WEDNESDAY
BAKER BOYS (PAGE 5A), GIRLS (PAGE 6A) BEAT MAC-HI IN GOL HOOPS
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.
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January 22, 2020
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Baker City Council Upholds Planning Commission Decision
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Lorrie
Harvey of Baker City.
Local, 3A
Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest fi re man-
agement offi cer Nathan
Goodrich is one of 21
Forest Service fi re experts
who devoted more than a
month to helping Australia
combat its seething land-
scape of bush fi res.
Council: No Tower
■ County
commissioners
appointed Mark
Owens of Harney
County to fill
vacancy in House
District 60
Red Cross blood
drive set Jan. 27
Free soup lunches
planned at Haines
Methodist Church
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
This photo illustration included with Verizon Wireless’ application depicts a proposed cell tower designed to
look like a tree.
HAINES — The Haines
United Methodist Church
invites residents to join
its congregation for free
soup lunches on the last
Sunday of the next three
months — Jan. 26, Feb. 23
and March 29. Lunch will
be served from 12:15 p.m.
to 1:30 p.m., following the
regular Sunday morning
service. The menu includes
soup, bread and a dessert.
The church is at the corner
of the Anthony Lakes High-
way and Roberts Street,
west of the railroad tracks.
WEATHER
Today
38 / 30
Rain showers
Thursday
42 / 33
Rain showers
The space below will be
blank on issues delivered
or sold from boxes. The
space is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
Owens
takes
Findley’s
seat
PROPOSED
BRIEFING
The American Red Cross
has scheduled a blood
drive for Monday, Jan. 27,
at the Nazarene Church,
1250 Hughes Lane. Call
Myrna Evans at 541-523-
5368 to make, cancel, or
reschedule an appoint-
ment.
Jake Wright
This photo illustration included with Verizon Wireless’ application depicts a scene without the proposed cell
tower.
motion passed 5-2.
“I don’t see that we have substan-
The Baker City Council voted 5-2
tial reason to deny it,” Bruland said.
Tuesday to uphold the Planning
“Aesthetically, we don’t like the looks
Commission’s decision to deny Veri-
of it, is not a substantial reason. It’s
zon Wireless a conditional use permit in our viewshed is not a substantial
to build a 70-foot cell tower in north
reason, 10 or 20 feet to the right or
Baker City.
left. I do not feel we have reasons,
Councilor Doni Bruland initially
substantial reasons, that would sup-
made a motion to reverse the Plan-
port our denial.”
ning Commission’s Dec. 4 decision,
Schiewe said that although he
and Councilor Randy Schiewe sec-
sympathizes with residents who have
onded the motion. The motion failed urged city offi cials to reject Verizon’s
by a 5-2 vote.
application, he said the Council needs
Councilor Mike Downing then
to be “realistic.”
made a motion to uphold the Plan-
“I would be sitting on that side of
ning Commission’s decision to deny
the aisle ... we don’t want it,” Schiewe
the application, and it was seconded said. “But we gotta be realistic about
by Councilor Larry Morrison. That
what we’ve allowed and not allowed
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
over the last year.”
In making their decision, councilors
could not take potential health effects
into consideration and asked those
giving testimony not to discuss those
issues.
The Council heard from attorney
Mike Connors, representing Verizon,
about the need for the cell tower to
fi ll a gap in Verizon’s coverage in the
area and adding to its capacity. Con-
nors said Verizon’s current system
can be overloaded.
“This is the second application that
Verizon has submitted in an effort to
try to address this coverage capacity
issue,” Connors said.
See Tower/Page 2A
Commissioners from
Baker, Harney, Grant,
Malheur and Lake coun-
ties voted
unanimously
Tuesday to
appoint Mark
Owens, a
Harney Coun-
Owens
ty farmer, to
replace Lynn
Findley as representative
for Oregon House District
60.
Findley, a Republican
from Vale, was appointed
earlier this month to
replace Cliff Bentz in state
Senate District 30.
Bentz resigned to run
full time for Greg Walden’s
seat in Congress.
“I am thankful and
humbled today to have
been appointed to serve as
the next state representa-
tive for House District
60,” Owens, who is a
Republican, said in a press
release. “I look forward to
serving the communities
and being a voice for East-
ern Oregon in Salem.”
There were two other
candidates for House
District 60 — Tom Van
Diepen of Baker City, and
Tim Smith of Burns.
Baker County Com-
missioner Mark Bennett
said neither was present
when commissioners voted
Tuesday at Ontario.
Owens, a Harney
County commissioner, fi led
Nov. 4, 2019, as a candi-
date for the House District
60 Republican primary in
May.
The Oregon Legislature
convenes Feb. 3 in Salem.
Event, Including Free Dinner, Set For Thursday At Harvest Christian Church
State looks to recruit local foster families
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
State offi cials hope to
recruit foster families during
an event Thursday in Baker
City.
The Oregon Department of
Human Services’s Child Wel-
fare offi ce is sponsoring the
“Families Helping Families”
gathering from 6 p.m. to 8
p.m. at the Harvest Chris-
tian Church, 3720 Birch St.
The free event will include
a dinner featuring roast
beef, roasted carrots, mashed
potatoes and gravy, cabbage
broccoli salad and dinner
TODAY
Issue 119, 22 pages
rolls.
Child care will be provided.
In addition to encouraging
families to foster children,
Thursday’s event will also
give people information
about becoming advocates for
children in the court system
(Court Appointed Special Ad-
vocates — CASA), mentor-
ing children and supporting
foster families.
Benjamin Potter, a foster
parent trainer, recruiter and
retention specialist at the
Child Welfare offi ce in Baker
City, is one of the scheduled
speakers at Thursday’s din-
Business ...........1B & 2B
Calendar ....................2A
Classified ............. 3B-6B
ner.
Potter said there are 15
foster families in Baker City,
but 41 children in foster care.
“This number is changing
all the time,” Potter said.
He said the state’s goal is
to reach a 1-to-1 ratio — one
foster family for each child.
Due to a shortage of foster
families, some local children
are placed with families in
other counties, Potter said.
“Which is never the
intent,” he said. “We like to
keep kids local because this
is where all the people they
know are, all their service
Comics ....................... 7B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........5B & 6B
providers are here.”
In an email to the Herald,
Sunny Petit, a spokesperson
in the Department of Human
Service’s director’s offi ce,
wrote that “Increasing thera-
peutic and general foster
care was recently identifi ed
as one of Baker County’s
highest priority needs by
professionals working with
children and young adults.”
Other scheduled speakers
are retired Baker County
Circuit Court Judge Greg
Baxter and Mary Collard
with CASA of Eastern Or-
egon Inc.
Dear Abby ................. 8B
Horoscope ........5B & 6B
Letters ........................4A
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
Families who want to sign
up to become a foster family
can do so at the event or
volunteer in other ways.
“We need help with not
only foster homes but adop-
tive homes as well,” Potter
said. “And we need help with
therapeutic specialized foster
homes for high needs youth
in the child welfare system.”
People can also volunteer
to support families that are
providing the care.
“Sometimes they can feel
alone and need the support
of the community,” Potter
said.
Opinion ......................4A
Sports .............. 5A & 6A
Weather ..................... 8B
FRIDAY — KEEPING CURRENT WITH ANCIENT DISPLAYS AT MUSEUM