JUNE 8–15, 2022
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‘Honky Tonk
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WWW.GOEASTERNOREGON.COM
’62
Days
in Canyon City
PAGE 8
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Whiskey Gulch Gang cancan girls get into their high-kick
dance routine during Canyon City’s ‘62 Days parade.
INSIDE
LOCAL A2
SPORTS A6
Go! Magazine
Party in Canyon City
Noxious weed can be
confused with whitetop
Baker softball players
earn all-league honors
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • BUSINESS & AG LIFE • SPORTS
QUICK HITS
—————
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
Police seize fentanyl, other drugs
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Charles
Carey of Baker City.
BRIEFING
—————
Nominees sought for
Baker County Fair
Family of the Year
Baker County Friends of
the Fairgrounds are seeking
nominees for the 2022 Fair
Family of the Year. Nomi-
nations are due by July 10.
Nomination letters can be
emailed to bakercityfriend-
softhefair@gmail.com.
Blood drive set for
June 13 in Baker City
T he American Red Cross
has scheduled a blood drive
on Monday, June 13 from
noon to 6 p.m. at the Baker
City Nazarene Church, 1250
Hughes Lane. Call Myrna
Evans at 541-523-5368
for an appointment or go to
redcrossblood.org to sign
up online.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022 • $1.50
Oregon State Police/Contributed Photo
Oregon State Police found fentanyl, methamphetamine, co-
caine and other drugs during a June 2, 2022, warrant search of
a car driven by Darren Glenn Yeater, 32, of Richland, Washing-
ton. He was arrested June 1, 2022, in Baker City.
Oregon State Police found 40
grams of fentanyl powder and al-
most 16,000 fentanyl pills in the
car driven by a Washington man
arrested June 1 in Baker City.
Police also found almost 3
pounds of methamphetamine, 2
pounds of marijuana, 21.8 grams
of cocaine and “evidence of man-
ufacturing and distribution of
controlled substances,” accord-
ing to an OSP press release.
The driver, Darren Glenn
Yeater, 32, of Richland, Wash-
ington, remains in the Baker
County Jail on arrest warrants
from Ada County, Idaho, and
from Benton County, Wash-
ington.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opi-
oid that is much more power-
ful than heroin or morphine.
Police say fentanyl is largely re-
sponsible for a rise in overdose
deaths nationwide over the past
few years.
According to the Drug En-
forcement Administration, 2
milligrams of fentanyl can be a
lethal dose for most people.
Best seats at the
Stampede
Volunteers add seating at
Haines Stampede arena for
people with mobility issues
Haines Fire Protection
District to meet
June 13
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
H
AINES — The Haines
Stampede has a new ad-
dition this year thanks to
an army of volunteers.
HAINES — The Haines Fire
Protection District will have
its monthly board meeting
June 13 at 6:45 p.m. at
the main fi re station, 816
Cole St. All residents of
the district are welcome to
attend. The budget for the
next fi scal year will be the
fi rst order of business.
Christina Wood/Contributed Photo
Volunteers poured concrete for a new seating area at the
Haines Stampede rodeo arena on May 27, 2022.
“The thing I love about this rodeo is
that everyone is willing to help out,” said
Ken Bain, a longtime volunteer.
An area on the north end of the arena
is now a dedicated space for those with
mobility issues, and can be accessed by a
new concrete ramp.
WEATHER
—————
See, Rodeo/Page A3
Today
80/55
The 40.2 grams of fentanyl
powder that police found in
Yeater’s car equates to 40,200
milligrams, or approximately
20,100 lethal doses.
The OSP press release did not
say how many milligrams each
of the fentanyl pills contains.
Baker City Police Chief Ty
Duby said on Wednesday morn-
ing, June 8, that the seizure of
drugs from Yeater’s car is a sig-
nificant operation, particularly
the quantities of fentanyl.
