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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 2019)
LOCAL & STATE FRIDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2019 BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A Murderer could be released PORTLAND (AP) — The Oregon parole board on Thursday signaled support for the eventual release of one of the men convicted in the notorious double murder of a central Oregon couple during a home invasion robbery over three decades ago. The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the Board of Parole and Post-Prison Supervision concluded Mark Wilson, 50, is “likely to be rehabilitated” and scheduled an April hear- ing to determine his projected parole date. The final step involves a separate exit interview when the board will deter- mine whether Wilson will be released. In its rehabilitation finding, the board noted Wilson’s efforts to take part in prison programs, his work record and effort to stay out of trouble. Wilson was 18 when he shot Rod Houser, 53, 20 times with a rifle on the porch of the couple’s Terrebonne house. Co-defendant Randy Guzek shot Lois Houser, 49, with a revolver in the head, heart and stomach after finding her inside the home screaming. Wilson and Guzek then looted the house and made efforts to make it look like a cult killing before fleeing. Wilson confessed to the killing and pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and murder. He was sentenced in 1988 to two consecutive life terms with the possibility of parole. SUMMIT of the Baker City group joining Witty for the trip will be introduced. Continued from Page 1A School District representatives attending “For the potential outcome, I think it’s a include Doug Dalton, Baker Technical In- really good investment,” he said. stitute president; and Baker School Board Witty said about 1,200 people, including directors Julie Huntington, Andrew Bryan state and national legislators, are expected and Kevin Cassidy, who also is the incom- to attend. ing president of the Oregon School Boards The Oregon Legislature’s approval of $2 Association. billion in additional funding for schools in Others include Richard Chaves of the next biennium has brought business Chaves Consulting; Jeff Nelson, Baker interests and schools together at the table. County business adviser for Blue Mountain “Business is supportive and recognizes Community College’s Small Business De- the value of a quality workforce in order to velopment Center; Bryan Tweit, director of be competitive in a global market,” Witty Launch Pad Baker; Chris Knoll, manager said. of the Baker City branch of Umpqua Bank; Baker Technical Institute is an example Les Penning, Lea Gettle, Wayne Overton of how schools can provide students with and Charlene Chase of OTEC; Clint Mor- the skills they need to provide industry rison, plant manager at Behlen Manufac- with a high quality workforce, he said. turing; Martin Arritola, owner of Oregon The superintendent will be a presenter Trail Livestock Supply; Robin Nudd, Baker on a morning panel that will consider the City Human Resources and Community topic: “How Do We Make Our Economy In- Development director; Shelly Cutler, Baker clusive.” Other panel members will be Ru- County Chamber of Commerce director; kaiyah Adams, the Meyer Memorial Trust’s and Courtney Warner Crowell, Gov. Kate chief investment offi cer; Anne Kubisch, The Brown’s Greater Eastern Regional Solu- Ford Family Foundation president; and tions Team coordinator. State Rep. Lynn Carmen Rubio, Latino Network executive Findley, R-Vale, whose district includes director. Ron Saxton, executive vice presi- Baker County, also will join the discussion. dent and general counsel for PeaceHealth, Baker County expects to be designated a nonprofi t healthcare system that serves as one of three pilot projects, with the oth- Oregon, Washington and Alaska, will be ers being established in the Portland Metro the moderator. area and in the Willamette Valley, Witty Witty also is scheduled to lead a dis- said. cussion about how different partners in Regional meetings will be scheduled in a region can work together to improve the coming year to consider ways to “ad- outcomes in their communities. Members vance economic mobility,” he said. “Youʼll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR 225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com The (La Grande) Observer fi le photo A quiet zone for freight train whistles is slated to take effect Dec. 27 in La Grande. La Grande’s quiet zone for trains takes effect Dec. 27 By Sabrina Thompson The (La Grande) Observer LA GRANDE — Life in La Grande is about to get a bit quieter. The city announced the train whistle Quiet Zone will take effect Dec. 27 at 12:01 a.m. “I am ecstatic,” Mayor Steve Clements said after the Dec. 5 city council meet- ing when he announced the approval for the whistle ban. “It shows the commitment of the city, and how when we had something we needed in place, we followed the rules and it got done.” Conversation about the ban on most train whistles goes back to the early 1990s, and the city offi cially began discussions on the matter in the early 2000s, according