Baker City herald., January 15, 2020, Page 3, Image 3

COMMUNITY
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2020
SHOOTING
pickup near Bridgeport, south
of Dooley Mountain, and tried
Continued from Page 1A
to stop it.
Duman said Brown showed
Duman said the offi cers
up at the Bureau of Land
followed Greenwood on a short
Management offi ce at 3100
pursuit before Greenwood
H St. claiming that he’d been
decided to travel cross-country
shot in the hand.
and down a ravine in the
Police cordoned off the area four-wheel drive vehicle. The
and began searching for the
deputies watched as Green-
shooter and for a second victim wood later attempted to burn
who Brown said was in a
a rifl e and set the pickup truck
nearby building.
on fi re, Duman said.
Police found Parrish’s body
The Malheur County
in a large warehouse desig-
deputies arrested Greenwood
nated as Building D at the
about 3:34 p.m. Monday in the
northwest end of the property, Mormon Basin area of north-
Duman said.
ern Malheur County south of
Brown had identifi ed Green- Durkee.
wood as the person who shot
The deputies found .45-cali-
him, and Parrish as the other ber ammunition in the pickup
victim, Duman said.
truck, Duman testifi ed.
As part of the investigation,
“That’s the same ammuni-
police received information
tion used to kill Ms. Parrish,”
that a late model standard
Duman told the judge. “One
two-door Toyota pickup truck spent casing was found under
Greenwood was thought to be the victim.”
driving had left the area.
After Duman testifi ed Tues-
An Oregon State Police
day, the judge asked Green-
game offi cer spotted the
wood if he had anything to say
pickup on Dooley Mountain,
regarding his release from jail.
Duman said. Malheur County
Greenwood took the op-
deputies later located the
portunity to ask the court
whether law enforcement had
done a background check on
Brown.
The judge quickly stopped
his conversation.
“You don’t get to ask ques-
tions,” Hung admonished
Greenwood, advising him to
wait to talk to an attorney.
The court staff is seeking
someone with the experience
to handle the defense in a
murder case, Hung said.
Greenwood’s next court
appearance is set for 1:45 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 3.
Duman said after the hear-
ing that the BLM offi ce was
locked down during the police
search of the area, but employ-
ees were not in danger.
Baker City schools also were
not considered to be in harm’s
way because authorities felt
certain that Greenwood had
left the area. And there was no
reason to believe he would ap-
proach a school, Duman said.
Baker School District Super-
intendent Mark Witty said he
relied on communication with
Lance Woodward, the police
department’s school resource
officer, and Duman in weighing
whether to order a lockout at
the schools. Witty decided not
to do so.
“I appreciate having that link-
age with local law enforcement,”
Witty said. “If there had been
any issue from the get-go, we
would have gone to a lockout.”
In that case doors are locked
to prevent anyone from enter-
ing the buildings. And in most
instances, the lockout is imple-
mented at all schools in town,
Witty said.
One parent who heard the
report of the police search on her
personal scanner chose to take
her children out of school, he
said. Otherwise, classes contin-
ued without interruption.
The Major Crime Team,
which includes the Baker City
Police, Oregon State Police and
the Baker County Sheriff’s Of-
fice, was activated and the OSP
crime lab is assisting to process
the scene.
The investigation is continu-
ing and more charges will
be considered after the case
is reviewed by a grand jury,
Baxter said.
COUNCIL
ing now at 13th and K streets,
just west of the Powder River
Correctional Facility.
The health and wellness
center would offer services
including a multi-purpose
basketball court that will also
provide a space for seminars,
weights/cardio equipment
use and storage, fl exibility
to allow dentists, physicians,
or physician assistants to
provide clinics to clients, and
others.
According to a report given
to the council, New Directions
wants to apply for the grant
to build a health and wellness
center in part because “our cli-
ents have very few resources
for physical activity as part of
their treatment.”
Art Shabut, block grant
project manager for the state,
participated in Tuesday’s
meeting via telephone. He
said the city’s role would be to
administer the application for
New Directions.
“That doesn’t mean that the
city has to do all the work,”
Shabut said.
He said the city can use
grant money to hire an ad-
ministrator and hire someone
to direct the environmental
review.
Shari Selander, CEO for
New Directions, said the abil-
ity to include physical activity
for clients can help them dur-
ing treatment for drug and
alcohol addiction.
“It’s very exciting for us
to think that we would be
able to expand the services
that we currently provide to
approximately 2,600 people a
year,” Selander said. “And in
our area we have a huge need
to really be able to focus on
the entire person, not just the
mental health.”
