HOME & LIVING B1
LOCAL A2
Flavors from the heart:
Sampling the cuisine of Ukraine
How community health workers
help local families
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • HOME & LIVING • SPORTS
QUICK HITS
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Gail
Chapman of Baker City.
BRIEFING
—————
March 31 last legal day
to use studded tires
Oregon’s legal studded tire
season continues through
March 31. Starting April 1,
it’s illegal to drive a vehicle
equipped with studded tires.
Drivers with studded tires on
their vehicles after the March
31 deadline can be charged
by law enforcement with a
Class C traffi c violation.
Lenten Retreat at
St. Francis de Sales
Cathedral
St. Francis de Sales
Cathedral Parish is present-
ing a Lenten Retreat with
Fr. Bailey Clemons, starting
with Stations of the Cross on
Friday, April 1 at 5 p.m. and
continuing on Saturday, April
2 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If
you would like to attend, call
the St. Francis parish offi ce
at 541-523-4251 or email to
offi ce@sfdsc.org.
Youth track program
returning
The Baker High School
track team will again offer
a youth track program for
children from kindergarten to
sixth grade. The fi rst practice
is April 5, from 5:30 p.m. to
6:30 p.m. Practices will be
held Tuesdays, and meets on
Thursdays. The fi rst meet is
April 14, and the last one is
May 5.
The cost is $25 per athlete.
Proceeds support the BHS
track team.
WEATHER
—————
Today
59/32
Mostly sunny
Wednesday
57/28
Mostly cloudy
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
TUESDAY, MARCH 29, 2022 • $1.50
Fire union head: City’s ambulance plan ‘crushing’
That happened six days af-
ter the City Council, following
Casey Johnson said Baker
a report from Cannon, voted
City’s intention to cease am-
6-0 to send a notice to Baker
bulance service on Sept. 30,
County about the city’s inten-
2022, forcing Baker County to tion to cease ambulance ser-
choose a new provider, would vice Sept. 30.
have a dramatic effect on the
Under Oregon law, Baker
city’s firefighting force as well. County is solely responsible
“It’s crushing,” said Johnson, for ensuring ambulance ser-
a firefighter/paramedic and
vice and for choosing the pro-
labor union president for the vider. If the city bows out of
fire department.
ambulance service, the county
He also used the adjectives likely would have to find a
“dire” and “dramatic” after
private company to do that
meeting on Monday morning, work both within the Baker
March 28, with City Manager City limits and in an ambu-
Jonathan Cannon.
lance service area that covers
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
about 70% of the county out-
side the city.
Johnson said Cannon on
Monday morning outlined
the cuts to the fire depart-
ment staff necessary if the
city does discontinue its am-
bulance operation at the end
of September.
Johnson said the number of
firefighters on regular shifts
would be cut in half, from 12
to six.
(The department has 11
people on shifts now, he said,
as the city has been trying to
fill one vacancy for several
months.)
The six-person roster
would mean two firefighters
per shift, Johnson said.
If just two people re-
sponded to a fire, neither
would be allowed, under the
city’s rules, to go inside a
home to fight a fire or try to
rescue a resident.
Johnson said the city uses
the “two in, two out” rule,
meaning firefighters can en-
ter a burning structure only
if at least two other firefight-
ers are on duty outside as
backup.
With half as many fire-
fighters available as now, he
said it would be much more
rare for the department to be
able to meet that standard.
“It would be a dramatic de-
crease in our emergency re-
sponse,” Johnson said.
Cannon said last week that
he “hates” the prospect of lay-
ing off fire department staff.
“It’s a miserable thing to
have to do,” he said. “This is
not something anyone takes
lightly.”
Johnson said he under-
stands the financial conun-
drum facing the city.
See, Ambulance/Page A3
Celebrating the Haines Stampede Blocking
quiet zone
by charter
change
faces
obstacle
New exhibit at the
Eastern Oregon
Museum in Haines
chronicles local rodeo
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
H
AINES — It all
started with
an outhouse.
Baker City Herald
In 2019, volunteers with the Haines
Stampede Rodeo Association were
cleaning up the rodeo grounds and
decided the old outhouse, which once
stood near the railroad depot, needed
to go.
“We didn’t want to destroy it,” said
Bill Taylor, who helps put on the annual
rodeo.
The 1880s depot — and its outhouse
— originally sat on the west side of
the railroad tracks near Third Street
in Haines. In 1963, the depot was re-
located several blocks to the east, next
to the Eastern Oregon Museum at 610
Third St., and the two-seat outhouse
went south to the rodeo grounds.
Rather than tear apart the wooden
structure, Taylor contacted Mary Jane
Guyer, who is on the board for the
Eastern Oregon Museum, to see if they
wanted the outhouse.
Guyer said yes, and on May 1, 2021,
the two historic structures were to-
gether again.
But that was just the start.
Guyer found out that the Stampede
had years of records and artifacts from
its history, which dates to 1915.
“She said it’d be neat if you moved
that stuff to the museum,” Taylor said.
That comment sparked the idea to
create a dedicated exhibit at the mu-
seum for the Haines Stampede and
Haines Fourth of July celebration.
“We thought it’d be good to have it all
together,” Taylor said.
Kathy Orr/Baker City Herald, File
Bareback rider Austin Williams hangs on for a wild ride during the Haines Stampede
rodeo in July 2016.
in Pennsylvania.
“We’re actively trying to find that
saddle,” he said.
