Paul Helgerson
Formerly Baker City, 1978-2013
Paul Harland Helgerson, 35, formerly of Baker City, died March 14, 2013, at Petersburg, Va.
There will be a celebration of life service on Saturday, March 30 at 3 p.m. at the Baker County Community Event Center (old armory), 2600 East St., for all family and friends.
Private disposition of his ashes will be sometime this summer.
Paul was born on Jan. 9, 1978, to his parents, Ken and Ramona Helgerson. They could not have been more proud of their beautiful, strong, precious boy. Paul was joined by twin sisters, Alena and Janae, a year later. Paul’s youngest sister, Laura, was born when he was 11.
As Paul grew, it seemed his smile became his trademark — genuine, captivating, at times mischievous, but perfect describes it best. Paul had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh. He was always a diligent student in school, wanting to do his very best. Parent-teacher conferences were always a joy for his parents to attend because of his teachers’ glowing remarks. Paul started school in Haines at the community kindergarten and graduated from Baker High School in 1996. Paul excelled in academics, graduating with an honors diploma.
Paul’s childhood included many trips to the mountains with his family. Hiking, fishing and hunting were some of his favorite activities. He loved his home next to the mountains and spent many hours exploring the area with his sisters. Sledding in the winter was always so much fun.
Paul loved baseball and proved to have a strong pitching arm. Some highlights of his baseball career were helping his Little League and American Legion teams advance to state tournaments. Paul also enjoyed playing basketball. Athletics were always a big part of family life with many hours spent at the baseball field, basketball gym and track.
In the fall of 1996 Paul started college at Eastern Oregon State University. He played on Eastern’s baseball team as a pitcher. During college he enlisted in the National Guard and then later joined the Army.
Paul’s life path led him to many obstacles that he struggled to overcome. His family and friends prayed that he could find the direction that created joy in his life that he so desperately sought.
A bright spot in Paul’s life was the birth of his son, Keyshawn Taylor. Though their time together was brief, Paul’s greatest wish was to be a loving father.
Paul is survived by his parents, Ken and Ramona Helgerson of Baker City; his sisters Alena and Janae Helgerson of Boise, and Laura Helgerson of Corvallis; his son, Keyshawn Taylor of Wilmington, N.C.,; his grandmother Sandra Byrne and grandfather Ralph (Tiny) Byrne of Baker City, and his grandmother, Jo Bias of Bend; his aunts, Valerie Morrow of La Grande and Jody Helgerson of Bend; his uncles, Kyle Byrne of Baker City and Mike Morrow of Haines; his cousins, Erica Munsey and her husband, Ryan, of Walla Walla, Tara Byrne and her husband, Nathan, of the Tri-Cities, Jake Edwards and his wife, Tiffany, of Indian Wells, Calif., Jordan Welter of North Tahoe, Nev., Zoe Carlson-Morrow of Baker City, Brock Munsey of Walla Walla, Paris, Aspen, and Brody Edwards of Indian Wells.
Paul was preceded in death by his grandfathers, Paul Frederick Helgerson and Jim Bias; and his beloved cousin, Ryan Morrow.
Memorial contributions to D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) may be sent to Coles Tribute Center, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
James Lisle
Halfway, 1920-2013
James Lisle, 92, of Halfway, died on March 15, 2013 in Bend.
A celebration of Jim and his wife Mamie’s (who died in 2011) lives will be held at a memorial graveside service with military honors on Friday, March 29 at 1 p.m. at the Pine Haven Cemetery in Halfway. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception to be held at the VFW Hall in Halfway immediately following the service.
James Andrew Lisle was born on June 19, 1920, to Frank and Anna (Thon) Lisle at home, on a sheep ranch across the Snake River from Bliss, Idaho. He was the 9th of 10 children. Jim was raised in many places, including Sandpoint, Idaho, Turlock, Calif., and Naches, Wash. He graduated form Naches High School in 1939.
Jim joined the Army on Jan. 3, 1942, to do his part in World War II. He was in the 701st Armored Battalion, in a tank. Jim saw action in Germany, France, Belgium and Czechoslovakia. He received a Bronze Star for a battle in Hottorf, Germany. One of Jim’s most memorable moments was on Nov. 6, 1945, when he voted for the first time in an apple orchard in France.
After service in World War II, Jim joined the Idaho National Guard. In 1952 his unit was deployed to Korea. He flew to Korea in a four-engine propeller plane. Jim served as a First Lieutenant in the 148th Artillery Unit. He stayed on with the National Guard and retired as a captain in 1962. Then he re-enlisted in 1970 and joined his son in a National Guard unit once again. He finally retired from the service in 1976.
Jim married Mamie Alice Hanna in Moscow, Idaho, in 1946. They had one son, Douglas, in 1949. During his life with Mamie, they lived in more than 27 different houses and had 31 different cars. They lived several years in Othello, Wash., and Moses Lake, Wash., before moving to Halfway in 1991. They loved Halfway. Jim enjoyed golfing, boating, and trading cars. Jim and Mamie loved to travel in their RV and visited most of the United States. Jim was a member of Halfway VFW Post 7847.
Outside of the Army, Jim was in the petroleum industry. He started out by driving delivery trucks, then bought his own bulk plant. Later he became a successful salesman for Phillips 66.
