A2 BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, JULY 19, 2022
Local
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
July 18, 1972
WASHINGTON — In response to a questionnaire circulated
in May by Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., Baker County respon-
dents agreed with statewide tallies in regard to the legaliza-
tion of marijuana. Eight out of 10 Oregonians disapprove.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
July 18, 1997
A strong thunderstorm brought lightning and heavy rain
to Baker City Thursday, fi lling storm drains, causing a short
power outage on the east side and delaying play at the
District 3 Little League baseball tournament.
The storm struck about 4 p.m.
Weather observers at the Baker City Municipal Airport
measured .32 of an inch of rain over the next 90 minutes,
much of which fell in a half-hour.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
July 18, 2012
The morning of Saturday, July 15 brought a two-prong
hail storm to portions of the North Powder Valley and the
Bridgeport area. Although many in the area were spared so
much as a single hailstone, local farmers saw their wheat
and potato fi elds thrashed by these white pellets varying
in size from peas to golf balls, according to Mark Bennett,
Baker County’s planning director.
Delbert Stephens, who farms near Haines, watched the
strip-like hail storm sweep down from the Elkhorn Moun-
tains.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
July 20, 2021
Hot weather in mid-July is hardly a surprise in Baker Coun-
ty, Jay Breidenbach points out.
This is, after all, statistically the county’s hottest month.
The daily record high temperature is 100 or above on 19
of July’s 31 days — the most of any month.
But Breidenbach, who is a meteorologist, concedes
there’s nothing typical about the spell of hot weather that
started with the summer solstice nearly a month ago.
“Normally it’s hot in the summertime, of course,” said
Breidenbach, the warning coordination meteorologist at
the National Weather Service’s Boise offi ce, which handles
forecasts for Baker County.
“What is not typical is the duration of this pattern.”
Here’s a few statistics to put into perspective Breiden-
bach’s point about the persistence of heat so far this
summer.
• The last day the temperature at the Baker City Airport
didn’t reach at least 83 degrees was June 16.
• Over the next 32 days — June 17 through July 18 — the
temperature at the airport topped 90 on 22 days. That’s just
below the average of about 24 such days — for the entire
year — recorded between 1943 and 2012.
• The temperature surpassed 90 degrees on 19 of 20
days, June 26 through July 15. On the only exception, July
7, the high was 89 degrees. That snapped a streak of 11
straight 90-degree-plus days, the longest stretch in almost
four years and the sixth-longest in at least the past half
century. That single degree prevented what would have
been a record-setting stretch of 20 straight days with a high
of 90 or hotter.
OREGON LOTTERY
MEGABUCKS, JULY 16
WIN FOR LIFE, JULY 16
1 — 6 — 8 — 26 — 43 — 45
Next jackpot: $3.5 million
1 — 63 — 67 — 70
POWERBALL, JULY 16
• 1 p.m.: 9 — 1 — 4 — 7
• 4 p.m.: 4 — 4 — 0 — 0
• 7 p.m.: 5 — 0 — 3 — 5
• 10 p.m.: 6 — 8 — 0 — 7
3 — 8 — 23 — 32 — 57 PB 21
Next jackpot: $89 million
MEGA MILLIONS, JULY 15
8 — 20 — 26 — 53 — 64 Mega 15
Next jackpot: $530 million
PICK 4, JULY 17
LUCKY LINES, JULY 17
2-5-11-15-17-21-26-30
Next jackpot: $16,000
SENIOR MENUS
WEDNESDAY (July 20): Chef salad, breadsticks, fruit, peach
crisp
THURSDAY (July 21): Orange-glazed chicken, rice, vegeta-
bles, rolls, cottage cheese and fruit, sherbet
FRIDAY (July 22): Beef pot roast, red potatoes, baby carrots,
rolls, green salad, cheesecake
MONDAY (July 25): Hot turkey sandwiches, mashed potatoes
with gravy, mixed veggies, 3-bean salad, lemon squares
TUESDAY (July 26): Ground beef steak, onions and gravy,
potatoes au gratin, rolls, potato salad, brownies
WEDNESDAY (July 27): Roast turkey, stuffi ng and gravy,
peas, rolls, pasta 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.
ISLAND CITY
Shots fired; 2 arrested after car chase
The Observer
ISLAND CITY — Law en-
forcement arrested two people
and one suspect remains at
large after a car chase Sunday,
July 17, out of Island City that
involved gunfire.
Deputies from the Union
County Sheriff’s Office re-
sponded around 12:45 p.m. to
Bullseye Muzzleloaders and
More, 10201 W. First St., Is-
land City, for a reported bur-
glary, according to a press re-
lease. Law enforcement was
called again to the same busi-
ness shortly before 2:30 p.m.
with reports describing three
people wearing gloves and
masks approaching the busi-
ness, the release said.
