Local
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Thursday, August 25, 2022
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
August 25, 1972
Professional wrestling will return to Baker Sunday at 2:30
p.m. with an eight-man over the top battle royal heading the full
card at the Academy gym.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 25, 1997
Baker City’s new police chief says the problems in the de-
partment that he will inherit next month are not unique, and
that he’s looking forward to the challenge of solving them.
Lt. Jim Tomlinson, a 25-year veteran of the Lake Oswego
Police Department, said in a telephone interview this morn-
ing that he has read the reports from the four police chiefs
who studied Baker City’s police department in July.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 24, 2012
The Baker County Narcotics Enforcement Team released
a statement on Thursday regarding illegal marijuana grows
on public lands and on private lands adjacent to public
lands.
They reported fi nding evidence of fi rearms on previously
discovered growing operations.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 26, 2021
The Baker City Council voted unanimously Tuesday
evening, Aug. 24, to have City Manager Jon Cannon obtain
legal counsel for a potential lawsuit the city could fi le or join
challenging Gov. Kate Brown’s recent mandates regarding
vaccinations for health care workers and face masks for
students and school staff.
Councilors also voted unanimously to keep City Hall open
regardless of future restrictions from the governor prompted
by the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Councilors approved those motions after seeing a group
of people outside City Hall who object to the governor’s
mandates, and hearing from some of those people during
the meeting.
Cannon discussed the language of the vaccination
mandate, which requires health care workers, including
fi refi ghter/paramedics from the Baker City Fire Department,
to be vaccinated by Oct. 18 or potentially lose their jobs.
Cannon noted that cities and other employers that violate
the state rule could be subject to civil penalties of $500 per
day.
Cannon said he’s concerned about those penalties,
but also about the city incurring legal costs in a potential
lawsuit.
“I’m not saying it’s not a fi ght worth doing, I’m just saying
our pockets aren’t that deep,” Cannon said.
Mayor Kerry McQuisten said the governor’s mandates
have put cities and other employers in a diffi cult situation
— “between the devil and the deep blue sea” — by forcing
them to potentially choose between facing civil penalties
and losing critical employees who don’t want to be vaccinat-
ed.
Councilor Jason Spriet suggested seeking out other cities
and agencies that either might want to join a lawsuit as
co-plaintiffs, or that have already started legal proceedings
that the city could participate in.
Twelve people voiced their opposition to the mask or
vaccine mandate, or both.
Stephanie Johnson of Richland told councilors she has
been a registered nurse for more than a decade.
Johnson contends the governor’s mandates violate resi-
dents’ constitutional rights.
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SENIOR MENUS
FRIDAY (August 26): Roasted turkey, stuffi ng with gravy,
green beans, rolls, green salad, apple crisp
MONDAY (August 29): Chicken-fried chicken, mashed pota-
toes, carrots, rolls, green salad, pudding
TUESDAY (August 30): Beef stew, broccoli, cottage cheese
with fruit, lemon squares
WEDNESDAY (August 31): Meatloaf, mashed potatoes with
gravy, mixed vegetables, rolls, coleslaw, birthday cake
Baker man sentenced to 95 months
in federal prison on gun conviction
BAKER CITY HERALD
A Baker City man who had previ-
ous felony convictions was sentenced on
Tuesday, Aug. 23 to 95 months in federal
prison after pleading guilty to illegally
possessing a gun.
Jacob Kyle Grammon, 26, will also have
three years of supervised probation after
his release.
Grammon was arrested on April 27,
2021, in an Ontario motel room follow-
ing an investigation by the Baker County
Narcotics Enforcement Team into drug
distribution and firearms charges.
During a search warrant of the motel
room and a vehicle, police found more
than 2 pounds of methamphetamine,
about 3 ounces of heroin and about 1 1/2
ounces of what was suspected to be fen-
tany, along with other items “indicative
of narcotics trafficking,” according to the
Baker City Police.
Police, including officers from the fed-
eral Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, also found a loaded 9 mm
handgun in Grammon’s waistband when
he was arrested. Police also found during
CONTACT THE HERALD
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Telephone: 541-523-3673
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.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
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
the search another 9 mm pistol and two
AR-15 semiautomatic rifles. One of the
rifles had a shortened barrel that is ille-
gal without federal documentation, and a
50-round drum magazine.
Officers from the Baker and Malheur
county sheriff’s offices and Oregon State
Police were also involved in the investiga-
tion.
Grammon was charged in federal
court, and on May 20, 2021, a federal
grand jury in Medford indicted Gram-
mon for possession with intent to distrib-
ute meth and heroin, illegally possessing
a firearm as a convicted felon, and pos-
sessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug
trafficking crime.
