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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityheralckcom
May 16, 2014
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iN mis somoN: Lo cal • Health@Fitness • Outdoors • TV QUICIC HITS
PlaygronndlmprovementProject
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscribers Olen Ragsdale of Baker City.
BRIEFING
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Voter turnout lagging Baker County Clerk Tami Green wants to remind area voters to get their ballots for the Tuesday election in by the May 20 deadline. The contest for the Baker County Commissioner Chair and the competition for the Baker County Commissioner Position No. 2 are the key races for the election that concludes Tuesday but three individuals — Cindy Carpenter, Marcy Osborn and Lara Petitclerc — are also in play for the county clerk slot. Local builder Bill Harvey is running against incumbent Fred Warner for the commission chair position while DickFleming and Gene Stackle are competing against incumbent Mark Bennett for the County Commissioner Position No. 2. Information from the county clerk's office Friday showed that of the 10,114 eligible voters registered in Baker County, 2,926 have turned in a ballot, for a 28.93 percent participation rate.
MayDay classes begin May 21 MayDay Inc. is presenting a new session of classes on domestic violence beginning Wednesday, May 21. The course is intended for victims of abuse and for family members, friends and others who want to better understand the issues connected with relationship violence. The 12-week course, titled "Journey Beyond Abuse," will include topics such as patterns of abuse, boundaries, healthy relationships, assertiveness, and many others. Sessions will be from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Wednesdays at the MayDay office, 1834 Main St., in Baker City.
WEATHER
Today
71I38 ~ Partly cloudy
Saturday
71I39 Partly sunny
Sunday
62/37 A shower or two Full forecast on the baCk Of the B SeCtiOn.
• Two women gathered support and persevered to achieve their goal
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By Pat Caldwell pcaldwell©bakercityherald.com
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Kathy Orr/Baker City Herald
Turf is rolled out with the help of volunteers and supervisors from the playground and surfacing companies. From left is Jayson Jacoby, David Schildknecht and Manuel Garcia. Standing in back is Elaine Sherman, who developed the surfacing system called SMARTE.
Powder River crew
helps out
4+Iktr' . pai
By Lisa Britton For the Baker City Herald
A 10-man crew from Powder River Correctional Facility joined community volunteers this week to install new playground at Geiser-Pollman Park. Earlier this month, the adults in custody donated $525 to the Playground Improvement Project.
iplayground equipment) had Kathy Orr/Baker City Herald
See Powder RiverIPage 8A
Adults in custody at the Powder River Correctional Facility have helped throughout the week with setting up the playground equipment and preparing the base for the project. Here they are unloading the rolls of plastic turf that will be under and surrounding the new playground.
9th Circuit Conrtof AppealsRuling
By Katy Nesbitt VVesCom News Service
La Grande — An appeals court decision is forcing the WallowaWhitman National Forest to create more protection for elk within the 29,000-acre Snow Basin loggingprojectarea. A lawsuit filed in 2012 sought protection for not only elk, but also endangered bull trout. The appeals court upheld the Forest Service and the U S. Fish and Wildlife's decision that there is
TO D A T Issue 3, 24 pages
suScient data proving bull trout were extirpated from the streams withinthe projectarea decades ago and further protection measures were unnecessary. However, the courtdid orderthe Forestto provide supplemental information that would ensure protection for elk from vehicular travel. Baker County intervened in the case, siding with the Forest. "I was disappointed that the Ninth Circuit reversed their decision," Fred Warner Jr., Baker County Board of Commissioners Chairman, said Thursday. "Hopefully the Forest Service can do a supplemental environmental impact statement and get every-
Calendar....................2A Classified............. 3B-BB Comics....................... 2B
been here a very long time. I dreaded coming to this park," Jacoby said. See Playground IPage8A
5) BudgetBoard
now asinSroiect e uS • Appeals court agrees that more elk protect ion isneeded
The project began, really, with mud. And dirt. And old playground equipment. The idea to produce new playgroundequipment for Geiser-Pollman Park in Baker City was fueled by a muffled sense of frustration foragroup oflocalm others who decided one day to get involved and to initiate change. They didn't know exactly how they were going to accomplish their goal; they didn't have any money; they didn't have a firm plan. All they really knew was that theywere tired oftraveling to one of Baker City's beautiful parks and watching their children play in mud, dirt and on antiquated playground equipment. The playground restorationprojectrevolved around two women — Lisa Jacoby and Megan Fisher — but eventually encompassed a dozen or more other mothers and concerned residents, including Baker City Councilor Ktm Mosrer. Jacoby — a young mother — saidshe wanted tobe able to bring her children down to the park so they could play in a suitable environment. A location that did not include mud, dirt and outdated — and perhaps slightly unstable — equipment. ''When you have a 15-month-old and bring them down and all they do is fling dirt because there isn't any age-appropriate equipment it's frustrating. The stufF
thing going." Darilyn Parry Brown, Hells Canyon Preservation Council's executive director, said under the Forest's Travel Management Plan the closure ofcross-country travel and key roads within Snow Basin addressedthe plaintifFs'concerns. With the Plan on hold, those protecti ons are notin place. "The Travel Management Plan closedcertain roads in the project areaforelk habitat;thoseprotections are no longer in place, so the court is requiring a supplemental environmental impact statement," Parry Brown said.
Budget discussions to continue By Chris Collins ccollins©bakercityherald.com
The Baker School District's Budget Board stoppedjust shortofapproving a proposed general fund budget of more than $20 million in its first meeting Tuesday night. A motion to approve the spending plan failed by a vote of 5-3. Andrew Bryan, Rusty M unn andTom Hudson voted yes.Voting no were Mark Henderson, Kyle Knight, Kevin Cassidy, Rich McKim and Mike Rudi.
See RulinglPage 8A
See 5J Budget/Page 8A
C o m m u nity News ....5A He a lth ........................1C Ne w s of Record........2A Sp o r ts ........................6A C r o ssword..........BB&7B H o r o scope..........BB&7B O p i n i on......................4A T e l e vision ...........3C&4C D e a r Abby...............10B Ja y son Jacoby...........4A O u t d oors...................1B We a t her...................10B
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