Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2019)
LOCAL & STATE MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2019 BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A L OCAL B RIEFING Baker County Democrats meet Thursday The Baker County Democrats will have their monthly meeting Thursday, Oct. 17, at Rogers Fellow- ship Hall, 1995 Fourth St. Refreshments and conversa- tion start at 5:30 p.m., with the meeting at 6 p.m. All are welcome. Baker Co. Garden Club meets Wednesday The Baker County Garden Club will meet Wednes- day, Oct. 16, at 10:30 a.m. at Community Connection, 2810 Cedar St. Helen Leonnig will make a presentation for club members regarding Medicare issues. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. Cost is $4.50. Traffi c restrictions over Hells Canyon Dam Kathy Orr / Baker City Herald Abigale Perini, left, tries to get the old horn to work on the Baker City Fire Department’s antique 1941 fi re truck Satur- day, while her sister, Sarah, appears to be allowing her imagination to momentarily whisk her away. FIRE STATION Continued from Page 1A Budge said landing on a city street isn’t especially intimi- dating, even though the helicopter is rather longer, and taller, than a car. “It’s very similar to any real call we might get,” the pilot said. “We’re always going to have obstacles.” In some ways a street is an ideal spot to land, Budge said. For one thing the asphalt is smooth and, notwithstanding the street’s slight crown, pretty fl at. Such accommodating conditions are hardly guaranteed in the emergency situations where Life Flight helicopters are often summoned. The bigger advantage of the street, though, is what it lacks, Budge said — dust. When landing in a rural area the chopper’s rotor wash can create a ground blizzard — a “brownout,” Budge calls it — that makes it diffi cult for the pilot to see the ground. Fresh snow can cause a similar, albeit whiter, effect. Fortunately many Life Flight landings are at sites where a fi re truck is present, and fi re crews can spray water to keep the dust down, Budge said. Technology has also made fl ying safer, the pilot said. Although Budge had never been to the Fire Department before Saturday’s landing, he said he “toured” the area in advance through Google Earth. “I saw all this before,” he said, gesturing to the radio an- tenna that juts above the Fire Department, an example of the kind of obstacle a helicopter pilot needs to be aware of. “It’s a great tool,” Budge said of Google Earth. While Budge, Feik and fl ight nurse Neva Jones were en- tertaining visitors outside, inside the fi re station kids donned red plastic fi re helmets, toured the department’s ladder truck, munched hot dogs and guzzled apple cider, and navigated a course of orange traffi c cones while carrying a doll (simulating a baby) and a length of fi re hose. Kids who completed the course received a certifi cate. Younger visitors also left with a bag containing stickers, a water bottle and other treats. On the lawn in front of the fi re station kids had a chance to wield a fi re hose and direct its powerful spray (not quite so powerful as what would be used in an actual fi re, of course) toward a simulated house propped up on the grass. In the parking lot behind the fi re station a crew of fi re- fi ghters demonstrated the techniques for extricating injured OXBOW — Travel will be restricted across Hells Canyon Dam on several days this month due to main- tenance and repair work on the Idaho Power Company facility. The closure schedule, which is subject to change (all times are Pacifi c): • Oct. 14-15 — access closed between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m. for spillgate repairs • Oct. 22-23 — access closed from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and noon to 4 p.m. for line work and intake gate inspec- tion • Oct. 24 — access closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for line work and intake gate inspection • Oct. 25 — access might be closed from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. for line work and intake gate inspection (this closure will be canceled if the work is fi nished the previ- ous day) These closures will affect access to the U.S. Forest Service Visitors Center downstream of Hells Canyon Dam. OTEC Member Appreciation Friday Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative is celebrating Na- tional Cooperative Month with a Member Appreciation Day on Friday, Oct. 18. OTEC members can stop by any OTEC offi ce between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to meet employ- ees, enjoy free refreshments and enter to win prizes. OTEC’s main offi ce is at 4005 23rd St. in Baker City. Friends of Heritage Museum meet Oct. 24 Kathy Orr / Baker City Herald Baker City fi refi ghter Jason Bybee, left, and others demonstrate a few techniques and tools used to res- cue people trapped in crashed vehicles. people from a car following a crash. Fire Department Lt. Ben Decker narrated to several dozen people who gathered outside to watch fi refi ghters systematically dismantle a Toyota Camry. Decker pointed out that crews have specifi c tools designed to pop tires (so the vehicle doesn’t roll) and cut through windshields. Firefi ghters also wielded hydraulic devices that slice through or push apart even stout pieces of metal to give rescuers access to a trapped driver or passenger. Crews removed the Camry’s doors and then, after cutting through its supports, lifted off the roof, transforming the sedan into the sort of convertible that no Toyota engineer likely ever conceived. Baker City Fire Chief John Clark said an estimat- ed 200 people turned out for the open house. He said the event was intended to be fun as well as educational. “It’s meant to be a fun interaction where the parents and kids learn more about what we do here, and to raise public awareness about fi re safety,” Clark said. Clark said the city was fortunate to have the Life Flight helicopter available. He said he intends to make the open house an an- nual event to coincide with National Fire Prevention Week. The general fall meeting for the Friends of Baker Heritage Museum is set for Oct. