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‘Gold Rush’ to filmin Baker County

Hells Canyon Motorcycle

Rally hot topic at City Council

POPULARDISCOVERY CHANNEL SHOW COMING TO BAKER COUNTY

BY KERRY McQUISTENNews@TheBakerCountyPress.com

After a year of rumors and speculation, it’s of-fi cial—the Discovery Channel’s mega-hit “Gold Rush” has fi nally “panned out” for Baker County. The show’s star, Todd Hoffman, said in an in-terview Tuesday evening, “This is the answer to a prayer for us, coming back to Oregon.” After last Friday’s epi-sode, which highlighted a successful test run of the soil—and one rattlesnake relocation—on a claim owned by the Wirth family in “eastern Oregon,” the word was out. And local excitement immediately began to ignite. Future episodes will walk viewers through the deci-sion to formally select that claim as the focus for the next “Gold Rush” season. How it happened. Hoffman chalks the op-portunity to fi lm in Baker County up to an act of divine intervention. “So, Jim Thurber, who you know has been a long time with the show—” Hoffman began. “Jim was hunting out there (on Three Valley’s land) and Phillip Wirth just happened to drive by. He said it felt to him like God told him to turn the truck around go back to Jim.” “I just had this strong feeling I needed to go back,” Wirth said. So that’s exactly what Wirth did, and eventually his business card passed from Thurber to Hoff-man, and communications began. (Not-so-secret meetings were later seen happening at the Truck Corral in Baker City.) Hoffman says he thinks

it took a little over a year to get the deal in place, the details of which are highly confi dential. In fact, most of the cast and crew are limited by a contractual nondisclosure clause to preserve proprietary pro-duction information. Over that year, Hoff-man passed through Baker City, Unity, Hereford, and Bridgeport a time or two—even meeting with Baker County Commissioner

Mark Bennett with a cam-era crew down Burnt River Canyon at one point. Bennett said, “I think that the project is an outstanding opportunity to highlight mining opera-tions in Baker County and the whole of eastern Or-egon. The activities should draw an increased level of interest in tourism to the county.” “My camera crew is British,” Hoffman joked.

“Just be good to them and keep the beer fl owing, and they’re happy.” A native Oregonian, Hoffman also spoke to his eastern Oregon ties. “I grew up in and out of Sumpter,” he said. “I used to ride dirt bikes with Kevin Logsdon. The fi rst time I ever panned gold was in Sumpter. I played as a kid on the Doodlebug!” SEE GOLD RUSH

PAGE 10

Photo courtesy of The Water Hole.

Last September, some of the Gold Rush cast stopped by The Water Hole in Unity during one of their treks across Baker County to the Wirth family’s mining claims. L-R: Andy Spinks, Freddy Dodge, Jack Hoffman, Tim Hoskins, Kimala Parret Hoskins (The Water Hole), unknown patrons in back row, Todd Hoffman.

The

Friday, February 26, 2016 Volume 3, Issue 9

Sunday

Saturday

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

Photo Courtesy of Suzan Ellis Jones

This bench near Bridgeport is the area for which a conditional use permit has been submitted, tentatively asking for housing for up to 30 people.

Senate candidate Carpenter visitsHuntington’s birthday kickoffMerrill outlines plans for new jobNatural Resources Advisory Comm.5J School Board meetsOffi cer Sells graduates

Page 5Page 5Page 8Page 9Page 10Page 11

Friday

Offi cial weather provider for The Baker County Press.

Mostly sunny and warm, highs in the lower 50s. Low near 35. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Mostly cloudy with showers likely. High near 50. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Low near 30.

Mostly cloudy with a risk of showers. Highs in the lower 50s. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Lows near 30.

Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.

BUSINESS: Baker City business owners sound off on the new minimum wage hike.

PAGE 3

LOCAL: Heart ‘n Home Hospice Director gets Patriotic Employer award. PAGE 9

All local. All relevant. Every Friday.

ORGANIZERS FEAR SOME IN COMMUNITY ARE AGAINST EVENT, BMCC GIVES INFORMATION, MARIJUANA DISCUSSED BRIEFLY

BY GINA K. SWARTZGina@TheBakerCountyPress.com

A large crowd gathered in Council chambers as Tuesday evening’s meeting commenced, including several who waited in anticipation of joining in on the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally discussion, which had been well-publi-cized prior to the meeting via Facebook and other outlets. But fi rst, Mayor Mosier called the meeting to order. Councilwoman Lewis led the Pledge of Allegiance and asked for a moment of silence and for each person to ask for guidance for the evening. City Recorder Luke Yeaton called roll with each councilor present. Mosier turned her attention to the consent agenda, con-sisting of the minutes from the regular Council meeting from February 9, 2016. Councilor Downing moved that they approve with a second by Councilor Lewis, the vote following was unanimous. Mosier then called for citizen participation for anything that was not on the agenda. Rodney Shaw came forward and spoke with concerns about fencing ordinances per-taining to the medical marijuana community. “We are approaching growing season,” he explained. “One of the new laws states our plants have to be out of public view.” In an effort to be proactive, foreseeing future issues that may become of concern. He noted he had a strong six-foot cedar fence but still had had issues with youth climbing his fencing to get to his marijuana last year and was aware others did not have the same type of secure fencing. He suggested council look into an ordinance that may possibly protect growers as well as youth from issues concerning the growing of legal marijuana that council had made clear they did not feel should be highly visible in town. Councilor Lewis suggested Shaw fi nd some such ordinances and bring back to them to look at. He agreed. Council then moved forward with the agenda. Mosier read and signed a proclamation declaring Febru-ary 7-13, 2016 FBLA-PBL Week. The Council was asked to appoint Eric Owen to the Airport Board and Anthony Constantine to the Tree Board.

SEE CITY COUNCIL PAGE 8

Our forecast made possible by this generous sponsor:

Gubernatorial candidate comes

to Baker City BUD PIERCE HOLDS FUNDRAISER AT QUAIL RIDGE GOLF COURSE

BY GINA K. SWARTZGina@TheBakerCountyPress.com

Last week at the Quail Ridge Golf Course Clubhouse, a dozen or so Baker County citizens, including Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett and physicians Charles Hoffman, Neal Jacobson and Nancy Hutnak, gathered to meet and listen to William C. “Bud” Pierce. Pierce is an unassuming man, friendly yet somewhat reserved. Pierce is running for Governor in Oregon on the Republican ticket. He has been an Oncology/Hematology doctor for some 20 years helping patients with cancer and blood disorders. He comes from a tight-knit family, his father a school janitor worked hard to provide for them. Unfortunately, Pierce lost his father at age 14. Pierce spent time working at a nearby Air Force base commissary as a bag boy working only for tips before beginning on a path at UCLA pursuing his MD and PhD.

SEE BUD PIERCE PAGE 5

Photo courtesy of The Depot Inn

L-R: Members of the ‘Gold Rush’ cast Jim Thurber, Jack Hoffman, Kathy Reedy (The Depot Inn), and Todd Hoffman stayed in Sumpter in January 2015, prior to serious negotiations.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Local2 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS

— News of Record —— Community Calendar — JAIL ROSTER

FINLEY, Jeffrey STEWART, Troy BENADUM, Derek DELURY, Noah TUGMAN, Michael SPRAGUE, Travis GRIGGS, Corey CLARK, DexterBRUCE, Justin PFAFF, Buddy SCHULTE, MichaelURLACHER, JohnWINSTON, BrandyDAWSON, TaraDEHERRERA, KyleKOCHSMEIER, Shawnia DARNELL, Jason ROPER JR, John BARGER, Thomas BARNETT, Desiree CARPENTER, Anna GAGNON, Roderick SYPHERD, CrystolGRAY, RobertHARDING, JestinPREVO, Loren ANDERS, TylerMYERS-GABIOLA, MichaelSCOTT, AustinYATTAW, Anthony HARSHMAN, MatthewROMINE, David HANSON, Coty KEEFE, TimothyWEISS, Jamie WITTER, RobertHODEL, Cody MYERS, Anthony SCHLAHT, NathanELKSHOULDER, Ida

POLICE LOG

Doud, Matthew Wayne. 2/19. War-rant for Criminal Mischief II. Benadum, Derek Allen. 2/19. Clack-amas County Circuit Court Warrant. Delury, Noah Levon. 2/19. Wallowa County warrant for probation viola-tion. Simonis, Floyd Rea . 2/20. Posses-sion of Controlled Substance. Melchoir, Shyla Dawn. 2/20. Animal Neglect II. Dougherty, Anthony Curtis. 2/20. Criminal Trespass I. Glerup, Nicholas Wade. 2/20. Criminal Mischief I. Keller, Anita Dawn. 2/21. DUII.