Jim is survived by his son, Douglas “Sparky” Lisle and his wife, Polly, of Camp Sherman, Ore.; two grandsons, Thon and his wife, Stephanie Lisle, of Ketchikan, Alaska, and Erik and his wife, Stephanie, of Minot, N.D.; four great-grandchildren; his brother, Robert of Auburn, Wash.; and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mamie, in 2011; his brothers, Paul, Don, Charles and Clifford; and his sisters, Mae, Ruth, Nell, and Dolly.
Donations in memory of Jim may be made to the Pine-Eagle Youth Fund through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.![]()
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Obituaries for March 25, 2013
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Prisons aren’t the problem
Baker County District Attorney Matt Shirtcliff told county commissioners last week that he’s worried about legislation in Salem which could severely weaken the voter-approved law that requires mandatory minimum prison sentences for people convicted of certain violent crimes.
We share Shirtcliff’s concern.
House Bill 3194, whose proponents include Gov. John Kitzhaber, would get rid of mandatory minimum sentences for three felonies: first-degree sex abuse (current minimum of 6 years, 3 months) second-degree robbery (5 years, 10 months) and second-degree assault (5 years, 10 months).
Judges would have the discretion to give convicted criminals shorter sentences.
HB 3194 in effect eviscerates Ballot Measure 11, which Oregon voters approved in 1994.
The three crimes listed above account for about 42 percent of convictions that carry mandatory minimum prison sentences.
To put it another way, if this bill becomes law, an unknown number of people who sexually abused, assaulted or robbed someone in Oregon will be free rather than in prison.
It seems to us that you’d need an awfully compelling reason to justify such a thing.
We’ve yet to see one that comes even close.
Kitzhaber contends that by continuing the status quo Oregon would, in effect, “be choosing prisons over schools.”
The numbers don’t bolster the governor’s position.
Oregon’s prison population did rise substantially in the decade after voters approved Measure 11 — an 85 percent increase from 1995-2005.
But that trend ended long ago.
From 2005 to 2012 the inmate population rose by just 9 percent.
Moreover, we’re locking up most of the people who pose the greatest risk to society.
In 2010 Oregon was best in the nation at incarcerating people convicted of violent crimes, with a rate of 67.2 percent (the average, among the 33 states the kept track of this, was 53 percent).
Those are statistics to celebrate, not lament.
Ultimately, the governor’s “prisons versus schools” is nothing but a canard.
As he himself knows well, Oregon’s most pressing financial problem is not housing violent criminals. We recently applauded Kitzhaber for focusing on a fiscal anchor that’s pulling down not only the state, but also cities, counties and school districts: Oregon’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).
If anything is “unsustainable,” to borrow the word Kitzhaber used to describe the state prison system, it’s PERS.
The retirement system’s burden on public employers statewide grew by $1.1 billion in the current biennium, a figure that makes Kitzhaber’s goal of paring $60 million annually from the prison budget over the next decade seem positively paltry.
Oregon’s budget woes can’t be cured by going easier on violent criminals. Prescriptions such as HB 3194 can, though, make the state less safe.![]()
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Letters to the Editor for March 25, 2013
Randy Daugherty for OTEC board of directors
OTEC members are at a crossroads. As Director Position 9 opens, I encourage you to vote Randy Daugherty to our OTEC board. We need both his experience as well as his thoughtful fiscal understanding to keep our utility providing reliable and affordable power.
Daugherty is a Baker County homegrown leader. He understands our community and the needs of Eastern Oregon. His solid business experience comes from managing an automobile business through difficult economic times. His years of service on city and county boards have honed skill sets that prepare him for active and vibrant decision making for our utility. These include understanding of both budgets and long-range planning goals. Randy can make tough decisions now that will benefit us all in the future.
Randy Daugherty cares about the residents of OTEC’s service area. He has spent a lifetime volunteering to maintain our healthy, rural lifestyle. As a motivator and tenacious worker for us all, we will benefit from his election to the OTEC board of directors. Please join me and vote Daugherty.
Peter Ellingson
Baker City
The real gun problem is in the inner cities
It should be an interesting week with Bloomberg and the left running antigun ads on TV. Talk about shooting flies with an elephant gun. Universal background checks, translated as universal gun registration, because some young white boys decide to shoot up a school. The glaring facts are that in all of these cases the shooter was local, had given off signals for a long time before they went off and there was no way to stop it because mental health in this country is a joke. These crazies were not traveling the nation looking for targets.
It’s kind of funny watching Piers Morgan campaign against my right and duty to own a good rifle. The purpose of the second is to provided a barrier to tyranny. If it was ever necessary to fight I want a good rifle. They gave me a good one in Vietnam and I don’t want to engage in a firefight again with Joe Biden’s shotgun. Yes I do want one of those “military type weapons.” I can’t figure out if all Brits are thickheaded or if they just export them over here and get them jobs on CNN. Piers follows the Hitler line, just repeat the lie often enough and it will become fact. He has the left convinced that the second amendment has something to do with hunting. It is ironic that the Brits couldn’t disarm us at Lexington and Concord or in the seven-year war that followed but now find it easier and cheaper to put a dumb jabbermouth on the telly.
Hey Piers: The high rate of gun deaths in this country has to do with drugs and gang violence. I would suggest that there is an inner city problem that has nothing to do with rural America. If New York, Chicago and Killadelphia has a problem then get at the source of that problem and quit agitating for something that will eventually cause the rural and urban areas to want a political separation. Looking on the Internet it seems that the idea partitioning states, drawing lines between the red and blue seems to be picking up steam.
