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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityheratd.com
May 19, 2014
>N >H>s aD>i'>oN: Local • H ome @Living • SportsMo n d ay 7 5 e QUICIC HITS
RainReturns
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscribers Eva Gray of Baker City.
Sports, SA Baker entered Friday's Greater Oregon League baseball doubleheader with La Grande knowing it needed at least a split to gain a share of the league title. Senior Mason Cline helped make sure the Bulldogs would do even better. Cline slugged a pair of grand slam home runs and drove in 10 runs as the Bulldogs swept La Grande12-7 and 10-3 to win the GOL crown at the Baker Sports Complex.
• Dampest day since December litters sidewalks with tree blossoms it
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• With little more than a day left to vote in the primary electi on,32.8percentofvoters have returned their ballots
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Oregon, 3A Last week, the Oregon Department of Education refused a request by the state's teachers union to delay the implementation of new, more rigorous standardized tests. Locally, superintendents stand behind the state's decision, while opinions among other education leaders range from cautious to outraged.
By Jayson Jacoby IIacoby©ba kercityhera Id.com
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BRIEFING
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Livestock Associatio n to meet Wednesday The Baker County LivestockAssociation will talk about wolf management and drought relief programs during its monthly meetingWednesday, May 21 atThe Sunridge in Baker City. Dinner starts at 6 p.m., with the meeting to follow at7 p.m.
Local hunters seek change to bear, cougar regulations The Baker chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association is urging the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to cancel the current rule that prohibits some bear and cougar hunters from hunting during centerfire deer and elk seasons. The rule was enacted due to concerns about party hunting during the fall deer and elk seasons, but members of the Baker chapter say in a resolution they passed this year that the concern is unfounded.
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Chris Collins/BakerCity Herald
Heavy rain on Sunday stripped most of the blossoms from flowering plum trees along Court Avenue between First and Second streets. A total of.30 of an inch of rain fell at the Baker City Airport, making Sunday the wettest day of the month. It was also the highest daily total since Dec. 20, 2013. That day's total of .41 of an inch came in the form of snow, however.
After a promising start to wettest month in Baker County, with an average of 1.46 inches the year — both February and May was seriously in arrears, of rain. March were wetter than usual rain-wise. iJune, by the way, ranks — April's rain total of.54 was And despite Sunday's heavy second, at 1.31 inches. Those justtwo-thirds ofaverage. showers, it still is. two months combine for disproSpring rains are crucial in A total of.30 of an inch of portionate share of the yearly Northeastern Oregon because rain fell during the day at the rainfall, accounting for 27 they can ease the demand for Baker City Airport. percent ofthe annual average irrigationwater stored in the of 10.13 inches.) It was the dampest day not region's lakes and reservoirs. only for the month, but since So far, though, this May has This is especially important Dec. 20, 2013, when a snowfailed to fulfill its rainy reputathis year, as the drought of 2013 storm pummeled the airport tion. left many reservoirs depleted. with the liquid equivalent of.41 Even after Sunday the Phillips Reservoir, for inof an inch. monthly total is a paltry.47 of stance, between Baker City and an inch. Sunday's deluge was hardly This continues a troubling Sumpter, is slightly less than unusual for May. It is statistically speaking the trend that started in April. half full today. By Jayson Jacoby
IIacoby©bakercityherald.com
asor: i nee stocutSersonnecosts • Mayor Richard Langrell says city spends too much, but City Manager Mike Kee said workforce has shrunk pcaldyyell©bakercityherald.com
T oday
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62/32 a ; a, Showers and thunderstorms
Tuesday
69/36 Mostly sunny and warmer
See Election/Page 6A
BaKerCityBudgetCommittee ConvenesTonight
By Pat Caldwell
WEATHER
Ballots forTuesday's primary election continue to arrive in a trickle rather than a torrent at County Clerk Tami Green's office. About 200 voters slipped their ELECTION ballpt into the RESULTS 24-hpur drpp bpx at the Courthouse over the weekend tplease see editoGoto w ww. rial on Puge 4A for bake r cityherald. a countywide list com on T uesday ofdrop boxes),and e ven i ng for results 79 more arrived from t he primary in the mail, Green ele c tion. sald. But even with We'l l post results thoseadditions, as soon as they're slightly fewer available from than one-thirdof the Baker County voters— 32.76 Cle rk'sice. Off percent, to be Preliminary precise — had results usually are returned their available by about ballot asof8:30 8 : 30 p.m. a.m. today, Green sald. She said she's hoping at least half the registeredvotersparticipate. Voter turnout in the 2012 primary, which includedthe presidentialrace,was 46.5percent, and the non-presidential 2010 primary had a Baker County turnout of 46.3 percent. This year's primary has been one of the most contested, and expensive, in county history, in particular the contest between incumbent commission chairman Fred Warner Jr. and challenger Bill Harvey. Warner's campaign has spent $15,528.01 and Harvey's $10,528.48 this year, according to the latest campaign finance reports they've filed with the Oregon Elections Division.
The Baker City Budget Committee will kick off a series of meetings tonight to review the city's financial plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. Along with the tonight's 6 o'clock session at City Hall, 1655 First St., budgetmeetings are slatedforTuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, at the same time and place, if needed. The budget committee consists of the City Council and seven citizen members.
TO D A T Issue 4, 16 pages
The city staff will present an overall, proposed budget of about
$19 million — including $5.9 in the general fund account, which includes the police and fire Langrell departments and city administration. At least one member of the council said Friday that he will be going into the sessions with one specific goal. "The employee costs are still out of line," Mayor Richard Langrell said.
"And even though last year the City Council's No. 1 goal was to reduce employee costs, the city manager has not followed the council's goals." Langrell said the budget committee must review the employee costs very carefully and, he hopes, make some tough decisions. sWe need to make some drastic employee changes. Get employee costs down, start cutting positions. For 20 years the budget board has been talking about doing this and the budget board has never done
one thing," Langrell sard. City Manager Mike Kee said he and the mayor have not conferred regarding employee costs. Kee "I have not had any discussion with him about personnel matters," Kee said. Kee said, however, that isn't a unique circumstance. See Budget/Page 6A
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Full forecast on the back of the B section. 8
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