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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (March 6, 2015)
FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 9 Local Chamber director recruiting Mock trial new Board members By Todd Arriola Todd@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, February 26, 2015, from 3-4 p.m., in the Chamber Conference Room at 490 Campbell Street. Executive Director Debi Bainter was present, along with Board members Jerry Peacock, Jeff Nelson, and Cheryl Martin. LeAnne Woolf, City of Sumpter Councilor and liaison was also present, as was Teresa Schwab, Chamber volun- teer. Bainter called the meet- ing to order, and asked if there were any visitor com- ments, as the first order of business. Woolf said Sumpter’s Poker Run (held on Sat- urday, February 14) had some very nice participa- tion, despite the fact that it was on 4x4s instead of snowmobiles. She men- tioned there were four entries for the Outhouse Race, and the winner was the family team of John and Katie Czernik and Emi Takalo, with their Rasta Rocket, adorned with the Jamaican flag (they’re Rastafarians, according to Woolf). Visitors and the Board discussed the success of the Chamber’s Annual Awards Banquet, held on Saturday, January 17, with comments about the timing and length of the event, as well as the presentation of awards to community vol- unteers, and the entertain- ment provided. Bainter asked for ap- proval of the minutes from the Board meeting on Thursday, December 18, 2014, and Peacock so moved, with a second from Nelson, and the motion carried. The Board discussed the Baker Technical Institute (BTI) tour, a brown bag lunch event, to be held on Wednesday, March 11, 2015, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Baker High School. Bainter said Pea- cock will give a presenta- tion during lunch, and then the tour will begin. Bainter asked for ap- proval of the financials for December, January and February, and Peacock so moved, with a second from Martin, and the motion car- ried. The consent agenda also was approved, with a motion from Nelson, and a second from Martin. Bainter reviewed for those present the major ac- complishments of 2014 for the Chamber. This includ- ed the monthly Business After Hours and Business Roundtable meetings. She said that Schwab played a key role in helping to organize the Business After Hours meetings again, and the idea that it may be a quarterly event in the future, held in the Cham- ber Conference Room, was discussed earlier. In 2014, the Chamber provided 8,209,686 to its members, according to Bainter. New siding was installed on the south and east sides of the Cham- ber building in 2014. She said that one of the goals for 2015 is to update and upgrade the information and advertisement kiosk located near the Chamber building, including new plexiglass installation. Bainter mentioned the Chamber’s involvement with Small Business Satur- day, and business ribbon- cutting and grand open- ing ceremonies, and she also mentioned a weekly radio segment airing on Thursdays on KCMB, and the Chamber’s quarterly printed newsletters. Bainter is the President of the Oregon Employer Council, and she talked about the Board’s involvement with that organization. Bainter said that within the next two months, her goal is to recruit more Board members, with a to- tal of at least seven, and up to twelve, with active roles in Chamber and commu- nity events, and the list is currently being compiled. She said potential Board members, including Woolf and Schwab, will be invit- ed to a reception, planned for Tuesday, March 17, 2015, from 5 to 6 p.m. Legislative Hotline, held at the Baker County Events Center, 2600 East Street, from 7 to 8 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month, was discussed. This is an opportunity, via live feed, to speak with Representative Cliff Bentz and Senator Ted Ferrioli about important legislative issues. The Board discussed the Chamber’s involvement with and management of Cycle Oregon, a week-long bicycling event held from September 12 through September 19, with Baker City as the location for both the Start and Finish. Bainter said potentially, the Chamber could bring in $5,000 during the event through sales, and the Board discussed ways of increasing local business involvement, including a free Travel Oregon pro- gram called Bike Friendly Business. Oregon is the first state to create this, a recognition and training program, the goal of which is to help businesses un- derstand the importance of the growing bike tourism industry, to provide tips and