Steve Culley
Richland![]()
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Curious spending priorities
Architecturally speaking, the David J. Wheeler Federal Building in Baker City will never be mistaken for the work of Frank Lloyd Wright or I.M. Pei.
But whatever it lacks in beauty and style, the three-story structure continues to fulfill the prosaic purpose for which it was built in 1967: Office space for federal employees.
We find it curious, then, that the federal government, which just this month deemed it necessary, among many other things, to revoke tuition aid to National Guard soldiers, shut down many airport control towers and close some national parks, managed to scrape up the cash to remodel the second and third floors of the Wheeler building.
Now we understand that, from a strict accounting standpoint, the building’s interior renovations and the sequester cuts are not related.
Except that they share the most important trait: They’re all part of the trillions of dollars Americans contribute each year to the federal coffers.
We’re not so naive as to expect that each of those dollars will be spend in the most efficient way possible.
Yet neither are we content with the explanation that remodeling federal buildings while vastly more vital services go wanting is an inevitable result of the complexity of the federal budget.
We’re certain our local public forests are more in need of money than our local public buildings are.![]()
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Letters to the Editor for March 27, 2013
So was it a wolf or wasn’t it a wolf?
What, may I ask, is a “possible wolf?”
Milo Pope
Baker City
Daugherty the overwhelming choice for OTEC board
We have known Randy Daugherty for many years both on a personal and professional level. His steady focus on all aspects of life make him the overwhelming choice for OTEC Board Position 9. Whether it be his professional life, his personal life or volunteering he has always put attention to detail a top priority. We have often heard him say “if you do the absolute best you can, that still might not be good enough.” We know as an OTEC board director, Randy will put forth the time and effort necessary to represent OTEC members at the highest level.
Join us in voting Randy Daugherty, OTEC Position 9.
Steve and Cindy McLean
Baker City
Doug Dalton has excellent qualifications for OTEC board
As you are identifying the most qualified candidates to serve our community on the OTEC board, it would be in your best interests to look closely at the characteristics of Doug Dalton. Doug currently serves as the chief financial officer for the Baker 5J School District. Our profession has been in economic stress for the past few years. I have witnessed other school districts and educational staff suffer both financially and professionally. Without adequate funding to sufficiently operate, staff has been reduced and days have been furloughed within those schools. Doug’s ability to implement a trajectory of planning has enabled Baker School District to make adjustments with minimal impact on student achievement.
Doug Dalton’s background knowledge is not in education but he does his research and applies his business sense to maintain our standards of excellence. Recognizing he has many years of experience in the utility and energy profession, I can only imagine the impact he could have serving on the OTEC board. Doug approaches the decision-making process well-informed and his skill set is just what our community needs to maintain the quality of life and resources we have come to appreciate and expect.
Nanette Lehman
Baker City
Dalton has extensive knowledge of electric utilities
Doug Dalton is a very qualified candidate to represent our electric utility needs as a member of the OTEC board of directors.
Prior to returning to Eastern Oregon in 2003, Doug worked seven years at Idaho Power. During that time he gained extremely valuable executive skills in accounting, finance and management that have helped him to understand the intricacies of the electric utility industry.
His experience with Idaho Power, plus the last 3 1/2 years as chief financial officer at Baker 5J has given Doug an insight to the art of boardsmanship.
Doug, his wife, Heidi and their two daughters are strong, responsible citizens of Baker County.
The Dalton family are very thoughtful and kind neighbors.
Please join us in voting for Doug Dalton to be a member of the OTEC board of directors. The OTEC ballots will be in the mail this Friday, March 29.
Dale and Leslie Bingham
Haines![]()
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BHS BASEBALL: Bulldogs sweep Scappoose
By Gerry Steele
gsteele@bakercityherald.com
Baker evened its nonleague baseball record at 1-1 Monday with a 10-1 thumping of Scappoose at the Baker Sports Complex.
Scappoose (4-6) arrived in Baker City after losing two games at Ontario and sweeping two games from La Grande.
Baker, which lost earlier to Weiser, played much better, according to coach Dan Blankenship.
“We swung the bats well, and ran the bases much better,” Blankenship said.“The kids have put a lot of time into getting better after the Weiser game."![]()
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BHS SOFTBALL: Caldwell sweeps Bulldogs
By Gerry Steele
gsteele@bakercityherald.com
Caldwell used a pair of big innings to sweep Baker in a nonleague softball doubleheader Tuesday at the Baker Sports Complex.
The Cougars scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning of opener to rally for a 9-5 win, then used a 5-run fourth inning in Game 2 to hand Baker an 8-5 loss.
In Game 1, Caldwell built a 2-0 lead after two innings before Baker rallied with four runs in the third inning.
Taylor McAdams had a bases-loaded RBI single to drive home one run. The other runs scored on errors.
Then, after Caldwell cut Baker’s lead to 4-3, the Bulldogs added a single run in the sixth.
Juliana Delatorre opened the inning with a double and later scored on Sierra Howerton’s sacrifice fly.
Caldwell then used five hits, two Baker errors and three walks to score six times in the top of the seventh.
In Game 2, Baker took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when Howerton hit a solo home run and Darion Grove added a two-run blast.
Caldwell answered with five runs in the top of the fourth on three hits, two walks, a hit batter and an error.
Courtney Raley’s RBI single in the fifth inning pulled Baker to within 5-4.
But, again Caldwell answered, scoring three runs on three hits in the sixth.
McAdams had an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh.
