Local
A2
Tuesday, August 2, 2022
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
August 1, 1972
Findings from a preliminary survey have persuaded
members of the Tigard-based Oregon Education Association
to conduct a full scale investigation beginning this afternoon
of teacher complaints in school district 5-J.
Baker City Herald • bakercityherald.com
Woman dies in crash with wrong-way driver
The Observer
PENDLETON — A La
Grande woman died Friday,
July 29, in Umatilla County in
a head-on crash on Interstate
84 with a wrong-way driver.
Kari Lindeman, 44, was
killed when the Ford Fiesta
she was driving collided with
a Dodge 3500 pickup driven
by Gabriel Velasquez, 55, of
Kennewick, who was traveling
in the wrong direction in the
eastbound lane near milepost
216, 5 miles east of Pendleton,
according to preliminary data
from Oregon State Police.
Lindeman died at the scene,
OSP reported. Velasquez suf-
fered serious injuries. An
emergency helicopter flew
him to Providence St. Mary
Medical Center in Walla
Walla.
The westbound lanes were
closed for six hours during
the investigation. OSP was as-
sisted by the Umatilla Tribal
Fire Department, Umatilla
Tribal Police Department and
Oregon Department of Trans-
portation.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 1, 1997
Firefi ghters put out two single-tree blazes Thursday
and this morning were looking for three others apparently
sparked by lightning.
Both fi res Thursday involved a single dead tree, said Barry
Hansen of the U.S. Forest Service’s Burnt-Powder Fire Zone.
Neither blaze spread.
One fi re was just inside the south boundary of the Baker
City watershed. The other was on private property near
Bowen Valley.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 1, 2012
July got off to a torrid start, but in the end it couldn’t keep
up the pace.
The month wound up in that meteorological purgatory —
pretty much average.
After the temperature topped out at 90 or higher on eight
of the fi rst 12 days, it managed that feat on just three of the
remaining 19 days.
The result was an average high temperature of 86.8
degrees — just 1.8 degrees warmer than average.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 3, 2021
August arrived as the anti-July.
Everything July was, in terms of weather, the fi rst day of
August was not in Baker County.
This July not only was the hottest on record at the Baker
City Airport — it was the hottest month, period.
July’s average high temperature was 92.3 degrees, nip-
ping the previous record of 92.0 set in July 1985.
But August started cool, with a high of 79 degrees on the
fi rst day of the month. It was the coolest day at the airport
since June 16, when the high was 76. The high was also
eight degrees below average for the fi rst day of August.
The drought that has plagued Baker County and much of
the rest of Oregon deepened during July.
A meager .02 of an inch of rain fell at the airport during
the month, scarcely enough to moisten the dust.
August, by contrast, needed but a single day to surpass
not only July but also June.
Rainfall at the airport added up to 0.34 of an inch on Aug.
1. That tops the combined total of .23 from July and June. It
was the wettest day at the airport since May 25, when 0.38
of an inch fell, and the second-wettest in more than a year.
August’s cool, soggy start was caused by an infl ux of mon-
soon moisture from the Southwest that brought humidity
more typical of the Deep South than of the arid West.
According to the National Weather Service in Boise, the
amount of moisture in the atmosphere — measured by
a weather balloon released from the Boise Airport — set
records over the weekend.
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SENIOR MENUS
WEDNESDAY (August 3): Chicken cordon bleu, hollandaise
sauce, rice pilaf, mixed vegetables, rolls, fruit cup, sherbet
THURSDAY (August 4): Taco salad, salsa and sour cream,
tortilla chips, fruit, cinnamon rolls
FRIDAY (August 5): Baked ham, candied yams, dressing,
baby carrots, rolls, broccoli-bacon salad, cookies
MONDAY (August 8): Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes with
gravy, mixed vegetables, biscuits, green salad, pudding
TUESDAY (August 9): Beef burgundy over fettuccine noodles
with mushrooms, carrots, fruit, peach crisp
Flames
Continued from A1
On Monday morning Mc-
Ginnis said he was grateful
for the “amazing” response by
firefighters, many of them vol-
unteers from local districts.
“You just cannot say enough
about these rural volunteer
firefighters,” McGinnis said.
“They’re willing to put every-
thing on the line. We’re blessed
with a great community. Peo-
ple truly care. It’s a great feel-
ing.”
McGinnis said he was home
when the storm that sparked
the fire passed through.
Terrain blocks his view of
the spot where the lightning
bolt struck, but McGinnis said
a neighbor, John Wirth, saw
the lightning and phoned after
seeing the smoke rising.
