A2 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022
Local
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
March 14, 1972
Members of the Civic Improvement Committee of the
Chamber of Commerce were told yesterday that they were
on the right track in pursuing a mall for Main Street.
City manager Vern Jacobson told the group that the
mall would alleviate a parking problem which presently
exists and it would provide a logical solution to bringing
traffi c back into the downtown area.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 14, 1997
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management today
announced a fee schedule for the Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center.
The BLM will begin charging fees at the center June 1.
Admission has been free since the center opened May 23,
1992.
Fees will be higher during what the BLM calls the
“full-service” season — Feb. 1 through Nov. 30. During
that 10-month period, the basic admission fee will be
one of the following, whichever is less: $10 per private,
non-commercial vehicle with 10 or fewer people, or a per-
person fee based on age.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 14, 2012
Efforts to sell one of the Baker School District’s surplus
buildings is getting an assist from the city’s Economic
Development Council.
School Board member Andrew Bryan and Doug Dalton,
the district’s chief fi nancial offi cer, have met twice with
Greg Smith, Baker County Economic Development director,
to solicit advice and suport about how to proceed toward
fi nding a buyer for the historic school building.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
March 16, 2021
A Missoula, Montana, man is in the Baker County
Jail on multiple charges after he drove the wrong way on
Interstate 84 and collided with an Oregon State Police
trooper who was trying to fi nd the wrong-way driver Friday
afternoon, March 12.
Sr. Trooper Andrew McClay was evaluated at Saint
Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City and released,
according to an OSP press release.
The driver, Logan Raye Clinkenbeard, 28, sustained
minor injuries and was treated at the hospital.
Clinkenbeard is charged with second-degree attempted
assault, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.
The incident started just before 2 p.m. on March 12
when OSP dispatch received multiple 911 calls about a
car traveling west in the freeway’s eastbound lanes at
Milepost 342, near Huntington about 38 miles east of
Baker City.
In his report, McClay wrote that he was just passing
Milepost 327 in the eastbound lanes when the vehicle, a
gray Toyota Camry sedan, “was traveling towards me at a
very high rate of speed.”
McClay wrote in his report that he “rammed the vehicle
to get it off the roadway.”
Both Clinkenbeard’s car, and the OSP Ford SUV
McClay was driving, sustained signifi cant damage
from the collision, and both were towed, according to
McClay’s report.
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SENIOR MENUS
WEDNESDAY (March 16): Pork tips over noodles, mixed
vegetables, rolls, green salad, lemon square
THURSDAY (March 17): Corned beef and cabbage, red
potatoes, baby carrots, rolls, pea-and-onion salad, tapioca
FRIDAY (March 18): Meatloaf, mashed potatoes with gravy,
rolls, green beans, coleslaw, cheesecake
MONDAY (March 21): Hot turkey sandwiches, mashed
potatoes with gravy, mixed vegetables, green salad, cookies
TUESDAY (March 22): Ground beef steak with onions, au gratin
potatoes, green beans and tomatoes, rolls, ambrosia brownies
WEDNESDAY (March 23): Chicken fried steak, mashed
potatoes with gravy, carrots, rolls, carrot-raisin salad, pudding
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older), $7.50
for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
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Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101
(P.O. Box 807), Baker City, OR 97814.
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the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2022
Gas prices soar as Russian
invasion in Ukraine continues
BY ALEX WITTWER
EO Media Group
LA GRANDE — Gas prices
are soaring to record highs
amid the Russian invasion of
Ukraine, sparked by fears that
NATO countries may begin
enacting additional sanctions
against Russian crude oil.
In the United States, Pres-
ident Joe Biden announced a
ban on Russian oil on Tuesday,
March 8.
Crude oil prices briefly sky-
rocketed to more than $130 a
barrel on March 8, the highest
it’s been since 2008, and nearly
doubling since December.
Oregon has seen gas prices
rise to more than $4.50 a gal-
lon, while some areas of Port-
land have sold gas as high as
$6 a gallon. Diesel prices have
risen above $5 a gallon.