First game
Caldwell 1 1 0 0 1 0 6 — 9
Baker 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 — 5
Howerton and Ellis. LP — Howerton.
Baker hits — Howerton 2, Smith, Grove, McAdams 2, Davis 2, Delatorre. Baker RBI — Howerton, McAdams.
2B — Howerton, McAdams, Delatorre.
Second game
Caldwell 0 0 0 5 0 3 0 — 8
Baker 0 0 3 0 1 0 1 — 5
Shankle, Howerton (4) and Ellis. LP — Shankle.
Baker hits — Raley 3, Averett 2, Howerton 2, Grove, Davis, Delatorre, Smith, McAdams. Baker RBI — Raley, Howerton, Grove 2, McAdams.
2B — Raley, Howerton. HR — Howerton, Grove.![]()
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Obituary for March 27, 2013
Lillie Johnson
Baker City, 1942-2013
Lillie Mable Geraldine Johnson, 71, of Baker City, died March 22, 2013, at St. Alphonsus Care Center.
Her memorial service was today at 2 p.m. at Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave.
Lillie was born March 7, 1942, at Joplin, Mo., to Clifford and Beulah (Swisher) Seiber. She married Charles William Johnson II on Dec. 29, 1963. Lillie was a maid at the Oregon Trail Motel and enjoyed crocheting, collecting Elvis items, and yard sales. She was a loving, strong-willed woman who was loved by all. She was a very giving person. She fought a long battle with COPD for eight years and went peacefully in her sleep. She will be missed by all.
She is survived by her children: Charline Simmons and her husband, Jeron, Charles Johnson and his wife, Eunice, Clifford Johnson and his wife Leanna, James Johnson and his wife, Sara, all of Baker City, Beulah Harmon and her husband, Jim, of Pendleton; her brothers: Darrel Seiber and his wife, Hazel, of Mill City, and Herman Seiber and his wife, Tiny, of Salem; his sisters: Ferna Saunders and her husband, Gene, of Haines, and Jewel Lopez and her husband, Gilbert, of Baker City; 19 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and many foster grandchildren.
Lillie was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Charles; an infant sister, Bonnie Seiber; a sister, Cliftina Jones; and an infant grandson, Cody Johnson.
Contributions may be made in Lillie’s memory to May Day through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave. Baker City, OR 97814.![]()
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5th-graders' posters win state awards
Artwork by two Baker City elementary school students finished first and second in the Oregon State Elks Association’s annual eye injury prevention poster contest.
Lupita Macias, a fifth-grader in Mrs. Howard’s class at South Baker Intermediate School, placed first in the statewide contest.
Lupita’s poster won first place in the regional competition, and second place in the Baker County competition.
Her classmate, Isabella Nemec, placed second in the statewide poster competition. Isabella’s artwork finished first in the local event and second in the district contest.
Jordan Remien, a fifth-grader in Mrs. Hensley’s class at South Baker, finished third in the local competition, and her poster also was entered in the district event.
The annual poster contest was open to fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders in Haines, Keating, Baker City and La Grande.
Hal Huntington, the local contest organizers for the Baker Elks Lodge, received 81 posters from five teachers on Feb. 4.![]()
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Dog suffered four puncture wounds in attack
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
A Baker Valley resident said the veterinarian who treated her dog believes the animal that attacked the 30-pound Shih Tzu on Sunday morning was a wolf.
Genie Ogg said her dog, a male named Taz, suffered four puncture wounds, one of which is more than two inches deep.
Ogg and her husband, Jay, live on Spring Creek Loop, which branches off Pine Creek Lane, near the base of the Elkhorns about 10 miles west of Baker City.![]()
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Obituaries for March 29, 2013
Stanley Griggs
Baker City, 1925-2013
Stanley Gilbert Griggs, 87, of Baker City and formerly of Caldwell, Idaho, died March 25, 2013, at a Baker City care center.
Visitations will be Monday, April 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. MDT at Flahiff Funeral Chapel in Caldwell. Graveside services will be Tuesday April 2, at 11 a.m. MDT at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens in Caldwell. Condolences for the family may be given at www.flahifffuneralchapel.com.
Stanley was born on May 29, 1925, at Caldwell, the oldest child of Orel Lincoln Griggs and Velma Winifred Stevens Griggs. Stanley was educated in Greenleaf and Caldwell rural schools. Stanley entered the Navy in March 1943. While in the Navy, Stanley served as a motor machinist 2nd class and was honorably discharged in February 1946 at Bremerton, Wash.
After his discharge from the Navy, Stanley met the love of his life, Aleta Mae Perry. They celebrated 66 years of marriage this past February. They were married in Caldwell on Feb. 7, 1947. They have two sons: Dennis, born in October 1948, and Doyle, born in April 1952.
Stanley held several jobs during his life, including a 25-year career at the College of Idaho, which he ended in 1978 as head of maintenance. After leaving the College of Idaho, Stanley and Aleta moved to Mount Vernon, Ore., where Stanley worked in the forests cutting lodgepole pine, and later as a boiler-dryer operator and night watchman at the Prairie City sawmill. Stanley and Aleta moved several times in the next 20 years, settling in Baker City.
Stanley enjoyed fishing and hunting, especially with his grandchildren, when his health permitted. He also enjoyed being with his eight grandchildren and attending their many school activities. In the past several years, Stanley enjoyed the numerous country and mountain drives taken with both sons and their families.
