Step back in
time at the
MAY 25–JUNE 1, 2022
WWW.GOEASTERNOREGON.COM
Old Iron
Show
PAGE 8
Ben Lonergan/GO! Magazine, File
Jan Hedge, of Gooding, Idaho, tinkers with a small 1914
engine that she uses to run an ice cream churner during
the Old Iron Show at Roy Raley Park in Pendleton on
Saturday, June 5, 2021. This year’s show is June 3-5.
Listen
Community
Band
Join
Color
Run
Explore
Oregon Trail
Experience
PAGE 3
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INSIDE
SPORTS A7
NATION B8
Go! Magazine
Check out some old iron
French students
play baseball at BHS
Gunman kills at least 19
students in Texas school
“The food is fresh, locally sourced and unbelievably delicious.
Their IPAs are distinct and clearly not copy-cats of each other or
anyone else making NW IPAs.” - Yelp Review, Bend. Oregon
1219 Washington Ave • La Grande, OR 97850
www.sideabeer.com
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • BUSINESS & AG LIFE • SPORTS
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2022 • $1.50
QUICK HITS
—————
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
Council delays ambulance proposal
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Gary
Bloomer of Baker City.
Councilors leave
open possibility of
trying to continue
ambulance service
BRIEFING
—————
Volunteers sought
to set out fl ags on
Memorial Day
Volunteers will gather at
6 a.m. on Memorial Day,
Monday, May 30, at Mount
Hope Cemetery to place
about 550 American fl ags,
each featuring the name
of a military veteran. A
Memorial Day ceremony will
start at 11 a.m. that day in
the veterans section at the
south end of the cemetery,
and volunteers are needed
to help remove the fl ags
after the ceremony.
Chess club plans
tournament June 10
The Baker School District
chess club is planning its
fi rst summer chess tourna-
ment on Friday, June 10,
at the Baker Early Learning
Center, 2725 Seventh St.,
from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
This tournament is for
players from kindergarten
through adults. There is no
cost to participate.
Registration is open
now and closes June 1. To
register, go to https://bit.
ly/3lArlsN.
For more information,
email ian.wolfe@bakersd.
org or angela.lattin@
bakersd.org or call/text
541-212-8435.
WEATHER
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Today
81/50
Chance of showers
Councilors left open the
possibility, however, that the
city could still send a response
to county commissioners after
that deadline, and potentially
negotiate a deal for the city
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER AND to continue operating ambu-
lances beyond Sept. 30, 2022.
JAYSON JACOBY
That’s the date the Council
Baker City Herald
The Baker City Council
listed in a notice it sent to the
voted 4-2 on Tuesday night,
county March 22.
May 24, to reverse a recent
The agenda for Tuesday’s
decision and not respond to
meeting called for councilors to
Baker County’s ambulance
review a proposal to the county
service request for proposals
that City Manager Jonathan
before the county’s deadline of Cannon has been working on.
June 3.
Councilors voted 7-0 during
their May 10 meeting to direct
Cannon to draft such a proposal.
Early in Tuesday’s meeting,
councilors proceeded with that
plan in mind. They scheduled
a work session on Thursday,
May 26, to discuss Cannon’s
draft proposal, and a special
meeting on Monday, May 30,
to consider approving that
proposal and choosing to send
it to the county.
But then Councilor Dean
Guyer introduced an alterna-
tive plan.
He suggested the city not re-
spond to the county’s request
by June 3. That would allow
county officials time to deter-
mine whether it has a “viable,
third party provider” to replace
the Baker City Fire Depart-
ment as ambulance provider
for an area that includes the
city and about two-thirds of
the rest of the county.
Under Oregon law, the
county is responsible for ensur-
ing there is ambulance service.
Guyer said that even though
he suggests the city not respond
to the county before June 3, “the
Fire union leader
perplexed by
Council vote
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The president of the
union chapter that rep-
resents Baker City firefight-
ers said he was perplexed
and angered by the City
Council’s decision Tuesday,
May 24, to not send a pro-
See, Union/Page A3
See, Ambulance/Page A3
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Remington Lay, fore-
ground, works on his
numbers worksheet
with classmates Jack
Sullivan, back left, and
Nora Vaughan during
a morning class at the
Baker County YMCA pre-
school on May 23, 2022.
Bittersweet
ending
Cindy Ratterman is retiring as head teacher
at the Baker County YMCA preschool
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Cindy Ratterman
listens as Cody Carroll
gives hints about his
mystery animal during
a session of preschool
at the Baker County
YMCA on May 23, 2022.
Ratterman is retiring
this year after 12 years
as preschool director
and head teacher.
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
A
lthough the preschoolers tried to
trick her into choosing a favorite,
Cindy Ratterman knows how to
make everyone feel good.
“I think you’re all the best,” she says, pointing to
each child sitting “criss-cross applesauce” on the rug.
