SATURDAY
HEALTH, 2B
PEDALING TOWARD SPRING, 1B
FOR HEALTHY HEARTS
In SPORTS, 6A
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
February 22, 2020
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Dean
Guyer of Baker City.
BRIEFING
Library boardwalk
closed for repairs
Starting Monday, Feb.
24, the pathway on the
east side of the library,
2400 Resort St. will be
closed south of the foot-
bridge for reconstruction
of the boardwalk. Visitors
can detour through the
park or on Resort Street.
The work is expected to
take up to 3 weeks.
Local • Health & Fitness • Outdoors • TV
$1.50
Merkley has town hall
■ Senator fielded
questions on
climate change,
gun rights,
Electoral College
and other topics
Thursday
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Calling the event a “great American
tradition” and a “good antidote to the
friction in our society,” U.S. Sen. Jeff
Merkley spoke to about 60 people
Thursday at the Baker City Senior
Center.
Merkley, Oregon’s junior senator to
fellow Democrat Ron Wyden, spent
most of the hour-long town hall, which
started at 4:30 p.m., fi eld-
ing questions on topics
that included climate
change, the homeless, rural
health care, the Second
Amendment and plastics
Merkley
recycling.
Baker City Mayor Loran
Joseph introduced Merkley, noting that
the senator has at least one town hall in
each of Oregon’s 36 counties every year.
Merkley opened the town hall by in-
troducing Shari Selander, CEO of New
Directions Northwest, and lauding the
work the Baker City organization does
with drug and alcohol addiction and
mental health treatment. New Direc-
tions also runs the drug and alcohol
treatment program at Powder River
Correctional Facility in Baker City.
Baker Middle School will
have a Spring Carnival on
Thursday, March 5, from
6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Students
are now selling raffl e tick-
ets for the carnival. Raffl e
prizes have been donated
by area businesses. Tickets
can be purchased from
any BMS student or at
the BMS Offi ce. Winners
will be announced at the
Carnival or contacted by
phone. You do not need to
be present to win. Funds
raised through this event
help fund arts, humani-
ties, fi eld trips, physical
education, improved
technology, music, and
other programs with
limited funding. For more
information contact BMS
at 541-524-2500.
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
No parking spots were
open around City Hall
and a standing-room-
only crowd gathered in
the Council Chambers
when the Baker School
Board met there Thurs-
day night.
The board fi rst rec-
ognized Randy Dodson,
owner of Ryder Bros.
Stationery Store as an
“Outstanding Com-
munity Partner” for his
dedication to helping
Baker schools through
his business.
See Board/Page 5A
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald
Sgt. Wayne Chastain talks about the Baker City Police Department's latest acquisition, an SUV designed to
accommodate Capa, the department’s drug-detecting dog.
Today
48 / 28
Sunny
Sunday
51 / 28
Rain showers
Capa’s New Ride
47 / 24
Mostly cloudy
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
A new “K9 limousine” was delivered to the Baker
City Police Department this month that will allow
Capa, its highly prized drug-detecting dog, to travel
in style.
The shiny black 2020 Chevrolet Tahoe SUV pro-
vides more room for the German shepherd/Belgian
Malinois cross, who’ll turn 6 next month, to stretch
out and get comfortable when he’s not actively
working a case, says his chauffeur and handler for
the past four years, Sgt. Wayne Chastain, 44.
Capa’s new ride replaced the former K9 patrol
vehicle, a 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe.
The new Tahoe matches the department’s three
newest patrol cars (two of which arrived in Janu-
ary). The Chevy Tahoe and the matching black
Dodge Chargers (two 2020 models and one 2019)
bear decals designed for the department by Oregon
Trail Sign Co. of Baker City.
The vehicles were modifi ed with police equipment
by Emergency Respond Systems, a Nampa, Idaho,
company, said Police Chief Ray Duman.
The 2019 patrol car was purchased outright for
$32,993, said Jeannie Dexter, the city’s fi nance
director. The other two patrol cars were bought on
the lease-to-purchase plan at $10,932.50 per year
for four years.
None of the expense of the new K9 vehicle was
paid with taxpayer money, a testimony to the re-
gion’s appreciation for the services of the K9 team,
Duman says.
Instead, the lease-to-buy fi nance plan, payments
of $20,969.82 for three years for the Chevy Tahoe,
was funded by money raised during the annual
BCPD K9 Drug Prevention Fundraiser, an annual
banquet and auction of items donated by area busi-
nesses and other sponsors.
TODAY
Issue 132, 14 pages
Calendar ....................2A
Classified ............. 3B-6B
Comics ....................... 7B
Taxi
service
coming
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Baker City will not be
without a taxi service
much longer. Stephanie
and David Sanders
have been working since
January to open their
business by March 15
— just in time for St.
Patrick’s Day.
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
Monday
See Merkley/Page 3A
5J board
honors
Randy
Dodson
Baker City Police Department’s Newest Vehicle
BMS spring
carnival raffl e
tickets for sale
WEATHER
District
hoops
See Taxi/Page 5A
Zoning
changes
proposed
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald
Capa leaps from the new SUV and jumps back inside
upon command from Sgt. Wayne Chastain.
The most recent event, which took place on Dec. 14, 2019,
raised $45,000 to help pay expenses for the K9 program and
to maintain the vehicle.
Minus the fi rst lease payment for the new vehicle, the fund-
raising account totaled $67,530 as of Wednesday, Dexter said.
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........5B & 6B
Dear Abby ................. 8B
See Capa/Page 5A
Horoscope ........5B & 6B
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ................... 1B
TUESDAY — WEEKEND HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ROUND UP
The Baker City-Coun-
ty Planning Department
has scheduled a pair of
open houses to outline
proposed changes to
Baker City’s development
code and zoning map.
The fi rst open house
is set for Monday, Feb.
24 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30
p.m. at City Hall, 1655
First St.
The second event will
take place Wednesday,
March 4, also from 5:30
p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at City
Hall.
See Zoning/Page 2A
Senior Menus ...........2A
Sports .............. 5A & 6A
Weather ..................... 8B