Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 27, 2019)
FRIDAY VAPING WORRIES: PG. 6A OUTDOORS, 1B DEER SEASON STARTS COLD Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com September 27, 2019 IN THIS EDITION: Local Health & Fitness Outdoors TV • • • $1.50 QUICK HITS Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Paul Denlinger of Baker City. State, 3A BURNS — After winning a court order limiting graz- ing, environmentalists are now seeking to overturn the federal government’s grazing authorization for two Oregon ranchers con- victed but later pardoned for arson. Dwight and Steven Hammond, a father and son who own a ranch near Diamond, recovered their grazing permits in early 2019 after receiving a full pardon last year from President Donald Trump for setting fi re to public rangelands. Training Helps Law Enforcement Deal With Mental Health Crisis Situations Crisis Intervention ccollins@bakercityherald.com Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has appointed Matt Shirt- cliff, Baker County district attorney, to replace the retiring Greg Baxter as Baker County Circuit Court Shirtcliff judge Nov. 1. Baxter, who has served as Baker Coun- ty Circuit Court judge since Jan. 1, 2001, announced in July that he would retire Oct. 31. Shirtcliff has been district attorney since 2001 and has worked for the district attorney’s offi ce since 1994. Past presidents dinner at Eagles WEATHER Today 65 / 33 Mostly sunny Saturday 53 / 29 Mostly cloudy with showers Sunday 49 / 26 Showers of rain or snow Full forecast on the back of the B section. The space below will be blank on issues delivered or sold from boxes. The space is for a postage label for issues that are mailed. D.A. to don judge’s robes By Chris Collins BRIEFING The Eagles past presidents club will have a dinner Saturday, Sept. 28 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at 2935 H St. The menu is steal, baked potato, salad, vegetable and a roll for $12. Eagles members and their guests are welcome. Deer-hunting season starts Saturday See Judge/Page 6A S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Alice Marzano portrays a mentally troubled woman during a crisis intervention training for local law en- forcement offi cers Wednesday in Baker City. By Chris Collins ccollins@bakercityherald.com Calvary Baptist Church provided the stage in which scenario-based trainings were acted out Wednesday afternoon in the fi nal phase of a 40-hour Crisis Intervention Training for law enforce- ment and mental health professionals. The training’s main goal is “to sup- port law enforcement professionals in understanding and recognizing a mental health crisis” and to help them consider different ways to respond to achieve the best outcome for commu- nity safety, said Kelli Wright, outpa- tient mental health director for New Directions. “It builds relationships between mental health and law enforcement so that we can respond together in help- ing individuals get the help they need,” she said. During the training, police and mental health workers were confronted with simulated scenarios much like the real situations they face routinely in the community. Glen Smith played the part of an inmate at the Baker County Jail who was depressed and waging a hunger S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Jenny Barrett portrays a homeless mother during crisis training. strike in an attempt to force further investigation of the allegations against him. Smith, who is in long-term recovery, works as a certifi ed peer mentor with recovering addicts and alcoholics at New Directions. He also is in training to become a certifi ed alcohol and drug counselor. In his role as an inmate, Smith was approached in one session by Baker County corrections deputies Matt Rosin and Maya Lefever, and Rachael Garner, a mental health clinician with New Directions Northwest. Garner led the team in speaking calmly to Smith and agreed to help him tell his side of the story of an alleged domestic violence assault, by bringing in an offi cer to photograph his injuries and to make the photos available to his attorney. See Training/Page 2A Former Weekly Newspaper Owner Opens Private Investigation Business Invested in investigations By Jayson Jacoby jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Kerry McQuisten knows the clichés that private investigators are often saddled with. But against the glamorous depic- tions, on screens both big and small, of secret meetings and covert surveil- lance, McQuisten uses a more prosaic analogy to describe an investigator’s work. “I like putting the puzzle pieces to- gether and coming up with the truth,” said McQuisten, a licensed private investigator who recently started her business, Shadow Work Investigations LLC, in Baker City. “I like to have all the answers.” McQuisten, a Baker High School graduate, said she has long been inter- TODAY Issue 60, 14 pages ested in the profession. And she said it was a natural transition from her career as a jour- nalist and newspaper owner. McQuisten published McQuisten the weekly Baker County Press from 2014 through Janu- ary 2018. Working as a private investigator, she said, is “very much like journalism.” “The interviewing techniques are the same,” McQuisten said. “Digging around in public records. It’s a lot of computer work and talking to people. You have to be perceptive and intui- tive.” She said many licensed investigators formerly worked either as journalists Calendar ....................2A Classified ............. 2B-6B Comics ....................... 7B Community News ....3A Crossword ........3B & 5B Dear Abby ................. 8B or as police officers. “It’s the same skill set,” McQuisten said. Although her background is in journalism rather than law enforce- ment, she said that covering police agencies while publishing the Baker County Press gave her a perspective for police work that’s beneficial in her new endeavor. Despite working now on behalf of individual clients rather than a group of readers, McQuisten said it’s equally important to pursue a case, as with a newspaper story, from a neutral perspective. “You’re weighing facts, debunking things in some cases,” she said. See Investigate/Page 6A Horoscope ........3B & 5B Jayson Jacoby ..........4A News of Record ........2A Opinion ......................4A Outdoors ..........1B & 2B Senior Menus ...........2A MONDAY — HIGH SCHOOL WEEKEND SPORTS ROUND UP Baker man dies in crash A 25-year-old Baker City man was killed Wednesday afternoon when the vehicle he was driving went off Highway 7 several miles south of town, hit a rock and rolled into an irriga- tion ditch. Evan Simonski-Davis died in the crash, which happened about 3:30 p.m. near Milepost 44, accord- ing to Oregon State Police. That’s about six miles south of Baker City, where the highway leaves Bowen Valley and enters the Pow- der River Canyon. See Crash/Page 2A Manager: Skeeter season nears end By Jayson Jacoby jjacoby@bakercityherald.com The risk of mosquitoes transmitting West Nile virus has been diminishing recently, and this week- end’s cold, damp weather should accelerate that trend, Baker County’s chief mosquito killer said. “The season’s winding down,” said Matt Hutchin- son, who manages the Bak- er Valley Vector Control District. “Especially with this upcoming cold snap — I think that’s really going to put them to bed for the year.” See Skeeters/Page 6A Sports ........................5A Turning Backs ...........2A Weather ..................... 8B