Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Baker County press. (Baker City, Ore.) 2014-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2017)
FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5 Local Makeup artist holds cosplay workshop Townhall BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com Saturday, May 6th, the Baker County Library welcomed Alkali Layke of Boise, Idaho to teach a Cosplay Workshop called “Armor with Ally” for Free Comic Book Day. “I love free comic book day,” explained Layke. “I love that it promotes literacy for our youth and I think that comic books and graphic novels are a great way to do that and get kids interested in reading.” Layke is a professional hair and makeup artist and has done a few workshops in the past, focusing on makeup or demonstration based workshops. Layke began cosplaying in 2014 and has created many tutorials online to help people learn different ways to make cosplays. Layke was wearing one of her earlier cosplays, a com- bination of DC’s Wonder Woman and Star Wars’ Boba Fett for the event. Layke discussed differ- ent questions to ask when working on a cosplay. “Will I be able to sit/ walk? Bathroom difficul- ties? Temperature control? How does it attach, mag- nets or Velcro? Are you traveling or flying? Am I entering a contest?” she queried. The questions presented at the workshop help co- splayers with their outfits and what would suit them best. For the workshop, Layke discussed a creation process list in making a cosplay. It included design/ sketch, where people come up with the cosplay they want do to, pattern, fabricate, detail such as adding battle scars, sand/ edge/prime, paint age, and seal. She also explained that cosplay is expensive and details can be added with simple things such as tacks, rhinestones, and googly eyes. People often design their own cosplay costumes, combining different char- acters into one, and Layke gave examples on different Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press Alkali Layke of Boise taught kids a little about co- splay last week. materials to use for differ- ent cosplays. “Cosplay is expensive,” Layke explained. She pro- vided materials at the event for those attending to have a hands-on experience with beginning cosplay. She provided soft foam worbla, a thermoplastic material that is used to form smaller pieces of armor such as arm bands; thick foam, and patterns for people to use. She helped those at- tending make a variety of accessories; armor, arm bands, goggles, helmets, crowns and many others. Baker Valley Education Association holds introductory open house BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com The Baker Valley Educa- tion Foundation, a non- profit organization, held an open house for the commu- nity last Friday. The purpose for the open house was to introduce the foundation to the commu- nity and explain who and what it is. “We wanted to do some- thing before the end of the school year,” explained Kim Mosier, the founda- tion Board Chair. “But knowing also we didn’t have a lot of time left be- fore the end of the school year, we thought that an open house, so nobody has to buy tickets, we can just bring the community in and just let them know what it is we are trying to do and then, of course, it’s a non-profit so we’re going to accept donations.” There are five members of the foundation board; Mosier, Stephani Rasmus- sen, Melissa Irvine, Megan Alameda, and Angela Willison. According to a hand- out given at the event, the mission of the foundation is to “promote, sponsor, facilitate and support innovative teaching and Public Safety Utility Fee CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 Resolution #3790 Modifying Time Limited Parking Downtown Public Works director Micelle Owen advised Council that a request to suspend time limited park- ing on First Street between Valley Street and Auburn Street had been received. She stated she had taken the matter before the newly created Baker City Down- town (BCD) Board. That board did not see a reason why the timed park- ing could not be removed. They did however express education in the Baker 5J School District.” Their objectives are to “support hands-on expe- riential learning opportu- nities for students, help teachers meet the educa- tion needs of multiple intelligences, and support teachers’ efforts toward innovative teaching meth- ods.” They are looking for outcomes that “raise com- munity funds for projects and programs not funded by the state, provide those funds directly to teachers or teams through class- room grants, and create a direct pathway for com- munity involvement in programs and projects.” Mosier explained that she and her husband were looking at different educa- tion models to find what was best for her children. While looking, she found education foundations. “There are a number of education foundations on the western side of the state,” explained Mosier. “But not so many on the Eastern side of the state. There are some, there is one in Hermiston, I know there is one in Wallowa County, but there just aren’t very many. “As I was looking into that, I was thinking about how great it would be to be able to pull in local donors and match them up with projects in schools. In talking with teachers, and researching different edu- cation models, I got really interested in expeditionary learning; it’s a certain edu- cational model that does a lot of hands on learning, so a lot of projects and getting students out of their seats to learn by doing. “I found that in the schools, my kids are in elementary school, that there are a number of teachers that want to do that kind of teaching and are doing a little bit of that kind of teaching but often there isn’t any funding for projects like that. So, they would have to pull into their own pockets to do those kinds of projects.” At the open house, people attending were able to purchase student art from the Baker schools, and all proceeds benefited the foundation. to Owen that they felt all downtown parking needed to be addressed. The last time parking was seriously addressed has been many years ago and as Baker City Downtown board member Beverly Calder, Owner of Bella’s said, “The needs of the parking downtown has changed over the years. The businesses are not the same and when we have visitors they want to be able to take their time, walk our downtown, enjoy it and not have to worry about running back to move their car in 30 minutes.” It was suggested that the changing of the time limit on First Street be temporary allowing time for the newly created BCD to address concerns over parking and make recom- mendations to encompass the entire downtown area. Councilor Thomas added the suggestion that maybe one thing BCD could look into as a solution would be special parking permits for employees in the down- town area. Councilor Joseph moved to temporarily pass the resolution with instructions for BCD to begin looking at the parking situation. A second to the motion was heard by Councilor Abell. A unanimous vote passed the resolution. Owen admitted not only did they need to pass the resolution but she need direction to take down the time limit signs, which she was given. Ordinance # 3354 Pub- lic Safety Utility Fee Oddly the last item on the agenda was the reason most of the audience had attended the meeting. Due to a shortfall in the preliminary budget of roughly $500,000, Warner has proposed the City im- pose a Public Safety Utility Fee of $5 per home and $10 per business on every water bill within the City Limits. This controversial fee, many are outright calling a tax, was opposed by a number of citizens at the meeting. There was confusion by some that if they had a business in their home would they be charged twice? Warner clari- fied they would only be charged what they were registered in the water bill- ing system in, either home or business. Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press Mosier shows off some student art, a koi drawing. SEE PUBLIC SAFETY FEE PAGE 7 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Walden spoke of a $650 million spending package passed to fight opioid addiction with ten percent of that amount allocated for Oregon. He also spoke about a halt in grazing fee increases to ranchers, and the fact that with the change in administra- tion at the White House, a monument in Malheur County was likely a dead idea. This statement drew the first round of boos from the hecklers in the group, who were asked by other audience members to “please be polite.” Nick Schrader, from Walden’s Central Oregon office, carried the microphone to the south end of the bleach- ers and fielded a question about cuts to library services in Trump’s budget. Walden explained that the proposed budget was known as the “skinny budget,” the tightest initial proposal initially submitted by the President during the process. After that point, Congress bats the budget around, and Walden didn’t believe cuts to the Library Services and Technology Act were likely in the end. Former Baker City Mayor Kim Mosier asked Walden if he relied on Congressional Budget Office reports and statistics before voting. Walden attempted to answer the question first by explaining the process during which those reports were utilized and how, but his answers were drowned out by the health care crowd who kept collec- tively shouting for him to answer the question. At that point, Susan Triplett loudly complained that she was upset because two questions had come from the south side of the bleachers and not the side in which she was seated. Walden explained to her that Schrader would move side to side along the length of the bleachers so that all questions could be fielded. When a question from another audience member was taken, Triplett yelled out, “But that’s three!” A gentlemen in the audience suggested that Triplett move to the other side of the room if she felt it was get- ting preferential treatment. She replied, “But there are Republicans sitting over there!” She was then informed by the same gentleman that there were Republicans seated around where she was, too. Triplett recently promoted a Baker City campaign event in conjunction with the Eastern Oregon Visitors Associa- tion, to promote Democrat Jim Crary, who was defeated by Walden by over 20% in the last election but will chal- lenge him again in 2018. From there, nearly all the questions were put forth in opposition of Walden’s recent vote for the American Health Care Act, and by a show of hands, roughly two- thirds of those in attendance said they wanted a socialized single-payer health care system instead. Within the questions, there seemed to be confusion from some out-of-area HCAO members who kept refer- ring to Walden as “Senator” when he is in fact, a U.S. Representative, and referring to his vote in the senate, which would have been impossible for a member of the other congressional chamber. Walden stated that under Obamacare or a single-payer system, youth shouldered the burden of paying for the older generation’s health care via taxes. Several audience members called out that they were fine with that. Walden then explained that because those in their 20s often couldn’t afford that burden, they opted out of getting in- surance altogether. A lady in the audience yelled out that this is why there needed to be a mandate in place, to force that generation to pay regardless. Resentment then flew along with accusations that Walden could afford his own healthcare premiums. He responded that yes, he could, and that his ran $799.82 per month out of pocket after the congressional subsidy of 56%, with additional paid for dental and vision paid out of pocket via D.C. Link. Walden went on to explain some of the areas in which the act he had voted for would attempt to correct Obam- acare. He stated that Moda Health officials had told him that $31 million out of their $50 million debt was the result of the Obamacare tax. He also stated that pre- Obamacare, 225 counties in the country had only one insurance provide on the exchange as an option, and now 1,022 counties only offered one option. One lady in a pink vagina-shaped knit cap voiced her dissent as another lady asked Walden why not one single female was present during the discussion. Walden in- formed her that Diane Black, an emergency room nurse, was actually chairing the healthcare advisory committee discussion effort, and Kathy Rogers had also spoken. He advised not to “believe the spin.” Others in the audience then called out to “get rid of insurance.” In the last fifteen minutes of the gathering, questions calmed somewhat. Suzan Ellis Jones, Baker County Republican Chair, asked Walden if anything was pro- gressing toward a pardon of Dwight and Steven Ham- mond, and Walden replied that they had indeed filled out clemency consideration paperwork, which was the next step in the process. Arvid Andersen, Baker City Councilman, stood and stated the importance of watershed and forest manage- ment to prevent adding fuel to extreme wildfires. Ken Anderson, engineer/geologist, wanted to know if any new legislation was in the works to help expedite mining permit processes on public lands, and there really were no recent changes. Kathleen Chaves, co-owner of Chaves Consulting, spoke to the 54 local call center jobs recently lost as a result of the Oregon Governor’s decisions, and stated that she was a registered Independent, but that Walden had been instrumental in helping their company at least gain back 20 positions, albeit on a temporary contract basis. Security was provided throughout by the Baker City Police Department. As Walden continued across his District that day, the HCAO picked up more members along the way until, as reported by several members of the audience in Wallowa County, questions from locals about topics other than healthcare were nearly impossible to have fielded.
