WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2019
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
LOCAL & STATE
Huntington voters recall mayor
were related to the clean up follow-
ing the May 23, 2019, arson fi re that
Huntington voters have recalled
destroyed the historic building, which
Mayor Richard Cummings, based on
the Wileys owned, housing Howell’s Cafe
unoffi cial results from the Baker County and the Streamliner Lounge.
Clerk’s Offi ce.
In a written statement that was
In Tuesday’s election a petition to
included with the recall ballot, Cum-
recall Cummings passed by a margin
mings wrote that “I have documents in
of 93 votes to 71 votes, according to the
my offi ce that disputes the claims of my
unoffi cial results.
accuser & those that I don’t have docu-
The Clerk’s Offi ce has 20 days to
ments for, I will volunteer, along with
certify the results.
accuser, to take a lie detector test.”
Christina Wiley of Huntington fi led
Christina Wiley said this morn-
the petition to recall Cummings. In her ing that she’s “so relieved” that voters
petition, dated July 29, Wiley contends
recalled Cummings.
that Cummings has “harassed, intimi-
“It’s been awful,” Wiley said. “I’m not
dated, threatened and assaulted either into confrontations. I don’t like it.”
me or my husband, Michael Wiley on six
Cummings could not be reached for
different occasions ranging from Febru- comment this morning.
ary 2019 to present (July 29, 2019).”
In his statement printed on the recall
Christina Wiley said several incidents ballot, Cummings addressed an inci-
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
dent that Wiley mentioned regarding a
photograph allegedly showing a vehicle
parked on a sidewalk in Huntington.
Wiley said that after her husband
posted a response to a Facebook post
that included the photograph, Cum-
mings arrived at their home within 10
minutes and threatened Michael Wiley.
In his statement, Cummings wrote
that “Having been called the sidewalk
cop & wasting city resources, when the
money could be better spent on other
projects. Ladies & Gentlemen, it did not
cost the city any money. The Mayor does
not receive any pay & you the people,
are cleaning up the town. Great job
folks!”
Wiley also claimed in the recall peti-
tion that Cummings had put up fencing
around the couple’s property to prevent
them from working there.
ODOT reopens lanes in Ladd Canyon
By Dick Mason
The (La Grande) Observer
The Oregon Department
of Transportation has good
news for motorists traveling
through Ladd Canyon on
Interstate 84.
Both I-84 eastbound lanes
at the west entrance into
Ladd Canyon are now open
almost continuously from
milepost 271 to 273 for the
fi rst time since last spring,
ODOT has announced.
The lanes were reopened
this weekend as the fi rst
phase of the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s $30
million Ladd Canyon Freight
Improvement project, which
began in April, nears comple-
tion. One eastbound lane at
this site has been closed for
much of that past six months
to allow for construction
work.
Mike Remily of ODOT,
manager of Ladd Canyon
project, said that the open-
ing of both lanes had been
delayed by freezing weather.
Remily explained that this
has impacted the process of
painting stripes on this por-
tion of the freeway.
“Striping paint doesn’t dry
very quickly when it’s cold,”
Remily said in an ODOT
news release.
Although both eastbound
lanes from milepost 271 to
273 are now open, there may
be some short closures of
lanes over the next week to
accommodate workers clean-
ing the roadway drainage sys-
tem in preparation for winter,
Remily said on Friday.
Dick Mason/The (La Grande) Observer
A portion of Brush Creek’s new channel in Ladd Canyon.
The channel was created so that a portion of the creek
could be diverted to allow work on the Oregon Depart-
ment of Transportation’s Ladd Canyon Freight Improve-
ment Project to be done.
A reduced construction
zone speed limit of 50 miles
per hour remains in effect in
the area despite the complete
opening of both lanes, Remily
said. He said that the reduced
speed limit will be lifted later.
One lane of traffi c is still
closed in the westbound
lanes of Ladd Canyon from
milepost 271 to 273 because
of work being done to install
a channel for Brush Creek.
The new channel is needed to
make way for the addition of
a third eastbound I-84 lane
in 2020 that will run from
the west entrance of Ladd
Canyon east for 1.5 miles.
Brush Creek has been an
obstacle for ODOT because
a portion of it ran along the
area where the new lane will
be built. ODOT is thus taking
steps to move the lower part
SUMPTER
Continued from Page 1A
Two of Sumpter’s three other city
employees — City Recorder Julie McK-
inney and Public Works Director Jeff
McKinney, who is her husband — have
been on leave since June 14.
Each of the three employees has
asked that the hearing take place
of Brush Creek’s channel to
the north side of I-84’s two
eastbound lanes.
Remily said that one
westbound lane between
mileposts 271 and 273 will
remain closed through Nov.