In other business Tuesday,
the Council:
• Endorsed a liquor license
application from Sweet Wife
Baking. Joseph recused him-
self from the matter because
he and his wife are the own-
ers of the business.
• Voted unanimously to
accept a $45,000 technical
assistance grant through the
Department of Land Conser-
vation and Development to do
a housing needs analysis in
the city.
Holly Kerns, director of the
Baker City/County Planning
Department, said the analysis
will help the city make critical
updates to the city’s compre-
hensive plan.
“Part of the Planning De-
partment’s charge is to plan
ahead for the future needs
of our community as well as
look at what’s happening in
the present. And the housing
analysis that is currently in
our comprehensive plan is
dated through 2019,” Kerns
said.
• Authorized Public Works
Director Michelle Owen to re-
allocate $500,000 budgeted to
move a section of the Marble
Springs water supply pipeline
to construction of a different
section of pipeline near the
Elk Creek settling tank.
The Marble Springs
work can’t be done this year
because it depends on the
Forest Service improving the
Marble Creek Pass Road, and
that won’t happen this year.
Reallocating the $500,000 will
allow the city to replace about
3 miles of pipeline this year,
according to a staff report.
In a related matter, the
Council voted unanimously to
send a letter of support to the
Forest Service for the agency’s
plan to improve the Marble
Creek Pass Road. That will
facilitate logging and other
work designed to reduce the
risk of wildfi re in the city’s
watershed. The road passes
through that 10,000-acre
area.
beacons in transmit mode to
help searchers fi nd them in
case of an emergency.
They had been riding for
about an hour and half in a
small basin area and Dustin
and Brad had stopped to talk
for a moment while Kyle and
Rick continued ahead. The
two heard Kyle’s call of “ava-
lanche,” the same call Kyle
had heard from Rick, who was
riding ahead, just moments
earlier.
The three arrived in the
area where Rick had been
caught in the avalanche
within seconds.
By turning their avalanche
beacons to search mode they
were able to quickly locate the
spot where Rick disappeared.
There was no sign of him or
his snowmobile in the deep
snow.
The men then used their
avalanche probes, poles about
10 feet long, to punch through
the snow at the site where
their beacons had directed
them.
They used their shovels
to dig and they located Rick
within 10 to 15 minutes. He
was unresponsive when they
got him to the surface, Dustin
and Brad said.
They began CPR, continu-
ing for some time until night-
fall approached. Kyle eventu-
ally took Dustin’s cellphone
to an area where service was
available to call for help.
Dustin said the men were
hopeful for a good outcome
for Rick, but it wasn’t to be.
He believes there’s noth-
ing that they could have
done differently. They were
well-prepared, trained and
had the proper equipment
that allowed them to success-
fully fi nd Rick, precautions he
hopes other less experienced
snowmobilers will consider
when they head to the moun-
tains.
“We all go prepared, we
always have,” he said.
Dustin brought Rick’s body
down from the mountain on
his snowmobile. The four were
met by Search and Rescue
Team members who had
assembled at the trailhead to
offer assistance.
The three men knew
their knowledge of the area
and their experience riding
through the mountains was
vital to bringing Rick out that
night.
“There was never an option
of leaving him there,” Dustin
said.
Rick is survived by his
wife, Ashley, and their three
children: Rev, 7; Della, 6; and
Riki, 3.
Friends have established
the Rick Stephens Memorial
Fund through US Bank for
their benefi t.
A Go Fund Me account ti-
tled “Support for the Stephens
Family” had collected more
than $21,000 by Tuesday
morning, exceeding its goal
of $10,000. To donate, go to
gofundme.com and search for
the title.
Friends also have mounted
a “Meal Train” campaign to
provide food for the fam-
ily in the weeks ahead. An
outpouring of support at the
mealtrainplus website shows
people signed up through
most of February and into
March to provide meals. To
join that effort, go to www.
mealtrain.com/trains/ze5nne
There will be a visitation for
Rick Stephens from noon to
3 p.m. Friday at Gray’s West
& Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500
Dewey Ave. His memorial
service will take place at the
old North Powder School gym-
nasium on Saturday, Jan. 18,
at 1 p.m. Following the service
there will be a reception in the
gym. In lieu of fl owers, friends
who would like to make a do-
nation are encouraged to do so
to the Rick Stephens Memo-
rial Fund. To light a candle for
Rick or to share a memory or
condolence with his family, go
to www.graywestco.com
Continued from Page 1A
He moved to La Grande in
1984 and served two terms on
the Island City Council.
After retiring from a
40-year career as a teacher,
including fi ve years at Baker
Middle School, Morrison
returned to Baker City.