Stanley is survived by his wife, Aleta; his sons, Dennis and his wife, Judy, of Caldwell, and Doyle and his wife, Wilma, of Haines; eight grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; one brother, Ernest, of Maryland; and several nieces and nephews.
Stanley was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Carroll; and two sisters, Juanita and Melva.
Memorial contributions may be made to Heart ’N Home Hospice or a charity of your choice.
Mildred Jacobs
Baker City, 1922-2013
Mildred Helen Jacobs, 90, of Baker City, died March 23, 2013 at St. Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City.
Her funeral will be Thursday, April 4 at 2 p.m. at Baker City Christian Church, 675 Highway 7. Urn burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery.
Helen was born on June 26, 1922, at La Grande to John Ezra and Frances (Gregory) Burnett. Following graduation from Baker High School in 1940, she married Clarence on June 26, 1941, in Weiser, Idaho.
They spent several years working the ranch and living with Clarence’s parents at Wingville. In the spring of 1947, the family purchased a ranch at Keating from Sam Coon. Jake was born in May of 1947 and Carol was born January of 1951. The family resided in Keating for approximately 30 years.
During that period, Helen was active in the Keating Grange, the Home Economics Club and was an avid 4-H leader. She always supported her children’s activities such as 4-H, FFA, choir, football, Bakerettes and more. She and Clarence spent many Saturday nights square dancing either at the Sportsman’s Club in Baker or at one of the many Grange Halls around Baker County. She loved to go with Clarence riding for cattle or helping drive the sheep over the mountain to Trout Meadows.
Helen and Clarence moved to Baker City in 1977 and lived near the Missouri Flat Grange Hall on a small acreage. They became very active in the Baker City Christian Church where she did a great deal of volunteer work. She also volunteered at the Baker Heritage Museum for several years and helped with meals at the Senior Center. Clarence died in September of 1982. Following Clarence’s death, Helen moved to a smaller house. She resided there for some time and then in 2010 she moved to assisted living facilities.
Helen is survived by her two children, Owen (Jake) Jacobs of Evergreen, Colo., and Carol Jacobs of Prairie City; two grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her brother, Russell Joseph Burnett; and her sister, Lorene L. Miller.
Memorial contributions may be made to Baker City Christian Church through Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814.![]()
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Letters to the Editor for March 29, 2013
5J recall took money that could have gone to schools
Kerry McQuisten’s recent letter in which she portrays herself as a victim who has been exonerated is incorrect on both counts. McQuisten signed her name to a recall petition that contains multiple provable falsehoods (for details see http://bakercityrecallfacts.blogspot.com). In doing so, she besmirched the reputations of two people whose only sin is they volunteered with no pay to help improve the education of this community’s children and she cost the 5J District $10,092.58, funds that could have been used for the children’s education.
My complaint to the Secretary of State was not for vengeance. It was a request for accountability. Unfortunately, the Oregon statute has a loophole. A person only has to say that he/she didn’t know the statements in a recall petition were false and the state can go no further. This is what has happened in this case.
McQuisten says in her letter that the Secretary of State “found no evidence that our ballot statement was false.” I have a copy of the letter she refers to and it actually says that the Secretary of State found “insufficient evidence that you knowingly made false statements,” which is entirely different.
The kindest thing that can be said of McQuisten is that she made no effort to check the facts on her recall petition in her haste to pursue her destructive agenda. She now fashions herself as a reporter for the Record Courier. I would leave it to the readers of that paper to decide about her credibility.
The takeaway is that the children have been deprived of funds that should have been used for their education, the community has been put through a wrenching recall petition, and two good people have been unfairly attacked all based on a series of provable lies. If you value the community’s children’s education don’t vote for any candidate with any ties to McQuisten or Mr. Knight in the upcoming election for two school board positions. Do your homework; find out who each candidate is and what their agenda is. And vote for the children, not McQuisten’s destructive agenda.
Rusty Munn
Baker City
Daugherty the best choice to replace Peggi Timm
Those of us who are members of OTEC will soon be receiving ballots that will include selecting someone to replace Peggi Timm, one of OTEC’s original founders and the first board president. Those are big shoes to fill. I will never forget when Peggi and others approached the Baker City Council with the idea of forming a cooperative to supply our local power needs. I thought then that it would be a nearly impossible task – but I underestimated Peggi’s ability and tenacity. She has contributed so much to our community in many different roles through the years; we owe her a great deal. Thank you, Peggi.
So who should we select to replace her? We have a very strong candidate in Randy Daugherty. We’ve done a lot of business with Randy over the years. We’ve worked with him and watched him serve our community as a local business man, a member of the Budget Committee, a member of the Planning Commission, and member of the Baker City Council. He is a man of integrity. He is fiscally conservative. He was born and raised in Baker City. He understands the needs of our communities better than any of the other candidates presented to us. He fully meets all the competencies established by the co-op for new members of the board of directors. Please join us in voting for Randy for OTEC Board Position 9.
Larry and Peggy Pearson
Baker City
Chase has all qualifications for OTEC board
Charlene Chase is the prime candidate for the OTECC Board Position No. 9. Ms. Chase has the desire, time and qualifications to represent customers in our electrical cooperative. As a school administrator, and as a school district board member, she gained expertise in cooperative management. She will use these skills to help OTECC provide its members safe and reliable power in the most economical way possible.
Her community involvement through important community programs, including American Association of University Women, Baker County CASA, Baker Web Academy and Baker Early College Charter School Board, has given her insight into the needs of community members and has honed her abilities to work with many different kinds of folks.