27 to allow for last-minute
modifi cations to the new
Brush Creek channel.
Major portions of phase I of
the Ladd Canyon Freight Im-
provement Project included
the removal of the eastbound
lane bridge near the entrance
into Ladd Canyon and the
replacement of it with a
concrete box culvert. The
culvert is large enough to
accommodate log trucks and
semi trucks.
Replacing the bridge with
a culvert is a big plus because
the bridge tended to get icy,
Remily said. Now the road-
during a meeting open to the public,
rather than during an executive session
from which the public can be excluded,
Sumpter Mayor Greg Lucas said.
The three employees will have sepa-
rate hearings of up to 30 minutes, with-
out the two others present, Lucas said.
Woolf’s hearing will start at 2 p.m. at
Sumpter City Hall, 240 Mill St., followed
separate hearings for the McKinneys.
way where the bridge once
was will be no more icy than
the stretches of freeway run-
ning on either side of it.
“It will no longer be icy
there and not anywhere else,”
Remily said on Friday.
Bridges usually freeze fi rst
in cold conditions because
they are sandwiched between
cold air, Remily said. The
adjacent roadway by con-
trast freezes later since only
its top surface is exposed to
frigid air and its bottom is
insulated by soil. The new
culvert will not get as icy as
quickly because it has ground
insulation.
Phase II of the Ladd Can-
yon Freight Improvement
Project, which will involve
installation of the third
eastbound lane between
mileposts 271 and 273, is set
to begin in April 2020.
The expanded space the
new lane will provide should
reduce the number of times
Ladd Canyon has to be closed
due to trucks blocking lanes.
In a previous Observer
interview, ODOT spokesman
Tom Strandberg explained
that if a truck crashes in the
future three-lane roadway,
traffi c will be able to move
around it while it is being
cleared. Truck drivers will
be allowed to use only the
inner and middle lanes while
automobile drivers will be
permitted to drive in all three,
Strandberg said. The three-
lane stretch will be similar to
a westbound one near Spring
Creek on I-84, which has been
in place since 2015.
Lucas said he didn’t know which McKin-
ney would have the fi rst hearing.
The City Council will not take public
comments during the hearings, Lucas
said.
Whether the Council will decide on
any action regarding the employees’ sta-
tus during Thursday’s meeting depends
on what happens during the hearings,
Lucas said.
H EART TO H EART
Family thankful for
caregivers after
mother diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s
Today roughly three-
fourths of all deaths in the
U.S. are at ages 65 and older.
Chronic diseases, like heart
disease and cancer, have
replaced acute infections of
the previous century, pneumo-
nia, fl u, and tuberculosis for
example, as the major causes
of death. In 2017 Alzheimer’s
was the fi fth-leading cause of
death in people over 65 and
the only top-10 cause of death
in the U.S. with no known
cure. In 2010 it claimed more
than 500,000 lives, more
than 1,369 people a day. New
studies today rank it as the
third-leading cause of death of
the elderly and approximately
5.7 million people in the U.S.
currently have Alzheimer’s.
Worse yet, the number of
Americans with Alzheimer’s
is projected to triple to 16 mil-
lion by 2050.
It is safe to say that most of
us know of someone who is or
has suffered from this disease.
A major concern for those of
us that have had to person-
ally cope with this debilitating
disease with a family member,
is fi nding a residential care
facility and staff that you can
place your trust in to nurture
and care for your loved one
when you no longer can. When
our mother was diagnosed
with Alzheimer’s almost
nine years ago, we were
blessed to fi nd such a place at
Ashley Manor Care here in
Baker City. The facility was
home-like and the caregivers
exceedingly accommodating,
keeping us constantly updated
about our mother’s health
and care, inviting us to join in
their residential activities and
holiday festivities, and attend-
ing to her many needs. Over
the years the Ashley Manor
staff became part of our family
and as mom’s health declined
and her disease progressed,
they were ever patient and
vigilant about taking care
of her every need as well as
our family as they traveled
to be with her. As the end of
her life approached, Heart ’N
Home Hospice staff provided
the best possible support and
care for mom and our entire
family. Our family would like
to extend our deepest heartfelt
appreciation to Ashley Manor
and Heart ’N Home Hospice
caregivers for being so caring,
respectful, and supportive and
making mom comfortable in
her fi nal hours of life. We are
so fortunate to have you in
this community.
The Betty Johnson family
Baker City
Kiwanis thank
everyone for making
Main Street trick-or-
treat event a success
The annual Kiwanis Main
Street trick-or-treat event
was a great success. The club
thanks all the retailers and
community groups for their
generous participation. The
display of creativity by our
partners was outstanding and
only outdone by the two-hour
parade of amazing costumes
worn by young and old alike.