FUNERAL NOTICES

Albert Lawrence “Butch” Garrett was welcomed back home into the light on February 2, 2016. He was 68 years old. Butch is survived by his wife Morgan Caulfi eld. On line condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.

LaMar Gardiner, 70 a resident of Baker City, OR died Sunday at his home. Mr. Gardiner will be taken to Ogden, UT for graveside services.Services under the direction of Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St. Baker City, OR 97814.

Christine Lillard, 69, a resident of Baker City, OR died Tuesday at Meadowbrook Place, Baker City, OR.Services under the direction of Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St. Baker city, OR 97814 To light a candle in

memory of Christine, please visit; www.colestributecenter.com.

Roy Munsell, 85, formerly of Rich-land and LaGrande, died on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 at Springcreek Assisted Living in Ontario, Oregon. A Traditional Funeral Service will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016 1:00 p.m. MST at Sunrise Christian Church 968 SW 30th Street Ontario, Oregon. For those who wish to make a memorial donation in memory of Roy, may do so to the OHSU Al-zheimer’s through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home PO Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834. On line condolences may be shared at www.tamispineval-leyfuneralhome.com

Glenna Joann Bond, 86 of Vale, Oregon died at her home on Mon-day, February 22, 2016. A Tradi-tional Funeral Service will be held on Friday, March 4, at 1:00 at the Vale Christian Church. Interment will follow at the Valley View Cemetery in Vale. Friends are invited to join to join the family for a reception im-mediately following the interment at the Vale Christian Church. On line condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com

Richard Hansen, 72, of Baker City, died on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 in Baker City, Oregon. Ar-rangements are under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Services. On line condolences may be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com

CASINO NIGHT AT THE BAKER HERITAGE MUSEUM

Saturday, February 27, Please join the Friends of the Baker Heritage Museum for our annual Casino Night Fundraiser - Night at Old Auburn on February 27th 6-10 p.m. Tickets are available at the Museum, Chamber of Commerce, Betty’s Books and other locations in Baker City. You can also purchase them on our website bakerheritagemuseum.com. Hurry - ticket prices go up after February 21st.

LEAP INTO ACTION POTLUCK AND GAME NIGHT

Saturday, February 27, 5 p.m. Sumpter Valley Community Volunteers (SVCV) is a non-profi t dedicated to improving the quality of life in Sumpter Valley. Our Leap into Action Potluck and Game Night will have a very short presentation on our ambitious goals, then food and fun. SVCV will provide ham, table service, coffee, and water. Bring a salad, dessert, or side dish to share. Bring your fa-vorite non-alcoholic beverage for yourself and your favorite game for others to join in. The ping pong table will be set up after dinner. Directions: Sumpter Schoolhouse Community Center, one block up Mill Street past Stage Stop Gas Station.

STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Wednesday, March 2 through March 5, State 1A Basketball Tournament. Top 8 Boys and top 8 Girls basketball teams in the State of Oregon. These are the small schools.

EASTERN OREGON MINING ASSOCIATION MEETING

Friday, March 1, 6 p.m. in the Baker City Council Chambers.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS SESSION Wednesday, March 2, 9 a.m. at the Baker County Courthouse.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK BANQUET Saturday, March 5, 5 p.m. Dinner, Raffl es, Games, Live and Silent Auctions. Held at the Baker City Elks Lodge.

MAIN STREET ROUND TABLE Tuesday, March 8. Every business owner, man-ager and employee are invited to attend Business Round Table. We pick a topic each month to talk about in advance and spend a little time catching up with what’s happening in our fellow Baker County Businesses. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 8-9 at the Little Bagel Shop.

BAKER CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, March 8, 7 p.m. in the Baker City Coun-cil Chambers.

BAKER CITY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING

Wednesday, March 16, 7-9 p.m. in the Baker City Council Chambers.

ANNUAL REPUBLICAN BANQUET Saturday, March 19 at the Sunridge Inn. Special guest speak is Congressman Greg Walden. State Rep. Cliff Bentz has confi rmed with other candidates pending. $35 per ticket, prime rib dinner included. Call Baker County Republican Chair Suzan Ellis Jones at 541.519.5035 for more information.

NRAC The next Baker County Natural Resources Advi-sory Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 22, 2016, at 3 p.m. The agenda includes sec-tional edits, presented by the Forestry subcommittee.

POWDER RIVER FRIENDS OF NRA The annual banquet and fundraiser is May 7th, 4 p.m. at the Baker Events Center. We support youth programs and shooting sports in Baker County! Learn more at www.prfnra.org.

— Obituaries —Ethel Louise MorrisBaker City, 1951-2016 Ethel Louise Morris, 64, of Baker City passed away at her residence on February 16, 2016 in Baker City, Oregon. Arrange-ments are pending through Gray’s West & Co. Ethel was born on June 12, 1951 to Leonard and Anna (Taylor) Stokes in Macon, Missouri. On March 10, 1968, Ethel married Phillip Morris in Las Vegas, Nevada. She worked as a Comp-troller and eventually became the Vice President of Winpac Lane Corpora-tion for 11 years; in 2007 she retired. Her career was one of her greatest accom-plishments. Ethel enjoyed garden-ing, fi shing, sewing, and reading when she had time and was a member of the Missouri Grange Quilting Club. Ethel is survived by her son Christopher Morris of Riverside, California, her daughter Cheryl Thompson of Hesperia, California, her sister in-law Ann Arends and brother in-law Robert Arends of Baker City, Oregon. She is also survived by six grandchildren. Her husband, Phillip Morris, preceded her in death. Memorial contributions may be made to Heart and Home Hospice of Baker

City through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Baker City, OR. 97814 To light a candle in honor of Ethel, please visit: www.grayswest.com.

Robert “Bob” SmithBaker City, 1928-2016 Robert “Bob” Smith, 87, of Baker City, died on February 18, 2016 at Settler’s Park Assisted Liv-ing Facility in Baker City. A Graveside Service was held on Thursday, Febru-ary 25, 2016 ~ 2:00 p.m. at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Baker City with Military Honors. Robert LeRoy was born on January 22, 1928 in La Grande, Oregon to Glenn and Veda (Wicks) Smith. Bob attended high school in La Grande Oregon. Just before graduation he joined the Navy. He continued to pursue his high school diploma while being at sea. When Bob’s high school class in La Grande gradu-ated, the Navy fl ew him home so he could gradu-ate with his class. Un-beknownst to his fellow classmates, he had his navy uniform under his gradua-tion robe. After he had his diploma in hand, it was back onto the ship. After an honor-able discharge, he went on to college to pursue a teaching credential using

his GI bill and attended Eastern Oregon University. On August 24, 1961, Bob married Alice Aldeen Poe in Reno, Nevada. They enjoyed a wonder-ful and busy life with four children. Bob taught 10 years in Enterprise, Oregon starting in 1951, teaching 7th grade math and science. He then took a teaching position at Baker in 1961 and taught mostly the 6th grades for 20 years. He retired after thirty years of teaching to take over the family business with Alice at Poe Motor Company after the death of Alice’s parents. Bob and Alice eventu-ally were able to retire and they enjoyed it. He and Alice would take a trip to Canada every year. He loved to fi sh, had a great sense of humor and loved to take pictures with his Polaroid camera. “Smile” and you’d get a magical snapshot that ap-peared before your eyes. He was a prankster and enjoyed each and every minute of it. If Bob was awake, then the whole house was awake. These last many years, Bob enjoyed daily visits to McDonalds or trips over to Wal-Mart. He was preceded in death by his parents, and his wife Alice in 2009. Bob is survived by his children Karen Sammis and her husband Jim, of Ottawa, Kansas, Russ Smith of Elgin, Oregon, Terri Hutton and her hus-band Mike of Baker City, and David Smith and his wife Sue of North Powder; 12 grandchildren and many great great grandchildren; longtime friend Jewel Boucher. For those who would like to make a memorial dona-tion in memory of Bob, may do so to the Ronald McDonald House in Boise, Idaho. through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home PO Box 543 Halfway, Oregon 97834. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispi-nevalleyfuneralhome.com.

