SATURDAY
EXPLORING THE CURIOUS PINNACLES OF WOODLEY ROCKS: OUTDOORS, 1B
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
October 3, 2020
Local • Outdoors • TV
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Esa
Murrell of Baker City.
Nation, 6A
WASHINGTON — The
White House said Friday
that President Donald
Trump was suffering “mild
symptoms” of COVID-19,
making the stunning
announcement after he
returned from an evening
fundraiser without telling
the crowd he had been ex-
posed to an aide with the
disease that has killed a
million people worldwide.
$1.50
Classes could start Oct. 14
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
Parents tuning in Wednesday
night for a Zoom livestream meeting
to learn more about when their chil-
dren might return to in-person el-
ementary school classes this month
learned that it will be at least 2 days
later than earlier announced.
The possible opening date is Oct.
14 rather than Oct. 12, Superinten-
dent Mark Witty announced during
a video meeting with more than 60
people during a session that lasted
about an hour and a half.
The reason for that delay is logis-
tics, Witty said.
The Oregon Health Authority col-
lects information about the number
of COVID-19 cases in each county
weekly, said Nancy Staten, Baker
County Health Department director.
Local health department offi cials
then notify the schools of the num-
ber for the preceding week at the
beginning of that next week.
“It became clear we would have to
start on Wednesday, Oct. 14, to know
by Monday (Oct. 12) if we meet the
metrics,” Witty said.
Staten said that on Sept. 6 there
were 12 cases reported, then just
one case on Sept. 13 and four on
Sept. 20.
Baker City Steer Wrestler Jesse Brown Qualifi es For National Finals Rodeo
BRIEFING
Resident offers
$1,000 reward in
recent burglary in
Baker County
A Baker County resident
is offering a $1,000 reward
for credible information
leading to the arrest and
prosecution of burglars
who entered property on
Foothill Road in a rural
area of the county and
took a variety of items.
The Baker County
Sheriff’s Offi ce announced
the reward offer in a press
release issued Wednesday.
The items taken include
fi rearms and related acces-
sories, ammunition and
tools. Anyone with infor-
mation about this incident
is asked to call the Baker
County Sheriff’s Offi ce at
541-523-6415.
in 16th place, $500 out of 15th.
The previous two days he had
competed at Rapid City, South Da-
kota. He won the second round and
claimed $2,010.
That boosted Brown’s season earn-
ings to $39,494.60.
More important, he hoped it was
enough to vault him into 15th place.
He fl ew to Stephenville thinking
he probably had to win some money.
That didn’t happen.
See Brown/Page 3A
See Learning/Page 3A
Ben Lonergan/EO Media Group, File
Jesse Brown leaps from his horse onto a steer during the steer wrestling event at the 2019 Pendleton
Round-Up. Brown won the event and set a new arena record of 3.7 seconds.
Today
82 / 37
By Jayson Jacoby
Sunny
Sunday
80 / 39
Sunny
Monday
77 / 39
Sunny
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
miles and visited several states for
the fi rst time.
Jesse Brown is used to wrestling
He was in Stephenville, Texas.
with several hundred pounds of
Whether Brown, 28, would achieve
uncooperative steer, but it turns out his ultimate goal of qualifying for the
that sitting still and watching his
Super Bowl of rodeo — the National
cellphone can be even more stressful. Finals — depended on what other
And cellphones, as you’ve probably steer wrestlers were doing thousands
noticed, lack horns.
of miles away.
The date was Sept. 26.
Specifi cally, whether they were
Brown, who grew up and lives in
earning money.
Baker City, had wrestled the last
The top 15 steer wrestlers qualify
steer of the last rodeo of a long season for the National Finals.
in which he drove more than 40,000
With two rodeos to go, Brown was
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Early
Learning
Center
to open
Several special events are
scheduled this month to mark
the opening of the Baker
Early Learning Center.
To start, kindergarten teach-
ers will move from the Brook-
lyn Primary School grounds
to the site of the former North
Baker School at 2725 Seventh
St., on Oct. 5, Superintendent
Mark Witty announced in a
press release. The teachers will
begin comprehensive distance
learning with their students
on that date.
An offi cial ribbon cutting
will take place at 10 a.m.
Friday, Oct. 9.
A family drive-thru event
is scheduled the next day, on
Saturday, Oct. 10, from 3:30
p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participating
families are asked to drive
south on Seventh Street from
D Street, then around the
school by turning west on B
Street, then north on Eighth
Street and west again on C
Street.
In-person tours are limited
because of COVID-19 restric-
tions, the press release states.
More information is available
by calling the District Offi ce
at 541-524-2260. The celebra-
tion continues with a drive-in
movie night beginning at 7:30
p.m. Oct. 10 at Baker High
School, 2500 E St. A family
friendly animated fi lm will be
shown.
Fulfilling A Dream
WEATHER
See Schools/Page 2A
‘It was devastating’: Baker firefighters
recount time battling westside blazes
By Jayson Jacoby
“I have seen stuff burn up, structures here and there,
but just the massive amounts ...”
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
If the sign hadn’t survived,
B.J. Lynch wouldn’t have
known the pile of ashes was
once a church.
He couldn’t have known.
One pile of ashes looks
pretty much like another.
The juxtaposition of that
sign, standing beside a build-
ing that no longer existed,
was one of the more poignant
scenes Lynch saw during a
memorable week fi ghting
one of the fi res that ravaged
parts of western Oregon in
early September.
Lynch, who has worked at
the Baker City Fire Depart-
ment for 17 years, accom-
panied by fellow Baker City
TODAY
Issue 62, 12 pages
— B.J. Lynch, Baker City Fire Department, talking about
his experience fi ghting fi res near Estacada in September
Ted Sickinger / The Oregonian/OregonLive
The Riverside fi re leveled the Dodge Community
Church near Estacada in September.
fi refi ghter Andrew Snod-
grass and Richard Cochran,
a volunteer with the Baker
Classified ............. 2B-4B
Comics ....................... 5B
Community News ....3A
Rural Fire District, took
one of the city’s fi re trucks
to Estacada, about 20 miles
Crossword ........2B & 4B
Dear Abby ................. 6B
Horoscope ........2B & 4B
southeast of Portland.
The trio left Baker City on
Sept. 10 and spent the next
week in the Estacada area.
They doused fl are-ups,
cooled hot spots and pa-
trolled fi re lines to prevent
fl ames from crossing roads
and threatening more
homes, businesses and other
structures.
And although they mainly
worked the night shift, the
Baker County residents saw
devastation that shocked
them.
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ..........1B & 6B
Senior Menus ...........2A
“I have seen stuff burn
up, structures here and
there, but just the massive
amounts ...” Lynch, 45, said.
“We saw so many burned out
structures.”
In many cases, he said, the
only recognizable part of the
structure left was a metal
roof resting atop a layer of
ash.
Snodgrass had a unique
perspective among the Baker
City trio.
See Firefi ghters/Page 3A
Sudoku ...................... 5B
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 6B
TUESDAY — BAKER TECHNICAL INSTITUTE’S NEW TRAINING CONTRACT