After a winter that felt more like fall through the first week of 2024, inclement weather has arrived in Baker County, with snow and, on Friday, Jan. 12, an arctic front that caused temperatures to plummet, potentially dipping below zero over the weekend.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/winter-arrives-with-a-vengeance/article_b8175e4c-af09-11ee-b52e-9fe64f3b6731.html

Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter announced Jan. 10 that two Baker City Police officers were justified in shooting and wounding a Boise man who fired a pellet gun at one of the officers during a traffic stop in Baker City on Jan. 2. Baxter said he reached his conclusion after talking with the officers and other witnesses and watching video from the officers’ body cameras. Charges are pending against the man who was shot. He is being treated in a Boise hospital.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/d-a-police-officers-justified-in-shooting-suspect-jan-2/article_aa5cfb78-affd-11ee-9692-ef6e5c924a8d.html

A shortage of nurses trained to examine victims of sexual assault is an ongoing problem in Northeast Oregon. Hospital officials are trying to rectify the situation, which can result in victims needing to drive several hours for an examination and potentially deprive prosecutors of the evidence they need to convict people who commit rape.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/northeast_oregon_weekender/in-some-parts-of-northeast-oregon-victims-of-sexual-assault-face-an-added-indignity-a/article_d9a428a0-71fd-5609-90cb-bfb3edeb0194.html

Although 2023 was the hottest year in recorded history globally, the year was only slightly warmer than average in most of Northeast Oregon.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/outdoors/the-year-in-weather-a-bit-warmer-drier-than-average/article_5967fe02-89e7-5d12-a79b-21ca6c421941.html

The Baker County Library District board of directors rejected a proposal from New Directions Northwest to install a hypodermic needle drop box outside the Baker City library.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/library-board-rejects-plan-to-install-needle-drop-box/article_d73add76-b008-11ee-ac0b-9b3377fea88d.html