Her goals for the OTECC Board considerations include: long-term economical energy for members by insuring current and future energy needs are met; keeping technology current; exploring opportunities for economic development; maintaining quality service while controlling operating costs and making sure that the Board represents member interests. When we think about a member of any board that represents us, we want that person to have a great deal of desire, time, and energy to complete the mission. We firmly believe that Ms. Chase has all of these characteristics plus the qualifications to bring a well-rounded set of life experiences that make her a very informed, active, working member of the OTECC Board.
Irv and Susan Townsend
Baker City![]()
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March, the homeliest month, finally nears its end
March, in my view, is the least attractive month.“Ugly” is a more direct description, of course, and nicely pithy, but I don’t believe it to be a fair description of March or, indeed, of any month.
Each of the 12 has its charms, its moments of beauty.
March just doesn’t have a surfeit of these, most years.
And often as not these interludes are so brief that they leave no lasting impression.
At the moment you glimpse the fetching buttercup, winking from beneath the sagebrush, you are forced to squint and turn away as a squall pelts your cheeks with icy rain and desert grit.![]()
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Woman whose mother survived 13 days alone in Wallowas finishes book
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
A daughter of Doris Anderson, the Portland area woman who survived for 13 days alone in the Wallowa Mountains in 2007, with little food and only light clothing, has written a book about her mother’s ordeal.
Barbara Moore, who lives in Washington said she submitted the manuscript, titled “Hidden in the Valley,” to her publisher on March 24.
Moore said she hopes the book will be available later this year.
She said she also has talked with entertainment industry representatives about making a movie of her mother’s experience, which generated worldwide headlines.
Both Doris, who was 76 at the time and is 81 now, and her husband, Harold, then 74 and 80 today, still live in the Gresham area.![]()
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Feds want counties to return money
By Terri Harber
tharber@bakercityherald.com
The federal government has asked for partial repayments of Secure Rural Schools money from all recipients — including Baker County — a move that has angered Oregon’s congressional delegation.
In January, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Department sent $323 million to 41 states.
Federal officials say budget cuts related to the sequester are why they want a portion of the money back. Oregon counties would be required to return $3.6 million.
Baker County received about $800,000 from this source for its road department funding, said Fred Warner Jr., the Baker County Commission Chairman.
He said the feds might be seeking a return of more than $40,000 from this fund.![]()
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Bulldogs bury Weiser
By Gerry Steele
gsteele@bakercityherald.com
Four Baker pitchers combined to throw a 0ne-hit shutout against Weiser Saturday.![]()
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Letters to the Editor for April 1, 2013
Rebuild our land and economy
I read the story about Sen. Ron Wyden in the March 22 issue. Sen. Wyden stated some things that seem to go against the actions he normally takes when voting on issues concerning natural resources. He described it as: “pursuing this on a dual track: boosting timber cuts and providing a safety net that provides for schools, roads and police in resource dependent communities, and then our bipartisan coalition will also support reauthorizing the (Secure Rural Schools) payment program.”
On the other hand, in February Wyden introduced three bills that will add thousands of acres to wilderness areas and national monuments and a lot of miles of Oregon rivers to the wild and scenic rivers system. Wyden said: “Each of these parts of the bill aim to protect natural treasures in Oregon, preserve them for use and enjoyment and build upon the economic opportunities they provide for their local communities.”
As chairman of the Energy and Natural Resource Committee, he also warned that returning to the logging practices of the 1980s boom to replace county payments is not a viable solution because: “Experts tell us it is not possible to cut enough trees to produce historic levels of funding in rural counties and comply with the multiple uses of our federal forests that our communities want and meet our bedrock environmental laws.”
I say that may be true about “not possible to cut enough trees,” especially if you continue to introduce legislation that keeps removing more land from natural resource production, which includes mining. Even now, since there has been years of devastation to these industries, there may not be enough trained loggers or miners around, since they also had to move from the area to find other jobs.
Wyden’s proposals are more like finishing off already struggling economically deprived communities. The tourist and recreationist opportunities cannot compete with jobs that support families from resource production. Wilderness is supposed to be lands that do not have evidence of man. Therefore, trading with private landowners to remove them from access to the water for cattle and farming, or limiting that access so that recreationists can float by is ridiculous and does more harm to the economies of the communities.
As fuel loads increase from overgrown forests that are now considered wilderness, should there be a fire (from natural causes) it will burn hotter and more complete. This has been known to sterilize the land, such that it takes even longer to come back. There will be no pristine beauty or treasure afterwards, because those fires are unstoppable.
We have more trees growing now than in the early years. It is because there was a point when we understood we needed to plant more trees than we harvest. In the 1980s it was standard practice to plant seven trees for every tree cut; some places did more.
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that Secure Rural Schools was supposed to be temporary, to provide rural counties with time to rebuild their economies. I think it is misunderstood that everything we have comes from the earth: It has to be grown or mined, there is no other source. The more land you take out of production and remove evidence of man from, the more you take out of the economy and risk a devastating destruction of the land, because man is not there to tend the land and take from it the resources we need.
So how does a community rebuild its economy? The news article said that Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell “identified up to 83 million acres in need of treatment... 12.5 million acres require treatment using large machinery.”
Well at least we have a start of recognition for part of the problem. There are less and less people able to produce because of too high restrictions on land use, and our government spends way too much on pet projects that frankly do not create family wage jobs. Maybe some are starting to see the light.
