SPORTS A5
SPORTS A6
Baker boys can’t hold leads against Junction
City, Philomath, bow out of state tourney
Baker girls rebound from loss to Corbett to
beat Cascade, will play for 4th-place trophy
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • OUTDOORS & REC • SPORTS
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
Sex abuse
suspect
might not
be able to
attend trial
Spring forward
Remember to set your clocks
ahead one hour before going
to bed Saturday:
QUICK HITS
—————
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
Bill David Gonyer
is being treated
for cancer
A special good day to
Herald subscriber David
McCoy of Baker City.
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
BRIEFING
—————
Fair Board meeting
March 15
The Baker County Fair Board
will have its regular monthly
meeting Tuesday, March 15, at
6 p.m. at 2600 East St.
Baker County United
plans rally March 17
Baker County United is plan-
ning “freedom rallies” on the
third Thursday of each month
at 5 p.m. at the Sunridge, 1
Sunridge Lane. The public is
invited. The next event is set
for Thursday, March 17.
Workshop on trimming,
pruning fruit trees
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald
Ranchers gathered in the sale barn at Harrell Hereford Ranch near Baker City for the annual spring sale on Monday,
March 7, 2022.
BIDDINGon beef
Harrell Hereford Ranch has its 43rd-annual spring sale
The OSU Extension Master
Gardeners program will offer
a workshop on trimming and
pruning fruit trees on Satur-
day, March 26, from 9 a.m.
to 3 p.m. at the Baker County
Event Center, 2600 East St.
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
W
ith sunshine bringing a bit of
late winter warmth to Baker
Valley on Monday morning,
March 7, it was a perfect day for the 43rd-
annual Harrell Hereford Ranch sale.
WEATHER
—————
Today
51/33
Sunny
Sunday
45/27
Rain showers
Monday
46/37
Rain showers
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022 • $1.50
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald
The Harrell Hereford Ranch had its 43rd-annual spring
sale on Monday, March 7, 2022, at the ranch along Salmon
Creek Road northwest of Baker City.
The lowing of cattle and the whinnying of horses was
joined by the eager chatter of ranchers from all over the
country as they mingled together, examining the bulls,
heifers and horses that would go on the auction block.
The sale includes bulls, heifers and, for the 24th straight
year, Harrell-Mackenzie quarter horses.
The aromas of fresh hay and wood chips mingled with
the smoky scent of barbecued tri-tip greeted the Harrells’
visitors. Laughter and comments of “such a nice day”
drifted among the gates and barns as a couple hundred
people enjoyed a lunch prior to the sale.
Mingling among the distinctively colored red-and-
white Herefords, Dan Forsea, a rancher from Richland,
was looking for a bull or two.
“They’ve got good quality cattle. Keep getting better all
the time,” Forsea said of the Harrells’ offerings.
A trial has been set for May for a
Baker County man arrested more than
two years ago on
charges that he sexually
abused a child.
But Bill David Go-
nyer, 75, is undergo-
ing treatment for can-
cer and it’s not clear
whether he will be
physically able to at-
Gonyer
tend a trial.
Gonyer’s attorney, Damien Yervasi
of Baker City, wrote in an email to the
Baker City Herald on Thursday, March
10, that “it’s hard to tell at this point”
whether Gonyer could participate.
“It all depends on how he’s doing be-
tween now and then,” Yervasi wrote.
Baker County District Attorney
Greg Baxter said on Thursday, March
10, that he will be prepared for a trial
in May, but that he’s aware of Gonyer’s
medical situation.
“I know Mr. Gonyer is ill and is get-
ting treatment,” Baxter said.
See, Suspect/Page A3
Man gets 56
months for
burglary,
thefts
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
A Baker City man who was arrested
in November 2021 and accused of
stealing items from outside Baker City
homes and from several unlocked ve-
hicles has pleaded guilty to several
crimes and been sentenced to more
than four years in prison.
See, Herefords/Page A2
See, Prison/Page A3
Council concerned about N. Baker street plan
land to the south, on the lot
occupied by the Oregon De-
The Baker City Council
partment of Forestry and Or-
has concerns about the North
egon Department of Fish and
Baker Transportation Im-
Wildlife.
provement Project after hear-
“They’ve got enough room,”
ing from a local farmer who
Ingram told councilors.
would lose part of his field
He also suggested the city
based on a proposed redesign
consider adding a traffic signal
of the intersection at Pocahon-
at the intersection, at an esti-
tas Road and 10th Street.
mated cost of $600,000.
Councilors were scheduled
“You get somebody hurt
to approve the first reading of
or killed and there’s a law-
an ordinance for the project
suit, $600,000 will look pretty
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald cheap,” Ingram said.
during their meeting Tuesday
This view from a drone shows the intersection of 10th Street,
night, March 8.
He said there are cyclists,
But councilors declined to
people jogging, and traffic
Hughes Lane (to the right) and Pocahontas Road (to the left). Jim
do so.
that doesn’t need to be there
Ingram, who owns the field at the upper right of the photo, is
Instead, they scheduled a
on Hughes Lane, as there are
concerned about losing some of his property due to a redesign of
work session on the topic be- the intersection.
other places people can go to
fore their regular meeting on
jog or walk.
March 22.
“I’m perfectly happy with
He said he’s not opposed
He said when commercial
During a public hearing
what’s inside my boundary
to the construction of a right
vehicles and kids and people
Tuesday night, Jim Ingram,
and I farmed it for 40 years
turn lane for traffic turn-
share a road, somebody is go-
who owns farmland that starts and I don’t want to mess with ing onto Highway 30 north-
ing to get hurt.
at the northeast corner of the it. I don’t think it’s necessary,” bound, but he thinks there’s
“And as far as that inter-
intersection, told councilors
Ingram said.
enough space if the Oregon
section, it needs a light, and
he doesn’t want to lose any of
It’s not clear based on the
Department of Transporta-
then you’ll still be taking a life
his property due to the inter- proposal how much land In-
tion (ODOT), which is spear- in your hands, even with the
section redesign.
gram would lose.
heading the project, would use lights. Because no matter how
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 127
12 pages
Classified ....................B2-B4
Comics ..............................B5
Community News.............A2
Crossword ...............B2 & B4
Dear Abby .........................B6
Horoscope ..............B2 & B4
Jayson Jacoby ..................A4
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
Opinion .............................A4
Outdoors ...........................B1
Senior Menus ...................A2
many lights you put up, or
how much stuff, or how many
margins, people aren’t paying
attention and somebody’s go-
ing to get hurt,” Ingram said.
The proposal doesn’t call
for a traffic light at the inter-
section.
Rather, the existing stop
signs (for east-west traffic
crossing 10th Street) could be
replaced with stop signs lined
with flashing red lights (sim-
ilar to ones at several other
intersections in town) or a
crosswalk with user-activated
flashing lights similar to the
one on Campbell Street at the
Powder River.
Councilor Joanna Dixon
asked Ingram how much it
would cost to move his irriga-
tion system if part of his land
was used in the redesign.
Ingram said it would cost
thousands of dollars, as he
would have to move a section
of a buried irrigation pipe.
See, Street Plan/Page A3
Sports ..................... A5 & A6
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B6