Wirth said he was driving
on Blue Mountain Ridge Road,
which follows a spine of high
ground east of Highway 203,
when he saw the thunderstorm
approaching.
Wirth said when lightning
threatens he usually tries to
find an elevated vantage point
to watch for downstrikes and
the fires that are likely to start
as a result. He said he has seen
that happen several times.
On Sunday evening, Wirth
said he could see flames within
just a few seconds of the bolt
hitting west of Big Creek.
“It’s just about immediate
fire,” he said. “There’s a lot
of fuel, and there was a lot of
wind then.”
On Monday morning, Mc-
Ginnis said he was watching
through binoculars as fire-
fighters worked on the blaze,
which seemed to be mainly
out, although he did see some
smoke.
“They’re doing a great job,”
he said.
Winds caused major concern
Although there are no
weather stations close to the
fire, the wind gauge at the
Baker City Airport recorded
a peak gust of 62 mph at
7:38 p.m. on Sunday.
Winds propelled a dust
cloud from a fallow field just
north of Baker City a little af-
ter 7 p.m.
Buzz Harper, chief of the
Keating Rural Fire Protection
District, estimated winds were
gusting between 45 and 50
mph when he arrived Sunday
evening.
Colby Thompson, chief of
the North Powder Rural Fire
Protection District, said the
wind direction shifted four
times while he was working on
the fire Sunday evening.
Three single-engine aircraft
dropped retardant ahead of the
fire on Sunday evening, said
Larisa Bogardus, public affairs
officer for the Bureau of Land
CONTACT THE HERALD
DEATHS
Gerald Burke Goodwin: 87, of Baker
City, died on July 30, 2022. To leave a
condolence for Gerald’s family, go to
www.grayswestco.com.
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
FAILURE TO APPEAR (Malheur County
Circuit Court warrant): Gavin Cordell
Arrest
Continued from A1
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.
Subscription rates per month are $10.75
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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
July concludes with record-breaking heat wave
Baker County’s mild summer turned torrid in the second half of
July.
The month concluded with a week-long heat wave that broke
one high temperature record and tied another.
July ended up hotter than usual, with an average high tempera-
ture of 88.7 degrees — 3.3 degrees above average.
The temperature topped 90 degrees on each of the last seven
days of the month, including three straight days in triple digits —
101, 101 and 100.
That run included a new record high for July 29. The previous re-
cord was 98 degrees, set in 2003.
The high of 101 on July 30 tied the record set in 2003 and
matched in both 2020 and 2021.
Even with the spate of late heat, this July was cooler than its two
immediate predecessors.
July 2021 was the hottest on record, with an average high of 92.2
degrees. And July 2020 had an average high of 89.9.
The National Weather Service is forecasting a modicum of relief
from the heat during the first week of August.
Predicted high temperatures are near normal, which is about 87
degrees for early August.
Management’s Vale District.
Harper served as incident
commander for areas along
Highway 203, and he assigned
fire trucks to protect the Mc-
Ginnis ranch and several other
homes west of the highway,
which leads north through
Pondosa and Medical Springs
to Union.
The trucks were reassigned
later on Sunday evening after
the threat eased, Ash said.
Highway 203 was closed
temporarily except for fire ve-
hicles and local traffic.
“Everybody did really
well,” Harper said on Monday
morning. “We had a lot of re-
sources.”
He credited the Sheriff’s Of-
fice and Oregon State Police
for helping notify residents
about evacuation levels, and
the Oregon Department of
Transportation for coordinat-
ing the highway closure.
Harper said the Sheriff’s Of-
fice’s mobile communications
trailer was also a benefit to
the multiple agencies that re-
sponded.
Fuels have dried during recent
rainless stretch
The fire started about half a
mile north of the Powder River
and about a mile west of Big
Creek.
Both the river and the creek
News of Record
POLICE LOG
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.
Susan Townsend/Contributed Photo
Winds gusting to 62 mph at the Baker City Airport propelled a dust
cloud north of Baker City on Sunday evening, July 31, 2022.
Prevo wrote that while he
was trying to convince Mills to
leave the property, she hit his left
hand and tried to evade him.
Baker City Police Sgt. Mike
Regan and an Oregon State
Police trooper arrived and
helped with the arrest.
According to Prevo’s report,
Mills hit Regan and either
bit, or tried to bite, the OSP
trooper.
“She was told to stop, re-
sisting several times,” Prevo
wrote.