Grammon pleaded guilty on May 16,
2022, to the charge of illegally possessing
a firearm.
The case was prosecuted by Marco A.
Boccato, an assistant U.S. attorney.
In a press release Wednesday, Aug. 24,
Baker City Police Chief Ty Duby acknowl-
edged Grammon’s sentence, writing that
“this case represents what law enforcement
can accomplish in addressing violent crime
as a result of drug and gun trafficking.”
“Over the past several years law en-
forcement has seen a significant uptick in
large drug seizures that included meth-
amphetamine and fentanyl,” Duby wrote.
“Overdose deaths are up drastically, and
drug traffickers are more commonly car-
rying firearms.”
Duby wrote that the Baker City Police
Department remains a member of the
Baker County Narcotics Enforcement
Team.
Duby noted that Baker City Police on
July 6 arrested Jason Lee Troyer, 46, a sus-
pect in an investigation by the Narcotics
Enforcement Team. During the arrest,
Troyer, who had a statewide felony war-
rant for parole violation, had a Sig Sauer
9mm handgun.
On Monday, Aug. 22, Troyer pleaded
guilty in Baker County Circuit Court
to one count of being a felon in posses-
sion of a firearm. He was sentenced to 20
months in a state prison.
Chief Deputy Michael Spaulding of the
Baker County District Attorney’s office
prosecuted the case.
Oregon governor’s race rated as ‘toss-up’
BY GARY A. WARNER
Oregon Capital Bureau
A new national election fore-
cast is putting Democrats’ 40-
year dominance of the Oregon
governor’s office in question.
The Center for Politics at the
University of Virginia moved
the Nov. 8 race for Oregon gov-
ernor from “Leaning Demo-
cratic” to “Toss-Up.”
“This is despite the state’s
blue lean and the fact that Re-
publicans have not won a gu-
bernatorial race there since
1982,” wrote Kyle Kondik, the
center’s managing editor.
The center said an unusual
three-way race for governor
was enough to wobble Demo-
crats’ hold on the state’s top job
last won by a Republican when
Vic Atiyeh was elected to a sec-
ond term 40 years ago.
The change in rating came at
the end of a week that saw for-
mer state Sen. Betsy Johnson,
who left the Democratic Party
late last year to run as an unaf-
filiated candidate for governor,
turn in twice the number of
Contributed photos
The three candidates for Oregon governor are, from left, Democrat
Tina Kotek, Betsy Johnson, running unaffiliated, and Republican
Christine Drazan.
signatures needed to qualify for
the November ballot.
Secretary of State Shemia Fa-
gan has until Aug. 30 to verify
a sample of the signatures in
time to put Johnson on the bal-
lot alongside Democrat Tina
Kotek and Republican Chris-
tine Drazan.
“The race sets up an unusual
situation where the winner
may not need to crack even
40%,” Kondik wrote.
Much of the election debate
has centered around who John-
son would most hurt, Kotek or
Drazan.
Adding to the uncertainty is
a decision by leaders of the In-
dependent Party of Oregon to
forgo choosing one of the three
to carry the party’s ballot iden-
tification as well.
“There will be no cross-nom-
ination on this one,” Indepen-
dent Party board member An-
drew Kaza of Redmond said
Thursday when asked about
the governor’s race.
An Independent Party
cross-nomination in a race was
often sought by major party
candidates as an indicator that
the self-described “centrist”
party of the state saw them as
being the less partisan choice.
In 2022, the Independent
Party has cross-nominated 52
candidates so far this year, in-
cluding U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden,
D-Oregon, and two Demo-
cratic candidates for open U.S.
House seats: Terrebonne attor-
ney Jamie McLeod-Skinner in
the 5th Congressional District
and Rep. Andrea Salinas of
Lake Oswego in the 6th Dis-
trict.
The Independent Party of
Oregon has heavily favored
Democrats in 2022, but Sen. Bill
Kennemer, R-Oregon City, and
Rep. Mark Owens, R-Vale, are
among five Republicans to be
cross-nominated by the party.
Kaza said Independent Party
leaders are free to announce
their personal preferences. But
no one in the governor’s race
will be able to have the party’s
identification added to their
ballot listing.
The Center for Politics be-
lieves there is enough electoral
uncertainty to merit question-
ing Democrats’ historic win
streak.
Local Briefing
Meal, other activities
planned at LDS church
The La Grande Stake of
the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints will hold
a Stake activity on Saturday,
Aug. 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
at the Baker City church
building, 2625 Hughes Lane.
A meal will be served, fol-
lowed by activities for anyone
who wants to join in.