Micheline CaprioSumpter, 1924-2016

Micheline Caprio, 92, of Sumpter, died on Tuesday, February 16, 2016 at St, Alphonsus Hospital in Baker City. A memorial service will be held this Spring (time and date to be announced). Micheline was born and raised in France. After fi nishing school she studied to become a nurse/midwife and worked for a hospital in Paris deliver-ing babies and helping in surgery. She moved to the U.S.A. in 1959 and lived in Wal-nut Creek, California until she moved to Sumpter, Oregon in 2012. Micheline studied at the San Francisco State University and received a Bachelor Of Science/Clini-cal Science Degree, and then went on to study at the Diablo Valley College and received an Associate In Arts Degree. She was a beautiful artist and loved to draw & paint. She loved animals and gardening. “There wasn’t a fl ower she couldn’t grow or an animal she wouldn’t Feed!” Micheline is survived by her daughter Jackie Braga of Dunedin, Florida; four grandchildren, Shir-ley Bender of Sumpter, Oregon. David Williams of Brentwood, California. Tracey Robins of Mont-gomery, Texas. Dyani Gib-son of Edmond, Oklahoma; six Great Grandchildren; seven great great grand-children. She was preceded in death by her parents, Michel Cardonner & Victorine Frances and her husband Russell Caprio. Those who would like to make a memorial donation in memory of Micheline, may do so to Best Friends of Baker Inc., through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home & Cremation Ser-vices PO Box 543 Half-way, Oregon 97834. Online condolences may be shared at www.tamispi-nevalleyfuneralhome.com.

EthelMorris

BobSmith

MichelineCaprio

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BY TODD ARRIOLATodd@TheBakerCountyPress.com

A sample of local business owners and operators expressed their opinions recently, regard-ing the potential effects of controversial Senate Bill 1532, which declares an emergency, and raises State minimum wages via a three-tiered, statewide/urban/rural system, begin-ning on July 1 of this year. The bill was passed by the Senate on Thursday, Febru-ary 11, and a week later, by the House, on February 18, and, will take effect, once signed by Governor Kate Brown. The bill, introduced by the Oregon Senate on Feb-ruary 1, amends Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 653.025, the minimum wage rate, with language covering each fiscal year through 2023, varying also according to inflation rates annually after that. Section 1 of ORS 653.025 was amended to include the following rates statewide: from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, $9.75; from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, $10.25; from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, $10.75; from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, $11.25; from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, $12.00; from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, $12.75; from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, $13.50; and, after June 30, 2023, begin-ning July 1, a rate adjusted annually for inflation. Exceptions to the state-wide rates are included in two categories: metropoli-tan districts, and, nonurban counties. Metropolitan dis-tricts include the following rates: from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, $9.75; from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, 11.25; from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, $12.00; from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, $12.50; from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, $13.25; from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, $14.00; from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, $14.75; and, after June 30, 2023, beginning July 1, no less than $1.25 more than the yearly determined minimum wage, adjusted annually for inflation. Nonurban counties include the following rates: from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017, $9.50; from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, $10; from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019, $10.50; from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020, $11.00; from July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, $11.50; from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, $12.00; from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, $12.50; and, after June 30, 2023, beginning July 1, no less than $1.00 per hour less than the yearly determined minimum wage, adjusted annually for inflation. The following are considered “nonurban counties” according to the bill: Baker, Coos, Crook, Curry, Douglas, Gilliam, Grant, Harney, Jefferson, Klamath, Lake, Malheur, Morrow, Sherman, Uma-tilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler counties. Dr. Sheryl Blankenship, co-owner of Baker Vision Clinic, at 2150 3rd Street, with Dr. Leslie Elms, said, “I worry greatly for our

State, in that new busi-nesses will not look at our State with this coming in, because it’s going to be very difficult, particularly for a new business to start up, so that is very upset-ting. Existing business-es—I’ve already had some tell me, they don’t know if they will be able to stay in business, with this change. And, certainly, in my busi-ness, we’re not at mini-mum wage, what we pay, but, it certainly will require restructuring. I think it’s going to change for all businesses, and, what they’re able to provide, as a product, and, the end cost of that product, because, for them, the businesses that can continue, are go-ing to have to increase the prices for their products. “My concern is (indi-rectly), looking more at the welfare of our City, our County, our State, and, I don’t see anything positive there. I think we are going to pay for this dearly. I wish our Governor would look further. I understand what they’re trying to do—you know, get people out of poverty—but, what they’re going to do is, make it difficult for every-one.” She said the clinic em-ploys 18 people, with the majority working five-day work weeks, and a few working four-day work weeks. Marilyn Logsdon, co-owner of York’s Cov-ered Wagon Grocery & Sporting Goods, at 1549 Campbell Street, with her husband, Kevin, said, “I’m not impressed with it. That’s going to make everything more expen-sive, so in fact are people really getting a raise? Not really, because now the cost of living is going to go up. That’s going to really affect us, although most of our (York’s) people are getting paid more than that, other than when they first start. But still that’s pretty nuts. It’s going to make it challenging. The other thing that bothers me, is it was never put to a (state-wide) vote.” She said it’s an idea that would possibly work better for the western, larger cit-ies. York’s employs nine people part-time, she said. Tom Kulog, co-owner of Betty’s Books, at 1813 Main Street, with his wife, Carolyn, said, “There is a problem that needs to be dealt with, but, I’m not sure it’s the right way.” The Kulogs employ several people, part-time, he said. Human Resources Manager Sandi Fuller, of Marvin Wood Products, at 3665 17th Street, said, “If it passes as it’s listed, like we’ve been looking at, and watching it—July 1, 2016, it will go to $9.50—it’s in-cremental, which is good. It’s lower in the rural areas, which is also good. Our starting wage here is $13 an hour (currently), for our new hires, so, we’re in good shape, as far as being in compliance, and, not having it be a real shock to us...I believe the majority of companies already pay minimum wage, and better, so, there may not be as much as an impact, as what they may be hoping for ... I’d say it’s fairly neutral for us, at this time.”

She said that Marvin Wood Products employs around 150 people, mostly full-time, some part-time, and, temporary workers, during the summer. Jodie Hausotter, who co-owns Natural Structures, at 2005 10th Street, with her husband, Ted, and, his parents, Albert and Grace Hausotter, said, “We start (new hires) higher than that (minimum wage).” Ted said, “As far as direct impact, this isn’t a direct impact for our company. Where it directly impacts us is ... competition ...We have experienced this in the past ... Number two (as an example), the bottled water that gets delivered--the people delivering bottled water. They have to raise their price because of it...The pizzas we have deliv-ered (another example)...It’s putting pressure on all those wage scales...” The Hausotters employ 61 people, Jodie said. Tyler Brown, Manager at Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, at 2190 Main Street, and, Baker City Brewing Com-pany (Barley’s Taphouse), at 2200 Main Street, said, “My thoughts, in general, are more about the Gov-ernor (Kate Brown), and, the legislature in Oregon. I have zero confidence in them, and with the bad de-cisions, in general they’re making.” He cited voter-passed Measure 91, the Control, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana and Industrial Hemp Act, as an example. “But, then they gave Coun-ties that didn’t vote for it, the option of backing out of it ... They’re saying, ‘Hey, you guys didn’t vote for it, and, we still want to be friendly with you (the Counties with a majority in opposition),’ so, you don’t have to have it,’ just because their bill says so... They’re kind of going with that same trend, of waffling around, saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to do a minimum wage bill, and, try and head off a voter-mandated minimum wage.’ I don’t understand the rationale behind treat-ing the State as no longer one State, but, as portions of the State (giving an example of a fast-food restaurant, selling items for the same prices here, and, paying workers the same rates, as one would in Portland)...” Brown said that of the 60 employees (between Barley Brown’s Brew Pub, Baker City Brewing Company, and the Sumpter Junction, all managed by the Browns’ company, Windmill Enterprises, Inc.), very few are actu-ally paid solely minimum wage, because tip income, which is taxable, and causes what an employee is paid to be much higher than the base wage, should be taken into account, one of the points Brown stressed time and again, with legislators. “What I’ve told (Repre-sentatives) Cliff Bentz, and Ted Ferrioli in the letter I wrote to the Governor, is looking at that (bill) now, if we weren’t already in the restaurant business in eastern Oregon, there’s absolutely no way we would go into it now. You can go 70 miles. You can