tools on being bike friendly, and to highlight the businesses who commit to enhancing the Oregon biking experience for visi- tors and Oregonians. The Board discussed different ways businesses could benefit during Cycle Oregon, especially with Start and Finish events, and emphasized the in- crease in appreciation and recognition the community can receive from visitors, though it was noted that Baker City and Baker County already have a very good reputation from as- sociation with it. As a side note, Bella Main Street Market’s Bike Shrine, located on the sidewalk in front of the store, was mentioned. The next Board meeting is scheduled for Wednes- day, April 1, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. Submitted by Rachel Burk. Morgan Sillacci does the opening statement for the plaintiff in the Vale courtroom. Submitted by Rachel Burk. Kaylee Burk is sworn in as a witness by a member of an opposing team. Bill would honor fallen local soldier Mabry Anders SALEM—Representa- tive Cliff Bentz (R-On- tario) recently introduced House Bill 2981, which honors the late Army Specialist Mabry Anders, a Baker City native, by dedicating to him and his family an Oregon Highway Fallen Hero memorial. Army Specialist Mabry James Anders was born on July 22, 1991, in Yuma, Arizona, and grew up in Baker City, Oregon where he attended Baker High School. He joined the U.S. Army in 2010 and was assigned to the 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, and 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Carson, Colorado. After becoming an Army Specialist he was deployed on tour of duty to Afghani- stan in March, 2010. Specialist Anders was Killed In Action on August 27, 2012, by enemy fire in Kalagush, Afghanistan. He was just 21 years old. His awards and decora- tions included: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Con- duct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/ Bronze Service Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Rib- bon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge, Submitted by Rachel Burk. Tobin Brown portrays plaintiff Avery Leon on the stand. Continued from Page 1 Submitted Photo. Army Specialist Anders was highly awarded and decorated. He was killed by enemy fire at age 21 and the Driver/Mechanic Badge. Rep. Bentz said, “I was approached by Specialist Anders’ mother, Genevieve Woydziak, who asked if I would help in creating a memorial for her son, and I promised to bring legisla- tion in 2015 to do so. Ob- viously, this is something we should do for Specialist Anders, who died serving Oregon and the United States of America.” HB 2981 would allow the placement of a Fallen Hero sign on Oregon Route 7 near milepost 36 in Baker County, designat- ing that section of highway as the “Mabry Anders Memorial Highway.” This is an area where Mabry used to spend time and his mother thinks that he would appreciate the selection of this spot for his remembrance. House Bill 2981 has been scheduled for a public hearing on Wednesday, March 4th at 3:00 p.m. (PST) in Hearing Room E. A Facebook page, Prayers for Mabry can be found by searching for that title. Mock Trial competitions are part of the statewide Classroom Law Project, which involves intense pretrial preparations and the study of legal knowledge including trial roles and case law not otherwise presented in most high school curriculums. Students were required to audition for the role they wished to play during the trial. While the case itself was fictional, authored from scratch by real lawyers from Stoel Rives, LLC—a well-known Portland area law firm, the courtroom experience was as real as possible. “I thought our whole team did great,” said Kailyn McQuisten who played the role of Clerk. “We all learned quite a bit.” The full roster from BHS included: Opening statement for the plaintiff, Megan Burk; Plaintiff, Tobin Brown; two witnesses for the plaintiff, Kara Bennett and Gracie Hardy; closing statement for plaintiff, Zach Tomac and Kate Averett; defense’s opening statment, Morgan Sil- lacci; defendant, Kaylee Burk; two defense witnesses, Isabella Evans and Kaiza Rea; closing statement for defense, Koby Hansen; lawyers Koby Hansen, Zech Compos, Kate Averett, Zach Tomac, Hollis Robb, Tanya O’Neal, Katya Brown, Bailey Hill, and Rebecca Compos; bailiff Evan Bigler; clerk Kailyn McQuisten; manager Zach Tomac; and understudy/assistant manager, Lizzie Calder. Nine of this year’s team members will graduate this year, leaving an opportunity for new members to join the team next year. More information is available at www.classroomlaw. org.