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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
July 10, 2015
IN mis aonioN: Local • Heajth@Fitness • Outdoors • TV QUICIC HITS
BAICER COUNTYVS. COLUMBIA BASIN HELICOPTERS
Managing BaKerCity'sAging Trees
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber
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A special good day to Herald subscriber James King of North Powder.
Results from our website poll:
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The most recent question on our website poll at www.bakercityherald. com. was: "How will legalization of marijuana affect BakerCounty?" Choices were: • Very positive • Very negative • No effect • Somewhat positive • Somewhat negative
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By Joshua Dillen Idillen©bakercityherald.com
A judge has ruled that Baker County must pay reasonable legal fees to Columbia Basin Helicopters, a Baker Valley business the county sued over a zoning dispute. How much the county will have to pay has not been determined. Columbia Basin Helicopters (CBHl, owned by David McCarty, won the four-year legal battle earlier this year. Judge Ronald J. Pahl of Umatilla County ruled in January that McCartyis not violating county land-use laws by operating the business on his properly on Ben Dier Lane, about 12 miles northwest of Baker City. M cCartyracked up over$200,000 in legal fees, said company spokesperson Joelleen Linstrom. She said it was unfortunate that so much money was spent"to prove that David (McCartyl was within the parameters of the law." Pahl did not initially award attorney's fees to McCarty. The judge has since changed his mind after an appeal by McCarty's lawyer. Linstrom said"happy" is not the right word to describe this newest development in the case. "It's bittersweet,"she said.'That'sthe best way to say it after everything David (McCartyl has been through." See LegalFeeslPage 5A
VERY NEGA'IlVE: 827 VOTES VERY POSITIVE: 299 NO EFFECT: 161 SOMEWHAT POSITIVE:
27 SOMEWHAT NEGATIVE:
18 The current question is: "How many residents will comply with Baker City's voluntary water reductions?" • 75% to 100% • 50% to 75% • 25% to 50% • 0% to 25%
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BRIEFING
Library book sale, auction starts 3uly 16 The Friends of the Baker County Library's annual summer book sale and silent auction of collectible books will start next week at the library, 2400 Resort St. The book sale and auction open Thursday, July 16, at 5 p.m. with an open house. Admission is free, and refreshments will be served. The sale and auction will continue for the next two full weekends, as well as the week between. Dates and times are: • Friday, July17, and Saturday, July 18, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. • Sunday, July 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. • Starting Monday, July 20, during regular library hours — 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday throughThursday (July 20-23); 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 24; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 25; and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 26. New books will be added daily.
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S. John Collins/ Baker City Herald
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No West Nile so far in 2015 By La'akea Kaufman and Jayson Jacoby Baker City Herald
By La'akea Kaufman kkaufman©bakercityherald.com
As summer temperatures stay, well, summery, Baker City residents might seek relief under the branches of the town's many trees. Silver maples, black locusts, flowering dogwoods and lots of otherspeciescasttheir shade throughout the city, which celebratedits30th year as a"Tree City USA" this April. Just five Oregon cities have longer runs as Tree Cities-
Salem (39 years), Portland (38l, Eugene (36l, Sunriver (35l, Rogue River (32l. Many of Baker City's trees have been around for a lot lon-
"There are a lot fotrees that are one hundred plusyears oldin this town, and they'rejust
past their prime." — Clair Button, Baker City Tree Board
ger, however, and are struggling with the standard wear that comes with old age. "Thereare a lotoftreesthat are one hundred plus years old in this town, and they're just past their prime," said Clair Button,aformer mayor and current member of the city's Tree Board. "There are all kinds of things in the town now that weren't here 100 years ago when they
were planted," Button said. "Now there are power lines and sewage systems and they need to maintain clearance for safety reasons." The five-member Tree Board is usually the first group to be notified in such cases when a tree becomes hazardous, or for any similar shrubbery related cr1sls.
Baker County remains officially free of West Nile virus. Last summer Baker County had the dubious distinction of recording four of Oregon's eight human cases of the mosquito-borne vrrus. The Baker Countyresidents infected with West Nile all live in the New Bridge area about 40 miles east of Baker City. All four survived the illness, which rarely is fatal in healthy adults. This week Washington confirmed that state's first case of the virus, a woman in the Tri Cities area. Matt Hutchinson, manager of the Baker Valley Vector Control District, said he has had 19"pools" of mosquitoes tested for West Nile this summer, and none was infected.
SeeTreesIPage GA
See West Nile I Page8A
ece in reservoir IIacoby©bakercityherald.com
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These mature trees on Second Street are typical of the age of shade trees in some Baker City neighborhoods.
By Jayson Jacoby
Today
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Phillips Reservoir hasn't looked this puny, this early in the summer, in more than two decades. Jeff Colton knows the only thing that can restorethereservoir'srobustnessis a deep snowpack, and under the most optimistic scenario that won't start accumulating for at least four months.
Colton, as manager of the Baker Valley Irrigation District, doles out water from Phillips to more than 30,000 acres of crop fields, mainly in Baker Valley. See ReservoirIPage3A S. John Collins/Baker City Herald file photo
This scene from August 2013 shows Phillips Reservoir at a slightly lower level than it is today.
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Issue 27, 22 pages
Classified
I B-SB
Comics....................... 9B
Community News....3A Crossword........5B & 6B Dear Abby ............... 10B
He a l th ...............5C & 6C Lottery Results..........zA Ja y son Jacoby..........4A Oprnron......................4A N e w s of Record ........ 2A Outdoors ..........1C & 2C
Spo r ts ........................5A Te l e v ision .........3C & 4C We a t her ................... 10B
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