2A — BAKER CITY HERALD
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2019
B AKER C OUNTY C ALENDAR
CATS
Continued from Page 1A
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 25
■ Christmas Day.
FRIDAY, JAN. 3
■ Live Music by Keith Taylor: Ragtime piano, 4:30 p.m. to
5:30 p.m., Crossroads, 2020 Auburn Ave.; no charge.
■ First Friday Art Shows: Baker City art galleries are open
late to showcase the month’s new artwork; opening times
vary between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Crossroads Carnegie
Art Center, Peterson’s Gallery and others.
MONDAY, JAN. 6
■ Haines Fire Protection District Board: 7 p.m. at the
Haines Library.
TUESDAY, JAN. 7
■ Local Community Advisory Council (LCAC): 1 p.m. to
2 p.m., at the Community Connection meeting room, 2810
Cedar St.; lunch will be provided.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 8
■ Baker School Board: Work session, 5 p.m., Council
Chambers in Baker City Hall, 1655 First St.
■ Lower Powder River Irrigation District Board: 6 p.m.
at Barley Brown’s, 2190 Main St.
T URNING B ACK THE P AGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
December 23, 1969
Mary L. Heriza, 2239 Ninth St., has been appointed by
Clay Myers, chairman of the Governor’s Youth Commis-
sion, to serve as a member of the Youth Commission for
the Thirteenth Administrative District. This district includes
Baker, Union and Wallowa counties.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 23, 1994
Christian broadcasting will be coming to Baker County
soon, if the efforts of a group in the Church of the Naza-
rene are successful in navigating the bureaucratic waters.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 23, 2009
Nancy Peyron of the Move Idaho Power group ac-
cused Idaho Power offi cials during a Thursday meeting in
Baker City of failing to follow the company’s process by
choosing not to consider a route east of Baker City for a
proposed power line.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 24, 2018
Fifteen students from Baker elementary schools went
on a Christmas shopping spree for their families Friday
morning at Bi-Mart thanks to the generosity of the com-
munity.
And they even had a police escort as they roamed the
aisles.
The Baker City Police Department had its fi rst Shop
with a Cop event. Offi cers from the department, the Baker
City Fire Department and the Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce
volunteered to help the young shoppers, who were nomi-
nated by their teachers.
Each student was given $80 to buy Christmas gifts for
members of their family and was randomly paired with an
offi cer.
Karson Karolski, a fi fth-grader, participated in the event
with Baker City reserve offi cer Justin Phlaum.
Karolski brought a list of gift ideas for his family, picking
a skateboard for one sister and a pair of boots for another
sister, among other gifts.
O REGON L OTTERY
MEGABUCKS, Dec. 21
8 — 11 — 12 — 15 — 20 — 23
Next jackpot: $7.7 million
POWERBALL, Dec. 21
19 — 31 — 35 — 50 — 67 PB 14
Next jackpot: $183 million
MEGA MILLIONS, Dec. 20
3 — 20 — 23 — 35 — 60
Mega
16
Next jackpot: $45 million
WIN FOR LIFE, Dec. 21
18 — 47 — 72 — 75
PICK 4, Dec. 22
• 1 p.m.: 9 — 9 — 3 — 1
• 4 p.m.: 3 — 8 — 5 — 5
• 7 p.m.: 4 — 6 — 5 — 5
• 10 p.m.: 0 — 5 — 2 — 0
LUCKY LINES, Dec. 22
2-8-11-15-17-22-27-30
Next jackpot: $36,000
It all started in late Sep-
tember.
Skeen said she got a phone
call from a woman whose
father and stepmother, Gary
and Carol Tate, had died just
a day apart at their home
near North Powder.
When someone opened the
door of a storage building on
the property about 20 cats
ran out, Skeen said.
The animals were feral,
although it’s possible they
had been fed, she said.
New Hope For Eastern
Oregon Animals and another
Baker City animal rescue
group, Best Friends of Baker,
each donated $1,000 for the
effort to trap the cats, have
each spayed or neutered,
and try to fi nd homes for the
felines.
While volunteers, includ-
ing Megan Kendall of Baker
City, were working on the
latter task, two men from
Baker City drove daily to the
property near North Powder
to put out food for the cats,
Skeen said.
(She said the feeders re-
quested anonymity.)
Kendall said she solicited
interest through Facebook
posts as well as advertise-
ments in the Baker City Her-
ald and the Elkhorn Media
Group radio stations.
Eventually seven property
owners, all in rural areas of
SPIRIT
Another time six more cats
were captured.
Volunteers returned later
and noticed that food left at
the site had been eaten, and
a subsequent trapping netted
three more cats, Skeen said.
Because it was so late in
the year and temperatures
had dropped, she is boarding
those three cats until spring
when they will be made avail-
able for adoption as well.
One of the property owners
who volunteered to adopt
some of the feral cats, who
asked not to be identifi ed,
said the cats — four in all —
were a welcome addition to
a cattle ranch that had been
without feline protection for
some time.
