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Driver pleads guilty to reckless driving in 2023 crash that killed Baker City firefighter
The driver in a March 2023 collision that killed Baker City Fire Department firefighter Ryan Brecko has pleaded guilty to reckless driving. Robert Lee Drinkard, 78, of Moro, in Sherman County in north central Oregon, pleaded guilty Friday, May 24, in Baker County Circuit Court.
Fire marshal doubts Central Building can be saved
A deputy state fire marshal overseeing the investigation into the May 22 fire that gutted the historic Central Building, a former school in Baker City, said Monday, May 27, that he doesn’t believe the 108-year-old structure can be saved. “With the damage, my opinion is that it’s likely to...
Love's Truck Stop, Maverik station to open this summer
Love’s Truck Stop and a Maverik gas station and convenience store are slated to open later this summer just east of Interstate 84 in Baker City. Love’s is near the Campbell Street interchange, exit 304, and Maverik is at the North Baker exit 302.
What the spate of wolf poisonings says about Oregon’s co-existence with wolves, Beat Check podcast
In recent years, people have killed increasingly larger numbers of wolves in Oregon as the animals have rebounded in the state. And poisoning has emerged as one of the most common tools used to target wolves – an alarming trend, Oregon wildlife officials say. Since 2015, poisoning has killed 19 wolves in Wallowa, Union, Baker and Umatilla counties, on both private and public land.
Out and About: Hiking on history in the woods near Baker City
It’s hard to hike in Baker County without stepping on history. From Native American artifacts, to much more recent evidence of the gold rush that led to the county’s creation in 1862, historical fragments are in many places common.
BAKER/POWDER VALLEY BASEBALL: Bulldogs' season ends with loss at top-seeded Henley
Baker kept it close for three innings against top-ranked Henley in a Class 4A first-round playoff baseball game Tuesday, May 21, at Klamath Falls, but the Hornets broke the game open with four runs in the fourth inning and went on to win 11-1. The loss ended Baker’s season.
Fire leaves Baker City's historic Central Building 'gutted'
A fire that started Wednesday morning, May 22, severely damaged Baker City’s historic Central Building school, near Baker Middle School at Fifth Street and Washington Avenue. The 108-year-old building was empty.
Sumpter gets federal grants to replace water supply line, storage tank
The city of Sumpter has received a $1.365 million federal grant to replace its main water supply line and to install water meters for each connection. The grant, which the city of 210 will not have to repay, is the second Sumpter has received in the past couple years, Mayor Linda Wise said.
Trout Creek Beaver Project planned for 2024
SUMPTER – The Whitman Ranger District (part of the Wallowa Whitman National Forest) is planning a new aquatic restoration project for 2024, known as the Trout Creek Riparian Resiliency Project, also referred to as the Trout Creek Beaver Project. When implemented, this project will see the installation of beaver dam analogs, post-assisted log-structures, and pieces of large coarse wood along a portion of Trout Creek, south of Maggie springs, near Sumpter. The goal is to mimic the impact of beaver dams on the creek and its accompanying flood plains, restoring the environment to a point similar to how it existed pre-beaver trapping in 1823. As listed in the projects NEPA form:
Baker County voter turnout nears 30%
With less than six hours before the deadline to turn in your ballot for the primary election, about 30% of Baker County’s 13,048 registered voters had returned their ballot. Baker County’s turnout, as of Tuesday morning, May 21, was 29.7%, according to the Oregon Elections Division.
Baker City budget in better shape than last year, city manager tells budget board
Baker City’s financial situation has improved over the past year and the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year doesn’t call for any cuts in the police and fire departments, City Manager Barry Murphy told the budget board during its first meeting Monday night, May 20. “Our projected...
Baker School District hires new finance chief
The Baker School District has hired a new chief financial officer. The school board on Tuesday, May 21, approved the hiring of Mitch Neilson, who has been director of finance and operations for the Scappoose School District in Oregon since July 2014.
Ground broken for Baker City's first splash pad
Work continues on Baker City’s first splash pad, and Charline Simmons, who is spearheading the project, hopes it will be ready to cool people visiting Central Park by August. The site is at the northwest corner of the park, which is beside the Powder River between Washington and Valley...
Renovated Oregon Trail Interpretive Center reopens near Baker City
The dust is cleared and exhibits are back in place to mark a reopening of the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center on Flagstaff Hill, about five miles east of Baker City. The center, which opened in 1992, is operated by the Bureau of Land Management. It has been closed...
Kiwanis Club honors Eagle Cap students
Remington Benson and Corbin Daniels, both students at Eagle Cap Innovative High School, were honored on May 15 as part of the Student Recognition Program through the Baker City Kiwanis Club. Each student received a certificate of recognition and $50.
Wallowa Whitman announces campsite improvement fees now in place at several forest camping locations
BAKER CITY – (Release from the U.S. Forest Service) Several campsites across the Wallowa-Whitman have implemented the 2021 decision to change or start camping fees that will be directly used to build and improve amenities for our guests. Improvements that have been installed in these campgrounds include new tables,...
Election Results: Kaseberg has lead over Martin in commissioner race; city tax levy fails
Michelle Kaseberg has a substantial lead over Curtis Martin in the race for Baker County commissioner and, pending counting of ballots that were postmarked by May 21, she is on pace to be elected without the need for a runoff against Martin in the Nov. 5 general election. Kaseberg has...
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