8 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2016
Local
Safe Routes to School event
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PAGE 1
According to the history,
around the globe Inter-
national Walk to School
Month brings together
more than 40 countries in
recognition of the com-
mon interest in walking to
school.
The first-ever Bike to
School Day took place
May 9, 2012, as part of
National Bike Month. 950
local events in 49 states
across the U.S. encouraged
children to safely bicycle
or walk to school. In 2014,
more than 2,200 schools
participated in National
Bike to School Day on
May 7.
Jodi Tool, the Transpor-
tation Options Coordinator
for the Baker, Wallowa,
and Union area, explained
that schools that are in-
volved do not have specific
protocol for what they do
while involved with the
event. Some schools have
students walk around the
school and others have dif-
ferent places to meet and a
group will walk safely to
school.
This year, the schools
involved are walking from
the Geiser Pollman Park to
Brooklyn Elementary.
“A lot of kids don’t walk
to school, either that it’s
not safe, they haven’t been
properly trained how to
walk to school, it might be
too far, and so it’s just to
encourage safer routes to
school,” said Tool. “There
are grants that are available
from time to time where
maybe they put in a side-
walk where there wasn’t a
sidewalk or maybe there’s
no wheelchair ramps in
that area where people
would be going. Or they
have places where a lot
of kids will ride that way
but it’s just a dirt path, so
they’ll bring in money to
fix those roads or maybe
it’s to put flashing beacons
like on Campbell Street
so that it just alerts people
that kids are there.”
This year, the Baker
City Police Department is
helping Safe Kids World
Wide, who is also in-
volved.
Tool explained that the
Sheriff’s Department is
going to have people there
and Tool plans on having
the Baker Bulldog at the
event and the mayor has
said that she is interested
in being there.
Tool also said thirteen
students from the National
Honor Society from the
High School will help with
the event.
“We’re hoping to make
it a safe event and maybe
next year coordinate it
so that more kids can get
involved,” said Tool. “This
year the school bus kids
aren’t going to be involved
unless their parents bring
them to the event. So
maybe next year we can
look at getting more people
involved, look at more
schools in the county, and
make it a bigger, safer
event.”
Union County, Island
City, Bend and other urban
areas have participated in
this event. Tool explained
part of her job is pedestrian
safety, bike safety, van-
pooling, and coordinating
different ways for using
less single occupancy
vehicles.
Tool has been with
Community Connections
for a year and a half and
this is the first year she
has done this event. She
has done other safe kids
events, including a bike
event at Brooklyn two
springs ago that she helped
with.
The event begins Oc-
tober 5 at 7:30, no earlier
than 7:20, and participants
will meet at the Geiser-
Pollman Park on the Grove
Street side toward the
Museum.
They will walk down
Grove Street to Washing-
ton then to Brooklyn.
New Brooklyn Principal profiled
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Brooklyn Elementary
has begun a new year with
a new principal, Phil An-
derson. This is Anderson’s
first year as a principal and
his first year in Baker City.
Anderson is a native
Oregonian born and raised
in the Portland area.
His wife is from Pendle-
ton and her father grew up
in Baker. Her great-uncle
was a principal in Baker,
her grandfather was the as-
sistant superintendent and
her grandmother taught in
the Baker school district.
Anderson taught a fourth
and fifth blend class for
six years in the West
Linn Wilsonville School
district and then he was the
Instructional Coordinator
at Stafford Primary School
in the same school district
for a few years—it was a
similar job to being an as-
sistant principal.
The school he came
from had about 500 stu-
dents, similar to Brooklyn.
Anderson explained that
there was a Principal, an
Instructional Coordinator,
and a Counselor that made
a type of leadership team
for the school.
While there, he gained
administrative experience,
worked with data, curricu-
lum, and students as well
as facilitating professional
development with staff
and working at the district
level as well. While he was
doing that, he received his
license in administration
to be a principal, a goal of
his. He was at Stafford for
a few years before they
moved to Baker in late
June.
“Right now, my plan
is to just learn about
Brooklyn, to learn about
the community, find out
what’s in place and what’s
working well and to make
sure they continue to work
well,” explained Anderson.
“I think as I learn more
about the school and the
community, the teachers
here, as a team continue to
develop a plan and a vision
for Brooklyn. One thing
we’ve done right away is
to develop a vision for the
Salt Lick winners
announced
The 10th Annual Great Salt Lick Auction would like to
congratulate the winners of the Salt Lick Contest held on
Saturday September 17th at Crossroads Art Center.
Winners:
Best Poetry and Block and People’s Choice Winner-
“Perspective” by Paulette Romtvedt
Second Place: “Cooperation of Block Coordination” by
John Heriza
Tie for Third and Fourth:
“The Summer Meeting of the Cows” by Mary Lou
Wirth; “The Sacred Cow” by Mary Lou Wirth; “Cow Elk
Lick” by Orrin Lay
Most Artistic Block
Tie for 1st: “Monty Rabbit” by Jessica Daugherty and
“Fusion” by Kim Jacobs
3rd Place: “Dooley” by Beth Philips
4th Place: “I’m a Little Blue” by Wyatt Lee and Christa
Sits
Block that looks the most like Michael J Fox: “MJF
Looking Good” by Buck and Hope Buckner
Best Forgery- “Blue Trillum” by Kathy Pennington
Best General Blocks:
Tie for 1st Place: “Herefords Revenge” by Mike Hut-
ton and “The Mouse House” by Mib Dailey
3rd Place: “Salt Bird” by Winton Ranches
4th Place: “Holy Moly” by Ted Brown
Best Poem (with no Block): “Sacred Cow” by Nancy
Coffelt
Prizes will be mailed to the winners and those wishing
to donate their prizes back so the prize money can go to
OHSU Parkinson’s Research should mail the check back
or contact Crossroads at 541-523-5369.