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Museum, 2480 Grove St. SWIMMING Continued from Page 1A Moe,who said she expects about 40 volunteers will assist, has been planning the event for over six weeks and it takes over a month to organize. Sixteen athletes will compete in the event, she said. “If there are people willing to come and donate their time that day, we can always use more volunteers for the swim meet,” Moe said. “And then if they want to donate money they can contact me at any time.” The phone number at Sam-O is 541-523-8328. More information about YMCA programs is available at bakerymca.org Moe said there are other Special Olympics competi- tions that include bowling, with practices on Tuesday evenings. A statewide virtual competition takes place with competitors sending their scores to the state, which compiles results and sends medals to the ath- letes. Skiing starts in January and goes until mid Febru- ary with races planned at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. Oregon clocks will ‘fall back’ at least this year By Jessica Pollard East Oregonian UMATILLA COUNTY — Oregon passed a law earlier this year that would abol- ish the clock changes, but Oregonians will still be in the business of “falling back” one hour to standard time or “winter hours” on Nov. 3. “The short answer is, noth- ing changes in 2019,” Rep. Bill Post, R-Keizer, a chief sponsor of the law, wrote in an email. Senate Bill 320, would stop the whole state — except for Malheur County, which is in the Mountain Time Zone — from rewinding clocks by an hour in the fall. Instead, the state would maintain Daylight Saving Time or “summer hours” full time. The result would mean both later sunrises and sunsets. Gov. Kate Brown signed the bill into law in June. The law mandates, howev- er, that this change will only go into effect if California and Washington also choose to stick to summer hours, and if all three states receive federal congressional approval. During the fi rst November after federal approval, Oregon would simply not participate in the clock change, keeping summer hours. Washington is on board and currently awaiting federal approval, according to the Seattle Times. But in California, the legislation only passed through the House and will be reintroduced in 2020. “California’s House passed it overwhelmingly, but now we have word that the Senate is putting it off until next year,” Post said. “So we wait.” Federal approval is not required for a state to switch permanently to standard time, but it is to make the switch to Daylight Saving Time, which is why Post and other legislators addressed a Senate Joint Memorial to the president and the U.S. Congress urging them to pass the law back in June. Oregon Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena, voted no on the law during the 2019 Legisla- ture. “I feel somewhat agnostic about Daylight Saving Time. But I really felt that the deci- sion should be left up to the people, since it was their vote that originally brought it into law,” Hansell said. And while he said he sees both sides of the clock-change debate, Hansell is sure of one thing. “What’s positive to me is that we’ll all be on the same sheet of music. (The West Coast) will be on the same time schedule,” he said. For or against the switch, arguments vary. The measure summary for SB 320 stated that clock changes cost the country millions of dollars each year in cardiac arrests, workplace injuries and car accidents associated with the time change. It stated that 26 states had also introduced measures that would do away with clock changes. During Oregon’s legislative session, everyone from farm- ers to software developers gave testimony regarding the matter. Farmer and parent Brenda Frietsch from St. Paul wrote legislators in March, claiming that later sunrises would not only make it more diffi cult for her farm workers to put in hours during the winter, but that dark mornings could deter children from wanting to ride the bus. “This is going to be a con- cern for a lot of parents but particularly in rural areas where bus rides are a lot lon- ger and a lot earlier to get to school on time,” she stated. British Columbia an- nounced during the summer that if the U.S. West Coast did make the change, the province would follow suit, which brought testimony from many industries and stakeholders. A ski resort argued that morning daylight was invalu- able to skiers, while a golf company stated that an extra hour of evening light would provide more play time for golfers. The Rabbinical Coun- cil of America wrote Premier of B.C. Josh Horgan to say that a permanent switch to daylight saving time would interfere with Jewish daily prayer. New Hope for Eastern Oregon Animals Fundraising Banquet Saturday, October 26th Community Connection 2810 Cedar Street, Baker City Spaghetti Dinner at 6 pm, followed by Auction Tickets $15 adults, $12 youth age 12 & under Tickets available at Betty’s Books Proceeds benefi t Powder Pals dog & Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Programs Questions? Call 541-403-2710 OCT 11-17 ELTRYM HISTORIC THEATER 1809 1st Street, Baker City www.eltrym.com THE ADDAMS FAMILY PG FRI & SAT: (4:20) 7:10, 9:40 SUN: (4:20) 7:10 MON-THURS: 7:10 JOKER R FRI & SAT: (4:00) 6:50, 9:30 SUN: (4:00) 6:50 MON-THURS: 6:50 DOWNTON ABBEY PG FRI & SAT: (4:10) 7:00, 9:35 SUN: (4:10) 7:00 MON-THURS: 7:00 ( )Bargain Matinee Show Times: 541-523-2522 Offi ce: 541-523-5439 “Youʼll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR 225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK WWW. BAKERLIB.ORG 2400 Resort Street, Baker City (541) 523-6419