While law enforcement
was responding to the scene,
a Bullseye Muzzleloaders and
More employee confronted
the suspects. During the con-
frontation, shots were fired,
the release said. The suspect
vehicle fled the scene and
sheriff’s deputies immedi-
ately located and pursued the
vehicle. During the course of
the pursuit, occupants in the
suspect vehicle fired rounds at
the pursuing law enforcement
vehicles, disabling one patrol
vehicle.
An Oregon State Police
trooper was set up for a spike
None of 8
passengers
injured
in rollover
Baker City Herald
None of the eight people in a
Chrysler minivan was seriously
hurt when the vehicle rolled
over, landing on its wheels,
on Interstate 84 near the Ash
Grove Co. cement plant in
Durkee Valley on Saturday
morning, July 16.
Sr. Trooper Levi Macy of
the Oregon State Police re-
sponded to a report of a single
vehicle rollover crash in the
westbound lanes of the freeway
near Milepost 332, about 28
miles southeast of Baker City,
around 6:54 a.m.
In a report, Macy wrote that
the blue minivan was blocking
both westbound lanes. All eight
occupants were outside the ve-
hicle, standing beside the ce-
ment barrier between the west-
bound and eastbound lanes.
The driver, Kyle Udell
Mortensen, 37, of Farmington,
New Mexico, told Macy that he
had fallen asleep.
“Evidence on scene was con-
sistent with statements,” Macy
wrote.
Neither Mortensen nor the
other adult passenger, Melissa
Lee Mortensen, 37, of Farm-
ington, needed to be taken by
ambulance.
A Metro West ambulance
crew checked the passengers,
according to Macy’s report.
Several of the six juvenile pas-
sengers had minor injuries and
complained of pain, he wrote.
The passengers, all from
Farmington, were a boy and
girl, both age 6, boys ages 8, 10
and 11, and a girl, 13.
There were no citations.
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
ads@bakercityherald.com
Classifi ed email
classifi ed@bakercityherald.com
Circulation email
circ@bakercityherald.com
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.
Subscription rates per month are $10.75
for print only. Digital-only rates are $8.25.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2022
strip deployment and after
learning of the active shoot-
ing situation, engaged the sus-
pects and suspect vehicle by
discharging his duty weapon
as they came by his location.
Troopers were able to success-
fully spike the vehicle, which
ultimately came to a stop on
Indian Creek Road near Rine-
hart Lane outside of Elgin.
The three suspects fled from
the vehicle into the dense
brush and vegetation. As a
result, additional law enforce-
ment was called to the scene
and a perimeter was set up.
The Northeast Oregon Re-
gional SWAT Team and the
Oregon State Police SWAT
Team responded to the area
and ultimately located and ar-
rested two suspects in the late
evening hours.
Ashtin Romine, 26, of
Clarkston, Washington, and
Jessica Spalinger, 31, Walla
Walla, Washington, were
booked early July 18 into the
Union County Jail.
Romine was arrested for
reckless endangering and
for misdemeanor and felony
fleeing, while Spalinger is in
jail for first-degree assault,
hit-and-run with injury, reck-
Bentz fundraising swamps
congressional challenger
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz,
R-Ontario, has raised 32
times more in campaign
contributions than Dem-
ocrat Joe Yetter in the race
for the 2nd Congressional
District, according to federal
reports.
Bentz received $124,932
in campaign contributions
in April, May and June, ac-
cording to his quarterly
campaign finance filing with
the Federal Elections Com-
mission.
The new money brings
Bentz’s fundraising total for
the 2021-22 election cycle
to $913,183. After expendi-
tures, Bentz reports having
$558,204 cash on hand.
Joe Yetter, a retired Army
colonel, physician and for-
mer associate clinical pro-
fessor at the University of
Washington School of Medi-
cine is the Democratic nom-
inee. He lives in Azalea in
Douglas County.
The FEC reports Yetter
has raised $28,614 and spent
$20,344 during the election
cycle, leaving $8,270 in the
bank.
Bentz was elected in 2020
to the 2nd Congressional
District seat held for two
decades by U.S. Rep. Greg
Walden, R-Hood River. He’s
seeking a second two-year
term.
The 2nd district currently
includes all of Oregon east of
the Cascades, and a portion
Bentz
Yetter
of the southwestern part of
the state near Medford. He’ll
represent the area until the
new Congress elected this
November is sworn into of-
fice next January.