Photo courtesy of Karen Skeen
“We had an infl ux of
One of the three feral cats Karen Skeen is sheltering
rats, mice and snakes,” the
this winter after it was trapped on a rural property near
owner said. “That’s one of
North Powder recently. Sixteen other cats from the same the biggest reasons we had
colony have been adopted by Baker County residents.
been looking to acquire some
cats.”
offered
to
help
the
cats.
The owner was also happy
“I love the opportunity to
Skeen agreed.
to be able to help rescue the
give these guys a second
“The barns that the cats
animals.
chance.”
were transported to were
“I love the opportunity
all
extremely
nice
and
clean
to
give these guys a second
— Property owner who
and the care-givers are all
chance, understanding
adopted 4 feral cats
caring people,” she wrote in
where they came from,” the
Baker County, agreed to take an email.
owner said.
on at least two of the feral
Once volunteers had ar-
That the cats were spayed
cats.
ranged for places to take the or neutered, and vaccinated,
Each property includes a
feral cats, they started plan- was a “huge plus,” the owner
barn where the cats can get
ning the trapping campaign, said.
out of the weather, and all
Skeen said.
“I appreciate having this
property owners agreed to
That began just before
program,” the adopter said.
feed the animals.
Thanksgiving. The fi rst time “It gives these cats a second
“It’s just wonderful,”
the trap was set up it cor-
chance, and there’s a need
Kendall said of residents who ralled 10 cats.
for it in the county.”
“I’ve had (surprises), but nothing like this. I wonder
how many people in this world are walking around
handing out 75-dollar gift certifi cates?”
wonder how many people in
this world are walking around
Continued from Page 1A
handing out 75-dollar gift
“My balance is really bad,”
certificates?”
— Bob Parrish, Baker City resident
said Parrish, who has lived in
Kathy Olsen can’t answer
Baker City since 2006.
that question, but she has her
While he was bent down
headed for the next aisle.
which was for Safeway, into
own recent experience with
trying to clean up, a woman
While he was perusing the
his pocket and then almost
generosity to bask in this holi-
walked over.
shelves he noticed the same
forgot about it while he finished day season.
“She noticed I was having
woman approaching.
shopping.
Olsen, 66, doesn’t drive.
trouble,” Parrish said. “She
She extended her hand over
Later, at home, he remem-
She gets around on foot, gen-
says, ‘leave’em, I will get them.’ ” his shoulder, and Parrish, as
bered the card.
erally pushing a four-wheeled
Parrish, being of the stub-
much from reflex as anything
Curious, but expecting a
cart.
born sort, insisted he could deal else, accepted the gift card she value of maybe $5, Parrish
Not long ago one of the
with his own mess.
was offering.
pulled out the card and looked wheels stopped rolling
“I like to say that I’m dis-
Then she left — “disap-
closely.
smoothly.
abled, not crippled,” he said.
peared,” as Parrish puts it.
“It was 75 dollars,” he said,
Olsen, who lived in Baker
He put the items back and
He tucked the gift card,
the shock of that moment still City from 1989 to 2006 and
palpable, in the volume of his
then moved back in 2016,
voice, more than a week later
ordered a new wheel from Ace
and even with the attenuating Hardware, where she shops
effects of a phone line.
frequently.
Parrish said he was stunned
She said the store didn’t
not only by the amount of the
charge her for the wheel, and
Something with
gift, but also because it didn’t
an employee installed it on her
benefits? We can
help. Subscribe to
seem to him that the woman
cart.
the Baker City Herald
was
well
off.
But it still didn’t work as well
right now!
Indeed, he said his impres-
as it had.
sion was that she might well
Early last week she got a
have an income as fixed as his phone call from Ace, asking her
own.
to stop by.
SPECIAL
Parrish
said
that
at
71
he
When she got to the store
HOLIDAY GIFT
might have thought he was
employees presented Olsen
TO YOU
beyond surprises.
with a new cart.
But now he knows better.
“I was really shocked,” Olsen
“I’ve had (surprises), but
said. “I thanked them up and
nothing like this,” he said. “I
down.”
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S ENIOR M ENUS
■ TUESDAY: Center closed in observance of Christmas Eve.
■ WEDNESDAY: Center closed in observance of Christmas
Day.
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., 11:30
a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $4.50 donation (60 and older), $6.75 for
those under 60.
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com
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DEATHS
Lorene Hall Henderson: 91,
a former longtime Baker City
resident, died Nov. 5, 2019, at
Vancouver, Washington.
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
DISORDERLY CONDUCT,
Join us in
celebrating a
special time of
Christmas Joy
MENACING: James Montez
Lansdon, 35, 635 Foothill Drive,
8:07 a.m. Sunday at Dewey and
Estes, jailed.
WARRANT ARREST (De-
schutes County): Kiteara Nicole
Westover, 25, Bend, 10:19 p.m.
Sunday at Broadway and First;
jailed.
Safe Travels
this Christmas
& Happy
New Year!
Baker High School Auditorium
December 24th, 6-7 !"
ISSN-8756-6419
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