On Sunday, Aug. 28, a spe-
cial “Back to School Devo-
tional” will be broadcast to
all church buildings at 7 p.m.
PDT. Sister Bonnie Cordon,
Young Women General Pres-
ident and Elder Ken Firmage,
Area Seventy, will be speak-
ing. Contact your Ward’s
leadership for more informa-
tion on both activites.
The “Come, Follow Me”
lesson for the week of Aug.
29 will be based on select
chapters from the books of
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes
with a focus on the meanings
of “wisdom” and “godly fear”
as used in these scriptures.
For lesson details, download
the free mobile app called
“Gospel Library” or visit the
Church website.
chips, cookies and lemon-
ade. Bottled water will also be
available. Everyone at the bar-
becue will receive a free ticket
for a raffle of a 30-foot flag
pole, including installation.
BCU plans Patriot
Night Out Aug. 27
Baker County United is
planning a Patriot Night Out
event Saturday, Aug. 27 in the
covered area at Geiser-Poll-
man Park.
The event, which celebrates
the group’s first anniversary,
starts at 4:30 p.m. with an
auto rally starting at Windmill
Lane, with vehicles heading
west on Campbell Street, then
on Main to Broadway to 10th
and then back onto Campbell
to the park.
A free barbecue will start at
the park at 5 p.m. The menu,
catered by Elkhorn Custom
Meats and Deli, includes
hamburgers and hot dogs,
baked beans, broccoli salad,
BHS football players
to sell Gold Cards
Baker High School football
players will soon begin selling
Bulldog Gold Cards, which
offer discounts at local busi-
nesses. Football players will
have the $10 cards starting
this weekend. Proceeds bene-
fit the BHS football program.
Entry deadline nears
for Great Salt Lick Contest
Time is winding down to
submit an entry for the Great
Salt Lick Contest and Auc-
tion, which happens Saturday,
Sept. 17, at Churchill School.
In this contest, founded
by Whit Deschner, anyone
is welcome to turn in a salt
block that has been licked
News of Record
FUNERALS PENDING
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.
Baker City Herald • bakercityherald.com
Tom ‘Mac’ Kerns: A celebration of
Mac’s life will take place Saturday, Sept.
3 at 10 a.m. in the Haines Methodist
Church. Donations can be made to the
Eastern Oregon Museum in Haines
through Coles Tribute Center, 1950
Place St., Baker City, OR 97814. To light a
candle in memory of Mac, go to www.
colestributecenter.com.
Frank William Hermann: A celebration
of his life will take place on Sept. 9 at
1 p.m. at the Harvest Christian Church,
3720 Birch St. in Baker City. To leave an
online condolence for Frank’s family, go
to www.grayswestco.com.
Cass Robertson Vanderwiele:
Celebration of life/anniversary
celebration, Sept. 10 from 4 p.m. to
6 p.m. at the Thomas Angus Ranch
party barn, 42734 Old Trail Road, north
of Baker City. It will be a time to visit
with Cass’s family and offer them love,
support and condolences. Friends and
loved ones are welcome to stop by at
their convenience between those times.
Memorial contributions can be directed
to Colton Accounting, on Church Street
in Baker City. Cass loved making sure the
children of Baker, who were in need, had
a great Christmas. A foundation will be
created to honor his wishes in his name.
To leave an online condolence for Cass’s
family, go to www.grayswestco.com.
into an artistic form by live-
stock or wildlife.
Enter blocks by Sept. 15 —
and get a replacement block
— at Oregon Trail Livestock
Supply in Baker City or Rich-
land Feed and Seed.
At the event, viewing starts
at 5 p.m., and the auction
starts at 7 p.m.
Cash prizes will be awarded
in various categories thanks
to local sponsors who have
donated $1,225.
After judging, all blocks
will be auctioned by Mib Dai-
ley. Proceeds go to the OHSU
Parkinson’s Center of Oregon
— since it began in 2006, this
auction has raised $160,000.
For more information, visit
whitdeschner.com/the-great-
salt-lick-contest or contact
Deschner at 541-519-2736 or
deschnerwhit@yahoo.com.
Showing Movies Since 1940!
1809 1st Street • Baker City
Peggy Anna Pittman: Graveside
service will be Saturday, Sept. 10 at
10 a.m. at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Friends are invited to join the family
for a reception afterward at the Baker
City Christian Church, 675 Highway 7.
Memorial contributions can be made to
Smile Train, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
or Shriner’s Children’s Hospital through
Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500
Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.To
light a candle in Peggy’s memory, or to
offer online condolences to her family,
go to www.grayswestco.com.
AUG 26 - SEPT 1
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