Prevo handcuffed Mills, and
Regan drove her to the jail. In
addition to the charges from
the July 28 incident, Mills had
an arrest warrant for proba-
flow through deep, steep can-
yons.
The fire burned in dense
thickets of sagebrush, with
lighter fuels on ridgetops, Bog-
ardus said.
Fuels have dried consider-
ably during a lengthy rainless
stretch that followed the damp,
cool spring.
The Baker City Airport has
recorded just 0.08 of an inch
of rain — scarcely enough to
dampen the ground — since
June 4.
Phil Whitley, chief of the
Medical Springs Rural Fire
Protection District, said rain
fell in the area Sunday evening,
but amounts were generally
meager.
The fire burned on both
public and private land, Bogar-
dus said.
The area includes sage
grouse habitat, she said.
The fire is within the BLM’s
5,880-acre Powder River Can-
yon Area of Critical Environ-
mental Concern. The agency
manages the public land to
protect raptor and wildlife
habitat and scenic qualities, ac-
cording to a BLM press release.
On Monday morning, six
fire engines were working on
the fire and two 20-person
crews were en route, Bogardus
said.
Single-engine tankers and
helicopters were available if
needed, she said.
Whitley, who lives near
Medical Springs, said he saw
several lightning bolts before
receiving a page on his radio
about the fire.
Whitley said seven volun-
teers from the Medical Springs
district assembled. They tried
to reach the fire from a dirt
road that leads west from
Highway 203, but Whitley said
the road, which descends into
the Big Creek canyon, crosses
the creek and continues west
up the Powder River, was too
rough to negotiate with a truck
laden with water.
Whitley said crews from
other agencies were able to get
to the fire via that route later.
Thompson, chief of the
North Powder Rural Fire Pro-
tection District, said volun-
teers from the department
used a bulldozer to make the
road passable to fire engines,
including four from the North
Powder district. A total of 17
volunteers from the district
worked on the fire Sunday,
Thompson said.
A major focus initially
was to protect the McGinnis’
ranch, Whitley said.
Their home was closest
to the fire, and the powerful
winds, which were shifting di-
rection frequently, made it dif-
ficult to predict where the fire
was moving, Whitley said.
Other agencies that re-
sponded to the Big Rattlesnake
fire include the Baker Rural
Fire Protection District, Look-
out-Glasgow Rangeland Fire
Protection Association and
Eagle Valley Rural Fire Protec-
tion District.
Other, smaller fires reported
Lightning from a series of
thunderstorms that moved
through the region Sunday af-
ternoon and evening sparked
at least two other, much
smaller, blazes.
One burned a quarter of an
acre about 2.5 miles north of
Anthony Lakes.
The other burned less than a
tenth of an acre near the Kelly
Mine, about 2 miles north of
Bourne.
The combination of hot
temperatures — a record high
was set at the Baker City Air-
port on July 29, and the record
tied on July 30 — and lack of
rain has resulted in rapidly ris-
ing fire danger.
The Energy Release Com-
ponent, a measurement of how
fast a fire would spread, had
been below average for most of
the summer for each of the six
regions that the Blue Moun-
tain Interagency Dispatch
Center in La Grande monitors.
But over the last week of July
that figure, which is updated
daily, climbed above average in
each region.
bakercityherald.com
Miland, 23, Baker City, 12:14 p.m. Friday,
July 29 in the 1700 block of Broadway
Street; jailed.
Baker County Sheriff’s Office
Arrests, citations
MENACING: Brandon Cole Cook, 47,
Richland, 6:21 p.m. Saturday, July 30 in
Richland; jailed.
PROBATION VIOLATION: Timothy Kelly
Slaney, 33, Baker City, 5:09 p.m. Friday,
July 29 in Baker City; jailed.
tion violation from Malheur
County, Prevo wrote.
Prevo wrote that he inter-
viewed Sunridge manager
Soham Gavankar, who told
him that Mills had been yell-
ing and cussing at motel cus-
tomers.
Another employee, Jesus
Lopez, told Prevo that be-
fore police arrived, he had
told Mills she had to leave the
property and that she hit him
twice in his upper chest. Lopez
told Prevo he was not injured.
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Baker
County
Veterans
Baker
County
Baker
County
Service Office office
will be
Veteran’s
Veterans
closed
from
has
moved!
Service Office
December 20, 2021
2200
4th closed
Street
will through
be
Baker City, Oregon
May
12th-20th,
2022
97814
December
27, 2021
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