27 of
Meridian, Idaho, is housed
in the Baker County Jail
on charges of Murder,
Manslaughter in the First
Degree and Assault in the
First Degree, after turning
herself in last Friday under
an outstanding Baker
County Circuit Court
warrant. Vansickle was
arraigned on those charges
on Monday. In September
of 2014, Vansickle, then a
Baker City resident, was
charged with assault and
criminal mistreatment after
her eight-month-old infant
niece suffered severe abu-
sive head injuries while in
her care on Carter Street.
Baker County inside
path of totality. The Great
American Eclipse proved
Monday morning that
some events just can’t be
captured in a way that fully
does them justice.
Under nearly perfect
viewing conditions, a
70-mile-wide lunar shadow
crossed America from the
Oregon Coast to the South
Carolina Coast, with Baker
County right in the path of
totality.
At 10:24 a.m. on August
21, the light, which had
slowly shifted to a golden
saturation as the sun was
obscured by the moon, fell
into black. The shadows,
which had gradually filled
with crescent shapes and
seemed to go backward,
went out. Crickets began to
chirp. The stars came out.
The temperature dropped
up to 10 degrees in some
parts of the county.
Then for two minutes and
a few seconds, it felt as if
the world stood still.
September
City’s dog park moves
ahead. Volunteer Gail Du-
man and Joyce Bornstedt,
Technical Administration
Supervisor of City of Bak-
er City are heading a new
project: Dog Park at Sam
O. Duman and Bornstedt
are working with other
volunteers to construct two
dog parks—a Large Dog
Enclosure and a Small Dog
Enclosure.
Man sustains burns.
On Monday afternoon,
Dispatch received a report
of a structure and grass
fire up Griffin Gulch, just
outside Baker City on the
property of Charlie Cree.
Cree was transported to
Saint Alphonsus Medical
Center in Baker City with
burns. It is suspected that
the fire was caused by
sparks from a grinder.
Fire Department
awarded partial grant.
Baker City received word
this week that they have
been awarded a $426,000
SAFER (Staffing for Ad-
equate Fire and Emergency
Response) grant that would
help fund three additional
full-time positions to the
Baker City Fire Depart-
ment. The catch? The
City would be required to
provide a grant match of
25% for the first two years
at a cost of approximately
$57,000 per year and a
match of 65% the third-
year costing approximately
$150,000.
Entrepreneurial spirit is
alive. If you are a Baker
City local or have been
here for the summer, you
have more than likely seen
10-year-old Londyn Mc-
Adams selling snow cones
on the corner of Campbell
and 2nd Street.
Man dies in Chandler
Lane accident. On
September 2, 2017, Baker
County Dispatch received
a report of a single motor
vehicle accident on Chan-
dler Lane at approximately
6:11 a.m. Upon arrival,
law enforcement and EMS
determined that the driver
was deceased. The driver
was identified as Travis
James Talbott.
Flashflood hits south
fork of Burnt River.
Late in the afternoon on
Friday, September 8, Baker
County Commissioner
Mark Bennett informed
media that a “three foot
wall of water” had just
been reported by campers
outside Unity in the area
of the South Fork of the
Burnt River.
Those reports were
quickly verified as water,
mud and debris swept
through the burn area of
the Rail Fire from last year,
and buried roads.
Local veteran takes
honor flight. Rep. Greg
Walden (R-Hood River),
greeted World War II vet-
erans who came to Wash-
ington, D.C. last week to
visit their memorial on
the National Mall through
Honor Flight of Eastern
Oregon. Baker City native
and World War II veteran
William Evarts—who goes
by Dale—met Walden
and was presented a flag
flown over the U.S. Capitol
building in honor of his
Photo courtesy of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.
Cars pulled off to the shoulders along the freeway
and roads near Lime awaiting the eclipse.
service to our country.
County Planning Com-
missioner investigated for
skipping permit process.
According to Baker City
Building Department
Permit Technician Dawn
Kitzmiller, she initiated
an official investigation
on April 3 of this year,
following a complaint by
a concerned Baker County
citizen, of two reportedly
non-permitted, completed
home additions on Baker
County Planning Com-
mission member Robert
Crawford’s property in
Halfway, which he owns
with his wife, Elizabeth
Crawford.