Satisfied with this answer, they wait — somewhat
patiently — for the first classmate to give hints to
the animal hidden inside hand-drawn pages.
C.J. Brockman offered lots of clues to his fellow
preschoolers as they finally guessed that he drew
a horse.
Then, as Brockman went to tuck his drawing into
his backpack, he said he won’t be quite as accommo-
dating to his family.
Friday
67/43
See, Teacher/Page A2
Chance of showers
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
Memorial Day ceremony, events planned
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker County’s most dec-
orated military veteran will
receive another posthumous
honor on Memorial Day.
The 41 Club, the former
American Legion post at 2129
Second St., a building that the
Legion still owns, will be re-
dedicated on Monday, May 30,
to John Noble Holcomb.
Holcomb, who was born
and raised in Richland, was
killed during a firefight in
Vietnam on Dec. 3, 1968,
at age 22.
He is the only Baker County
resident, and one of just 13
Oregonians, bestowed with
the Medal of Honor, America’s
highest military recognition.
The ceremony is set for
2 p.m., said Jerry Hunter, a
member of the Veterans of
Foreign Wars who helps coor-
dinate Memorial Day events
in Baker City.
At 1 p.m., also at the 41
Club, a free barbecue lunch
will be served. The event is
open to all, Hunter said.
The events at the 41 Club will
follow the traditional Memorial
TODAY
Issue 7
32 pages
Day ceremony in the veterans
section at Mount Hope Ceme-
tery, 1012 S. Bridge St.
Volunteers can gather at
6 a.m. to help place about 550
American flags, each with the
name of a veteran, along the
Avenue of Flags.
Hunter said members of the
Cub Scouts and Baker High
School’s trapshooting team
will help place the smaller
flags on graves in the veterans
section on Sunday, May 29.
The ceremony is set for
11 a.m.
Loren Ingalls of Baker
City, whose military career
spanned 33 years, will be the
guest speaker, Hunter said.
Ingalls served in the U.S.
Navy on active duty from
1983-87, then served in the
Oregon Air National Guard
from 1987-2007. He was de-
ployed to several foreign
countries during his career.
He later served in the Air
Reserves until retiring in 2017.
Ingalls also volunteered
with an organization that
brought supplies to African
nations affected by the Ebola
crisis in 2014, Hunter said.
Business .....................B1-B3
Classified ....................B3-B6
Comics ..............................B7
Memorial Day
ceremony
• 11 a.m. on Monday, May 30
• Veterans section at the
south end of Mount Hope
Cemetery, 1012 S. Bridge St.
• Guest speaker: Loren
Ingalls of Baker City
Holcomb’s family offered the
items to the county for public
John Noble Holcomb.
display in 2014.
Holcomb was killed during
a firefight in which, according
Ingalls is a chaplain with
the Veterans of Foreign Wars. to the citation that accompa-
nied his Medal of Honor, he
John Noble Holcomb
demonstrated “indomitable
Holcomb, who was born
will and courage after his unit
on June 11, 1946, in Baker
was attacked from three sides.”
City, graduated from Eagle
When the machine-gunner
Valley High School at Rich-
in Holcomb’s squad was hurt,
land in 1964.
Holcomb “seized the weapon,
President Richard Nixon
ran to a forward edge of the
awarded Holcomb’s Medal of position, and placed with-
Honor to his parents, George ering fire on the enemy. His
and Wadean Holcomb, in
gallant actions caused the en-
1971 in Washington, D.C.
emy to withdraw.”
That medal, and Holcomb’s
After the first attack, Hol-
other military medals, are dis- comb carried several of his
played at the Baker County
wounded comrades to a
Courthouse, 1995 Third St.
safer spot.
Community News.............A2
Crossword ...............B3 & B5
Dear Abby .........................B7
Baker City Herald, File
Horoscope ..............B4 & B5
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
Opinion .............................A4
Senior Menus ...................A2
Sports ..................... A5 & A6
Holcomb manned the
machine gun again and re-
pulsed a second enemy at-
tack, but a rocket exploded
near his position, destroy-
ing the machine gun and
wounding Holcomb. The en-
emy artillery also ignited a
grass fire.
Even after he was
wounded, Holcomb “crawled
through a grass fire and ex-
ploding mortar and rocket
rounds to move the members
of his squad, every one of
whom had been wounded, to
more secure positions.”
Then Holcomb crawled to
a radio and reported the at-
tack. His report allowed other
units to pinpoint fire on the
area and defeat the third and
final attack.
Holcomb Park, the county
park on Brownlee Reservoir
near Richland, was named for
John Holcomb and dedicated
on July 4, 1993.
During the ceremony,
Baker City Realtor Mike Nel-
son described Holcomb as “a
man who exemplified the ul-
timate plateau of human be-
havior.”
Sudoku..............................B7
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B8