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About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2016)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 2016 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5 Local ‘Live with Kelly’ Man armed with knife arrested Submitted Photo. Submitted Photo. Collard meets actor Jerry O’Connell. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “It was a lot of fun see- ing the behind the scenes work,” said Collard. “The show picks four people from the audience and they have a dance off and I was one of the four.” Behind the stage, she was given a microphone and was able to talk with the director. Collard explained the director told her and the other dancers to go out and be as crazy as they could, saying, “Your family will forgive you later,” The day after their ad- ventures on the ‘Live with Kelly’ show, they went to ‘The View’ with Whoopi Goldberg. They aren’t very fond of the show, but Col- lard had fun seeing behind- the-scenes work again. During a commercial break, when a comedian entertains the audience, he selected her mom to sing. She had told him she was a retired musician. She has had several strokes and she lost her speech for a while. “It was a blessing it returned and she was able to sing for the audience,” Collard said. “It was prob- ably the most special part of our trip.” As the number of celebrity introductions increased, Collard posed with David Murr. Collard grew up in South Carolina and met her husband Bryan, who grew up in Baker. They moved here 23 years ago. They have five children, two grandchildren, and have been foster and ex- change parents for years. She is a former gymnast and taught gymnastics in Baker at the Y and owned a gym for about five years where she taught classes. She grew up doing gym- nastics until she was side- lined at 18 and coached through college. She is the director of Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASA, for Eastern Oregon. She explained they are always looking for volunteers. In her spare time, she is the local coordinator for the EF Exchange Year, an organization that places exchange students with host families in the Baker and Union counties from 13 countries. Collard comes from a musical background and has been in musical performances with Eastern Oregon Regional Theater. She is a breast cancer survivor and one of her performances was after a surgery she had. County: Graffiti issue CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Harvey asked where the major areas are in the County, where Lohner has seen the graffiti, and Lohner said the Lime plant on the north side of I-84, the stone house structure on the south side of I-84, and the former motel property at Farewell Bend. Lohner said, as long as paint is provided by prop- erty owners, people can be provided to cover up the graffiti. Ash said he would follow up with determining who property owners are. Lohner said that gang tags appear to be prevalent out in the County loca- tions, and within the City, graffiti is seen with an oc- casional gang symbol. He said when he con- ducted research into gang activity several years ago, which was prompted by at- tempts by gangs to spread tags around the City, he discovered there were seven identified gangs in Ontario. “We address it pretty aggressively in the community when they try to come in here ...” Ash said he wasn’t sure how the graffiti was going to be removed from the Lime plant structures, but overall, efforts will be made to remove graffiti and tags from everything possible in the City, and County. Approval of the minutes from Wednesday, July 20, 2016 was postponed, until Bennett could be present, and the minutes from the Wednesday, August 3, 2016 regular session were approved with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Ash discussed a Sher- iff’s Office vehicle bid request, for a 2017 Dodge 2500 Crew Cab pickup, quoted at $26,763.99, from the GSA (General Services Administration). This was the lowest quote of three. In his request, Ash stated that Idaho Power would be ultimately covering the costs to purchase and outfit the vehicle, for use in the newly created patrol posi- tion in the Hell’s Canyon Corridor. The request was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Ash also discussed a request for an update to a computer device called Cellebrite, which is used by the County Sheriff’s Office, the City Police Department, and the Oregon State Police, during investigations, to download information from electronic media. The bid Ash obtained is for $13,874, from Cellebtite, Inc., and funds to purchase the equipment will come from the drug task force line item. This request was approved, first with Order No. 2016-151, An Order Designating “Cellebrite” As A Sole Source Provider, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey; and the request itself, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Bogart discussed a Leo Adler House roof replace- ment bid, from Palmer Roofing (the only bid received, of six roofing contractors contacted), quoted at $40,995. The Museum Commission received grants from the Kinsman Foundation and the Leo Adler Trust, total- ing $36,000, and Bogart said that funds would be applied from within the Museum budget, to make up the difference. The Oregon State Historic Preservation Office re- quires a wood shingle roof as a replacement, in order for the Leo Adler House to maintain its National His- toric Building designation, according to documenta- tion. The request was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Smith discussed 2016 Fund Exchange Agree- ment No. 31356, for chip seal and overlay of various County roads, in Baker County. The agreement is between the Oregon De- partment of Transportation (ODOT), and the County, and includes State funding of no more than $225,140. This funding is part of the 2015-2018 Statewide Transportation Improve- ment Program (STIP). The agreement was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Carpenter and Gloria discussed Rail And Public Transit Division ODOT Agreement No. 31615, between ODOT, and the County. The agreement includes grant funding, not to exceed $20,000, to be used for delivery of public transportation services to benefit veterans of Baker and Wallowa counties ($10,000 for each county). The agreement was ap- proved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. The Board discussed a 2014-2019 Baker County And Baker County Law Enforcement Association Collective Bargaining Agreement. This covers the period from July 1, 2014, through