Union County Bounty
Discover farms, gardens, orchards and
more at the Farm Crawl on June 27
NORTHEAST OREGON
See page 2
THURSDAY
JUNE 24, 2021
GRANT SUPPORTS CROSSROADS ART CENTER YOUTH CLASSES: PAGE 5A
www.gonortheastoregon.com
Also inside:
Powder River Music Review
Countdown to Chief Joseph Days
Courthouse Concert Series
New Exhibit at Josephy Center
Baker City Cycling Classic
Delaney Paullus/Submitted photo
Erin Lair tends to honeybees on her
Forest Cove Acres cherry orchard.
GO! Magazine
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
June 24, 2021
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Dan Free-
man of Baker City.
BRIEFING
Restrictions
tightening due to
wildfi re threat
Restrictions on chain
saw use, campfi res and
other activities on national
forest and some private
land in Northeastern Or-
egon have taken effect, or
will take Friday, June 25,
due to increasing wildfi re
danger and a forecast for a
record-breaking heat wave
over the next several days.
Starting at midnight Fri-
day, Phase A of public use
restrictions will take effect
on the Wallowa-Whitman
and Umatilla national
forests. Restrictions under
Phase A include:
• Chain saws can’t be
used between 1 p.m. and 8
p.m. The restricted period
is noon to 8 p.m. on land
protected by the Oregon
Department of Forestry.
• Smoking is allowed
only in enclosed vehicles,
buildings or areas cleared
of combustible debris.
• Vehicle travel is al-
lowed on roads or trails
clear of standing grass;
vehicles aren’t allowed on
roads that are blocked by
an earthern berm, logs,
boulders or other bar-
ricades.
• Campfi res should be
in fi re pits surrounded by
dirt or rocks, with fl am-
mable debris cleared with
a three-foot radius.
WEATHER
Today
88 / 54
Sunny
Friday
Local • Business & AgLife • Go! magazine $1.50
COVID cases surging
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker County is in the midst of
its biggest surge in COVID-19 cases
in two months, and most of the
recent infections are in residents 40
or older.
“It is still here, and it is still
spreading,” said Nancy Staten,
director of the Baker County Health
Department. “Some of the people
we’re working with are quite sick,
some are hospitalized.”
Some patients are being treated
at Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-
Baker City, and some in Boise,
Staten said. She didn’t have specifi c
numbers of patients.
Baker County reported 12 cases
on Monday, June 21, and seven
cases on Tuesday, June 22. Monday’s
dozen cases were the most in one
day since April 21, when there were
14 cases.
Prior to the past week or so, the
county’s most recent signifi cant
surge in infections was during the
fi rst three weeks of April.
Between April 22 and June 21,
the county had more than seven
new cases on only one day — May 5,
with 10 cases.
June’s total, through the 22nd, is
60 cases, which is nine more than
were reported during May.
June’s daily average remains well
below that of April, however. June’s
daily average through the 22nd is
2.7 cases per day.
April, with 162 cases, had a daily
average of 5.4. Only December 2020,
with 196 cases, had more.
North Seven Brewing Co. Opens Saturday In Downtown Baker City
See COVID/Page 2A
Suspect
in dog’s
death
not fit
for trial
■ Judge suspends
charges against
Clayton Hickman,
orders counseling
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Joanna Mann/Baker City Herald
Kevin Multop will open his North Seven Brewing Co. brewery and taproom Saturday, June 26.
The Cure For
What Ales You
94 / 57
By Joanna Mann
Sunny
jmann@bakercityherald.com
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Your guide to arts,
entertainment
and other events
happening around
Northeast Oregon
A Baker City man accused
of stealing a family’s dog and
then leaving it to die outside
town last summer is not
mentally able to aid in his
defense on criminal charges,
a judge ruled on Monday,
June 21.
Clayton Carver Hick-
man, 19, is charged with
fi rst-degree theft, a Class C
felony, and two misdemean-
ors, animal abandonment
and second-degree criminal
trespassing.
After a hearing Monday,
Judge Thomas B. Powers,
presiding judge for the 10th
Judicial District of Oregon,
which includes Union and
Wallowa counties, deter-
mined that Hickman lacks
the fi tness to proceed based
on state law.
See Suspect/Page 6A
Baker City’s new brewery will
open Saturday, June 26 as Kevin
Multop’s North Seven Brewing Co.
starts serving a variety of ales on
the fi rst weekend of summer.
North Seven Brewing will have
an invitation-only grand opening
Friday with a ribbon-cutting.
The brewery and taproom, in
the Pythian Castle at 1935 First
St., will be open Saturday from 2
p.m. to 8 p.m. It will also be open
Wednesday through Friday from
4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Minors are wel-
come in the establishment, which
is closed Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday.
Multop has been working on this
project for the past couple of years,
and he’s more than ready to offi -
cially open the doors to the public.
This weekend also happens to
be the Baker City Cycling Classic,
although Multop said it is only a
coincidence that the grand opening
coincides with the annual biking
event.
“I think it’s great that it happens
to be on that weekend,” Multop
said. “My brother-in-law is racing.”
Baker City
manager
discusses
citizen
comments
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Baker City Manager
Jonathan Cannon told city
councilors during their meet-
ing Tuesday evening, June
22, that he had recently re-
viewed a city resolution that
deals with citizen participat-
ing in council meetings.
Cannon said he looked
at Resolution 3882 in part
because there had been
interruptions when residents
have sought to speak to coun-
cilors.
Joanna Mann/Baker City Herald
See Brewing/Page 3A
TODAY
Issue 19, 22 pages
The interior at North Seven Brewing Co.
Business ...........1B & 2B
Calendar ....................2A
Classified ............. 3B-6B
Comics ....................... 7B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........4B & 5B
Dear Abby ................. 8B
Horoscope ................. 6B
Letters ........................4A
See Council/Page 5A
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
Opinion ......................4A
Sports ........................6A
Weather ..................... 8B
SATURDAY — FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR TALKS ABOUT TEACHING PILOTS