cross the Idaho border, and your business plan is going to look entirely different. I guess looking forward, what we’ll see more of, and what’s very popular around Portland, is the restaurants where you walk in the door, you order your food at a counter, and they give you a number, and yell out a number (as opposed to more customer service-oriented, sit-down restaurants, he said). It eliminates server jobs...There’s no chance of (res-taurant) prices ever going down,” he said, stating that an increase in costs is ultimately passed on to the consumer. Stephanie Benson, co-owner of The Little Bagel Shop, at 1780 Main Street, with her husband, Will, said, “I just don’t believe it’s going to help anybody, because, the more money they make, the more taxes they’ll pay, so, it’s actu-ally going to give them no more take-home pay. It’s going to affect small business, more so, than anything, and, that’s the biggest detriment to most people. Some of these businesses are just waiting to see what happens.” She expressed confusion as to why rates would be dif-ferent across the State. “I honestly think that Baker City is the same price as Portland (retail goods, for example), so, I don’t understand why it’s going to get a higher minimum wage than eastern Oregon. I have family that lives in the Pearl District, and, their Safeway flier is the same as ours—exactly. We are paying prices the Pearl District is paying,” she said. The Bensons employ four people part-time, she said. Jacki Adams, owner of The Sycamore Tree, at 2108 Main Street, said, “I realize that the cost of living has gone up, and, it needs to be addressed, but, that’s really drastic. Over-all, I think people will see higher prices. I also know that it’s hard to live on ten dollars an hour. We’ve been established for 28 years, and, it’s not going to be easy for us, but, for somebody who’s already struggling, that could be detrimental.” Adams said she employs four people, part-time cur-rently, and up to eight. “One thing drives another; you might be making more money, but, the cost of goods is going to go up, as well. It’s kind of a balancing act. I know that it will be harder, as a small business person, to make ends meet, or, to try to make money. It might be discouraging for people who are thinking about starting a business,” she said. Josh Decarl, co-owner of the Corner Brick Bar & Grill, at 1840 Main Street, with his wife, Debra Fisher, said, “I think it’s a really good idea, but, I think it’s going to hurt businesses in Baker, unless local consumers are on board, and, agree to pay extra for eating out, and, other things. That’s what it comes down to.” Decarl and Fisher em-ploy from eight to twelve people, part-time, he said.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Business & AgTHE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 3

— Weekly Hay Report —

— Cattle Market Report —

Friday, February 19, 2016 — Eastern Oregon

Prices trended generally steady compared to weekago prices. Many producers have decided to hold on to their hay for now, in hopes for higher prices. Many hay producers are sold out for the year.

Tons Price Range Wtd Avg Alfalfa —Large Square Premium

300 125.00-125.00 125.00Alfalfa —Large Square Good

40 120.00-120.00 120.00 Alfalfa / Orchard Mix —Small Square Premium

25 190.00-195.00 192.00 Timothy Grass—Small Square Premium

3 195.00-195.00 195.00Meadow Grass—Small Square Good

2 150.00-150.00 150.00USDA Market News Service—AMS.USDA.gov

Wednesday, February 17, 2016Vale, Oregon

Cattle sold through the auction: 1160

Steer Calves300-400# Bulk 199.00 - 226.00 Top 235.00400-500# Bulk 198.00 - 223.00 Top 231.00500-600# Bulk 167.00 - 194.00 Top 197.50

Heifer Calves300-400# Bulk 191.00 - 214.00 Top 220.00400-500# Bulk 179.00 - 193.00 Top 202.00500-600# Bulk 147.00 - 168.00 Top 171.50

Yearling Steers600-700# Bulk 153.00 - 175.00 Top 177.25700-800# Bulk 127.00 - 150.00 Top 151.75800-900# Bulk 134.00 - 141.00 Top 142.00

900-1,000# Bulk N/A Top N/A

Yearling Heifers600-700# Bulk 133.00 - 144.00 Top 145.00700-800# Bulk 129.00 - 139.00 Top 142.00800-900# Bulk 112.00 - 126.00 Top 127.50

900-1,000# Bulk 97.00 - 111.00 Top 113.00

Thin Shelly Cows 41.00 - 57.00Butcher Cows 61.00 - 69.00Butcher Bulls 69.00 - 81.00

Stock Cows Yng. 1275.00 - 1500.00Younger Hfrts. N/A

Stock Cows Older. - 985.00 - 1225.00

ProducersLivestock.com541-473-3136

— Precious Metals Report —Price per ounce, USD

Gold: $1,239.10Silver: $15.29

Platinum: $936.85Palladium: $488.05

Bloomberg.com

— Ag Commodities —Corn: $364.50/bu/USD

Wheat: $451.25/bu/USDSoybeans: $872.25/bu/USD

Oats: $187.00 bu/USDRough Rice: $10.66/cwt/USDCanola: $464.70 CAD/mwt

Live Cattle: $136.15/lb./USDFeeder Cattle: $157.95/lb./USD

Lean Hogs: $71.48/lb./USDBloomberg.com

— Log Price Report —Price per 1,000 board feet: Northeast Oregon

Currently the local log market is flooded with fire salvage logs. The log buyer for Malheur Lumber Co. stated they have all the logs they need under contract and are not accepting any new purchases. BCC/LLC of La Grande has receive so many burned fire salvage logs they are no longer accepting logs at the La Grande log yard. Any additional pine logs have to be delivered to the Elgin Log yard cut in plywood lengths and to a 8 inch top. For these pine logs cut in plywood lengths, BCC is offering $280.00/mbf. They are also paying $410.00/mbf for Doug Fir & Western Larch. For White Fir they are offing $310.00/mbf. At the Pilot Rock Saw Mill BCC is offing $360.00/mbf for a 12 to 15 inch top, for 16 to 19 inch top $400.00/mbf & offing $425.00/mbf for 20 inch plus top

Courtesy of Arvid Andersen,Andersen Forestry Consulting

Local businesses speak out about minimum wage hike

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Opinion4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS

— Editorial —

High hopes for the newly

revisedChamber of Commerce

We’re excited about the new di-rection the Baker County Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center seems to be taking. This week our publisher visited with new executive director Shelly Cutler, who has been on the job less than two months. Let us describe the scene when one walks through the door now. First, the visitors center and public restrooms are now accessible to tourists together at one end of the building. On the other side, the business end of things—the Cham-ber—is now focused and clearly separate. The director’s “office,” desk and all, has been moved downstairs right across from the front door so that when a person walks in,

there’s no doubt they’ll be greeted, and there’s no doubt who works there. Noting those initial changes, we started to get hopeful. Over the past few years, we’ve tried a Chamber of Commerce membership and let it lapse twice on purpose. The reason for that lapse was that somewhere along the way, it began to feel as if Baker City’s small businesses were viewed as a support system to keep the Chamber operating, rather than the other way around. In our current economy, Baker County needs a strong Chamber of Com-merce and a motivated director. We need media who dive in and inform the community of all the business happenings in the area. We need the businesses themselves to band together. Ms. Cutler has already taken the initiative to map out new benefits for businesses and new member-ship tiers. She’s reaching out to business owners and meeting with us. She has ideas and energy that might breathe life into some com-munity events that have dwindled over the years—if she gets our sup-port in the community. We’re almost afraid to get this hopeful—but we are! —The Baker County Press Editorial Board

A failure of leadership in Grant County To the Editor: Is it no wonder Grant County has the issues we do? We have a county court that is about as consistent as the weather in Eastern Oregon, give it 15 minutes and they will change. They are a group of men that state they stand up for individuals of the county, except when they speak their mind, then they attempt to pass resolutions to silence those voices, or picket public meetings to harass concerned citizens into silence. They want more timber coming out of the mountains, but in a rare sign of conti-nuity, keep allowing the forest service to destroy the very roads that allow us to get timber out of the mountains. They don’t want outsiders address-ing the concerns of the county, but allow Oregonwild, Sustainable Northwest, Blue Mountains Biological Diversity Project, and other outside influencers to peddle their influence, so long as friends of the courts projects are allowed to slide thru with approval. The only consistency in the Grant County Court, is the consistency of mak-ing sure their friends know “the court has their backs”, and that is a very small circle of friends. Who’s to blame? We all are, I am, each and every one of us that bought into the big talk and little action of these three men. So this is my challenge to each of you, think wisely in your votes this fall, because you’re going to have a choice to make. Stick with the narrow view of the Grant County Court that champions hav-ing the back of a man like Harney County judge Steve Grasty, or break a new path with men that really support you as indi-viduals, because the crew we have now is leading us down a path of no return, with a dim future.

