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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityheralckcom
December 2, 2015
>N >H>s aDmoN: Local • Business @AgLife • Go! magazine $< QUICIC HITS
'W AII OWAIAHOIHI
n GO! Magazine Your guide to events happening around the region
City Has Contracted WithBaKerCounty)ustice CourtToHandleCityCasesFor More Than20Vears
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Rick Broadie of Baker City. By Joshua Dillen
Oregon, 5A
involving city ordinances. For more than 20 years the city has contracted with the Baker County Justice Court to handle those cases. Kee plans to present his findings to councilors during their Dec. 8 meeting, which
ldillen©bakercityherald.com
PENDLETON —The Columbia Basin's 2015 salmon season is the second-strongest year since the federal dams were built nearly 80 years ago. A record number of fall chinook salmon returned up the Columbia River past McNary Dam in 2015, continuing on to spawning grounds at Hanford Reach, the Snake River andyakima Basin. More than 456,000 of the fish were counted at McNary Dam, breaking the facility's previous record of 454,991 set in 2013. An estimated 200,000 fall chinook made it backto Hanford Reach, the most since hydroelectric dams were first built on the Columbia nearly 80 years ago..
Baker City Manager will report to the City Council next week on the costs and potential benefits of the city starting its own court system to handle trafftc violations and cases
will start at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 1655 First St. In October the City Council approved Kee's request to send a let terto theJustice Court noting that the cityis exploring the possibility of taking over municipal court services.
Kee sent the letter in early November. The current agreement between the city and the county allows either agency to cancel the deal but requires a 60-day written notice. Kee's letterreads,in part:
New charges for rape suspect
Lighting Up Downtown Baker City • TWILIGHT PARADE:Starts Saturday at 5 p.m. • Awards for best use of lights, theme and music • Following the parade, caroling and lighting of community Christmas tree, Court and Main streets
• Robert Lee Witter of Huntington is accused of raping one child and sexually abusing a second child
BRIEFING
Special speaker,
The Baker County District ', '. 4 Attorney's Offtce has filed nine additional sexual abuse c harges against Wit t e r a Huntington man arrested last month on three sex crimes involving a
BHS Bel Canto
choir perform at Dec. 10 event A "Visions of Chocolate" event Dec. 10 in Baker City will include a special speaker and a performance by the Baker High School Bel Canto choir. The event, sponsored by Baker City Christian W omen's Connection and Stonecroft Ministries International, is set for 11:20 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Sunridge Inn. Reservations must be made by Dec. 8 by calling Jerri Wickert at 541523-3447 or Jennifer Godwin at 541-519-2060. Speaker Kirsten Holmberg of Eagle, Idaho, will offer a fresh perspective on the Christmas season. Her book, "Advent with the Word," will be available for sale. A chocolate basket will be auctioned, and the winning ticket for a quilt raffle will be drawn. Cost is $12 per person, including tip, and features a tri-tip dinner.
Bruno Dunes Trio playing Saturday LA GRANDE —The Bruno Dunes Trio from Baker City will be performing at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at Earth and Vine's new La Grande location, 1405 Washington St. The music continues until 9:30 p.m.
WEATHER
Today
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"I will explore that option for the next 60 days to try and determine if this is a viable option for Baker City. I offer thisletterasthe60days written notice required by the agreement." SeeCourtIPage 8A
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Matt McBride, left, and Blain Leamaster top the community's Christmas tree in downtown Baker City Monday. The public works employees, including Justin Plumbtree, strung lights to prepare the spruce for the holiday season and the tree lighting that follows Saturday'sTwilight Parade, which begins at 5 p.m. along Main Street. Other street decorations are being placed along main thoroughfares this week.
RobertLeeWitter,80,of 205 E. Adams St. in Huntington, was arraigned Monday in Baker County Circuit Court on two counts of firstdegree rape, two counts of first-degree unlawful sexual penetration, two counts of first-degree sexual abuse, one count of using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct, one count of encouraging second-degree child sexual abuse and felon in possession of a firearm. Judge Greg Baxter denied releaseforW itterduring Monday's hearing. He is being held without bail at the Baker County Jail, District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff said in a press release. Baxterhad setbailat
$750,000 during Witter's Nov. 17 arraignment. See New ChargesIPage 2A
Novemder's FrigidFinale
HIGH/LOW A I R QUALITY T EMPERATURE IND E X
Cnldsnapcsntrihtlestodirtier air By Jayson Jacoby jacoby©bakeratyherald.com
November's frigid final week contributed to a slight decline in Baker City's air quality. After ranking in the"good" category for 15 of the month's first 19 days, the air qualityindex dipped slightlyinto the"moderate" category on 7ofthelast11days. The air qualityindex has six categories. A daily average of 0 to 50 is good, and 51to 100ism oderate. Baker City's worst days during
November were the 21st and 23rd, eachwith a daily average of61. The minor rise in airborne pollutants — primarily particulates such as those in woodsmoke — coincided with a cold snap that commenced Nov. 19. Besides prompting peopleto light fires to warm their homes, the weather pattern also induded periods of temperature inversions. Inversions not only trap cold air near the ground, resultingin belowaveragetemperatures,they also allow pollutants to accumulate and
suppress winds that can help clear the air. The temperature plunged to7 degreeson Nov.20,thecoldestsince last January. That day the air qualityindex rose to 51, the first dayin the moderate category after eight consecutive days in the good category. Strong winds on Nov. 25 kept the air dear, but after that the inversion took hold and the air qualityindex worsened on each of the next four
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T ODAY Issue 89, 30 pages
Business..............1B3B Comics.... ...................4B Dear Abby.... ...........10B News of Record... .....2A Senior Menus ...........3A Calendar....................2A C o m m u nity News ....3A Hor o scope........BB & SB O b i t uaries..................2A Spo rts ........................ 7A Classified............. 5B-9B C r o ssword........6B & SB L e t t ers........................ 4A O p i n ion......................4A Weather ................... 10B
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