Chuck Mawhinney, a longtime Baker City resident whose exploits as a Marine Corps sniper during the Vietnam War were unknown by almost everyone for more than a quarter century, died Feb. 12 at his home, at age 75. Mawhinney, who grew up in Lakeview and moved to Baker City in 1981, has the most confirmed kills as a sniper, 103, in Marine Corps history. This became widely known only after a magazine article in 1996 revealed Mawhinney’s record. A year ago, in March 2023, a book about Mawhinney’s life and wartime experiences, written by his friend and former Baker Valley farmer, Jim Lindsay, was published.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/chuck-mawhinney-longtime-baker-city-resident-and-legendary-marine-corps-sniper-dies/article_366e6594-cb41-11ee-904f-77984b31a0b9.html

Baker High School’s cheerleading squad competed in the state competition for the first time in many years, and they returned with a state championship despite missing a senior who was out due to illness.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/sports/cheerleading-champs-baker-high-school-squad-wins-state-championship/article_55f708c8-c9d2-11ee-a854-3f9b070af1df.html

The Baker School Board has narrowed the list of candidates to replace superintendent Erin Lair to two. Lair announced in November 2023 that she would leave the job at the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2023. The two finalists are Casey Hallgarth, superintendent for the Prairie City School District in Grant County, and Kristina Wonderly, who works for an education service district in Western Oregon. The school board plans to choose one of the two on March 5.

Two members of the Baker County Sheriff’s Office’s search and rescue team rescued a Huntington couple whose pickup truck got stuck in snow in a remote area in the southern part of the county on Valentine’s Day. Both were cold but otherwise in good condition after walking about 5 miles.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/search-and-rescue-members-help-huntington-couple-whose-truck-was-stuck-in-snow/article_baf617b0-cc29-11ee-8d40-4f4ffaf77a4b.html

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/baker-school-board-names-2-finalists-for-superintendent/article_1e1d97bc-cce5-11ee-a718-c34755a6dbe9.html