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.