Deer rescued from
manhole. On Friday, Sep-
tember 15, Kelly Cassidy
at the Quail Ridge Golf
Course discovered a deer
that had fallen into a man-
hole near the pump house
on Indiana.
Shawna Cox speaks lo-
cally. The historic Geiser
Grand on Main Street
in Baker City was jam-
packed with individuals
gathered to hear guest
speaker, Shawna Cox,
from Utah.
On January 26, 2016, Cox
was one of two females
inside the pickup truck in
which Robert “LaVoy”
Finicum spent his final mo-
ments. Finicum was shot
and killed at a roadblock
staged by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and Oregon State
Police (OSP), as he, Cox
and other occupiers from
the Malheur Wildlife Ref-
uge made their way along
Highway 395, 53 miles
from John Day en route to
local law enforcement.
Multiple vehicle crash
on Campbell. An unex-
pected medical condi-
tion was the cause of an
accident last Wednesday,
which eventually involved
six vehicles, said Baker
City Police Sgt. Wayne
Chastain. James Young,
age 85, was driving his
white 2012 Dodge Ram
pickup southbound on 10th
Street, near A Street, when
he lost consciousness.
Young’s pickup crossed
over into the northbound
lanes of traffic and struck
a parked greenish 2005
Nissan Altima belonging
to Baker City Auto Ranch.
The pickup continued
south down the sidewalk
where it then struck the
fronts of three brand new
Dodge pickups in the lot
at Baker City Auto Ranch
before coming to rest.
The green Altima, when
hit, travelled backward
unoccupied about 120 feet
into the intersection of
Campbell and 10th Street
where it struck a 1994
Honda Civic driven by
Sara Rudolph.
October
Local LEO receives
medal of valor. On June
5, 2017, Officer Blake
Hawkins of the Baker
City Police Department
(BCPD), walked in a direc-
tion that would be counter-
intuitive to most—into a
smoke-filled apartment.
There, Hawkins assisted
a disabled citizen out of
that burning apartment
complex at 1490 Resort
Street in Baker City.
As a result of his actions,
Hawkins is receiving the
Medal of Valor from the
Oregon Peace Officers’
Association (OPOA) next
month at their awards
ceremony.
Pair produces ‘Paint
your Wagon’ podcast.
Podcasters Doug Kenck-
Crispin and Andy Lindberg
traveled to Baker County
to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of the film
“Paint Your Wagon” with
a special segment for their
“Kick Ass Oregon His-
tory” podcast.
“Paint Your Wagon” is
a famous Western musical
film starring Lee Marvin,
Clint Eastwood, and Jean
Seberg. The Nitty Gritty
Dirt Band also appear
in the movie. Several
of the stars stayed in the
Geiser Grand Hotel, so
the podcasters followed
suit. Shooting on that film
began in the spring of
1968—coming up on that
half-century mark.
Sumpter has bear prob-
lem. Sumpter is receiv-
ing more than the usual
wildlife visitors this fall,
with several bears raiding
garbage cans throughout
town. “Apparently, they’re
hungry, and they like gar-
bage,” said City Recorder
Julie McKinney.
The Oregon Depart-
ment of Fish and Wildlife
trapped a couple of bears
in the Sawmill Gulch area.
Oregon’s Supreme
Court comes to BHS.
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 Re-
becca Duncan. Members of
the BHS Mock Trial Team
had lunch with the justices.
Local dealers, citizens
object to new car privi-
lege tax. Randy Daugherty,
owner of Baker Garage, a
GMC dealership in Baker
City, says his customers
can expect an average, in-
stant jump by hundreds of
dollars per vehicle just for
the “privilege” of owning
a new car. Daugherty said,
“We are very disappointed
in all of this. To target a
certain segment for a sales
tax is wrong. The tax will
have to be charged to the
consumer. In our case it
could be up to $400 on a
vehicle depending on how
the rules play out.”