Guy Michael is a Baker County miner.
Chase has a strong commitment to OTEC
My husband and I are new Baker City residents. Many things brought us to this area — a thriving arts community, beautiful country, and plenty of opportunity for outdoor recreation. We also found out pretty quickly how wonderful the people of Baker City are. And one of the people we’ve been fortunate to meet is Charlene Chase, who is now running for the vacant spot on the OTEC board.
Charlene Chase’s background as an educator, principal and school board member show that she has the background to qualify her for this position. Her community involvement, including being a CASA volunteer, shows that she has a genuine interest in the quality of life in our area.
One of the reasons Charlene Chase has said made her want to run for a position on the OTEC board is that she wants to preserve the original, strong commitment to have OTEC be a true cooperative — a utility that well serves all its members. Having such a utility is just one more reason my husband and I are so pleased to now live here. And that is why we are voting for Charlene Chase for the OTEC board.
Nancy Coffelt
Baker City![]()
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Sequester gets even sillier
We thought the nonsense related to the federal budget cuts known as the sequester had reached its apex with the pulling of college tuition assistance for about 201,000 National Guard soldiers (a blunder which Congress, to its credit, fixed last week).
Well, no.
The latest lunacy is that the feds, no longer content to close national parks and deprive children of vaccinations, are in effect calling for counties, including Baker County, to bail them out.
The target is the federal program officially known as Secure Rural Schools, but more commonly referred to as county payments.
The program, which dates back more than a decade, sends hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the coffers in Washington, D.C., to counties with public lands — and in particular forested land — within their borders.
The basic idea is to make up for some of the money these counties used to receive from the sale of timber logged on federal forests. That source of revenue has plummeted since the early 1990s, when the amount of logging on federal land dropped dramatically.
The federal government wants counties to repay $17.9 million. Of that, $3.6 would come from Oregon counties, and an estimated $40,000 from Baker County.
U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, a Republican from Washington state, called the idea an “obvious attempt” to make the sequester seem to the public as harmful as possible.
We don’t go in much for conspiracy theories, but the congressman’s allegation is hardly farfetched.
Notwithstanding the heavy-handed nature of the government’s gesture, asking counties to repay the money doesn’t make sense in relation to the sequester. That’s because the payments are based on 2012 revenues, which supposedly makes them exempt to the across-the-board cuts that started in early March after President Obama and Congress failed to make a deal on the budget.
(“Cuts” in this case being something of a misnomer, by the way, since in many cases — defense being one major exception — they don’t mean the government is spending less money than last year, but rather increasing spending by a smaller amount than was planned.)
Many other lawmakers have joined Hastings in criticizing federal officials for trying to pilfer county coffers, among them Oregon’s senators, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, and Rep. Greg Walden, whose district includes Baker County.
Given the widespread disgust among legislators, we think it’s likely that counties, in the end, will still get the money.
Even so, this episode will forever remain an appalling example of how the federal government, though its expertise in spending tax dollars is formidable indeed, seems incapable of tempering its profligacy with anything resembling sober thought.
There’s nothing reasonable about implying, as the feds have done in this matter, that somehow Baker County is partially responsible for the budget woes in Washington, D.C.![]()
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Durkee gas station closed
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The only gas station along the 45-mile stretch of Interstate 84 between Baker City and Huntington has closed.
The station and store at Durkee, about midway between the two towns, closed about two weeks ago.
An employee at the company that owns the Durkee station, Valley Wide Cooperative of Rupert, Idaho, said this morning that the business was closed, but referred further questions to an employee who was in a meeting.
The closure of the gas station leaves Durkee, an unincorporated community along the Burnt River, without retail fuel or food.
The Hungry Redneck restaurant, which was next to the gas station, closed more than a year ago, said Wes Prouty, who lives near the two former businesses on Vandecar Road, just north of Interstate 84.![]()
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Obituaries for April 1, 2013
Ivan Jensen
Formerly Baker City, 1924-2013
Ivan E. Jensen, 88, a loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, formerly of Baker City, died March 23, 2013, at the Country Living Adult Foster Home in Pendleton.
A celebration of Ivan’s life will be Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. in Baker City at the Sunridge Restaurant.
Ivan was born on Dec. 6, 1924, at Pleasant Valley, near Baker City, to Christain and Pearl Jensen. After completing school, he enlisted in the Army and served until October 1946. During this time he earned a Good Conduct Medal, Philippine Liberation Medal with one Bronze Service Star, Victory Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theater Service Medal and Army of Occupation Medal (Japan).
Ivan married Lena Fulton in 1951 and they divorced in 1956. In 1957 he married Margaret Sipp. The couple eventually settled on the Sipp Ranch in Bowen Valley where he built the house they resided in. After many years of service, Ivan retired from Ellingson Lumber where he worked as a certified lumber grader.
Ivan enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening and carpentry. He loved to bowl. He fed as many as 300 quail during the winters. He called them his “chickens.” Spending time with family and his faithful dog Willie was important to him.