Under redistricting after
the 2020 census, a portion of
northern Deschutes County
that includes Bend and Red-
mond was moved into the
5th district, which stretches
across the Cascades and into
Linn, Marion, Clackamas
and Multnomah counties.
The winner of the race
between Democrat Jamie
McLeod-Skinner of Terre-
bonne and Republican Lori
Chavez-DeRemer will rep-
resent the new 5th district
after being sworn into office
in January.
The district has the nar-
rowest partisan division of
any of the six Oregon con-
gressional districts, with a
slight Democratic edge in
earlier voting patterns. But
national Republicans have
put the race on the list of
key targets, especially after
McLeod-Skinner defeated
incumbent U.S. Rep. Kurt
Schrader, D-Canby.
The 2nd District remains
overwhelmingly Repub-
lican-leaning. It will in-
clude most of Eastern and
Central Oregon, including
Prineville, Madras and La
Pine. The new district will
also extend farther into
southwestern Oregon.
Notable large contrib-
utors to Bentz during the
most recent period, along
with their total contribu-
tions through the current
elections cycle, include: the
National Association of
Broadcasters PAC ($9,000),
American Forest Resources
Council PAC ($8,000), com-
bined contributions from
Michael and Gina Whee-
lock of Grayback Forestry
in Roseburg ($6,400), Re-
publican Mainstreet Part-
nership PAC ($6,000), Marc
Brickmayer, chair of Idaho
Forest Group ($5,900), the
Pechanga Band of Indi-
ans in Temecula, Califor-
nia ($5,800), POWERPAC
of Edison Electric ($5,500)
Gerald Scott of Eugene,
CEO of Elmer’s Restaurants
($5,300), Raymond Lackey
of Redmond, an analyst for
MST Corp.($5,000), Na-
tional Cattlemen’s Beef As-
soc. PAC ($5,000), Huck-
PAC, created by former
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huck-
abee ($5,000), and KOCH-
PAC, created by the con-
servative Koch family of
Kansas ($3,500).
Yetter’s largest outside
contribution is $5,000 for
the Democratic Party of Or-
egon.
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com
News of
Record
DEATHS
Bev R. Diggins: 89, of Wallowa,
died July 3, 2022. She will truly be
missed by her children, sisters, nieces,
nephews, eight grandchildren, 10 great-
grandchildren and all of her friends.
Services will be announced at a later
date this summer. “We love you, Mom,”
her family said.
POLICE LOG
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Andrew Cutler/The Observer
Law enforcement officers stand in the background Sunday, July 17,
2022, near crime scene tape at South C and D streets, Island City,
where a police pursuit began that involved gunfire.
lessly endangering and misde-
meanor fleeing from police.
Under Oregon Measure 11,
Oregon’s mandatory mini-
mum sentencing law, first-de-
gree assault carries a manda-
tory minimum sentencing of
seven years and six months.
The unidentified third sus-
pect remains at large as of
1 p.m. July 18. The Union
County Sheriff’s Office, the
La Grande Police Department
and the Oregon State Police
continue to investigate the
initial burglary as well as the
officer involved shooting and
more charges and arrests are
anticipated.
The La Grande Police De-
partment — at the request
of the Oregon State Police
and in compliance with the
Union County Deadly Force
Plan — will be conducting the
officer involved shooting in-
vestigation. The Oregon State
trooper involved in the shoot-
ing was placed on adminis-
trative leave per department
policy pending the outcome of
the investigation.
Law enforcement was as-
sisted on the scene by mem-
bers of the La Grande Fire
Department, Imbler Quick
Response and the Union
County Office of Emergency
Management.
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
INTOXICANTS: Lucas M. Valentine, 43,
Bothell, Washington, 12:44 a.m. Sunday,
July 17 at Fourth and Broadway streets;
cited and released.
FAILURE TO APPEAR (Clackamas County
Circuit Court warrant): Violet Marya
Clark, 47, Baker City, 6:57 p.m. Saturday,
July 16 in the 1000 block of Campbell
Street; jailed.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT: Jace Taylor
Prowell, 31, Baker City, and Kayla Joy
Young, 34, Baker City, 4:03 p.m. Friday,
July 15 in the 1300 block of Auburn
Avenue; cited and released.
Let’s see Eye-to-Eye on
your vision care
• A great selection of frames to choose to
get the look you want.
• We carry both regular and prescription
sunglasses.
• In house repairs and special packages
starting at $ 99
• Our patients’ satisfaction comes first!
• Quality, trusted, comprehensive eye care.
• Great selection of frames for
every budget.
Eagle Optical
3705 Midway Drive • Baker City
541.523.2020