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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 2019)
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019 BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A L OCAL B RIEFING Al-Anon Support Group forming A local Al-Anon support group will have its fi rst meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4 from noon to 1 p.m. at the Baker County Library, 2400 Resort St. Al-Anon is a support group for people who are worried about someone who has a drinking problem. The local group will meet Wednesdays at the same time and place. There will not be meetings on Christ- mas Day or New Year’s Day. More information is available by calling 509-420- 0010. “These are simple ideas that parents can do with their kids.” — Stacy Dinger, postmaster at Haines Post Offi ce DECORATE Oregon Trail Interpretive Center offers free admission for all during December Continued from Page 1A Admission will be free for all visitors to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center during December. The Center, operated by the BLM, is about 5 miles east of Baker City off Highway 86. The Center will shift to its winter schedule, open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., start- ing Dec. 2. A ranger-led tour will be offered at 2 p.m. daily to give additional insight into the lives of people who trav- eled on the Oregon Trail. Pioneer skills will be demonstrated at 11 a.m. on Fridays and Sundays, including candle-dipping, rag doll tying and other pioneer crafts. At any time, youngsters and the young at heart who fulfi ll the Junior Ranger challenge by completing fun activities while exploring the exhibits can take the Wagon Master’s Pledge at the end and receive a prize. Only a few weeks are left to explore “Uncanny Tales along the Oregon Trail” in the Flagstaff Gallery, high- lighting the folklore that sprung up around the pioneer experience, and the role these tales play in the history of the Oregon Trail. This exhibit will close Dec. 20. For a complete schedule of events and activities at the center, call 541-523-1843 or go to oregontrail.blm. gov The paper is also painted white, as are a variety of pine cones. She would gratefully ac- cept, she said with a smile, any donations of white spray paint. She’d also like to hear other ideas for making recycled crafts. “These are simple ideas that parents can do with their kids,” she said. The winter scene will be completed with styrofoam peanuts strung on fi shing line to imitate snowfl akes, as well as a tree and a box where children can mail letters to Santa. The post offi ce will go into full holiday decoration on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed for an hour for lunch. As for the holiday rush to mail gifts, Dinger encourages people to visit the Haines of- fi ce because there is generally not a line. “During my Christmas rush I get maybe 10 people a day,” she said. Once the holidays are over, Dinger said all the decora- tions will be sent to the postal recycling center to be made into the USPS ReadyPost envelopes and mailing boxes. “It becomes postal sup- plies,” she said. S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Stacy Dinger says she decorates the Haines Post Offi ce for every holiday. This Christmas season begins with donated junk mail, magazines and pack- ing materials, like paper and styrofoam peanuts. S. John Collins / Baker City Herald Dinger’s magazine trees are accented with white paint to compliment the Christmas scene con- sisting of paper mache snowballs, pine cones and snowfl akes. Court ruling draws attention from Trump administration Oregon’s new court rule intended to curb immigration arrests in state courthouses has drawn the attention of two of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet offi cials and set up a poten- tial legal confl ict. As part of the Trump administration’s hardline immigration approach, U.S. Immigra- tion and Customs Enforcement agents have targeted state courthouses to make arrests of individuals suspected to be in the country ille- gally. Immigrant and civil rights advocates and attorneys have complained that the arrests have been disruptive and discouraged immi- grants from serving as witnesses, paying fi nes or participating in other court functions. Sharing their concerns, Oregon Supreme Court Justice Martha Walters enacted a rule earlier this month that prohibits ICE and other agencies from making arrests in court- houses without a warrant approved by a judge. ICE relies on civil warrants, which are issued by the agency. But in a Nov. 21 letter, U.S. Attorney General William Barr and Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, asked Walters to reconsider what they called a “dangerous and unlawful course of action.” “Cooperation among local, state, and federal law enforcement offi cers is in the public inter- est and promotes safe communities,” they wrote. “The federal government needs coopera- tion from state and local law enforcement to identify, temporarily hold, and ultimately deport criminal aliens who present dangers to communities.” Oregon’s rule has broad support from advo- cacy groups, law enforcement, judges, legisla- tors and Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. The letter comes as a handful of states have sought to curb ICE courthouse arrests and raises questions about whether Oregon and federal agents are on a path for a courthouse standoff. In a statement, ICE indicated it would “consider carefully whether to refer those who obstruct our lawful enforcement efforts for criminal prosecution.” ICE declined to com- ment on whether the agency would seek to HUNTINGTON — The Huntington Historical Society’s annual Christmas bazaar and fundraiser is set for Dec. 6 from noon to 5 p.m. and Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Huntington School. There will be bingo games, hand-crafted gifts, baked goods and hot drinks. Santa will also make an appearance. The venue is wheelchair-accessible. More information is available by calling Jenny at 208-407-2701. — To contribute to Local Briefi ng, call 541-523-3673 or email information to news@bakercityherald.com The offi ce is at 918 Front St., the main street through Haines. Oregon Capital Bureau The Kiwanis Club of Baker City will have its an- nual photos with Santa event in partnership with the Festival of Trees Family Day on Saturday, Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Baker County Event Center, 2600 East St. Cost is $10 per setting and includes two 5-by-7 or three 4-by-6 prints. Proceeds help pay for community projects. Huntington Historical Society Bazaar set Haines Post Offi ce By Jake Thomas Kiwanis Club photos with Santa Dec. 7 prosecute judges or other courthouse offi cials who seek to enforce the Oregon rule. Barr and Wolf said that the rule “cannot and will not govern the conduct of federal offi cers acting pursuant to duly enacted laws passed by Congress.” They cited the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gives federal laws supremacy over confl icting state laws. Todd Sprague, spokesman for the Oregon Judicial Department, declined to comment on the letter but noted in an email that other states have similar restrictions on courthouse arrests. “As we understand it, ICE has abided by those judicial actions,” he wrote. So far, the most direct challenge to ICE’s authority to make the arrests came in a federal lawsuit fi led earlier this year by a group of Massachusetts prosecutors and defense attor- neys. In June, U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued an order prohibiting immigra- tion agents from making civil arrests in or near state courthouses in Massachusetts. “Criminal defendants will be unable to vindicate their rights if they are taken into ICE custody prior to appearing in court or if witnesses in their defense are too fearful to visit a courthouse,” wrote Talwani. ICE has appealed the ruling. Shortly after taking offi ce, Trump issued executive orders intended to more aggressively enforce the country’s immigration laws. ICE began conducting arrests at courthouses. In response to reports of ICE arrests at Or- egon courthouses, the ACLU fi led Freedom of Information Act in fall of 2017 to fi nd out how agents were operating. According to the ACLU, the documents didn’t detail how frequently the arrests happen. But the documents revealed that agency has planned or executed arrests at over a dozen courthouses that together serve over 71 percent of the state’s population. Leland Baxter-Neal, staff attorney with the ACLU of Oregon, said that ICE has to operate within the limits of the constitution and state laws. “Obviously, the federal government is not all- powerful and ICE is not all-powerful,” he said.
