4
i Record-Courier
THURSDAY, JULY 16,2015
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News of Record
Marriages
June 27 - Samuel Grant Johnson
to Katherine Amelia Hagan,
both of Baker City.
July 3 - Charles Eugene
Carpenter to Janet Lee Ellen
Taylor, both of Baker City.
July 4 - William Eugene Eric
Thompson, Jr. to Lindsey Elane
Truscott, both of Halfway.
July 4 - Clinton Coleman
Stockdale to Ramona Elizabeth
Harris, both of Homedale,
Idaho.
July 8 - Daniel Jay Smith to
Hilary Ray Crouch, both of St
Anthony, Idaho.
Arrests
July 6 - James Hensen arrested
for Reckless Driving.
July 8 - Dustin Palmer arrested
for Contempt.
July 11 - Yuliana Meza arrested
on an Out-of-County Warrant.
July 13 - Michael Schulte
arrested for DUD, Reckless
Driving, and Coercion.
July 13 - Jeremy Allen Gilda
arrested for Violation of
Restraining Order.
July 13 - James Robert Kolacz
arrested for Probation Violation.
Baker County Circuit Court
July 1 - State of Ore. v. Roderick
Joseph Gagnon regarding
Possession of
Methamphetamine, felony.
July 8 - State of Ore. v. James
Andrew Ryan regarding
Criminal Impersonation of an
Officer, felony.
July 8 - State of Ore. v. Timothy
Kelly Slaney regarding DUII,
misdemeanor.
July 10 - State of Ore. v. George
Eldon Deardorff regarding
Wildlife Violation,
misdemeanor.
House
Fire in
Baker
City
Another Sagebrush
Rebellion?
To the Editor:
The Baker City Herald (7-10-2015) headlined an ar
ticle "Harvey not happy with Legislature."
Baker County Commission Chair Bill Harvey
laments legislation the Democratically-controlled
Oregon legislature "shoved down our throats" result
ing in "an abject failure," so reported the Herald. "I'm
sick with what the Legislature has done... when one
party holds power." (But I doubt that he laments the
fact that since the last national mid-term election, just
the reverse is true with the Republicans controlling
both houses of Congress.)
Harvey's last complaint—"Three-quarters of the state
votes conservative. They get it. Another quarter of the
state doesn't get it"—demonstrates that Harvey has a
mistaken idea of how our democracy works. He con
fuses geography with voting rights. Elections are won
or lost based on "one man, one vote," not on square
miles of Republican Greg Walden's huge 2nd Con
gressional District. The result of "one man, one vote"
is that the majority of voters have elected a Congres
sional delegation composed of six Democrats and just
one Republican.
If Harvey doesn't like the fact that the 2nd District
represents only a small fraction of Oregon voters, then
he might consider starting another Sagebrush Rebel
lion and petition the Oregon legislature to secede from
Oregon and form the State of Jefferson. It's been tried
before and failed. But maybe it'll work this time, if
Harvey can find enough 2nd District voters as "sick"
as he is with what comes out of Salem.
Gary Dielman
Baker City
Why No Workshops in
Baker or Union County?
Photo by Gina Perkins
On Tuesday mid-day
fire
and
police
responded to a house
fire on the 1700 block
of Valley Avenue in
Baker City.
Red Cross Offers
Assistance
Bates, Clayton D
DOB: 08/23/1983 Sex: Male
Race: White
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown Height: 5'10“
Weight: 160
Convictions: Tampering with
Witness, Possession of Meth
The person above has criminal war
rants. If you see this person, do not
attempt to apprehend them yourself.
If you know where this person may
be, contact Parole and Probation at
541-523-8217 or your nearest police
department. You may also e-mail pa-
role@bakercounty.org
Disaster action team volun-
teers with the American Red
Cross this afternoon responded
to a disaster that occurred in
the 1700 block of Valley Ave. in
Baker City. This multi-family fire
affected four adults, a child, and
multiple pets. Red Cross
provided food, clothing, comfort
kits, stuffed animals and infor
mation
about
recovery
services.
The Red Cross advocates
emergency preparedness and
offers the installation of free
smoke alarms in communities
across Oregon and southwest
Washington. Residents may
call (503) 528-5783 to schedule
an appointment.
Know what to do before,
during and after a home fire.
Take a few moments to review
your family's exit plan should
there be a fire in your home.
This information, and more, is
available at www.redcross.org
or in a free Prepare! Resource
Guide
published
by the
American Red Cross Cascades
Region. The guide can be
downloaded at http://rdcrss.
org/1 zq8XW6.
Look what’s new
at Scorpio!
