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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 25, 2015)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2015 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 7 Outdoor Rec / Local Bentz schedules town halls ONTARIO—Represen- tative Cliff Bentz (R- Ontario) is holding town hall meetings in Malheur, Baker, Harney, Grant, and possibly Lake Counties (House Legislative District 60) so that Eastern Or- egonians may share their thoughts about proposed increases in the minimum wage. Oregon’s current mini- mum wage is $9.25 per hour and is adjusted on an annual basis. Several Measures currently being planned for the ballot in November of 2016 will propose increases in Or- egon’s minimum wage to $13.50 per hour or $15.00 per hour. Said Rep. Bentz, “In- creases in the minimum wage beyond those already required under Oregon law many times damage the very people those support- ing the increase are trying to help. On the other hand, many people currently making the minimum wage would certainly like to make more. It is essential that we hear from you. This is your opportunity to say whether you sup- port, or oppose, such an increase.” Each meeting will include a panel of local leaders interested in gath- ering information from the general public. Town Hall meetings will be held on the following dates, times, and locations: Baker County Tuesday, January 5th, 2016 6:30-8:30 p.m. (PST) At the Sunridge Inn (1 Sunridge Ln, Baker City) Malheur County Wednesday, January 6th, 2016, 6:30-8:30 p.m. (MST), At the Four Rivers Cultural Center (676 SW 5th Ave, Ontario) Additional meetings are being planned for Burns, John Day and Lakeview. Rep. Bentz encour- ages anyone interested or concerned with this issue to attend the town hall meeting in their area and voice their thoughts. Sum- maries of what is said and Parks & Rec announces new grants Submitted Photo. Rep. Cliff Benz. the concerns raised will be directed to the Oregon Legislators working on a bill that will be introduced in the 2016 Legislative Session beginning in February. Oregon military to track Santa Claus PORTLAND, Oregon —The Oregon Air Nation- al Guard will be on high alert again this Christmas Eve as they work closely with the United States Air Force and the North Amer- ican Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to monitor the skies and track the annual flight of Santa Claus. According to Col. Paul T. Fitzgerald, 142nd Fighter Wing commander, "It is not uncommon for our pilots to fly alongside Saint Nick in the skies this time of year. He expects to see us and the reindeer have become quite accustomed to flying in formation with our F-15s." "Year after year, we receive reports on Christ- mas Eve from the Western Air Defense Sector at McChord Air Force Base, in Washington," said Capt. Angela Walz, spokesper- son for the Portland Air National Guard Base. "They report high-speed radar returns from their defense network radar systems. Because our F-15 aircrews are on continuous alert, they may be ordered to intercept and investigate anything that can't be posi- tively identified on radar." For more than 65 years, the Oregon Air National Guard's mission in Port- land has been to provide air defense of the Pacific Northwest -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Oregon National Guard is also prepared to respond to state and local emergency contingencies under command of the governor. To obtain audio, click on the following link: http://newpreview.afnews. af.mil/142fw/santasight- ings.asp For background infor- mation from NORAD/ NORTHCOM on Santa's annual flight around the world, visit: http://www. norad.mil/AboutNORAD/ NORADTracksSanta.aspx SANTA SIGHTINGS: For the official Santa tracker, visit: http://www. noradsanta.org On Dec. 24, website visitors can watch Santa make preparations for his flight. NORAD's "Santa Cams" will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations. Trackers worldwide can also speak with a live phone opera- tor to inquire as to Santa's whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi- NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook. com. Official NORAD Tracks Santa apps are also avail- able in the Windows, Ap- ple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa's launch on their smart phones and tablets! Tracking opportunities are also offered on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. Santa followers just need to type "@norad- santa" into each search engine to get started. Any time on Dec. 24, Windows Phone users can ask Cortana for Santa's location, and OnStar subscribers can press the OnStar button in their vehicles to locate Santa. Remember, The Baker County Press will be tracking Santa from the North Pole to Baker County on our Facebook page! www.facebook.com/TheBCPress! The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) announces the opening of the 2016 Local Government Grant Program grant cycle for funding public parks and recreation projects. OPRD will host two workshops in February to assist applicants. Large, small and planning grants are available for cit- ies, counties, metropolitan service districts, park and recreation districts and port districts looking to fund the following types of projects: planning, development, reha- bilitation, acquisition, and acquisition and development. The program is designed to help local government agen- cies acquire property for park purposes and fund outdoor park and recreation areas and facilities. The grants are funded from voter-approved lottery money. Applications deadlines are set for April and May de- pending on the type of grant. Two workshops are set: -Webinar workshop: 10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 3 -Live workshop: 10 a.m. to noon, Feb. 4, Salem To register and receive workshop notification, send contact information to Mark Cowan at mark.cowan@ oregon.gov. OPRD gives more than $4 million annually to Oregon communities for outdoor recreation projects and has awarded nearly $50 million in grants since 1999. Applications, a grant manual, application deadlines and other information are online at http://oprdgrants.org. ODFW seeks council members The Access & Habitat Program is looking to fill several regional council positions. The deadline is Jan. 31. Individuals living in the appropriate region with an in- terest and experience in hunting and/or wildlife conserva- tion are encouraged to apply. Applications are available online and due at the corresponding regional office by Jan. 31, 2016. Council vacancies: North Coast Regional Council One Landowner Representative,Contact David Nuzum in Tillamook (503-842-2741 ext. 238); Deschutes/Klamath Regional Council, Chair position representing the public at large, One Landowner Representative, Contact Nancy Breuner in Bend for more information (541-388-6229); South Willamette Regional Council, One Landowner Representative, Contact David Stroppel in Corvallis for more information (541-757-5237); and Southwest Re- gional Council, One Landowner Representative, Contact Vince Oredson in Central Point for more information (541-826-8774 ext. 232). These are volunteer positions and duties include partici- pation in up to four public meetings each year to review A&H project proposals and conduct other council busi- ness. Meetings may require some travel.