John GeorgeBates

Chamber supports HCMR To the Editor: The purpose of this letter is to express the Baker County Chamber of Com-merce’s support for the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally. The Baker County Chamber advocates on behalf of over 400 businesses within Baker County representative of a diverse variety of sectors including retail, tour-ism, restaurant, lodging, manufacturing, construction and healthcare industries.Events such as the Hells Canyon Motor-cycle Rally are of the utmost importance to both our members and Baker County, and are essential for supporting growth in Baker County’s industry sectors, par-ticularly retail and tourism. The Rally is a unique opportunity as it has already proven itself to bring thousands of tourism dollars to Baker County. The Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally can be developed and structured in a mutually beneficial manner that coincides with the county’s growing tourism needs. The col-laboration between event organizers and the Baker City Council is of tremendous economic value to businesses and families living in Baker County. Restriction of events such as these would result in the loss of thousands of dollars in tourism income, losses which businesses cannot afford considering likely minimum wage and tax increases. Prohibiting or crippling certain events in Baker County would be a move in the wrong direction, potentially eliminating the interest of organizers considering holding events in our county in the future. I ask that the City Council continues working closely with the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally organizers in order to continue supporting Baker County’s grow-ing tourism needs.

Shelly CutlerExecutive Director

Baker County Chamber of Commerce

and Visitor’s Bureau

— Letters to the Editor —

YOUR ELECTEDOFFICIALS

President Barack Obama 202.456.1414

202.456.2461 fax

Whitehouse.gov/contact

US Sen. Jeff Merkley 503.326.3386

503.326.2900 fax

Merkley.Senate.gov

US Sen. Ron Wyden 541.962.7691

Wyden.Senate.gov

US Rep. Greg Walden 541.624.2400

541.624.2402 fax

Walden.House.gov

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown

503.378.3111 Governor.Oregon.gov

State Rep. Cliff Bentz 503.986.1460

State Sen. Ted Ferrioli 541.490.6528

Baker County Commissioners Bill Harvey;

Mark Bennett; Tim Kerns 541.523.8200 541.523.8201

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So I was thinking ...

Male fashionBy Jimmy IngramSpecial to The Baker County Press

I’ll admit it. I’m the last person who should be giving anyone fashion advice. Like so many Eastern Oregon males I’ve spent the majority of my life wondering which Carharrt jeans and T-shirt I should wear to work. I was barely qualified to pick out the suit for my own wedding. But even an amateur like myself knows a major violation of the fashion code when I see it. Socks with sandals: This is an interest-ing philosophical conflict. Sandals or flip flops are the definition of casual. Socks are the definition of practical. However, the combination of the two is a lack of commitment to either cause. It’s a look usually reserved for men wearing hats that say, “I’m not retired, just tired.” And no, bleached white socks are no better than the dingy old striped ones. It’s summer— your toes deserve to be set free. Live dangerously and ditch the socks. Novelty hats: Caps and stocking caps are a safe bet. Cowboy hats are pretty standard around our neck of the woods. Deviation from those gets into uncharted territory. Berets, newsboy hats, fedoras, and things of the like are bold statement makers that are usually better suited for a Broadway play than they are for real life. While some dapper gentlemen can pull it off, the rest of us look confused about what decade it is. Samuel Jackson looks cool in a Kangol wool snap brim. Your neighbor Sam just looks odd when he wears it with his cowboy boots. The mullet: This one hits home for me. Like most guys from my generation, I proudly sported a mullet in my youth. But like VHS and Aquanet, mullets jumped the shark many years ago. One thing is for sure: If you see a middle-aged man with a mullet in 2016, there is a strong likeli-hood he’s still fixing up his TransAm and hasn’t yet learned that David Lee Roth left Van Halen. If you are an adult male and still utter the words, “Leave it a little long in the back,” each time you get a haircut, your family may be considering a hair-style intervention for you. Skinny jeans: Admittedly I don’t under-stand the logic behind men wearing tight jeans. It seems counterintuitive consider-ing we’ve spent most of our post adoles-cent lives trying to be comfortable “below the waist.” If you’re a male and you have to ask a friend, “Do these pants look too tight?” then they are. I suggest you grow a beard, buy a chainsaw and eat a two- pound steak. It will immediately put hair back on your chest and bring you back into the world of masculinity where you belong. You’ll be back wrestling grizzly bears in no time. Pants worn below the butt: While this is less common in Eastern Oregon, it seems to have stood the test of time with a select few who are incredibly proud of their underwear. The inclusion of a belt adds

to public bewilderment and must be for aesthetic reasons only. No belt deserves that job. While most of us fear prospect of our pants falling down, the “saggers” have willingly turned it into a reality. The good news: If a friend or relative that you know chooses to wear their pants like this there is help. Suspenders are available in a variety of colors and styles. Nothing says, “Hey man, pull your pants up,” like the gift of suspenders. They may also need a reminder that no potential employer has ever pointed to a man with his pants below his ass and said, “That guy is com-pany material. Hire him immediately!” Bluetooth earpieces: While not “fash-ion” in the traditional sense, these devices may as well be considered a fashion state-ment. Unless you spend 8-10 hours a day on the phone or require the use of both hands at all moments, the worn-every-where earpiece is probably unnecessary. We all realize you are busy, important, and in high demand, but wearing your Bluetooth to Thanksgiving dinner may be a bit overkill. When you say “turkey,” I’m not sure if you’re demanding someone pass the turkey or telling someone on the phone what you’re eating for dinner. Gen-erations of successful people have been able to function without these devices for years. So can you. Fanny packs: It’s hard to believe 180 degrees of extra wearable storage on the body can make such a different impres-sion. A backpack says, “I’m adventurous. I know where I’m going and have things to do.” Put that storage on the front of your waist (a more practical location after all) and you’ll be teased by everyone you know, mistaken for a tourist, and receive unsolicited directions from people who as-sume you must be lost. But while most of us wouldn’t be caught dead wearing a fan-ny pack, I imagine they feel they’ve been given an unfair rap. I’m convinced fanny pack wearers think of themselves as mod-ern day gunslingers—quick on the draw with extra Chap-Stick, grocery coupons, a Nokia phone, nail clippers, and a map of Crater Lake National Park. Despite the practicality, you probably shouldn’t wear one. Convenience and preparedness aside, you’ll never escape the stigma. I won’t guarantee that if you follow these fashion rules that you’ll be the talk of the town. But subtlety rarely goes out if style. If you’re worried about your whether or not your fanny pack matches your skinny jeans or have issues with your mullet getting caught in your Bluetooth earpiece, you may have bigger problems than you think.

— Guest Column —

Submitted Photo

Jimmy Ingram is a local farmer and father of two who enjoys people watching within our wonderful com-munity and beyond.

BudPierceCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Pierce also served as a U.S. Marine. UCLA offered him a position as an assistant professor of medicine but he declined, and he and his wife Selma relocated to the Pacifi c Northwest, Salem to be exact, where he has served as the anchor of one of the last physician-owned oncology practices in the Northwest. He estimates that work-ing 12-14 hour days, fi ve days a week for the past 20 years, he has cared for nearly 15,000 patients. After moving to the area, he also quickly became a clinical assistant professor at OHSU and over the past 20 years, he has volun-teered at OHSU, teach-ing clinical medicine and helping to review research protocols. He also has been the president of the Oregon Medical Association. Pierce has been happily married to his wife Selma for 34 years with two adult children. He considers himself a small business owner hav-ing a small private prac-tice, and says he knows the value of training employ-ees and turning them loose to do their work to their full ability. He has been involved in medical reform, liability reform with trial lawyers and medical politics. The campaign slogan Pierce is standing be-hind? “New Vision. New Direction.” Pierce is not a career politician and says he believes that to be in his favor, because he feels he can see beyond the narrow

scope of what career politi-cians get caught up in. Pierce says his decision to run was based upon the realization that the current leadership is broken. Pierce is narrowing his focus on three areas, spe-cifi cally: 1. Safety. He said, “We have to be safe. The Second Amend-ment right to carry a gun is in question. Ultimately we’d like to be a society where you don’t need to carry a gun for your safety. We need to support our law enforcement, have even more. I’d like to see them patrol together more. Let the governor worry about terrorism, work with state and federal entities regard-ing that. I really think our risk is fairly low.” 2. Prosperity. “That’s going to take a lot of work. Focus on rural Oregon, although I consider there to be only one Oregon. Government agencies need to be on our side, and what that means is that if you’re regulating grazing you should have a dual mandate. “Your job is make sure the environment is kept nice but also to make sure that people that are using it are successful so you don’t put in place rules that make businesses unsuc-cessful. There has to be that balance. I think that is where we’re going wrong with government we’ve got a police-like action where we’re just making the citizens mad. “We could have heathy forest and good logging if managed properly. Same with manufacturing. We have to ship smaller loads and that’s more expensive. In other states they can ship larger loads, is more cost effective. We need to look at things like that,” he said. 3. Education Reform. He said, “Trust and

