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November 15, 2007 Front Page |
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Baker City Soroptimists Host Visitors From India
By Brian AddisonBaker City Soroptimists extended the international Grant of Friendship to host Matilda and Lawrence Mathias of Bangalore, India. The international Grant of Friendship is a Soroptimist program where local Soroptimist clubs host visitors from foreign countries. The local Soroptimists had lunch with the Mathias’ at the Chameleon Café Thursday in Baker City. During lunch, the couple spoke about modern India and some of the recent changes within the country’s culture, laws and religion. After lunch, 64 year old Lawrence had a chance to zoom up and down the sidewalk on a scooter.
The Mathias’ live among 6.5 million residents in Bangalore, capital city of the state of Karnataka, located in southern India. Matilda said that the main source of the Indian economy in that region is based on internet technology companies, listing a presence by IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Target and Accenture. Lawrence is a retired motivational and instructional speaker previously employed by IBM to train employees. At age 54, Matilda works in the field of social services.
Montana Man Dies In Helicopter Crash Near Baker City
Pete Wehler, 59, of Philipsburg, Mont., died Thursday afternoon when the helicopter he was flying crashed into a field two miles north of the Baker City Municipal Airport near the Medical Springs Interstate-84 exit.
Baker County Sheriff Mitch Southwick said Wehler was a student helicopter pilot, but was qualified to fly solo. Wehler had flown a fixed-wing airplane to Baker City on Thursday and then rented the helicopter from Elkhorn Aviation Inc.
Witnesses said there was no fire or explosion when the helicopter hit the ground a little before 1 p.m. in a field where cattle were grazing.
Travel Management Plan Advisory Committee Finalizes County’s ‘Alternative’ Document
By Brian AddisonThe Baker County Travel Management Plan Advisory Committee (TMP Committee) applied some final, minor changes to an 18-page document titled, “Baker County’s Alternative to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Travel Management Plan,” during the TMP Committee meeting Tuesday evening. After approval by Baker County Commissioners, the document is to be submitted to Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Supervisor Steve Ellis. The document is a portion of the material the county will submit to Ellis on Nov. 16, proposing the county’s alternative to the proposed closure of over 4,000 miles of roads in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.
“Baker County’s theme for the alternative to the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest’s proposed Travel Management Plan is to optimize open road opportunities in balance with resource values,” are the first words of the document. The document lists three resource concerns used to guide open road requests as, 1) 303 (d) listed streams also referred to as water quality limited streams as listed by the Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality; “2) Endangered Species Act listing (in particular bull trout)”; 3) Big game habitat.
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