“I just came from Arizona,
and this is the highest price
I’ve seen for diesel,” said Di-
ane Miller, a competitive barrel
racer who was traveling home
to Moses Lake, Washington, af-
ter a three-week trip to Arizona.
Miller paid more than $140
to fill up half a tank of diesel at
the Chevron station in Island
City on March 10. She said
that she’s able to afford the in-
creased costs at the pump, but
she knows several people who
aren’t. Miller said she will have
to pay for more expensive die-
sel prices all summer as she
competes in barrel racing com-
petitions.
“It’s definitely hard on Amer-
ica,” Miller said. “It’s a bad deal,
and I don’t think it would be
this way if (President Donald)
Trump would have stayed in.”
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group
Diane Miller replaces a diesel fuel pump nozzle Thursday, March 10, 2022, at a Chevron gas station in Island
City. Miller paid more than $140 to fill up half a tank. She said she was lucky to be able to afford the fuel
and noted many people she knew would not be able to pay for the increased prices.
tive drilling rigs plummeted
from 700 in January 2020 to
approximately 200 rigs ac-
cording to reporting by The
New York Times.
Prices for gas in spring 2020
went down drastically, with
gas prices falling below $2 a
gallon nationally for the first
time in decades.
“In the spring of 2020 it was
incredible; we saw demand
for oil and gas fall to dramati-
cally low levels that we hadn’t
seen since the 1960s,” Dodds
said. “And now here we are,
two years later, and people
are returning to their normal
routines, going back to work,
going back to school. We are
Geopolitical risk
consuming more gas around
According to the U.S. En-
the globe, but the produc-
ergy Information Agency, the
tion is not back where it was
geopolitical risk related to
pre-pandemic. Production
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
hasn’t kept up, so that’s the
has contributed to higher
main driver of higher prices.”
As the price of gas rises,
and more volatile crude oil
manufacturing businesses are
prices. But Russia’s oil foot-
Two records, two years
faced with the tough choice of
print on the U.S. market is
At the start of the
having to increase prices to off-
minimal; less than 10% of the
set transportation costs. Patrick
U.S. demand for oil is filled by COVID-19 pandemic, oil
Russian suppliers, or approx- prices fell to their lowest price Raimondo, plant manager for
Behlen Country in Baker City,
imately 600,000-800,000 bar- in history, reaching negative
values in April 2020. That
said the company is waiting for
rels per day, according to J.P.
spurred producers to cut out- a few weeks to decide how to
Morgan. In comparison, the
put as oil tankers sat outside
handle the cost increases.
U.S. produces nearly 12 mil-
“As of right now we’re hold-
lion barrels per day domesti- ports, unable to offload their
ing off on doing any surcharges
cally, according to the Amer- oil shipments. In the U.S.,
thousands of oil workers were for our customers,” Raimondo
ican Fuel and Petrochemical
Manufacturers trade associa- laid off, and the number of ac- said. “As these prices increase,
tion. Still, the U.S. is a net im-
porter of oil.
It has left many at the pump
wondering why exactly gas
prices have risen so dramati-
cally.
“The U.S. does not get a lot
of oil from Russia,” said Marie
Dodds, director of government
and public affairs at AAA Or-
egon/Idaho. “Only about 3%
of our imported oil (8% of our
imported oil and refined prod-
ucts) last year came from Rus-
sia, but Europe gets a lot of oil
from Russia, roughly 25%, so
any time you take a big chunk
of supplies away, it sends prices
higher. It’s basically supply and
demand, as we learned back
in economics 101. When you
have a major global producer
of oil, Russia, and its product is
taken off the global markets, all
of the sudden you have to look
around and figure out where
that oil is going to come from.”
News of Record
DEATHS
Florence (Flo) Marks: 96, of Halfway,
died peacefully on Jan. 27, 2022, after a
brief illness. A celebration of Flo’s life will
take place Thursday, March 17, at 2 p.m.
at the VFW Hall, 45875 Highway 12 spur
in Halfway, with a reception to follow.
Donations in Flo’s memory can be made
to the Halfway VFW through Tami’s
Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation
Services, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.