support our teachers and principals. Let them create a learning environment for our children, with an agreed on curriculum that makes sense for students and teachers. “Testing but not over testing so we really know where each student is. Giving options with career technical skills educa-tion because a lot of kids don’t want to be a doctor or lawyer but they like to make stuff so give them opportunities well. “Advanced education can cost $100-200,000 our colleges an advanced training education systems need to fi nd ways to lower that cost and make it so its affordable. “Encourage the Portland, valley area businesses to come out here. Intel, Nike they need to move some of their operations out here, give them some incentives to do so. “Transportation is an issue for them so I’d love to see better more regional transportation options so that could become a possi-bility, something low cost.” He went on to say that while in the Marines he learned the value of “say what you mean, mean what you say and do what you say.” He said, “I’ve carried that on though out my

life. People may see me as a little bit blunt or plain spoken.” Pierce also said, “Timber is our greatest gift. We should be one of the lead-ing timber people in the world in terms of growth and sustainability.” He added, “Government should help people be free, be a mediator. Laws are laws they don’t make people agree. They just tell it the way it is. We need to get down and discuss the nitty gritty of it. When people are having trouble getting along don’t throw kerosene on the fi re. Help them get along.” Pierce also noted that he feels government need to be more frugal. There is “lots of waste,” he said—at least 17% annually in administration costs for agencies with middle management staff that are ready to retire and not es-sential to daily governmen-tal operations. At any rate, Bud Pierce asks for a good look by voters before casting fi nal ballots next November. Those interested can visit his Facebook page, Bud Pierce for Governor, or watch new clips, review his history and see his views on issues at bud-pierce.com.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Local THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5

Senate candidate Carpenter stops by Baker City

Kerry McQuisten/ The Baker County Press

L-R: Campaign Manager, Noel Fritsch, and Senate Candidate Sam Carpenter stopped by the Sunridge Monday morning.

Huntington’s birthday party kicks off

Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press

Dr. Chuck Hoffman with candidate Bud Pierce.

BY EILEEN DRIVEREileen@TheBakerCountyPress.com

The fi rst of the Huntington Birthday Celebration events were held on Saturday, February 20 starting with the pool tournament at 4 p.m. at Grady’s Tavern located at 20 E Washington. The place was packed wall-to-wall with contestants and spectators rooting for their favorites. The atmosphere was very festive and everyone was treated to Grady’s delicious pizza to keep them happy and content during the fi ve-hour-long contest, which was full of oohs and ahs at the amazing shots that made it and groans of disappointment at the ones that missed. The brave tournament entrants were as follows: Crystal Harding,Wiley Harding, Tim Matthews, John Howland, Bruce Hinchcliffe, David Hanks, Kendra Hanks, Nick Watson, Tony Tamburell, Dale Reed, Roger McDowell, Allan Driver, and Brad Albro. Play was exciting throughout and capped off by Tony Tamburello taking fi rst place from Bruce Hinchcliffe by beating him in two straight games for a double elimina-tion. Making the ending lineup: First Place Tony Tamburello winning a large trophy and $125. Second Place Bruce Hinchcliffe winning a trophy and $75. Third Place Tim Matthews winning a trophy and $50. Mayor Travis Young was on hand to congratulate the winners and hand out the winnings. The beautiful trophies were donated by Chuck Guerri owner of Guerri Transportation of Huntington who specializes in school bus operations and repair. Cash winnings were donated by Indianhead Electric of Weiser, Idaho, which specializes in residential electrical services. Grady’s Tavern holds smaller pool tournaments every Saturday night at 5 p.m. for anyone wanting to play. From there everyone wandered over to historic How-ell’s Cafe and Streamliner Lounge located at 40 E. Wash-ington to join the birthday dance, which started at 8 p.m. and the awesome musical sounds of Big Blue Johnson. The standing-room-only crowd was treated to delicious and beautifully presented meat and cheese trays, crackers and vegetable trays to keep up their strength for dancing the night away to classic rock and country tunes. Everyone who attended received a free raffl e ticket and the option of purchasing more at 5/$1. At half-hour intervals, Mayor Travis Young and City Recorder Tracy McQue chose a handful of winning tickets and gave out over 40 special prizes including $25 gift certifi cates from Candy’s Corner Market, Huntington Bait and Tackle, Howell’s Cafe & Streamliner Lounge, Grady’s Tavern and The Country Store as well as a T-shirt and baseball cap donated by 420Ville. A great time was had by the attendees and the City of Huntington would like to thank all the people of Hun-tington who helped make it possible. They are looking forward to the birthday cake competition in June and hope the public will join in the celebration.

GOP HOPEFUL SET TO SQUARE OFF AGAINST SEN. RON WYDEN

BY KERRY McQUISTENNews@TheBakerCountyPress.com

Incumbent Senator Ron Wyden has a campaign war chest of $6 million—a daunting amount for any opponent. 66-year-old Sam Car-penter of Bend is taking up the challenge—that is, if he can beat a slug of other GOP candidates in the primary. Carpenter, along with campaign manager, Noel Fritsch, stopped by the Sunridge Inn in Baker City early Monday morning as part of what is shaping up to be a nonstop, nine-month tour of Oregon. “Oregon is God’s coun-try,” said Carpenter, who emphasized his plans for a “robust campaign.” A SuperPac is currently being set up through an outside party to help sup-port his campaign fi nan-cially, Carpenter said. Carpenter moved from upstate New York to Or-egon at the age of 24 with all his family’s belongings in one trailer and $400 in his pocket.

At the time, his dream was to work in the forest, and with an Associate’s degree, began working for the Forest Service. Carpen-ter moved through a series jobs over the years—from construction to electrical utility work—before even-tually founding one of the largest private 911 answer-ing services in the nation. Carpenter also provides services as a business fi xer, analyzing and repairing failing business models. “It’s what I’m good at,” he said, and hopes to apply those skills to the U.S. Senate for Oregon. Carpenter believes gov-ernment serves a purpose that includes national security and the military, infrastructure maintenance, federal-level regulations and so forth. “What we don’t need,” he said, “is for government to get into our personal lives as if we’re too stupid.” An outspoken opponent of government overreach, Carpenter favors the transfer of public lands back to local control and cites federal failure in lands management as a hot button issue. From his forestry background, Car-penter says he has watched catastrophic wildfi res, road closures, lack of thinning and maintenance, etc. become detrimental to the

land and the people. “Big government messes up everything it touches,” he said. Another of Carpenter’s key points is the elimina-tion of “the thought police mentality.” He believes that conservatives have been “made to feel guilty about their thoughts and feelings” by the liberal establishment and by faux conservatives who don’t stand up for their values. His campaign will emphasize that this sort of political correctness must end, and cites a national thirst toward this goal as the primary reason for presidential hopeful Don-ald Trump’s popularity. Another of Carpenter’s goals? “To unshackle

small businesses,” he said. “Small business drives everything.” Other issues of interest to this candidate are Second Amendment rights, immi-gration and energy. With a team including his campaign manager and four other campaign pro-fessionals from around the U.S. and Oregon, he plans to blanket Oregon not only with boots on the ground, but social media. Carpenter said if elected, he plans on serving no more than two terms. “I really have no reason to join those (establishment) in D.C.,” he said. More on Carpenter can be found at www.carpen-terforsenate.com.

Eileen Driver/ The Baker County Press

L-R: Tim Matthews, Bruce Hinchcliffe, Mayor Travis Young, Tony Tamburello.

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HELP WANTED

BAKER SCHOOL DISTRICT 5J is currently accepting applications for a Special Education teacher at South Baker Intermediate. For a complete description of the position go to www.baker.k12.or.us or contact the employment division. You may also call 541-524-2261. 2.26

REPORTER WANTEDOn-call reporter needed. Pay per article. Baker City and Haines areas. Interested in this opportunity? Please email editor@thebakercountypress.com. Great supple-mental income!