New shipment of
assorted fancy parakeets
Hardy aquarium
plants
scorpiointl@centurylink.net
2628 10th Street, Baker City
I
541-523-3156
Scorpio^
Join
Baker County Cattlewomen & Cattlemen
and
Support the Shriners Hospital for Children
Saturday, August 1st
Cowboy Breakfast!
6:30 a.m. -10 a.m. Geiser-Pollman Park in Baker City
Steak, eggs, pancakes & coffee only $10 • No steak? $7
New This Year, "GRIDIRON" Tailgate & Grill-Off with Auction.
Tailgate 12-6 p.m. • Auction 2 p.m.
Prior to football game - watch for more details.
To pre-order tickets, www.eastwestshrinefootball.com/store/cl/Featured_Products.html
Proceeds from both events help purchase
the Shrine Steer which is auctioned off
during half time of the E-W Shrine game;
Those funds go directly to die Shriners
Hospital for Children
Shriners Hospitals
for Children
Love to the rescue.*
To the Editor:
“Circumvent”, I came across this word recently, and
now it sticks in my already cluttered head., (the defi
nition—around, to get the better of or, prevent by craft
or ingenuity)
I feel the workshops being facilitated by, High
Desert Partnerships, are a platform to circumvent the
overwhelming negative response to the Blue Moun
tain Forest Plan Revision. Over 1300 comments were
received with 95% disapproval of the plan. I find it
alarming no workshops are scheduled for Union or
Baker County.
Repeatedly Forest Access For All, has requested
public meetings with the forest service and voiced our
dislike of the workshop scenario. Once again this
agency appears to suffer hearing loss. Baker County
commission chair, Bill Harvey, is working to arrange
a public meeting.
Last year FAFA spent thousands of dollars, present
ing meetings and encouraging people to speak and
write concerns on the proposed Blue Mountain Forest
Plan Revision. FAFA members traveled across eastern
Oregon throughout the summer months. The efforts
of dedicated members combined with others gener
ated over 1300 comments. Finally late in the fall, 11
counties, made the right move and rejected the pro
posed forest plan. Something worked.
Be aware when you attend these workshops. It is
imperative you stick to your message. A piece of in
formation came out of the John Day, meeting, which
to me was very alarming. The forest supervisor re
sponded to the crowd with the insinuation, when it
comes to push and shove the forest service doesn’t
need to respond to any of our concerns. Once again
engagement with the forest service would indicate we
are dickering over a preconceived conclusion with the
illusion public concerns have been addressed.
At the very least we need language in the Blue
Mountain Forest Plan, that preserves and protects our
present level of access. That would be a fair beginning
for dialog. Road closures through the backdoor of
projects needs to stop.
To date 14 workshops have been scheduled, none
in Union or Baker Co. I want endless meetings and
comments to end, but request 2 more. One in Union
and one in Baker Co.. Preferably at a time and date
working people can attempt to attend the meetings.
Wanda Ballard
Baker City
Editor's note: Peter Fargo, Public Affairs Officer
with the U.S. Forest Service stated, "We definitely
plan to announce more public workshops soon,
including in Baker County and Union County. We are
in touch with local partners and still working out the
details for those events."
Home-Grown Treasures
To the Editor:
Despite unseasonable downpours, the Hells Canyon
Motorcycle Rally this past weekend was a success.
(Kudos to Kurt Miller and his crew.) During Satur
day's exhibitions, we had the distinct privilege and
outstanding pleasure of hearing the Baker Elks' Drum
& Bugle Corps play to rousing applause. These fellas
are truly home-grown treasures. Nothing can get you
on your feet and swaying to the beat, like the Drum
& Bugle Corps. For over five decades, they have been
putting Baker City on the map. They've played in
every state of the Union, yet always return home to
us to play in the Miners Jubilee parade, the Shrine pa
rade, and a host of other special events such as the
Motorcycle Rally. "Thank you" doesn't even begin to
express our deep appreciation.
Joyce Badgley Hunsaker
Hometown Girl
Planning Commission to Conduct Hearing on
Vacation of Street
The Baker City Planning Commission will be
conducting a hearing on Thursday, July 16,2015
at 7 pm to hear the following request:
VAC-15-046 Donald & Roberta Fink have
petitioned for the City to vacate a dead-end por
tion of ‘E’ Street, located in Section 16 of Town
ship 09 South, Range 40 East, W.M., Baker
County, Ore., between Tax Lots 1300 and 1400.
Two properties abut the proposed street vaca
tion: Tax Lot 1300 (Ref. 470) owned by Donald &
Roberta Fink of 2960 East Street, Baker City and
Tax Lot 1400 (Ref. 471) owned by Kenton &
Shirley McPheron of 990 Park Street, Baker City.
