Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 16, 2022)
STATE A3 SPORTS A6 HOME B1 Bentz talks hot topics in town hall Ducks, Beavers have football scrimmages Attracting frogs, toads to your garden Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • HOME & LIVING • SPORTS QUICK HITS ————— Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Sue Shade of Baker City. TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2022 • $1.50 Shine & Sizzle BRIEFING ————— Gubernatorial candidate Christine Drazan to visit Baker Christine Drazan, the Republican candidate for Oregon gover- nor, will be in Baker City for a meet and greet event Drazan on Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. at the Baker County Events Center, 2600 East St. Drazan, who won the Repub- lican nomination in the May 17 primary, is running against Democrat Tina Kotek and independent Betsy Johnson. Drazan is seeking to become the fi rst Republican elected as Oregon governor in 40 years. Victor Atiyeh was elected in 1982 to the second of his four- year terms. Road over Hells Canyon Dam closed Aug. 17 OXBOW — The road over Hells Canyon Dam will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 17 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., PDT. No vehicles will be able to cross the dam during that time, as a large crane will be on top of the dam. Idaho Pow- er Company, which owns the dam, will be using the crane to remove vegetation from the face of the dam. The road will be open to pedestrians. Contributed Photo, File David McCarty installed this gate across the Pine Creek Road at his property boundary during the fall of 2020. The road passes through property that McCarty owns. During a public hearing on April 19, 2022, a group of local residents who enjoy visiting the area urged Baker County commissioners to pre- serve public access to the road. Travel Baker County, File Classic cars will return to Quail Ridge Golf Course as part of the Baker City Memory Cruise on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. The event returns after a two-year hiatus. Baker City Memory Cruise and Durkee Steak Feed return after 2-year hiatus BY LISA BRITTON lbritton@bakercityherald.com C lassic cars and a steak dinner are returning to Baker City this weekend after a two-year absence. The Baker City Memory Cruise starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 20, in Geiser-Pollman Park. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Entry is $15. Visitors can tour the shiny cars from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the show-and-shine portion in the park. After the awards ceremony, which starts at 3 p.m., the car owners will drive to Quail Ridge Golf Course, 2801 Indiana Ave., and park on the 9th fairway during the Durkee Steak Feed. The dinner runs from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tick- ets are $27 for a steak plate, or $7 for a hot dog plate. The meal includes rib eye, corn on the cob, veggies, potato, dessert and the locally famous pan-fried bread cooked over a fire in cast-iron skillets. Tickets are available at the Baker County Cham- ber of Commerce, Quail Ridge, and at the gate. See Steak / A3 Pine Creek landowners sue McCarty Two couples claim harassment, intimidation BY JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Two couples who own property along Pine Creek west of Baker City have sued David Mc- Carty, who bought land in the area in 2020 and installed a locked gate across the road leading to the couples’ properties. James and Sharen Sanders, and Thomas and Betty Ann Lager, filed the suit in late July in Baker County Circuit Court. Each couple is seeking a monetary award of at least $250,000 as compensation for what they contend is the loss of enjoyment of their properties. They are represented by attorney Anne Cohen of the Betts, Patterson & Mines law firm in Port- land. The defendants are McCarty, Joelleen Lin- strom, who lives with McCarty and is described in the lawsuit as his agent, as well as three compa- nies in which McCarty has an ownership interest. Linstrom said on Monday morning, Aug. 15 that she couldn’t comment on the lawsuit. Tom Lager said he needed to talk with the other defendants before commenting publicly. McCarty is the plaintiff in another lawsuit re- lated to the Pine Creek Road, which he filed in April 2021 with Baker County as the defendant. See Lawsuit / A3 WEATHER ————— Today 97/49 Sunny Wednesday 99/53 Partly sunny Full forecast on the back of the B section. The space below is for a postage label for issues that are mailed. Travel Baker County, File Volunteers cook steaks during the 2019 Durkee Steak Feed at Quail Ridge Golf Course. The event returns on Satur- day, Aug. 20, 2022, after a two-year hiatus. BAKER COUNTY FAIR Youths brave spotlight in the auction ring BY CLAYTON FRANKE cfranke@bakercityherald.com An arena full of people fixated on a 10-year-old boy heeling a sheep might normally intimidate the boy. Especially when the judgment of those in the crowd will deter- mine if the boy’s sheep, the one he spent months raising, is worth their precious dollars. But Aaron Kellar of Baker City has participated in livestock auctions for long enough — six years — to feel at ease when the crowd’s gaze falls on him. His confidence was on display as he strutted around Cockram Arena with his sheep on Fri- day, Aug. 12, at the annual 4-H livestock auction at the Baker County Fairgrounds, where he sold the animal for $8 per pound. The event was the culmination of the 2022 Baker County Fair. A string of youngsters guided their animals into the show ring, where potential buyers could exam- ine the specimens in order to de- cide, by the raise of a hand, whether they wanted to up the ante. See Auction / A3 Clayton Franke/Baker City Herald Claire Collier poses with her sheep before the auction during the Baker County Fair on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022. State says fire risk map didn’t affect insurance BY JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Oregon insurance companies haven’t used, and don’t plan to use, a controversial state wildfire risk map in determining coverage or premium costs, according to a sur- vey a state agency released on Fri- day, Aug. 12. The survey results counter one of the complaints that prompted the Oregon Department of For- estry to withdraw the map released to the public June 30. TODAY Issue 41 12 pages Property owners and state law- makers cited cases in which resi- dents whose property was deemed at high or extreme fire risk on the map had problems with their in- surance, including policies that weren’t extended. But the Oregon Division of Financial Regulation on Friday stated in a press release that “insur- ance companies in Oregon did not use, and currently have no plans to use, the state wildfire risk map in their decision-making.” Classified ....................B3-B6 Comics ..............................B7 Community News.............A2 Crossword ...............B3 & B5 Dear Abby .........................B8 Home & Living ............B1-B3 The risk map is part of Senate Bill 762, a 2021 bill that the Leg- islature passed and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown signed into law. The bill addresses multiple is- sues related to wildfires in the state, including wildfire prevention and protecting rural properties from fire. The bill required the state to draw a map, by June 30, 2022, showing the wildfire risk for each of Oregon’s 1.8 million tax lots. Hail causes damage in Oxbow area Friday storm brought hailstones the size of golf balls BY JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Jeanne Dennis’ garden took a beating from a hail storm the likes of which she had never seen, but at least she got some pickled jalapenos out of the deal. Dennis, who lives near Oxbow at the eastern edge of Baker County, tried to find some solace in the aftermath of a storm that she described as “really, really horri- fying.” The hail, some about the size of golf balls, pummeled Dennis’ property along Homestead Road about 4 miles north of Oxbow around midday on Friday, Aug. 12. The icy onslaught Photo by Brent Morrissey was frightening in Photo of a hailstone near Ox- part, Dennis said, because it was unex- bow on Friday, Aug. 12, 2022, pected. taken by Brent Morrissey and She thought the posted on the Facebook page thunderstorm was for the National Weather Ser- over. The tempest vice office in Boise. spawned a torren- tial downpour that Dennis feared would cause flooding or possibly damage the Homestead Road, her link to paved Highway 86. But not long after the rain stopped, the hail started. Dennis, who has lived in the area for more than 20 years, first heard stones clanging off the tin roof on her porch. See Insurance / A2 Horoscope ..............B4 & B5 Lottery Results .................A2 News of Record ................A2 Opinion .............................A4 Senior Menus ...................A2 Sports ...............................A6 See Hail / A3 Sudoku..............................B7 Turning Backs ..................A2 Weather ............................B8