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LEGAL NOTICES

DISTRICT MEETING NOTICEMedical Springs Rural Fire Protection District Board of Directors will hold its regular monthly board meeting at Pondosa Station, on Monday, March 14, 2016 at 7 PM to discuss fi re department operations. Equal opportunity provider.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016

Outdoor Rec / LocalTHE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7

USDA announces $40 million project

SWCD / NRCS: Post-fire reseeding project completedSubmitted by SWCD, Baker City

2015 was a tough year for Baker County. Land-owners and producers ex-perienced another consecu-tive drought year, which brought with it a horrifi c wildfi re season. Baker County faced four separate wildfi res over the summer, which burned hundreds of thousands of acres and disrupted countless liveli-hoods. Now that the fi res are long out, and we are draw-ing closer to a new spring, landowners are facing the next big concern: erosion. Lands affected by wildfi re are at a much higher risk for fl ash fl ooding and land-slides, because the burned, bare soil cannot absorb as much water. Erosion also removes or redistributes top soil, the layer of soil with the greatest amount of organic matter and nutri-ents. Not only does losing top soil reduce the chance for a plant community to recover after an event such as a wildlife, but it can cause a shift to less desir-able plants; for example, from native grasses to

shrub species. To help mitigate this multifaceted issue, the Burnt River Soil and Water Conservation District partnered with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to hire a contractor to aerially apply a grass seed mix on approximately 5,700 acres of rangeland that were severely burnt in the Windy Ridge/Cornett Fires. Getting a jump start on re-vegetation will decrease the chance for major ero-sion once the snow begins to melt and the rain begins to fall. Participating land-owners, who submitted an application to NRCS’ EQIP program, were cho-sen based on burn severity and vegetation mortality throughout their affected property. Because of these collab-orative efforts, the Burnt River SWCD and the NRCS were able to help 16 individual private land-owners treat their burned rangeland. This amazing partnership and coopera-tion have allowed agencies to come together and help our local landowners when they need it the most.

USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Envi-ronment Robert Bonnie announced a federal investment of over $40 million for restoration of forests near growing communities to reduce wildfi re threats, protect water sup-plies, improve wildlife habitat and support rural econo-mies. This is the third year of the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership between the U.S. Forest Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to improve the health and resiliency of forest ecosystems where public and private lands meet. “The health of our forests and our rural communities very often go hand in hand,” Bonnie said. “USDA works with other public and thousands of private landowners through a range of programs and partnerships to decrease the threat of wildfi re, restore forest habitat and increase economic and other opportunities for the families and businesses that make their homes near woodlands.”Washington and Oregon were awarded funding for two new projects, plus additional funding for ongoing proj-ects. In Oregon and the U.S. Forest Service Pacifi c North-west Region, the Greater La Pine Basin Cohesive Strat-egy Project was selected: This project leverages strong partnerships across diverse organizations and community groups to integrate multiple objectives across the landscape. This includes increasing forest resiliency to insects, disease, and fi re; enhancing and protecting water yield and quality; im-proving wildlife habitat; and engaging communities to increase awareness about the project. Spanning 344,701 acres the project area includes state, public, and private lands. The project will implement activities focused on hazardous fuels reduction, restoration, and maintenance on federal lands, fuels reduction and restoration work on private lands, and outreach and education to assist local communities in becoming more fi re-adapted. Fiscal year 2016 funding: USFS - $952,125; NRCS - $250,000 Forest: Deschutes Partners: Deschutes County; Project Wildfi re; Oregon Department of Forestry; U.S. Bureau of Land Manage-ment; Oregon State University Extension; Walker Range; Oregon Department of Corrections; Upper Deschutes River Coalition; Upper Deschutes Watershed Council; Firewise Communities; Klamath County; Central Oregon Fire Chief’s Association; Central Oregon Cohesive Strat-egy Initiative; Deschutes Fire Learning Network; Oregon Department of Transportation; Oregon Department of Agriculture; Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.In addition to the two new projects, two existing Joint Chiefs’ projects in Oregon (awarded in 2014 and 2015) will receive additional funds this year. The East Face of the Elkhorn Mountains Partnership in Baker and Union counties will receive $1.2 million this year; and the Ashland Forest All Lands Restoration Project in Jackson County will receive $3 million. In addition, one existing Joint Chiefs project in Washington (awarded in 2015) will receive additional funds this year. The Northeast Wash-ington Initiative in Eastern Washington will receive $1.2 million this year. In total, Bonnie unveiled 11 new Joint Chiefs’ projects totaling $7 million for 2016 and committed additional investments totaling nearly $33 million in 27 projects launched in 2014 and 2015. Local partners plan to invest up to an additional $11 million in fi nancial, technical and in-kind assistance for the 38 projects. The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts, where Bonnie highlighted several projects that demonstrate the power of this kind of partnership. Bonnie said, “By taking an all lands, all hands approach, Forest Service, NRCS, and countless partners are demonstrating that smart, pro-active investments to restore forests yield extraordinary benefi ts for landowners, communities and taxpayers.”Since its start, $104 million has been invested through USDA’s Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partner-ship to reduce wildfi re threats to communities and landowners, protect water resources, and improve habitat for at risk species. Summaries of all projects selected can be found on the NRCS website http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/features/?cid=stelprdb1244394

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Submitted Photos.

A helicopter drops a grass seed mix.

—ODFW Weekly Recreation Report—Weekend fi shing opportunities: Steel-head angling is good in the Umatilla River. The Wallowa River is fi shing well for steelhead and the bulk of a very healthy run is on the way. If your favor-ite fi shing spot is no longer listed It’s probably because that river, lake or reservoir is closed for the season, in-accessible due to snow and bad roads, or offers limited fi shing opportunities during the winter months. These water bodies will re-appear in the Recreation Report when they re-open next spring, or when access and/or opportunity improves.

GRANDE RONDE RIVER: trout, whitefi sh, bass

The Grande Ronde is currently (Feb 22) reletivley high which will make fi sh-ing diffi cult. The river likely won’t return to fl ows typical of the last few months but steelhead will still be available when the water isn’t muddy. This year’s run of steelhead is one of the best in recent years and catch rates have been good throughout the season. Remember, the new closure date for the Grande Ronde River steelhead fi sh-ery is now April 30. Year-round fi shing for hatchery trout will also be allowed beginning Jan. 1, 2016.

HOLLIDAY PARK POND: rainbow trout

Pond was stocked in September with trophy-sized trout. An ADA fi shing dock for anglers with disabilities is available. The pond may be ice covered and unsafe for ice fi shing.

HUNTER POND: hatchery rainbow trout This pond was stocked with 150 trophy-sized rainbow trout the lst week of September. The pond will now be ice covered. From I-84 take Hwy 244 to-

wards Ukiah. At the Blue Mtns summit, turn left onto USFS Rd 5160. Proceed for approximately 3 miles to the Jct. of roads 5160 and 5155. Stay on 5160. Just past this Jct. on the right will be spur 710. Take this spur. The pond is just off 5160.

IMNAHA RIVER: SteelheadWith the recent uptick in fl ows steel-head have started to enter the river at a higher rate and angers are fi nding success. Look for the run to continue to improve as the late winter/spring progresses. Local biologists expect very good catch rates this spring with the stronger than usual run.Remember, the new closure date for the Imnaha River steelhead fi shery is now April 30. Year-round fi shing for hatchery trout is also allowed under the 2016 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.

JOHN DAY RIVER: steelhead Steelhead fi shing has been slow on the John Day River since fl ows are high and water clarity poor. Flows are predicted to be lower by the weekend but will likely be too high for successful fi shing. Steelhead have dispersed throughout the system and numbers are increasing above Service Creek in the upper John Day. Anglers have success primarily drift-ing with jigs, shrimp or eggs with a bob-ber. Another popular method is drifting a worm along the bottom. Fly anglers are primarily nymphing with lower success. ODFW encourages all anglers to keep any ad-clipped steelhead taken in this fi shery. All wild (adipose intact) steelhead must be released unharmed.

LONG CREEK POND, CAVENDER POND: trout Both ponds may be iced over so proceed with caution for ice fi shing. Cavender Pond was stocked last fall

with trophy trout.

LUGER POND: hatchery rainbow trout Luger Pond was treated with the chemical fi sh toxicant rotenone in the fall and all fi sh were removed. The pond with be restocked with legal-sized rainbow trout in May 2016.

MAGONE LAKE: rainbow and brook trout Lake is iced over so use caution for ice fi shing. Access road to lake is cov-ered with snow and will require 4-wheel drive to reach.

McHALEY POND: rainbow trout Pond was recently excavated to improve capacity and to remove aquatic weeds. Very few fi sh are in the pond post excavation treatment and fi shing will be poor.

McKAY RESERVOIR: Closed to fi shing until March 1, 2016.

MORGAN LAKE: rainbow trout Closed to fi shing as of Nov. 1.

OLIVE LAKE: rainbow trout, brook trout, and kokanee Lake has been stocked with both legal and trophy-sized rainbow trout. Lake is iced over and the access road is covered with snow. It will require a snowmobile to reach lake.

PEACH POND (Ladd Marsh): rainbow trout Peach Pond was treated with the chemical fi sh toxicant rotenone in the fall and all fi sh were removed. The pond with be restocked with legal-sized rainbow trout in May 2016.

