Baker City Herald paper 09-12-14

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) In NATION, 5A Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com

September 12, 2014

iN mis aomoN: Local • Health@Fitness • Outdoors • TV QUICIC HITS

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IlroughtShrinKsPhillips Reservoir ForSecondStraightSummer

Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Sandy Mitchell of Baker City.

might be visible An unusually strong magnetic storm on the sun could produce northern lights visible as far south as Baker County tonight. The northern lights could be visible soon after dusk, but viewing tends to be better after midnight.

By Chris Collins

S. John Collins/BakerCity Herald

Smoke from regional forest fires lends a fiery glow to a sunset at Phillips Reservoir, southwest of Baker City, earlier this week. The reservoir is about 14 percent full.

BRIEFING

Baker County Seniors Inc. will have its annual m eeting Tuesday,Sept. 16, at10 a.m. in the Turner Meeting Room at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St. The meeting agenda includes presentation of reports and election of officers. Alllocal seniors are eligible and urged to attend.

Security firm ranks Baker City safest in Oregon Safe Choice Security has ranked Baker City as the safest city in Oregon. The company based its rankings on FBI crime statistics, including violent crimes and property crimes. According to Safe Choice Security, Baker City is safer than 90 percent of American cities. The company ranked the 12 safest cities in Oregon. After Baker City the list, in order: West Linn, Sherwood, Silverton, Newberg, Umatilla, Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Canby, Monmouth, Scappoose and Junction City.

By Jayson Jacoby

Last year at this time the reservoir, which at full pool holds 73,500 acre-feet ofwater,wa sat 10,282 Baker County's Phillips Reservoir is hardly the only body of water acre-feet — 14 percent ofcapacity. in Eastern Oregon that's looking iOne acre-foot of water would emaciated on these sunny late sum- cover1 acre offlatground to a mer days. depthof1foot.) But this is the first time in nearly This year the reservoir is holding a decadethat thereservoir,a vital about 12,300 acre-feet. The average for early September sourceofirrigation water for Baker Valley farms and ranches, has been over the previous five years, by so shrunken in consecutive years. contrast, was 38,584 acre-feet. Phillips, a Powder River imBecause the reservoir didn't come poundment about 17 miles southclose to filling this spring, the Baker Valley Irrigation District was able west of Baker City, has had one lean year in the past 10. to all ocate just1.25 acre-feetof But that year — 2007 — was water per acre to downstream farmers and ranchers, said Craig Ward, bookended byyears with ample who with his brother, Mark, raises water. Not so with 2013. potatoes, wheat, peppermint and llacoby©bakercityherald.com

Phoso by hiy Nelson

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Baker City Fire Department's ladder truck displayed the American flag Thursday, the 13th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Thursday evening a group of residents had a candlelight vigil in front of the National Guard Armory on Campbell Street.

See Tests/Page 2A

Bank honors Banta By Lisa Britton For the Baker City Herald

Banner Bank in Baker City honored Dave Banta on Sept. 5 during a ceremony that dedicated the building, at Washington Avenue and Second Street, to Banta to recognize his commitment to the community. "It was very nice and humbling," Banta said. The plaque now displayed on the Banner Bank building reads: "In honor of David Banta. A man whose dedication to his community and profession knows no bounds." See BantalPage 8A

Baker men

By Jayson Jacoby

urge tough

Baker City Manager Mike Kee said Wednesday that he received a copy of the Oregon Health Authority's report about the city's 2013 crypto outbreak in late June of this year. Kee said recently that he hadn't seen that report until late August. Although he acknowledged that a state health official emailed him a link to the report on June 26, Kee said he apparentlydidn'tread thereportat Kee that t i me. "I don't know that I looked at that then," Kee said Wednesday. He said the email, from Dr. Malini DeSilva, was in response to his request for information about a PowerPoint presentation DeSilva had delivered at a professional conference she attended in April in Atlanta.

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State school test results, released Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Education, are just one gauge of student performance, says Superintendent Walt Wegener. And not one that particularly guides the Baker School District's improvement efWegener fo rts, he added. eWe have our own internal diagnostics that are useful and inform our teaching," he said. Wednesday's test results showed little change in Baker School District student performance.

• City manager earlier said he hadn't seen report until August llacoby©bakercityherald.com

Today

Saturday

silage corn in Baker Valley. The normal allocation of irrigation water from Phillips is 3.5 acre feet per acre. CraigWard said that onceitbecame clear, by late winter, that the mountain snowpack wasn't deep enough to refill Phillips, he and his brotherdecided not to plantabout 130 acres that otherwise would have been in production. eWe knew it was coming, so we got by in pretty good shape," Craig Ward said. This winter, suKce it to say, will be crucial. eWe could use a very good winter," Ward said — meaning a season with copious snow in the mountains.

KeesaVshe gotcrygto regortin june

9-11 Tribute Over Baker City

WEATHER

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istrict

ccollins©bakercityherald.com

Local, 5A

Baker County Seniors annual meeting Sept. 16

BAICER 5J SCHOOLS

reacts lolesl scores

Northern Lights

CANYON CITY — A hearing began this week in Grant County Circuit Court to determine whether Dillan Dakota Willford Easley, 15, should be tried in adult court for the shooting deaths of his foster father and another man last October at a hunting cabin near Granite. Easley was 14 when the shootings happened Oct. 4, 2013.

9-11: 13 years later

law for online fraud By Jayson Jacoby llacoby©bakercityherald.com

Two Baker City men are urging the Oregon Legislature to toughen the state's laws against people who impersonate others on Facebook and othersocialm edia. Mike Rudi and Kevin Cassidyco-signed a letterto Baker County's two representatives, Rep. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario, and Sen. Ted Ferrioli, R-John Day.

See Crypto/Page 2A

SeeFraud IPage 8A

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Issue 52, 22 pages

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Carendar....................2A Classified............. 1B-BB Comics.......................9B

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C o m m u nity News....3A He a l th ...............5C & 6C N e w s of Record........3A Sp o r t s ........................6A C r o ssword........BB & BB J a y son Jacoby..........4A Op i n i on......................4A T e l e vision .........3C & 4C De a r Abby...............10B Lot t ery Results..........2A Out d o o rs..........1C & 2C We a t h er...................10B

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Baker City Herald paper 09-12-14 by NorthEast Oregon News - Issuu