Both properties and the portion of ‘E’ Street pro
posed for vacation are located within the General
Industrial (I) Zone. As included in the petition, the
vacated portion of ‘E’ Street is proposed to be
come a part of Tax Lots 1300 and 1400, in equal
parts. The request will need to comply with the
Baker City Development Code, Section 4.3.200
and 4.3.190, and Oregon Revised Statutes
Chapter 271. The City Council will make the final
decision on the request, and will conduct hear
ings on Tuesday, July 28 at 7 p.m. and Tuesday,
August 11, at 7 p.m..
For more information, contact Planner Eva
Ceder at 541-523-8219. A copy of the applica
tions, all documents and evidence submitted by
or on behalf of the applicant, and the applicable
criteria are available for inspection at no cost and
will be provided at reasonable cost. A digital copy
of the documents can be emailed to you at no
cost, or a hard copy can be mailed to you by post
mail, upon request, for a reasonable cost. Staff
reports on both matters will be available on July
8,2015.
Persons wishing to comment on the proposed
application may do so by submitting written
testimony to the Baker County Planning Depart
ment no later than 5:00 p.m. on the date of the
hearing. Testimony may also be given in person
by attending the hearing. The failure to raise an
issue in person, or by letter at the hearing, or fail
ure to provide statements or evidence sufficient
to afford the decision-maker an opportunity to re
spond to the issue, means that an appeal based
on that issue cannot be filed with the State Land
Use Board of Appeals.
If you have questions regarding this applica
tion, please contact Eva Ceder at the Baker City-
County Planning Department at (541) 523-8219
or eceder@bakercounty.org. The Planning De
partment is located in the basement of the Baker
County Courthouse, 1995 Third Street, Suite
131, Baker City, Ore.
Greg Walden Supports Bipartisan Wildfire Prevention,
Forestry Reform Bill Passed by U.S. House
Walden: “I urge the Senate to quickly consider and pass this bill. Our forested communities have
already waited too long. Now is the time to act.”
As another busy fire season is already well underway in Oregon, U.S. Representative Greg
Walden (R-Hood River) strongly supported a bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. House of Repre
sentatives today to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire in national forests. The Resilient Fed
eral Forests Act (H.R. 2647), which passed by a vote of 262-167, would bring much needed reforms
to federal forest policy and help bring active management back to our forests. Speaking on the
House floor in support of the bill, Walden explained the need for meaningful action on fixing broken
federal forest policy.
“The House’s consideration of the bill is timely. As we speak brave firefighters are still trying to
contain the Corner Creek fire, which has already burned nearly 29,000 acres of forest land near
Dayville, Ore. Unfortunately, this fire season is only getting started,” Walden said. “One look at the
fires around the West makes clear the status quo isn’t working for our forests, and it certainly
doesn’t work for our rural communities. The Resilient Federal Forests Act will help strengthen the
health of our communities and our forests. I urge the Senate to quickly consider and pass this bill.
Our forested communities have already waited too long. Now is the time to act.”
Walden further explained some of the benefits the bill would bring to Oregon’s rural forested com
munities and the peoplé who live there.
“Among the many strong provisions in this bill to streamline planning, reduce frivolous lawsuits,
and speed up the pace of forest management, several in particular are helpful for Oregon’s federal
forests. For national forests in eastern Oregon, this legislation repeals the prohibition on harvesting
trees over 21 inches in diameter - a measure temporarily implemented in 1997 that still hasn’t
been removed nearly 20 years later. This flawed one-size-fits-all rule illustrates just how broken
federal forest management has become. It greatly limits the flexibility forest managers have to ad
dress site specific needs of the forest on the ground and has only become a source of frequent ap
peals and litigation,” Walden said.
Walden also explained that the bill brings much needed reforms to O&C lands in southern and
western Oregon.
“This bill also includes legislation I wrote working with my colleagues from Oregon, Representa
tives Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader pertaining to Oregon’s unique O&C Lands, cutting costs,
and increasing timber harvest and revenue to local counties. The BLM is also directed to revise
their flawed management plan proposals to consider the clear statutory mandate to manage these
lands for sustainable timber production and revenue to the counties,” Walden said.
The bill also helps solve the long-standing ‘lire borrowing” problem by allowing the Forest Service
to request FEMA disaster funds for fire suppression without having to continually rob their internal
fire prevention accounts.
During the last session of Congress, the U.S. House twice passed bipartisan legislation coau
thored by Walden to help reform federal forest policy. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to take mean
ingful action on forestry legislation.
Passage of this bill continues Walden's mission to make forest policy work for Oregonians. He
has been a leader in writing other bipartisan forestry plans, including the Healthy Forest Restoration
Act, the Forest Emergency Research and Recovery Act, and the FLAME Act.