Taylor can be contacted at 541-403-
0900 or through the rodeo website,
www.hainesstampede.com.
The museum already has a couple
— Bill Taylor, Haines Stampede Rodeo
Stampede ribbons — dated 1917 and
Association volunteer
1923 — preserved inside a box made
from an original window from the
Muddy Creek School.
The new display will be located in-
“If people have those, we can protect
side the carriage wing of the museum.
Volunteers started painting the space them,” Guyer said of the ribbons. “If
on March 18, and they hope to have the there’s something historical, or docu-
ments, please make sure you check.”
exhibit somewhat finished by Memo-
For inquiries about donating items
rial Day weekend, when the museum
to the museum, call Guyer at 541-519-
opens for the season.
“It’s going to be a work in progress,” 8865 or email her at easternoregonmu-
Taylor said.
seum@gmail.com.
And he hopes it grows.
The Eastern Oregon Museum will be
He encourages anyone with mem-
open Memorial Day weekend through
orabilia from past rodeos to contact
Labor Day weekend. Hours are 10 a.m.
him and see if it would fit in the new
to 1 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Satur-
exhibit.
day. It is also open by appointment —
“A guy who won a buckle, or has pic- call 541-856-3233 to set up a time.
tures — we’d like to see it and see if it’ll
Admission is free, although dona-
work in our display,” Taylor said.
tions are welcome.
He said they are on the trail of a 1923
trophy saddle that somehow ended up
See, Stampede/Page A2
“A guy who won a buckle,
or has pictures — we’d like
to see it and see if it’ll work
in our display.”
North Baker street plan talks resume
ers while still seeking to im-
prove public safety.
“That kind of gives us the,
Baker City Councilors
yes, we realize we need this
continued discussing their
turning lane, but let’s do that
concerns about a major
so that we’ve got the least im-
street improvement plan,
pact on property owners,”
and in particular the poten-
Dixon said.
tial effects on property own-
Mayor Kerry McQuisten
ers, during a work session on
agreed.
March 22.
“We can limit just about
The Northern Baker
anything we want in this im-
Transportation Improve-
provement plan before we
ment Project has been in
S. John Collins/Baker City Herald, File put it out there unless it’s in
the works for a few years.
violation of federal or state
The Oregon Department of Looking north along 10th Street from Broadway Street. The
law or crosses over into the
Transportation is the lead
Oregon Department of Transportation is proposing to build or
different pools of funding,”
agency, as much of the pro- replace sidewalks and potentially make other changes to this
McQuisten said.
posed work would be on city section of 10th Street.
She said surveys for pro-
streets that are also sections
posed improvements will be
• Hughes Lane from 10th is concerned about losing
of state highways.
some of his farm ground due done by May.
Street to Cedar Street
The plan, which is in-
to a proposed realignment
After specific propos-
• Pocahontas Road from
tended to improve traffic
of the intersection at 10th
als are finished, both the
flow and safety, including for 10th Street to 17th Street/
Street and Pocahontas Road/ City Council and the Baker
bicycles and pedestrians, fo- Chico Street
Hughes Lane.
County Board of Com-
Councilor Shane Al-
cuses on these sections:
Councilor Joanna Dixon
missioners will have open
• 10th Street from Hughes derson proposed the work
said councilors would like to houses to present ideas to the
session following the City
Lane to Broadway Street
Council’s March 8 meeting, include language in the plan public, Dixon said.
• Cedar Street from
when councilors heard from urging designers to have the
Hughes Lane to Campbell
landowner Jim Ingram, who least effect on property own-
See, Talks/Page A3
Street
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 134
14 pages
Classified ....................B4-B6
Comics ..............................B7
Community News.............A2
Crossword ...............B4 & B6
Dear Abby .........................B8
Home & Living ............B1-B3
Horoscope ..............B4 & B6
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
A Baker City Council mem-
ber who wants to ask voters to
change the city charter to block
a plan to establish a train quiet
zone in the city hopes to add the
issue to the Nov. 8, 2022, general
election ballot.
But the two attempts that
Councilor Joanna Dixon has
made so far to put the matter on
the ballot haven’t met legal mus-
ter, according to the city.
And unless she can convince
at least one of her fellow coun-
cilors to change from a quiet
zone supporter to an opponent,
the question might never make
it to voters.
Although Dixon announced
her plan to seek a charter change
after the City Council voted 4-3
on Jan. 25 to apply for a quiet
zone, she had submitted pro-
posed initiatives prior to the
meeting, on Jan. 6 and Jan. 19.
A quiet zone designation,
which is approved by the Federal
Railroad Administration, would
mean train engineers would no
longer sound their whistles at five
public crossings in the city limits
except in emergencies, at the dis-
cretion of the train crew.
See, Zone/Page A3
County sets
public
hearing on
Pine Creek
Road dispute
Lawsuit against
county related to
road also continues
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Two parallel legal processes
continue in a dispute about the
Pine Creek Road in the Elkhorn
Mountains northwest of Baker
City, a popular access route for
ATV riders, hunters and hikers.
One involves the lawsuit that
David McCarty, who owns land
that the road crosses, filed against
Baker County on April 30, 2021.
The other is the county’s ef-
fort to potentially declare the
disputed section of road a public
right-of-way.
Opinion .............................A4
Senior Menus ...................A2
Sports ...............................A6
See, Hearing/Page A3
Sudoku..............................B7
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B8