to Father Hank Albrecht, former pastor of the Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. Strides toward the instal- lation of safety devices and measures required began in 2017, with the completion early this fall. To qualify for a Quiet Zone — in which trains are not required to blow their whistles at traffi c crossings — the intersection of railroad tracks and roadway must be safe enough for vehicles and pedestrians to cross without being warned by a train whistle. To receive Federal Railroad Administration ap- proval, the city installed barriers to prevent cars from going around the arms and made any needed improve- ments within the Quiet Zone — encompassing the crossings at Fir, Greenwood, Cherry, Willow streets and H Avenue. The need for a Quiet Zone has been the subject of much debate. Some long-time residents told The Observer previously they did not see a need for a Quiet Zone, stating they got used to the sound and didn’t notice it. Online, many people posted they would like the whistles to remain, saying the sound doesn’t bother them and they “I am ecstatic. It shows the commitment of the city, and how when we had something we needed in place, we followed the rules and got it done.” — Steve Clements, La Grande mayor are needed for safety reasons. “I lived right next to a train station,” Faith Amanda commented in a previous Observer Facebook post about the Quiet Zone. “I’m so used to the horns, I would hear him everyday at 5 in the morning getting ready to leave. They would blow and blow and blow and never stop. It’s important to have the whistle. It’s for safety, to let people know they’re com- ing. I’ve always loved them. I can still hear them. It may be faint where I live now but I can still hear it and I’ve never stopped loving it.” Others, however, see train whistles as a disruption and an annoyance. Landlords have said they have diffi culty fi nding ten- ants for apartments near the tracks, and visitors have posted online reviews about not being able to sleep with the whistles going off. Calvary Chapel of La Grande sits right against the tracks at 1433 Jefferson Ave. Rob Collins, pastor for the church, said the whistles overpower his sermons at least twice during morning services. “It doesn’t interrupt the fl ow of things,” Collins said. “But we are very excited not to hear it anymore.” Pendleton established a Quiet Zone in the 1970s. Railroad tracks cross city streets at 11 points. The com- munity turned out for public hearings in the early 2000s to keep the whistle ban in place. “In Pendleton you have a train that ran through the middle of the town and Baker City looking into possibility of pursuing quiet zone as well The Baker City Council voted 6-0 on Nov. 12 to fi le a notice of intend to apply for a Quiet Zone designation within the city limits. The decision doesn’t obligate the city to actually fi le an ap- plication or to take any other action, but it is a mandatory fi rst step. A local group, Neigh- bors for a Safer, Quieter and Healthier Baker City, urged councilors to consider fi ling the notice of intent. The group signed a petition signed by more than 230 residents who support a Quiet Zone designation. you’re in a valley, so it echoed like the train was right next to you,” said Phil Houk, former mayor of the town and former risk manager for Union Pacifi c Railroad. “Most people were generally happy about the Quiet Zone.” While reaction has been mixed in La Grande, the city went forward with pursuing the zone. The initial proposal to put four-quadrant gates at three of the crossings would have cost La Grande a minimum of $1.5 million. Further review found ways to reduce costs without compromising public safety. In the end, La Grande shelled out more than $200,000 for the cross- ing improvements. Even with safety improve- ments, Houk said people need to take caution when crossing the tracks. “Trains can’t swerve around you on the tracks,” he said, “and they can’t stop immediately.” Harney County man cited for riding back of mule deer RILEY (AP) — Police say a young man was arrested after he was caught on video riding on the back of a mule deer buck that was trapped in a fenced area in rural eastern Oregon. Oregon State Police say 18-year-old Jacob Belcher of Riley, which is about 23 miles west of Burns, was arrested Friday and charged with wildlife harassment and ani- mal abuse. It wasn’t known if he has a lawyer. Police say someone sent the state police’s Fish and Wildlife division a video of Belcher climbing onto the young mule deer and riding the animal, which appears exhausted. Troopers said the deer makes grunting or bleating sounds throughout the video. After it escaped Belcher, it jumped into a linked fence repeatedly while trying to escape. The deer had been trapped in a fenced feeding enclosure, Photo via Oregon State Police Scene from a video taken of Jacob Belcher, 18, of Riley, near Burns, riding a mule deer buck. police said. It was eventually freed, and police don’t know where the deer is now. Belcher was arrested, and another person who fi lmed the alleged incident was also interviewed. That person may be charged with aiding in a wildlife offense, state police said.