ROULET POND: rainbow trout The pond is ice free and will be stocked with rainbow trout in April.

ROWE CREEK RESERVOIR: rainbow trout Remains open all year. Fishing is fair for carryover and stocked trout.

TAYLOR GREEN POND: hatchery rainbow trout Was stocked with 150 trophy-sized rainbow trout the last week of Septem-ber. The pond will now be ice covered. From Hwy 203 at Union, turn left staying on Hwy 203 towards Medical Springs. At the summit between Union and Medical Springs, turn left onto USFS Road 7700 (opposite snowpark area). Proceed East on 7700 road for about 9 miles to USFS Road 7740 on the right. Proceed on the 7740 road for about 1/4 mile. The rock pit pond are on the right.

UMATILLA/WALLA WALLA FOREST PONDS: trout Boundary, Keyhole, Yellowjacket, Granite Meadows, Goldfi sh and Windy Springs ponds are closed to angling until Dec. 31 due to pesticide applica-tions to remove unwanted fi shes. These ponds are closed to access by the pub-lic until all signage is removed. Stocking of these ponds will resume during the spring of 2016.

UMATILLA RIVER: steelhead No reports on steelhead fi shing for last week, the river was high and unfi sh-able for most of the week. Water levels have dropped and the color is a nice green in the Pendleton area, expect a good week for anglers. Steelhead are spread throughout the river system, creel surveys are now concentrated on the upper river area, but good angling opportunities are still available in the lower river. Anglers can access fi sh counts at updated Threemile Dam fi sh counts. Flow data is available

WALLOWA COUNTY PONDS: rainbow trout Surplus steelhead have been out-planted in Marr, and Weaver ponds (Lower Diamond) however Weaver pond is still mostly froze over. This would be a great opportunity to get kids out and into some big fi sh. These fi sh are most often caught by fi shing a worm or other bait under a bobber a few feet. Kinney Lake was treated with a pesticide on Oct. 5 to remove unwanted fi shes. ODFW testing has determined the area is safe to entry and the reservoir has been fi lled. New regula-tions for Kinney Lake will be in effect for 2016. ODFW, Triple Creek Ranch, and the Wallowa Valley Improvement District #1 (WVID#1) have collaborated to open Kinney Lake for year-round fi shing starting Jan. 1, 2016. However, catchable trout will not be available until the lake is stocked in the spring. Non-motorized watercraft will also be allowed at Kinney Lake for 2016. Re-member, to be respectful of the private land access that the Triple Creek Ranch and WVID#1 have provided and pack out any trash you bring or fi nd.

WALLOWA LAKE: rainbow trout, kokanee, lake trout Some holdover trout will still be avail-able for the hardy trout fi sherman willing to brave the cold weather. As spring progresses the anglers that fi nd those holdovers will likely have some large fi sh on the end of their line. Kokanee can also be caught by jigging deep during the winter months. Wallowa Lake does not reliably freeze every year. However, when the lake does freeze, ice fi shing can produce good catch rates for trout and kokanee.

WALLOWA RIVER: steelhead, moun-tain whitefi sh The Wallowa River is fi shing well and the bulk of a very healthy run is still to come. Biologists expect catch rates to be very good as the season progresses into the spring. This year’s run of steelhead is one of the best in recent years and catch rates have been good throughout the season. Winter fi shing between Minam and the mouth at Rondowa can be very good for anglers willing to walk. Re-member, the new closure date for the Wallowa River steelhead fi shery is now April 30. Year-round fi shing for hatchery trout is now allowed under the 2016 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 20168 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS

LocalCity Council

Gina K. Swartz / The Baker County Press

Bev Calder testifies in front of City Council about the HCMR.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Councilor Langrell spoke, stating he felt hav-ing Eric Owen on the Air-port Board was a conflict since his wife was public Works Director Michelle Owen. Mike Kee assured Council since no money was involved it was not a conflict. “Well, I for one will not vote for him,” said Langrell. Councilor Downing moved to approve Owen to the airport board with a second by Councilor Lowe, all councilors voted to approve except Langrell. Councilor Lowe then moved to approve Con-stantine to the tree board with a second by Councilor Thomas, that vote was unanimous. “I’d like to thank those citizens for stepping for-ward,” said Mosier. Council next heard from Blue Mountain Com-munity College (BMCC). The presentation was given by Dan Koopman, BMCC Baker County Center Director. He depicted trends and demographics seen over time, the last 10-years and currently. He noted than in strong economic times enrollment generally decreases and in weaker times enrolment rises however the enrol-ment rate in baker County has remained fairly steady regardless. Jeff Nelson, who is part of BMCC’s Small Busi-ness Development Center, addressed Council as to the role the SBDC plays helping establish new busi-nesses and sustain current businesses in our com-munity. He spoke briefly about the newest program that was started last year at Powder River Correctional Facility and has been very successful thus far. In fact, as Nelson indi-cated, others in the state wanted to used them as a model to begin their own programs. Mosier commented that at the last Council meeting a presentation had been made by BTI regarding moving in a direction of becoming an accredited college, and she asked the question of where that fit in with their picture of the future. BMCC president Cam Preus was present and

addressed Council regard-ing that issue, stating the conversations were just be-ginning to happen and the road was still being trav-elled. Mosier mentioned access and space being of concern, to which Preus agreed and advised new space was being sought ei-ther by being purchased or built and as far as access, she assured everyone that what was being offered was state-of-the-art. Many classes were being offered by telecom which until recently wasn’t an option so therefore two students from Baker, four from Milton-Freewater and five from Boardman, for example, had access to a class that would not have been available to them before because it was not feasible to have a class for only two or three people. Preus commented that for future offerings she was embarking on a survey of Baker County Residents to see what they would like to see BMCC offer to them or this community. Lowe asked a question regarding how the tax-based money was account-ed for and utilized. Preus advised that there was a budget board and all monies used are very transparent and she offered a copy of the recent finan-cials to Lowe and the rest of the Council to inspect to which Councilor Lowe thanked her. Council then turned its attention to what was mostly filling the room a discussion revolving around the annual Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally. Mosier turned the pro-ceedings over to Police Chief Wyn Lohner, slip-ping and calling him Of-ficer Lohner, as the crowd laughed. Chief Lohner asked, “Do you know something I don’t?” Mosier apologized for her slip and Lohner continued on, giving a brief background of the event, which began in 2006 with a few friends riding their motorcycles to Baker City. The event has grown steadily every year into what it is now with several thousand attendees every year and numerous vendors. Lohner advised Council of a meeting that had been held after the last Motor-cycle Rally in July 2015 and what had transpired from that meeting that had been held “in an effort to

make the event better,” said Lohner. There were no com-plaints or concerns raised by ODOT or Economic Development, and HBC’s only concern was that sidewalks be kept clear for ADA access. Public Works mentioned a concern regarding 2nd Street being the only de-tour street. There were concerns voiced from businesses about vendors and the length of street closures. Lohner also clarified to the Council why he and the police department are so involved in the event, and advised that in his opinion with his department being so hands-on in the event, it has helped the event be-come and remain virtually incident-free. Lohner said, “I haven’t had a single business owner who has ever come to me or to my knowledge come to the City manager or anyone else that works for the city and said, ‘This event has got to go away.’ Everybody I’ve spoken to—and I believe every-body I’ve seen that I know in the audience tonight, are very supportive of this event and of the benefit to our community, and to our region. They recognize the value of that.” Before calling citizens forward to speak, Mosier added, “I have not heard from anyone who wants this event to go away or move from our City or County. It is a large event because it is very popular and very well-loved, but a large event does have a large impact, and that’s why we are here.” Lowe asked if there were taxes or fees that the City collected from the event. He was informed that

all fees collected were paid to the organizers of the event; however, motel rooms that were rented during the event collected tax that was distributed to the City and County. The High School collected approximately $10,000 for camping fees during the event, which they utilized for sporting events, etc., and the City had also seen benefits in the purchase and help with maintenance of new drug dog, Capa. Of the several citizens who spoke to council, busi-ness owner Beverly Calder, who owns Bella on Main Street and is a member of the Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) Commission, spoke. “As a Commission, we love this event; it’s a huge event that brings so many people. The effect the rally has had over the last 10 years is it brings a lot more motorcycle traffic and that’s really great for lodging and really great for restaurants,” said Calder. She noted that the TLT takes some of the monies collected during the Mo-torcycle Rally to market Baker City. She said, “I’m asking the Council and the Chief to look at the impact of a large-scale closure in the height of season. We’re out mark