SATURDAY
BAKER WRESTLERS READY TO COMPETE AT STATE TOURNEY: PAGE A6
In OUTDOORS, B1
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
June 26, 2021
Local • Outdoors • Sports • TV
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Nelson
Clarke of Baker City.
BRIEFING
City cutting back
on irrigation
Baker City is starting
Stage 1 of its four-stage
water curtailment plan
on Monday, June 28 in
response to rising water
use. The city has measured
peak hourly demand at a
rate equivalent to 8 million
gallons used per day. Typi-
cal summer daily usage is
about 4.5 million gallons.
Under Stage 1, the city
reduces water use at city
parks, Mount Hope Cem-
etery and Quail Ridge Golf
Course to 70% of normal.
There are no mandatory
restrictions on residents,
but the city recommends
these water-saving tips:
• Water lawns in the
evening, when evapora-
tion rates are lower.
• Run only full loads in
dishwasher and laundry
• Turn off water while
brushing your teeth
Record heat coming
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
A heatwave that’s underway this
weekend and will extend well into
next week could break multiple
temperature records in Baker City,
including one that’s stood for more
than half a century.
The intrusion of scorching air from
the desert Southwest might also
make this June the hottest on record
here.
Based on forecasts from the Na-
tional Weather Service, the hot spell
is likely to break daily high tempera-
ture records on at least four consecu-
tive days, starting Monday, June 28.
Sunday’s record is in jeopardy as
well.
Here are the daily records from
June 27 through July 1, and the
forecast highs at the airport:
• June 27 — record high, 99
(2015), forecast high, 98
• June 28 — record high, 99
(2015), forecast high, 100
• June 29 — record high, 98
(1976), forecast high, 104
• June 30 — record high, 95
(2008), forecast high, 104
• July 1 — record high, 97 (2013),
forecast high, 102
But this heatwave isn’t threaten-
ing daily records only.
WEATHER
94 / 56
Sunny
Sunday
97 / 60
Sunny
Monday
100 / 63
Sunny
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30
Forecast high: 104
(Record: 98, in 1976)
THURSDAY, JULY 1
Forecast high: 102
(Record: 97, in 2013)
DEQ
fines city
■ City appealing
$8,924 fine for
allegedly failing to
monitor wastewater
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald
Restrooms at Central Park (above) and at Geiser-Pollman Park are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a
shorter period than in the past due to a recent rash of vandalism. Restrooms were closed from June 11-22.
Park Problems
By Jayson Jacoby
Joyce Bornstedt’s capacity to be
shocked by what people will do to
restrooms in Baker City’s two biggest
parks is pretty much exhausted.
So is her patience.
“At this point, nothing surprises
me,” said Bornstedt, the city’s technical
administrative supervisor, a title that
includes overseeing city parks.
A rash of vandalism, including
graffi ti and in one case a person who
pried open a locked door, as well as
other incidents at restrooms in Geiser-
Pollman and Central parks, prompted
Bornstedt to close restrooms in both
parks on June 11.
She said the city reopened restrooms
in both parks on Wednesday, June 23,
but with limited hours. Restrooms will
be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We’re going to try that for a while,”
Bornstedt said.
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald
Sign on the restroom at Baker
See Restrooms/Page A3 City’s Central Park.
The Oregon Department of
Environmental Quality has
issued Baker City a fi ne of
$8,924 for failing to properly
monitor various elements of
the wastewater at the city’s
treatment facility about a
mile north of town.
The city has appealed the
fi ne, and a phone hearing on
the matter is set for July 7,
said Michelle Owen, the city’s
public works director.
The city does not have to
pay any fi ne while the appeal
is pending.
See Appeal/Page A3
OTEC says
outages
possible if
wildfire risk
gets severe
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Baker all-stars win district title
By Jayson Jacoby
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
TUESDAY, JUNE 29
Forecast high: 104
(Record: 98, in 1976)
Rash Of Vandalism Prompts City To Limit Hours For Park Restrooms
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Today
MONDAY, JUNE 28
Forecast high: 100
(Record: 99, in 2015)
See Heat/Page A2
Baker County
Garden Club
to meet June 30
The Baker County
Garden Club will meet
June 30 at 10:30 a.m. for
a brunch and meeting at
the Loennig home, 1638
Broadway St. in Baker City.
It will be hot, so wear your
garden hat.
$1.50
Climbing
Elkhorn
Peak
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Thunder, lightning,
hail, rain and three delays
couldn’t stop the Baker
all-stars from winning the
District 3 championship.
But the stroke of mid-
night almost did, at least
temporarily.
In the end, though, the
team won the title in the
9-11-year-old division
Wednesday night, June 23
at Wade Williams Field in
Baker City.
Baker advances to the
state tournament, which
starts July 17 at Scappoose,
northwest of Portland.
“I’m really proud of these
guys,” said Brandon Briels,
manager of the district-
winning all-star squad.
Baker advanced to the
championship round by
winning three straight
games earlier in the tourna-
ment.
Baker beat Union County
17-4 on June 19, routed La
Grande 20-1 on June 20,
then topped Hermiston 16-6
on June 21.
Pilot Rock, meanwhile,
beat Hermiston 19-5 on
Tuesday, June 22 to advance
to the championship round.
Oregon Trail Electric
Cooperative wants its mem-
bers to know that there is a
potential that the cooperative
will temporarily cut power
this summer to reduce the
risk of power lines sparking
wildfi res.
The Baker City-based
cooperative urges members to
prepare for that possibility.
See Champions/Page A5
See Power/Page A3
From the ice to the sky
■ Wynnae Dyess, formerly a competitive ice-skater,
now teaches people how to fly at the Baker City Airport
By Joanna Mann
jmann@bakercityherald.com
Wynnae Dyess feels the most free in
fl ight.
The 28-year-old fl ight instructor, who
works for Baker Aircraft, the fi xed base
operator at the Baker City Airport,
earned her pilot’s license in Driggs,
Idaho, when she was just 17.
Originally from Jackson, Wyoming,
Dyess lived in Idaho and at Mesa,
TODAY
Issue 20, 12 pages
Arizona, before moving to Baker City in
June 2020.
“Going into school, I thought I was
probably going to be an airline pilot,”
Dyess said. “But now coming here to
Baker, I’ve realized I really liked the
small airplane general aviation stuff
and the more personal connections I
make.”
Calendar ....................A2
Classified ............. B2-B4
Comics ....................... B5
Joanna Mann/Baker City Herald
See Flight/Page A2
Community News ....A3
Crossword ........B3 & B4
Dear Abby ................. B6
Wynnae Dyess is a fl ight instructor for Baker Aircraft.
Horoscope ........B3 & B4
Jayson Jacoby ..........A4
News of Record ........A3
Obituaries ..................A2
Opinion ......................A4
Outdoors ..........B1 & B6
Sports ........................A6
Turning Backs ...........A2
Weather ..................... B6
TUESDAY — EXAMINING APRIL PRESCRIBED FIRE AT PHILLIPS RESERVOIR