He is survived by his daughter, Pam Williamson, and her husband, Pat, of Rochester, Minn., daughter, Rhonda McNeilus, and her husband, Pat, of Dodge Center, Minn., daughter, Shirley Baird and her husband, Dave, of Pendleton, son, Keith Jensen and his wife, Janet, of Baker City, daughter, Denice Wilson of Pilot Rock, and son, Robert Jensen of Hermiston; he is also survived by his brother, Lloyd Jensen, and his wife, Carolyn, of Bly, sister, Mildred Stringer of Seattle, and sister, Norma Long of Baker City; 21 grandkids and 35 great-grandkids with two on the way; and numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Margaret; his twin sister, Iva Brehmer, sister Thelma Metsker, sister Murel Roumagoux, and brothers Norman Jensen and Wayne Jensen.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimers Association or a charity of your choice in care of Pendleton Pioneer Chapel, Folsom-Bishop, 131 S.E. Byers Ave., Pendleton, OR. Online condolences may be sent to www.pendletonchapel@gmail.com.
‘Marnie’ Carter
Baker City, 1922-2013
Marjory “Marnie” Carter, 90, of Baker City, died March 23, 2013, at Angel Wings Adult Foster Care.
A celebration of her life took place on Saturday, March 30, at Baker Valley Church of Christ.
Marnie was born on Aug. 3, 1922, at Portland to Dr. Willmot and Francis (Depue) Foster. The family moved after her birth to Minnesota, back to Portland, Newberg, Halfway, and then to Baker City. During her youth she was on the swim team.
Marnie married Merrill LeRoy Carter on March 17, 1951. She attended the University of Oregon where she became an X-ray tech. She was also a homemaker for many years.
She loved to watch and feed wild birds, knit, crochet, and read. Marnie was a kind, loving woman of Christ who will be welcomed with open arms in heaven by our Father. She will be missed.
Marnie is survived by her husband; her children: Patrick Lee Carter, Cosette Marie Carter, Larry Lee Carter and Norma Jean Peterson; her grandchildren: Bobbi Joella Lunsford, Kelli Kollete Nunn and Artesha Carter; and her great-grandchildren: Kendra Lynn Lunsford, Dakota Randall Lunsford, Makayla Hope Lunsford, Natalie Nina Rose Nunn and Katelynn Nevaeh Nunn.
Vada Cameron
Elgin, 1943-2013
Vada Cameron, 69, died on March 27, 2013, at Robin’s Nest in Elgin.
A graveside service will be held at Welsh Hills Cemetery at Weathersfield Township, Ohio.
Vada Louise was born on Nov. 5, 1943, at Tunnelton, W.V., to William and Ida (Ridenour) Sypolt. She was raised and attended school in West Virginia. On Dec. 19, 1960, she married Hale Burkholder in Youngstown, Ohio. They had two children, son Hale Jr. and daughter Vada.
Most all of Vada’s life, she was not only a wife and mother to her family, she was a caregiver to many of her family members. Throughout Vada’s life she always put other people’s needs ahead of her own.
She enjoyed country music, dancing, and visiting family and friends in West Virginia.
Hale died in 1984. Later Vada married Leslie Cameron, and they had 20 years together, later moving out west to Oregon. She and Les lived in La Grande until her health began to fail. They then moved to Robin’s Nest in Elgin.
Vada is survived by her husband, Leslie of Elgin; her daughter, Vada Louise and her husband, Richard Reid of McDonald, Ohio; her son, Hale Burkholder Jr. of Austintown, Ohio; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; her brothers, James Sypolt and Carl Sypolt; and her sisters, Elizabeth Moore, Garnet Sypolt and Betty Lou Sypolt.
She was preceded in death by her first husband, Hale Burkholder; her parents; her sisters, Mary Johnson, Alice Sypolt and Edna Johnson; and her brother, Charles Sypolt.
Those who wish to make a donation in memory of Vada may do so to the Oregon Chapter of the American Cancer Society through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.‘Bobby’ Dangerfield
Sparta, 1924-2013
Edra Anna “Bobby” Dangerfield, 88, died on March 24, 2013, surrounded by her family at her home in Sparta.
A private family gathering will be enjoyed celebrating her life this summer.
Edra Anna was born on March 30, 1924, at Amboy, Wash., to Ray and Gertrude (Crosby) Billings. At the age of 5 or 6 her mother gave her a haircut. When her sister came in the room and saw Edra, she said “aren’t you a fine looking bobbie?” The nickname stuck. She grew up on a big farm near North Plains in Washington County, Oregon. Bobbie graduated high school in Hillsboro in 1942. Bobbie met her future husband, Keith E. Dangerfield, while attending civil service communication school. They were married on Oct. 9, 1943. They had three children.
In her early working years, she worked at the U.S. War Department during World War II at Spokane’s Galena Air Base.
Bobbie loved her life as a wife of almost 70 years, a mother and homemaker. She enjoyed gardening, canning her fruits and vegetables, and making jam. She also enjoyed hunting, fishing, reading, circle a word puzzles, puzzles and card games. A thought and value she shared with her family was that the “door was always open.” She made all who came through the door welcome and comfortable. Bobbie was well known for providing good home-cooked meals and she made sure that there was room for all at the table.
While raising her family, the family lived in Grants Pass. These last seven years they have enjoyed living in Sparta. Keith and Bobbie would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year.
Bobbie is survived by her husband, Keith; her daughters: Margaret Anna and her husband, Lindsey Lutman of Grants Pass, and Frances Carol and her husband, Bob Smithson of Grants Pass; her son, Michael Grant and his wife, Peggy Dangerfield of Roseburg; 12 grandchildren; 27 great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Francis Billings and Lester Billings; her sisters, Enid LaMerle Heiser and Edna Billings; and a great-grandson.
Those who would like to make a donation in memory of Bobbie may do so to Oregon Chapter of the American Heart Association through Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR 97834.![]()
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