Although no trails have been closed in Baker County or elsewhere in Northeast Oregon, city and county officials are concerned about the potential effects of a 2020 lawsuit challenging Oregon’s “recreational immunity” law, which protects public and private landowners from liability when people are hurt while using trails and other facilities for recreational purposes and for no fee.

The lawsuit, filed by a woman who broke her ankle after slipping on a bridge on a city-owned trail near Newport in 2019, has temporarily ended recreational immunity in the state, according to CIS Oregon, the company that provides liability insurance to cities and counties.

City and county officials hope the Oregon Legislature will address the situation, at least temporarily, by changing the law during the session that starts Feb. 5.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/northeast_oregon_weekender/temporary-loss-of-recreational-immunity-has-city-county-officials-concerned-about-liability-issues/article_eb808dc6-76d6-509c-a962-2f24f056afec.html

Divers from the Baker County Sheriff’s Office’s search and rescue team recovered the body of a Granite man who fell through the ice while fishing at Phillips Reservoir. Mark Norenberg was a longtime Granite resident.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/divers-recover-body-of-granite-man-who-drowned-in-phillips-reservoir/article_9a898a48-bca2-11ee-80a1-b7c44f40a453.html

Baker County’s unemployment rate was near a record low in December 2023, but although fewer people who are looking for work are unable to find a job, there is also a smaller group of county residents who are searching for work.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/jobless-rate-near-record-low-but-workforce-is-shrinking/article_2376117e-beb9-11ee-bd66-d388e5f798e3.html

The Baker boys basketball team, ranked No. 1 in the state in the Class 4A category by a vote of coaches, preserved its unbeaten record by beating Pendleton 76-37 on Jan. 31. The Bulldogs have won all 20 of their games this season.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/sports/baker-boys-basketball-bulldogs-shrug-off-slow-start-roll-past-buckaroos/article_18627506-c112-11ee-a585-3fb7024651d3.html