Senate shakeup. Fol-
lowing a flurry of Salem
rumors, Senator Ted Fer-
rioli (R-John Day) whose
district includes Baker
County, announced that
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Summer. L-R: Moving their snow cone stand from
Campbell Street to the park for a bit are Shelbe
Miller, Londyn McAdams, and Kolbe Miller.
Photo courtesy of Quail Ridge Golf Course.
Oh deer! This little critter was successfully rescued
after somehow getting stuck in this manhole.
he will indeed accept an
appointment by Governor
Kate Brown to the The
Pacific Northwest Power
Planning and Conserva-
tion Council. This position
is one of a rare handful
of salaried, six-figure ap-
pointments available to the
Governor.
Vaping accident. On
Wednesday, October 18,
17 year-old Blake Chas-
tain of Baker City was
injured from an e-cigarette
exploding in his mouth.
This is the first time locals
have experienced such
an accident—though the
dangers have been reported
elsewhere.
November
Citizens upset over
BMTD bill. On Tues-
day, November 7th, the
Blue Mountain Translator
District (BMTD) held their
regular board meeting at
the Baker City Hall Coun-
cil Chambers. Security
was requested from the
Baker City Police Depart-
ment due to heated com-
munications between the
BMTD and citizens who
received their tax bills—
which contained a surprise
$100 annual fee for BMTD
services.
Disorderly property
ordinance tabled. A
proposed chronic nuisance
property ordinance that
proved controversial was
tabled by Council.
Local bank branch to
close. The Baker City
Wells Fargo Bank branch,
located in the Safeway
building at 1205 Campbell
Street, will close in May
2018.
Nilsson takes plea. On
November 20, 2017, Baker
City Council Member
Adam Nilsson (dob
4/13/1971) of 307 Hillcrest
Dr. Baker City, Oregon
pled guilty to one count of
Criminal Mischief in the
Third Degree.
60 mph in town. On
November 19 Baker City
Police attempted to stop a
pickup driven by Samuel
Madison for excessive
speed. Madison refused to
stop and drove at varying
speeds up to an estimated
60 miles per hour for ap-
proximately 10 blocks,
before stopping.
December
Three move forward
to fill senate seat. Six
candidates tossed their
hats into the ring to replace
exiting senator Ted Ferriol:
Rep. Cliff Bentz, Malheur
County; Mae Huston,
Jefferson County; Suzan
Ellis Jones, Baker County;
Robert (Bob) Perry,
Deschutes County; Ralph
(Mike) Shirtcliff, De-
schutes County; and Eric
Wattenburg, Deschutes
County. After a December
2 meeting of District PCPs,
Bentz, Jones and Watten-
burg move forward in the
process.
More arrests at Lime.
Deputy Eric Colton of the
Baker County Sheriff’s Of-
fice made two more arrests
at the old Lime plant along
the freeway near Hun-
tington. Arrested were
Robert Maurice Guerrero
of Denver, Colorado and
Staci Lee Helms of Lone
Tree, Colorado.
Lighted legacy to relo-
cate. A Baker City winter
tradition will change
locations next year, as
this is the last year Nora
Bass will have the Winter
Walkthrough at her home
on 19th Street.
Sheriff’s deputy hon-
ored. On December 6th,
Baker City’s Rebecca Mo-
nahan received the Parole
and Probation Deputy of
the Year Award at the an-
nual Oregon State Sheriff’s
Association conference
in Bend, held December
3-7th.
Former rural fire chief
indicted. Last Thursday, a
Deschutes County Grand
Jury charged former Baker
Rural Fire Protection
District Chief Dan Weitz,
age 60, with the crimes
of theft by deception and
official misconduct in the
first degree.
Train strikes car. Baker
County Consolidated
Dispatch received a call
of a train versus passenger
car collision in Haines.
There were no fatalities,
but injuries were severe.
The accident occurred at
the crossing located at 4th
Street and the Anthony
Lakes Highway.
Four individuals, Cade
Browne, 19, Samantha
Sexton, 19, Jacob Sex-
ton, 18, and Sally Blair,
21, were in a white 2015
Dodge Dart.