Online condolences can be made at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Jimmy Dale Evarts: 79, of Baker City, died
March 13, 2022, at his residence. He will be
interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in the
Veterans section, and a celebration of life
with military honors will be held, the date
and time to be announced soon. To leave
an online condolence for Jimmy’s family,
go to www.grayswestco.com.
FUNERAL PENDING
Agnes Bird: A celebration of Agnes’
life and graveside service will take
place Saturday, May 21, at 1 p.m. at
Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. A
reception will follow immediately at the
Halfway Lions Hall. Those who would
like to make a donation in memory of
Agnes can do so to the Hells Canyon
Junior Rodeo through Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home & Cremation Services,
P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834. Online
condolences can be made at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
CONTEMPT OF COURT (Baker County
Justice Court warrant): Trevor James Heath,
26, Baker City, 8:53 a.m. Friday, March 11, at
13th and K streets; cited and released.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office
Arrests, citations
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
Baker County prices
below state average
Baker County’s average
price for a gallon of regular
unleaded gas was $4.57 on
Monday, March 14. That was
about 18 cents per gallon
below the statewide average
of $4.73, according to AAA
of Oregon/Idaho, and the
fifth-lowest among Oregon’s
36 counties. Morrow County
had the lowest average at
$4.40, followed by Umatilla
at $4.41, Malheur at $4.44
and Gilliam at $4.49.
The national average on
Monday was $4.32.
it is going to affect us down the
road, just from the additional
costs. We’re just trying to see
how it goes over the next cou-
ple of weeks and having con-
versations and open communi-
cations with our customers just
to make sure we’re all on the
same page.“
A global economy
The U.S. has continued to
bring oil rigs back online. By
January 2021, 374 rotary rigs
were operating in the United
States, according to the EIA.
By Dec. 31, in response to ris-
ing prices, that number rose
to 586. That’s still a far cry
from the 700 rigs operating
pre-pandemic.
INTOXICANTS: Heather Dawn Torres, 45,
La Grande, 10:55 p.m. Saturday, March 12,
in Halfway.
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
INTOXICANTS: Morgan Marie Johnson,
29, Baker City, 11:09 p.m. Friday, March 11,
in Haines.
St. Stephen’s Preschool
Registration for 2022-23
2177 First St.
Baker City
Enter on parking lot side
Friday, April 8, 4-7 p.m. and
Saturday, April 9, 9-noon
Call 541-523-4812 or 541-519-4526
for more information
• Lumber
• Plywood
• Building Materials
• Hardware
• Paint
• Plumbing
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And much more!
3205 10th Street
Baker City
541-523-4422
Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
Saturday 8 am - 5 pm
Closed Sun
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
FOURTH-DEGREE ASSAULT: Joshua
Michael Francis, 27, Haines, 10:39 a.m.
Sunday, March 13, at the police
department; cited and released.
CONTEMPT OF COURT (Baker County
Justice Court warrant): Chris David
Goodnature, 46, Baker City, 12:02 a.m.
Sunday, March 13, at Campbell and Grove
streets; cited and released.
CONTEMPT OF COURT, PROBATION
VIOLATION (Baker County warrants):
Kyle Ryan Bork, 22, Baker City, 3:18 p.m.
Saturday, March 12, in the 700 block of
Campbell Street;
PROBATION VIOLATION (Baker County
Circuit Court warrant): Maria Everson
Collard, 22, Baker City, 9:58 a.m. Saturday,
March 12, at 10th and H streets; jailed.
FAILURE TO APPEAR (out-of-county
warrant): Barry Leon Richards, 58, Chinook,
Washington, 10:40 p.m. Friday, March 11,
in the 200 block of Campbell Street; cited
and released.
CONTEMPT OF COURT (Baker County
Justice Court warrant): Stacy Lee
Lindstrom, 42, Baker City, 9:34 a.m. Friday,
March 11, at the police department; cited
and released.
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com
Baker City's
Newest Brewery
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Wed-Fri 4pm to 8pm
Sat 2pm to 8pm
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