June 30, 2019. The agreement was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. The Board discussed an application from the Eagle Valley Rural Fire Protec- tion District, for a 2016 Oregon Business Develop- ment Department Commu- nity Development Block Grant, to be used for a new facility, which will be lo- cated within the Richland Elementary School Gym- nasium. The requested amount is $2.1 million for the project. The applica- tion was approved to be submitted, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. The Board discussed a contract between the County, and Pacific Technologies, Inc. (PTI), of Idaho, for asbestos re- moval at the former Lime plant. The total fee listed is $43,904 (this bid was approved during a previous session). The contract was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. The Board approved a State of Oregon In- tergovernmental Office Space Lease Amendment, between the County (the lessor), and the State Water Resources Department (the lessee). The office space is approximately 1,026 square feet, located in the Courthouse building, and the term of the lease is through June 30, 2019, at incremental base rent amounts, which includes fiber optic use. The amendment was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Savage discussed Order No. 2016-1035, Surviving Spouse Of A Public Safety Officer As Provided By SB (Senate Bill) 1513. SB 1513, passed during the 2016 Oregon Legislative Assembly regular session, provides that an exemption to tax for assessed property value for the surviving spouse of a Public Safety Officer can be approved. This applies to the surviv- ing spouse of a veteran, who died of a service- connected injury or illness. The Order was approved, with a motion from Kerns, and a second from Harvey. Holly discussed, for informational purposes, and using the County’s interactive Smart Board with maps displayed, a letter dated July 22, 2016, and addressed to Harvey, from United States Forest Service (USFS) Forest Supervisor Tom Montoya, regarding the intent of the USFS “...to pursue acquisi- tion of lands located inside the Wild and Scenic River corridor of Eagle Creek and East Eagle Creek, through the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) in 2018...” SEE GRAFFITI PAGE 8 At 2:45 a.m. Tuesday morning, Officers Shannon Regan and Blake Hawkins were dispatched to an apartment located at 880 Elm St. on a reported disturbance. Upon arrival they were met by a female who was flee- ing the apartment. She told Officers that there was a male inside who had refused her request to leave, was armed with a knife, had threatened her, and was “tearing the place up.” The Officers ultimately made contact with the subject outside the apartment. He was arrested for Criminal Tres- pass and Harassment. It was discovered, during the inves- tigation, that the suspect—Lloyd Rider, 46 years of age of Bellingham, Washington—was wanted on a nationwide warrant as a fugitive from the State of Washington. The suspect, who has an extensive criminal record, was booked at the Baker County Jail on the fugitive warrant as well as Trespass and Harassment charges. This inves- tigation is ongoing and may result in other charges being filed against the suspect. Man strikes woman with a guitar At about 4 p.m. on Sunday August 14, 2016 Officers Weaver and Woodward were dispatched to a residence in the 2500 block of 9th street regarding a domestic violence-assault case. The victim, a female family member, advised officers that the suspect (Chad Cox 35 years of age of Baker City) had assaulted her in the presence of minor children. She further related that the suspect struck her with a guitar inflicting injury. Officers noted that the victim had several cuts and abrasions consistent with being struck. Suspect Cox was contacted outside the residence and was advised he was under arrest on a felony assault charge. Cox fled on foot and was pursued by Officers Woodward and Weaver. The suspect was eventually detained, placed under ar- rest and handcuffed in the 2400 block of Madison Ave. The suspect was transported to the Baker County Jail where he was booked on Assault IV charges. Norovirus hits 14 in Unity The Baker County Health Department (BCHD) in conjunction with Oregon Health Authority (OHA) is investigating several reported cases of stomach illness in Unity. • At least 14 people have reported being sick. • OHA and BCHD are still investigating to see if there are others who have been sick. We do not know the total number of people who may have been sick. • Oregon Health Authority and local public health are working together to interview and test those who are sick in order to confirm whether all of the illnesses are linked. • BCHD and OHA are working closely to contain the spread of the illness to protect the health of those in the community. • The illnesses appears to be a norovirus like illness, which can spread quickly. • Norovirus can cause diarrhea, throwing up, nausea, and stomach pain. People with norovirus may also have a fever, headache, and body aches. • People who became sick, may have become ill after eating at venue, but the specific source has not been con- firmed by testing. • A public health worker has visited the location to do an inspection and provide recommendations on how to control the virus. • Anyone who thinks that they might have norovirus should contact their health care provider or Baker County Public Health Department at 541-523-8211 • Anyone who has diarrhea or who is throwing up can lose too many fluids in their body, and should drink a lot of fluids to stay hydrated. Scam alert updated On August 11, 2016 the Baker City Police Department issued a press release warning members of the commu- nity if contacted by persons offering asphalt driveway re-sealing to check and insure persons making such offers were properly licensed by the State of Oregon Construc- tion Contractor’s Board (CCB). Law enforcement agen- cies in Baker and Union Counties received complaints regarding such solicitations being fraudulent. One of the names provided by persons offering to do such work is “Rock Hard Paving.” A query of the State Construction Contractor’s Board database does indicate that a company, based in Springfield, is licensed. The caution in the original press release remains valid. One of the steps potential customers can take in deciding whether to use the services of any company desiring to perform work is to check that they do hold a current CCB license. A second step is to ask for references from locals who had such work performed.