We want to give a special
thanks to the Baker City
Public Works department for
distributing the traffi c barri-
cades and signs and the Baker
Police Department for their
presence. Together we made
the Main Street Trick-or-Treat
event a safe and fun experi-
ence for everyone.
Debbie Poe, president
David Cowan, secretary
Kiwanis Club, Baker City
L OCAL B RIEFING
Childhood education fi lm airs Thursday
The Baker Early Learning Collaborative is sponsor-
ing the viewing of a documentary fi lm, “No Small Mat-
ter,” Thursday at Churchill School, 3451 Broadway St.
The doors will open for the free viewing at 5:30 p.m.
and the fi lm will begin at 6 p.m. Child care will be
available at the site.
This documentary fi lm brings attention to the sub-
ject of early childhood education through true stories
and struggles, a press release stated.
Baker Early Learning Collaborative is made up of
more than 15 community partners involved in helping
improve opportunities for families with young children.
Susan Townsend, a member of the collaborative, brings
personal experience to this issue.
Her perspective on early learning stems from the
time she spent as principal of an Early Childhood Edu-
cation Center in Carlsbad, New Mexico.
To learn more about the fi lm, go to www.nosmall
matter.com
The conversation about early learning will continue
at a parent advisory meeting scheduled at 6 p.m. Tues-
day, Nov. 12, at the Baker School District Offi ce, 2090
Fourth St.
Ring Praise concert Nov. 9 at Presbyterian
A concert including bronze handbells and piano is set
for Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at the First Presbyterian
Church, 1995 Fourth St. in Baker City.
The Ring Praise concert is woven with hymn history
and scripture.
Phyllis Tincher, handbell soloist, and Sean Rogers,
pianist, will perform a variety of songs focusing on
praising God. Through hymns, contemporary praise
songs and refl ective pieces, they tell the saving story
of Jesus Christ. In addition to accompanying, Sean
will also play a few piano solos. Phyllis rings 3 octaves
of Schulmerich handbells and mixes in 2 octaves of
handchimes. During the concert the audience will have
an opportunity to ring handchimes as everyone sings.
No music experience is needed.
There is no charge for the concert. It is sponsored by
a grant from the Presbytery of Eastern Oregon. More
information on Ring Praise Music Ministry, a nonprofi t,
is available at RingPraiseMinistry.org.
Harney Co. man running for state House
Mark Owens, a Harney County Commissioner, is
running for the Republican nomination to Oregon
House District 60. That’s the seat held by Lynn Findley,
R-Vale, who announced last week he will give up the
seat to run for the Oregon Senate seat held by Republi-
can Cliff Bentz, who is running for Congress.
Historical Society’s fall program Nov. 13
A history of the cattle industry in Baker County is
the topic of the fall program of the Baker County His-
torical Society, set for Wednesday, Nov. 13 at the Geiser
Grand Hotel. The evening starts with a social hour and
no-host bar at 5 p.m. Salad will be served at 6 p.m.,
with the main course at 6:30 p.m. Main course choices
include prime rib, teriyaki chicken or a vegan plate.
Dinner is $20 per person.
To make a reservation for dinner call Jessie Ritch,
treasurer of the Historical Society, at 541-523-5993, or
Jean Simpson at 541-519-8253 by Nov. 9. Guests with
reservations can pay by check at the door.
Jack Jacobsen will serve as moderator for the
program, and local rancher Mac Kerns will give the
introduction. John Rademacher of the BLM will talk
about the history of the Taylor Grazing Act and the
formation of the agency. Veterinarian Matt Kerns will
talk about vaccinations, her health and improvements
in cattle husbandry.
Valerie Oman will discuss the history of branding,
and brands in Baker County. Jessie Ritch will talk
about the arrival of cattle in Oregon and in Baker
County, and the economic benefi ts of ranching to the
county.
Soroptimist Christmas Party set Nov. 22
The annual Soroptimist Club of Baker County
Christmas Party, with the theme “Life’s A Beach,” is
set for Friday, Nov. 22 at the Baker Elks Lodge, 1896
Second St.
Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with a prime rib dinner
starting at 6 p.m. There will be live and silent auctions,
along with a raffl e of a standup paddleboard. The fun-
draising event makes possible the club’s scholarships,
InnovateHER grant and a variety of other projects.
Tickets are $30 and are available at Gregg Hinrich-
sen State Farm, 1722 Campbell St., The Grove Team,
845 Campbell St., or from any Soroptimist member.
Beach attire is encouraged.
4-H Christmas Bazaar set for Dec. 6 & 7
The 4-H Christmas bazaar is set for Friday, Dec. 6,
from noon to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 7, from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. at the OSU Extension Service, 2600 East
St. To reserve a table, call 541-523-6418.
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