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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 6, 2020)
2A — BAKER CITY HERALD THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2020 STUDENTS Continued from Page 1A B AKER C OUNTY C ALENDAR FRIDAY, FEB. 7 ■ Live Music by Keith Taylor: Ragtime piano, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, 2020 Auburn Ave.; no charge; continues most Fridays. ■ 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, FEB. 10 ■ Baker County Library Board: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Riverside meeting room at the library, 2400 Resort St. ■ Medical Springs Rural Fire Protection District Board: 7 p.m. at the Pondosa Station. TUESDAY FEB. 11 ■ Baker City Council: 7 p.m., City Hall, 1655 First St. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12 ■ Lower Powder River Irrigation District Board: 6 p.m. at Barley Brown’s, 2190 Main St. TUESDAY, FEB. 18 ■ Elkhorn Community Preparedness: 5:30 p.m. supper; 6:30 p.m. meeting; at the Sunridge Inn Restaurant, 1 Sunridge Lane. T URNING B ACK THE P AGES 50 YEARS AGO from the Democrat-Herald February 6, 1970 Employment in Baker and Grant counties continued to decline during January. The heaviest contributors to the decline have been the logging and lumbering industries. Practically all logging was halted during the month by mild and rainy weather. 25 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald February 6, 1995 Oregon Trail Electric Cooperative customers will receive 3-percent rebates on their 1994 bills next month as the power company passes on its savings to members. 10 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald February 5, 2010 SALEM (AP) — U.S. Rep. Greg Walden has been named to a caucus position that House Minority Leader John Boehner said would put Walden at the table in Republican strategy sessions. ONE YEAR AGO from the Baker City Herald February 6, 2019 That 2018 was the warmest year on record in Baker City might not seem surprising to anyone who endured the August heat wave that incinerated a record that had lasted more than half a century. But it turns out that typically chilly January played a big- ger role than sizzling August. The average temperature at the Baker City Airport dur- ing January 2018 was 9.4 degrees above average. August, despite all-time record highs being set on consecutive days, was not quite 3 degrees warmer than average. Both July and May were also hotter, relative to the long-term average, than August was — May’s average temperature was 6.3 degrees above average, and July’s was almost 4 degrees. O REGON L OTTERY MEGABUCKS, Feb. 3 1 — 11 — 14 — 22 — 39 — 43 Next jackpot: $3.2 million MEGA MILLIONS, Feb. 4 32 — 48 — 50 — 51 — 64 Mega 10 Next jackpot: $187 million WIN FOR LIFE, Feb. 3 42 — 51 — 57 — 65 PICK 4, Feb. 4 • 1 p.m.: 9 — 0 — 5 — 1 • 4 p.m.: 8 — 8 — 5 — 1 • 7 p.m.: 8 — 7 — 9 — 8 • 10 p.m.: 9 — 5 — 8 — 5 LUCKY LINES, Feb. 4 1-8-9-16-20-21-25-29 Next jackpot: $35,000 S ENIOR M ENUS ■ FRIDAY: Chicken-fried chicken, potatoes and gravy, carrots, rolls, fruit ambrosia, lemon bars ■ MONDAY (Feb. 10): Barbecued pork ribs, au gratin potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, broccoli-bacon salad, brownies ■ TUESDAY (Feb. 11): Beef tips over fettuccine, broccoli- blend vegetables, bread, cottage cheese with fruit, cake ■ WEDNESDAY (Feb. 12): Chicken cordon blue with hollandaise, baked potatoes, peas and carrots, bread, beet- and-onion salad, bread pudding ■ THURSDAY (Feb. 13): Baked ham, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, Jell-O with fruit, cinnamon rolls 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. C ONTACT THE H ERALD 1668 Resort St. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Telephone: 541-523-3673 Copyright © 2020 Fax: 541-833-6414 Regional publisher Christopher Rush crush@eomediagroup.com Publisher Karrine Brogoitti kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver. com Jayson Jacoby, editor jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Advertising email ads@bakercityherald.com Classifi ed email classified@bakercityherald.com Circulation email circ@bakercityherald.com ISSN-8756-6419 Serving Baker County since 1870 Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays except Christmas Day by the Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media Group, at 1668 Resort St. (P.O. Box 807), Baker City, OR 97814. Subscription rates per month are: Baker City (97814), $10.80; all others, $12.50. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pendleton, Oregon 97801 The lower percentage is de- rived when enrollment at the Baker Web Academy, which is nearing 2,500 students, is included, Virtue said. Web Academy students attend a blend of online and face-to- face classes with instructors in areas throughout the state, and most of those students don’t live in Baker County. Virtue, 67, retired from her longtime employment as a teacher and guidance counselor for the District in 2015, but she is still looking out for students as she heads into a new decade as home- less liaison. Virtue says she is encour- aged by money that districts throughout the state will receive via the Student Suc- cess Act. The Legislature approved an additional $2 billion for schools last May, with a por- tion of the money to be raised by taxes on larger businesses. An estimated $1.5 million will come to the Baker School District through the Student Investment Account, and the Student Success Act will provide the District with an added $640 per student. The Student Investment Account funds will be used in helping specifi c groups of students, including those who do not have stable housing and are considered homeless by the state Department of Education. “It’s exciting,” Virtue says. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen any dollars at- tached (to helping children recognized as homeless by the state).” Assistant Superintendent Betty Palmer is schedul- ing meetings with students, parents and community groups, such as the YMCA, Headstart, Anthony Lakes and health care providers, to gather information about how Baker School District can make the best use of the new funding. Palmer said she asks those participating in the sessions: “What are we not seeing that you see that we should be doing better?” A 90-page document that details how the Baker School District will spend the money is due to the state by the end of March, she said. The money is earmarked “Kids identifi ed as coming from a homeless situation tend to not achieve as well, to not have as high an attendance rate and tend not to graduate at the same rates. We haven’t as a district — and probably as a nation — found a way to help people who fi nd themselves in those situations. — Betty Palmer, assistant superintendent, Baker School District for, among other things, helping improve academic achievement for students who historically have not performed as well in school as their classmates. That group can include homeless students. “As we look at our disag- gregated data, kids identifi ed as coming from a homeless situation tend to not achieve as well, to not have as high an attendance rate and tend not to graduate at the same rates,” Palmer said. “We haven’t as a district — and probably as a nation — found a way to help people who fi nd themselves in those situations,” she said. Virtue looks forward to be- ing able to use some of the ad- ditional money to lend a hand to the children and families within her purview. She begins offering that help annually during August registration. “All the partners are there,” she says of the two-day Kiwanis Resource Fair that is part of Baker School Dis- trict registration at the high school. And Virtue is among those partners who are working with students who can use a little extra help navigating the school year successfully. “I make sure the students don’t pay school fees, and that they have PE clothes and can register without any costs,” she said. In Baker, 90% of the 197 students recognized as home- less are “doubled-up,” which means they are sharing a home with others because they’ve lost their housing, suf- fered an economic hardship or are in some similar situa- tion, Virtue says. Another 7% of the total are considered “unsheltered” because they live in trailer parks or are camping in the yards of family or friends. And the remaining 3% are considered “sheltered.” However, because there are no homeless shelters in the community, in Baker City the term comes to mean they are BRIDGE Continued from Page 1A “We are getting some donations from the community to help pay for some of the costs of this, so it is a community wide proj- ect and we greatly appreciate the support,” Commission Chairman Bill Harvey said. Miners from that area have donated $385 toward the new bridge, which is a few miles from the site where the film “Paint Your Wagon” was filmed in 1968. Several trails into the Eagle Cap Wilder- ness start in the area as well. living in motels rooms. Virtue said she received fi ve calls on Jan. 6 from families in need of a place to stay. That Monday was planned as the fi rst day back from Christmas break, but school was canceled because of snowy and icy road condi- tions. Virtue said she reached out to the Compassion Center for short-term housing help for the people who had called her. Community Connection has a variety of funding available on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis for housing assistance. School district money cannot be used for housing, Virtue said. However, private donations to help provide emergency housing may be made through Marla’s Mall. Members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where Palmer and retired school administrator Beth Bigelow and their families attend, con- tributed to the housing fund with donations that came in during the church’s fi rst Groundhog Day Festival on Feb. 1. The church collected $541.50 for that purpose, said the Rev. Aletha Bonebrake. She said the church organized the festival as an outreach project, with the funds to be split between its own food pantry, which sits outside the church building, and the emergency housing fund at Marla’s Mall. “There’s a lot of need out in the community that isn’t just food — it’s also housing,” Bonebrake said. “We decided we can take care of our food bank OK and this (money) can help the people at Marla’s Mall help people with hous- ing.” The mall is located in the former North Baker School building at 2725 Seventh St. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Through the mall, named in memory of former long- time teacher Marla Cavallo who died of cancer in 2007, the school district provides The new bridge will be longer and stronger than the current structure, with an 80,000-pound capacity. The current bridge, which the county owns, has a value of $10,000, and the county will store it in Baker City in case it’s needed as a temporary structure. Harvey said the current bridge doesn’t meet Forest Service standards, so the agency wasn’t interested in taking the structure. Construction on the new bridge will start this summer. In other business Wednesday, commis- families help with clothing, household goods and other items for no charge. Marla’s Mall is kept stocked with items donated by community members. The inventory also includes hygiene products, and boots and shoes, along with small furniture and appliances, cooking tools and backpacks. At this time, Marla’s Mall is in need of winter items, such as new or used boots of all sizes, snow pants, coats, blan- kets and household goods, Virtue said. Food is not part of the offer- ing at Marla’s Mall but Virtue seeks donations of nonperish- able food items to keep on hand for her students and to fi ll food pantries placed in the community to help those in need. Products such as boxed macaroni and cheese, canned chili or noodle cups are al- ways welcome, she said. The generosity of the com- munity continues to amaze Virtue year after year. “It not about people not car- ing,” she says. “People are so generous — everybody wants to help.” For many years people have helped students get ready for the return to school. The Salvation Army spon- sors its Backpack Program, collecting school supplies, including stacks of pencils, pens and paper donated for the new year. As winter approached this year, hand-knitted hats were donated to Marla’s Mall by a group of women who attend church together, enjoy needle- work and wanted to help out. Donations of socks and gloves also came in. The items were distributed during a Christmas open house. A back-to-school night was scheduled at Marla’s Mall be- fore classes began this fall to help students upgrade their wardrobes and supplies for a new year of classes. Virtue says her job has been both rewarding and heartbreaking over the years. “We have so many success stories of people who would have had it really tough if we hadn’t been able to help,” she said. The heartbreak is that she can’t do more. “As an old lady, I want to fi x everything,” she says. “That’s my job, but I can’t.” sioners awarded a contract for performing the county’s audit to Pauly Rogers & Co. of Tigard, which has done the county’s audit before. The county received three bids for audit services. Christena Cook, the county’s adminis- trative services director, said the county’s budget committee unanimously agreed that Pauly Rogers & Co. was the best option. Commissioners are scheduled to meet Feb. 19 at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse, 1995 Third St. N EWS OF R ECORD FUNERAL PENDING Leonard J. Redmond: 89 of Boise, a former Baker City resident, died Jan. 23, 2020, at his home. His memorial service will take place on Saturday, Feb. 8, at 1 p.m., at Bowman Funeral Home, 10254 W. Carlton Bay, in Garden City, Idaho. Charles Johnson: 75, of Baker City, died Feb. 2, 2020, at his home. Gray’s West & Co. Pioneer Chapel is in charge of ar- rangements. To light a candle in memory of Charles, or to leave a condolence for the family, go to www.grayswestco.com POLICE LOG Baker City Police FELON IN POSSESSION OF A WEAPON: Tamara Kay Fine, 46, of Baker City, 11:24 a.m. Tuesday, in the 1200 block of Washington Avenue; jailed. Crime reports SECOND-DEGREE BUR- GLARY: At the Eagle Cap Grill, Exciting News! Dr. Derek Blankenship is joining Baker Vision Clinic Baker Vision Clinic would like to welcome Dr. Derek Blankenship. Dr. Blankenship will start seeing patients March 3, 2020. Derek was born and raised in Baker City. Following high school, he attended George Fox University where he graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He then attended Midwestern University Arizona College of Optometry where he graduated with a Doctorate of Optometry in 2018. Upon graduation from Optometry school Dr. Blankenship has been practicing in Pendleton, Oregon. Baker Vision Clinic is very excited to welcome him back home! Dr. Blankenship is warm and engaging. He easily connects with people through his open honest desire to help others. He enjoys the outdoors and cannot wait to show his wife and son all that is special to him about Baker. Dr. Derek Blankenship is accepting patients now. Please contact Baker Vision Clinic today at 541-523-5858 to make an appointment. 2915 10th St., between closing Monday night and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a burglar damaged a door to gain entry to the busi- ness and took an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. SECOND-DEGREE BUR- GLARY: At the Eagles Lodge, 2935 H St., sometime between Monday night and 9:19 a.m. Tuesday, a burglar damaged the door of the building to gain entry and took an undisclosed amount of cash, police said . Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce PROBATION VIOLATION (Baker County warrant): Ethan Kenneth Luebberke, 18, of Baker City, 9:58 a.m. Tuesday, at the Sheriff’s Offi ce; jailed. THIRD-DEGREE THEFT (Baker County Justice Court warrant): Gage Michael Niehaus, 20, of Haines, 2:05 p.m. Tuesday, on Highway 30 near Haines; jailed. Oregon State Police FOURTH-DEGREE ASSAULT CONSTITUTING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE: Ronald Dale Newell, 57, of Boise, 7:35 p.m. Jan. 29, at the Weatherby Rest Area; jailed and later released. FAILURE TO ANNUALLY REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER: Ricky Milan Cobb, 66, of 2475 20th St., 1:19 p.m. Jan. 30, at his home; cited and released.