“I have nothing special I
want to work on, I just had
some time, I thought I’d give
back a little bit to the place
I grew up in,” Morrison said
Tuesday.
Block grant application
In other business Tues-
day, the City Council voted
unanimously to proceed with
New Directions Northwest’s
request that the city sponsor
New Directions’ application
for a $1.5 million federal Com-
munity Development Block
Grant to build a health and
wellness center in Baker City.
The Council will schedule a
public hearing on the project.
Andi Walsh, grant writer
and public relations manager
for New Directions, said the
health and wellness center
would be built next to the
outpatient services facility
that New Directions is build-
RICK
Continued from Page 1A
The four head for the Elk-
horns year round in pursuit of
adventures in their time away
from their day jobs.
Rick was a farmer, Dustin
is a helicopter pilot for Baker
Aircraft, Brad is a represen-
tative for the Hytorc bolting
company and Kyle is a shop
foreman for Pioneer Construc-
tion.
In all their years together
the four had never had a riff
between them, the cousins
said.
They relied on each other
as they pursued their love
of the outdoors together and
were prepared for any emer-
gency that might befall them,
Dustin Stephens said.
As they do on every snow-
mobiling trip, the four carried
their avalanche preparedness
backpacks that included bea-
cons, which can guide rescu-
ers to their position if they’re
caught in a slide, as well as
probes to locate a victim and
shovels to dig out a person
caught by an avalanche.
The quartet left Rick’s
house about noon Saturday
and made their way to the
trailhead. Before they started
riding, as they always do, the
four activated their avalanche
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BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
L OCAL B RIEFING
Rotary Club looking for group to help
The Baker City Rotary Club has about $2,000 avail-
able to help a local group or organization.
The money could be used in any of six areas:
• Peace and confl ict prevention/resolution.
• Disease prevention and treatment.
• Water and sanitation.
• Maternal and child health.
• Basic education and literacy.
• Economic and community development.
Applications are due by Feb. 29, and should be ac-
companied by an essay of no more than 1,000 words
explaining the project and including the following:
1. Which of the six areas of focus would be impacted with
our donation to your organization?
2. How can Rotary members be included in the process of
using the funds donated?
3. How do you plan to leverage our donation to help you ac-
complish the most possible? One example might include ask-
ing Leo Adler Foundation to match the funds that we donate.
4. What will your specifi c plans be for the use of the funds?
5. How will this improve our community?
6. What will your organization do to make sure Baker City
Rotary Club is recognized within the community for our impact
to your project?
7. Would your organization be willing to help Baker City
Rotary staff fundraising events within our community if you
are awarded this grant?
8. Your contact information.
Applications can be mailed to Baker City Rotary
Club, P.O. Box 1011, Baker City, OR 97814.
ACTRESS
Continued from Page 1A
Ruda appears by the name Kelly Mumme in the
fi lm credits. She plays the character of Stella Taylor.
Ruda grew up in Florida on a horse ranch in a small
beach town.
“I grew up surfi ng and riding horses,” she said.
Her acting career started early.
“I was the blue crayon in kindergar-
ten,” she said with a laugh during a
telephone interview.
In fourth grade she portrayed Clark in
the Lewis and Clark musical, and later
Alice in Alice in Wonderland. She acted
Ruda
in community theater and musicals, and
her fi rst job was appearing in “From
Justin to Kelly” (a fi lm about “American
Idol” stars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini).
After graduating from Florida State University
with a degree in journalism and communications,
Ruda joined the AmeriCorps program Teach for
America aimed at closing the achievement gap in low-
income areas.
She spent two years teaching middle school in
Hawaii.
“I loved it,” she said.
Afterward, she spent a year and a half reporting
news and traffi c for a Hawaiian television station.
And she kept acting, landing a role in “Hawaii Five-
O.”
She moved to Los Angeles and that’s where she met
Jesse Ruda, who was born in Baker City and is also
an actor.
While in LA, she’s landed roles in “House of Cards,”
“Veep,” and “General Hospital.”
“Just Mercy” was fi lmed in Atlanta.
“The whole art is the story that it tells,” she said. “I
like the impact stories can have.”
As an actor, she gets to see movies from the fi lming
side with multiple takes and angles for scenes. When
she sees the movie in a theater, she said she enjoys
seeing how the technical pieces came together to cre-
ate a feature fi lm.
“I like to watch the process and see how it comes to
fruition,” she said.
She enjoys the production side of the industry, and
is currently working as a video producer for LinkedIn.
“For me, I really enjoy the challenge of other ca-
reers,” she said.
As for her acting, she enjoys sharing stories with
the world.
“I love the creativity, community, and stories we get
to tell,” she said.
Call today to connect with a
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