The boxes to display Salt Licks made by Powder River
Correctional Facility are available at Crossroads for sale
at $20 a box and all proceeds go to Parkinson’s Research.
It is expected that The Great Salt Lick will donate
$1,200 to the Baker County YMCA with a matching
grant by Modern Woodsmen Financial and Baker County
YMCA to provide services for people with neuromus-
cular disorders. Currently the expected check to OHSU
Parkinson’s Research should be over $17,000.
Immediately following this year’s Salt Lick Auction,
founder Whit Deschner headed to the 2016 World Parkin-
son’s Congress in Portland to speak about the success of
the Great Salt Lick Event in raising awareness about Par-
kinson’s. Baker High School graduate Tanya Denne will
also be presenting her research on the Mucuna Pruriens a
plant which grows wild in India and has potential to help
with Parkinson’s. Tanya research trip to India was funded
with proceeds from the Great Salt Lick and a crowd
sourcing campaign.
Funny money
passed in
Baker City
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Phil Anderson is the new Principal at Brooklyn
School.
school, something we have
created as a staff and what
we feel is important. So
part of my job is to make
sure that I help support us
as we work towards our
school vision. A lot of it
is not only my goals, but
goals we have as a school
and working together
towards those goals.”
Unity residents learn about drugs
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PAGE 5
Spencer noted that there
are seven key types of
drugs with which law
enforcement also deal,
consumed individually and
in various combinations
referred to as a “polydrug”
situation.
Marijuana falls under the
Cannabis category along
with Hash/Hashish, Mari-
nol/Sativex, and Synthetic
Cannabanoids.
Ash stated that there has
been some debate over
whether or not people
could overdose on marijua-
na, and said they typically
see the most damage “from
behaviors after” taking the
drug.
The introduction of
edibles such as gummy
bears (which have alleged-
ly been seen in Baker City)
and fruity drinks laced
with marijuana, as well as
chocolate bars, raise the
risk of a person consuming
an amount that may land
them in the hospital.
Ash said that while using
marijuana may make a per-
son appear calmer on the
outside, “It’s a party on the
inside,” with vitals raised.
Indications of marijuana
use may include change in
personal hygiene, reddened
eyes, dilated eyes, changed
sleep habits, impaired
memory, drowsiness, trem-
ors, disorientation, relaxed
inhibition and possible
paranoia.
The audience showed
a minor interest learning
more about meth, a stimu-
lant, but not about other
classes of drugs such as
alcohol and other depres-
sants.
One lady asked Ash if
he considered meth or pot
to be more detrimental
to users. “I think meth is
worse,” he responded.
Symptoms of advanced
meth use can include
tooth loss, open sores and
considerable weight loss,
as well as a number of
behavioral indicators.
According to Ash outside
the meeting, in 2016 there
were approximately seven
meth arrests in the County
outside the Baker City
Limits. In 2015 there were
eight, nine in 2014 and six
in 2013. (A margin of error
applies.)
Meth-related arrests
within Baker City are
nearly a weekly occur-
rence.
However, members of the
audience quickly steered
the discussion back toward
marijuana and the Sheriff’s
department’s involvement
in outlying areas.
A discussion followed
regarding response time
in the outlying areas,
considering many of them
require an hour’s drive
for a deputy coming from
Baker City.
Some citizens were
concerned that mari-
juana grows would create
a temptation for plant
theft—and Ash said there
had been two such thefts in
Huntington this month. He
also pointed out that the
crops are typically insured,
and he hopes growers
would not try to protect
their crops with force.
Baker County Com-
missioner and Unity area
rancher Mark Bennett was
present, and reminded
that the law permits lethal
force to protect one’s self
or the life of another, but
probably wouldn’t apply in
protecting one’s marijuana
plants.
Jay Greenwood was per-
haps the most outspoken
at this point, saying, “The
only time we see a lawman
out here is at a meeting or
something.” He claimed
there had been no deputy
response to a recent call
he’d place to the Sheriff’s
Office during which he and
his wife had been threat-
ened. Ash promised to look
into the incident.
A few minor comments
were made in the audience,
but with no direct ques-
tions remaining, the meet-
ing wrapped up around 8
p.m.
In a followup email, Ash
said another marijuana dis-
cussion will be scheduled
for a later date in Halfway,
but it will be primarily
District Attorney Matt
Shirtcliff’s presentation.
Photo Courtesy of The Baker City Police Department.
The bill above was seized as evidence.
Over the last couple of weeks, several businesses in
town have been victim of fake $100 bills. The bill pic-
tured above was seized as evidence in this case, and oth-
ers like it have been passed in Baker City recently. One
bill has been recovered from Sunset Lounge, and another
from Rite Aid.
The Baker City Police Department urges and cautions
businesses and their employees to pay close attention
to and look for authentic bills. A counterfeit pen was
used on the seized bill, and was still accepted. There are
marked differences between movie picture bills and real
bills—they come in all denominations, but will have
“Motion Picture Use Only” printed all over the bill, both
front and back.”
If you find someone attempting to pass this type of bill
as real money, please notify the Baker City Police Depart-
ment at (541) 523-3644.
Two injured in
I-84 accident
Two Baker City residents, Mae Corwin, 57, and Robert
Lusk, 19, were involved in a rollover crash last Saturday
on I- 84 near the Sand Hollow exit outside Caldwell, say
Idaho State Police. Corwin swerved her Toyota Corolla
to avoid road debris, overcorrected, and rolled her car
across the median into westbound traffic. Both individu-
als were hospitalized in the Boise area.