See, Drugs/Page A2
County
votes to
hire private
ambulance
company
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
The Baker County Board of Com-
missioners is moving toward replacing
the Baker City Fire Department as the
ambulance provider for the city and
for about two-thirds of the rest of the
county.
Commissioners voted unanimously
on Wednesday morning, June 8, to ac-
cept an advisory committee’s recom-
mendation to choose Metro West Am-
bulance, a private firm from Hillsboro,
to operate ambulances here.
Metro West was one of two private
companies that submitted proposals to
the county by the June 3 deadline.
See, County/Page A3
Baker’s Calaway
‘having the best
time’ at Special
Olympics
Increasing clouds
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Wednesday
75/54
Afternoon showers
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Baker City swimmer Caitlyn Cal-
away is “having the best time of my
life” competing at the Special Olym-
pics USA Games this week in Or-
lando, Florida.
That was Caitlyn’s text message to a
query from her mother, Kareen Har-
ris Bybee, about whether her daughter
was having fun.
Caitlyn, who turns 23 this year,
placed second in a preliminary heat
in the 50-yard breastroke event.
The Haines Stampede rodeo is set for July 3-4, 2022.
See, Calaway/Page A5
Recount planned in commission race
Regardless of outcome, Christina
Witham and Kody Justus will advance
to a runoff in the Nov. 8 election
The reason Justus doesn’t
ballots that were postmarked
have at least 50% of the votes, on May 17 but hadn’t arrived
even with his slim
at the Clerk’s office
lead, is that there
that day.
were also about
Kirby said her of-
fice received 61 post-
BY JAYSON JACOBY
spots on the three-member 50 write-in votes,
which constitutes
marked votes within
Board of Commissioners.
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
seven calendar days af-
The race for a position on
According to Oregon elec- about 1% of the to-
tal votes cast. That
ter the election, which
the Baker County Board of
tion law, if no candidate in
means Justus and
made them eligible.
Commissioners remains so a contested race gets more
Witham are divid-
This was the first Ore-
close that County Clerk Ste- than 50% of the votes cast,
Witham
gon election in which
fanie Kirby is preparing to
then the top two advance to ing 99% of the votes,
and with such a
those postmarked
do a hand recount of more
the general election. That
close race, neither
ballots are counted if
than 5,000 ballots.
standard also applies in
they’re received within
But regardless of the out- races, like this one, with just has quite reached
that 50% plus one
seven days.
come, the two candidates — two candidates.
threshold needed
Kirby said there
Christina Witham and Kody
In preliminary results
were also 15 other
from the County Clerk’s of- to avoid a runoff in
Justus — will both advance
ballots counted. In
November.
to a runoff in the Nov. 8 gen- fice on May 17, the day of
some cases the voter
the primary election, Justus
The preliminary
eral election.
Justus
had left the ballot in a
had a three-vote lead, 2,485 totals in the com-
They are vying for posi-
drop box in a different county,
missioner race didn’t include
tion 2, one of two part-time votes to Witham’s 2,482.
TODAY
Issue 13
30 pages
Business .....................B1-B3
Classified ....................B3-B6
Comics ..............................B7
Community News.............A2
Crossword ...............B3 & B4
Dear Abby .........................B8
Horoscope ..............B3 & B4
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
Opinion .............................A4
Senior Menus ...................A2
Sports ...............................A6
which is allowed, and others
either lacked a signature or the
signature didn’t match the one
the clerk’s office had on record
for that voters.
Those are known as “chal-
lenged” ballots, and voters had
until June 7 to confirm that
they filled out those ballots.
After tallying the 76 bal-
lots, the Witham-Justus race
was even closer, but Witham,
who previously trailed by
three votes, had a lead of two
votes, 2,518 to Justus’ 2,516,
Kirby said.
But as was the case on May
17, neither Witham nor Justus
has more than 50% of the total
votes cast, so both will advance
to the Nov. 8 general election,
Kirby said.
Sudoku..............................B7
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B8