50 YEARS AGO

from the Democrat-Herald

July 19, 1971

Baker’s All-Stars and the top Ontario team, the Beavers, bump heads for the District three regional Babe Ruth tournament championship tonight at seven o’clock as a result of their performances Saturday and Sunday.

25 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 19, 1996

BURNS — Baker’s Little League all-star baseball team needs to win just one more game to earn a berth at the state tournament in Gresham.

Baker beat the Pendleton Americans 8-4 in a semifinal game Thursday at the district tournament. Baker has won all four of its games.

Derrick Riggs struck out five Pendleton batters in five innings and allowed six hits and four runs.

Sean Kinney pitched the final inning and struck out three.

Baker had 11 hits against Pendleton’s best pitcher. Doug Hofmann hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

10 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 20, 2011

The federal government has decided against formal protection for the whitebark pine, a high-elevation tree that is common in the Elkhorn and Wallowa mountains but has been harmed over the past 30 years by beetle infestations, a fungal disease and the absence of fire.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Monday that although the whitebark’s plight warrants its listing as a threatened or endangered species, other species are a higher priority.

ONE YEAR AGO

from the Baker City Herald

July 21, 2020

A fire season that’s so far been tranquil in Northeastern Oregon could become more boisterous later this week.

The National Weather Service is forecasting the recent run of warm temperature to persist for at least several more days, along with an increasing chance of thunderstorms starting Wednesday.

The possibility of storms is important because lightning sparks a majority of wildfires on public lands in the region.

“That’s one of our bigger concerns,” said Noel Livingston, fire staff officer for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.

Fire danger now is moderate on the Wallowa-Whitman.

A computer model that estimates how much energy a fire would release — a key indicator of the fire danger — has been near or below average since June 1 but as of Monday was rising to near average in parts of the forest, Livingston said.

“It’s starting to dry up,” Livingston said.

Widespread rain during the latter half of May and the first half of June pushed the fire danger below average.