SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2020
COMMUNITY
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
L OCAL B RIEFING
Huntington man killed in crash on I-84
A Huntington man was killed in a two-vehicle crash
Thursday morning on Interstate 84 near Rye Valley.
Michael Maddox, 55, was parked on the eastbound
shoulder of the freeway, sitting in the driver’s seat
at about 6:50 a.m., when his Pontiac Grand Am was
hit by a Ford Explorer driven by Debra Archer, 37, of
Kelso, Washington, according to Oregon State Police.
Maddox died at the scene. Archer’s passenger,
Jimmy Padilla, 48, of Las Cruces, New Mexico, suf-
fered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital by
helicopter. Archer was taken by ground ambulance to
a hospital.
St. Francis de Sales masses canceled
All masses have been canceled until further notice
at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral in Baker City due
to concerns about the coronavirus. There will be no
Easter services at the Catholic cathedral at First and
Church streets.
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald
Kristina Corr and her daughter, Gabby Wright, take advantage of the food being offered at Baker High School
through the Baker School District program.
PARENTS
Continued from Page 1A
And having spring break,
which was scheduled to start
Monday, extended for at least
another month isn’t proving
popular with some students.
“I don’t like it, I want to go
to school,” Gabby Wright, 11,
said Thursday while she and
her mom, Kristina Corr, were
picking up meals at Baker
High School.
Parents are trying to keep
their kids entertained as well
as educated during this long,
unexpected school closure.
Board games are a big hit
with some families.
Mairi Nielsen, 44, said
Clue is a favorite with her
kids. Nielsen said she does
take her kids to the park,
allowing them to play with
friends.
“They miss their friend-
ship and the social aspect (of
school),” Nielsen said.
Geiser-Pollman Park
hasn’t been as full as previ-
ous years, but families do
take their kids for a short
time to let them run off some
energy.
Megan Liby, 35, takes
her two children to the
city’s largest park when the
weather is nice.
“I mean, yeah, it’s safety,
stuff like that, but they need
to get out, too,” Liby said on
a sunny Thursday at the
park. “They don’t want to
be stuck inside all the time.
We’re only here for a little
bit, we don’t stay long,” Liby
said.
Overnight camping to be banned at
state parks, state wildlife areas
SALEM — Camping at sites operated by some
state agencies will be banned in an effort to reduce the
spread of coronavirus.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will
accommodate current overnight guests through April
2. Reservations for all state park stays from April 3
through May 8 will be canceled and site fees refunded,
the agency announced Thursday.
Before May 8, department offi cials will review the
state park campground closure to decide whether it
should be extended. The decision affects all individual
and group overnight facilities: campsites, yurts, cabins,
tepees, and services operated by concessionaires. The
suspended service also affects reservations for group
day-use areas.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is clos-
ing its Wildlife Areas to overnight camping starting
March 22.
This affects the Elkhorn Wildlife Area west of North
Powder, although camping there, and all other public
entry, is closed until April 10 to protect elk that winter
on the property.
Auctions for big game tags changed
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald
Youngsters with Ashlyn Gazley are, near to far, Damian Reynolds, 5, Jacob Hanley, 6,
and Darrell Reynolds, 5. The trio and three other boys rode along to collect lunches at
Baker High School on Thursday.
Liby and her children
paint rocks for Baker City
Rocks, play board games,
and she’s working on some
learning exercises.
“Now, with all that’s going
now, we’re not worrying
about academics right now,”
Liby said.
Corr, 30, utilizes the
town’s resources and takes
her children out of town for
their outside time instead of
to the parks.
“I’m trying to fi nd differ-
ent activities,” she said. “I
know it’s only like day two,
but they’re bored. So trying
to keep kids active and en-
gaged and still trying to fi nd
ways to get them learning.”
Brieanne Bain, 30, is at-
tending nursing school and
will be taking classes online
while caring for her three
kids — Brylee, 10, Cooper, 8
and Emma, 6.
“I don’t know if I’m being
too relaxed or not, but I
worried two years ago when
there was a really bad fl u
virus going around and I
was really worried about my
children and this time, with
this virus, I’m not so worried
about this,” said Bain, who
brought her kids to Geiser-
Pollman Park on Thursday.
Bain said the virus pre-
cautions haven’t affected her
fi nancially, but the library
closure has altered her fam-
ily’s schedule.
Others affected by the
changes are day care cen-
ters. April Whitebread, 52, of
April’s Day Care, said other
day care places have shut
down due to the growing
coronavirus concerns.
“We’ve always been real
S. John Collins / Baker City Herald big on the germ thing,”
Geiser-Pollman Park offers warm sunshine and fresh air Whitebread said.
Thursday during a break from home for Megan Liby and
Whitebread is caring
her daughter, Jordan, 6, and son Jayden, 3.
for her regular kids whose
What’s New At The Baker County Library
• Although the library, 2400 Resort St., is
closed due to the coronavirus, patrons
can still put items on hold, including the
titles below, and pick them up at the drive-
through window on the south (Madison
Street) side of the library. The website is
www.bakerlib.org/
FICTION
• “Lost Creed,” Alex Kava
• “Prayer Jar” series, Wanda Brunstetter
• “Glacier” mysteries, Christine Carbo
• “Hit List,” Stuart Woods
• “Meet Me in the Future,” Kameron
Hurley
NONFICTION
• “The Third Reich,” Robert Gellately
• “World War II at Sea,” Craig Symonds
• “Reporter,” Seymour Hersh
• “Mother American Night,” John Perry
Barlow
• “AP English Literature and Composi-
tion,” Dawn Hogue
DVDS
• “The House that Jack Built” (Horror)
• “Last Christmas” (Comedy)
• “Midway” (Action)
• “The Men Who Built America” (Docu-
mentary)
• “Snatchers” (Sci-Fi)
parents work at the hos-
pital, medical offi ce, UPS,
and other businesses that
continue to operate.
She has added new condi-
tions to caring for kids in
order to keep them healthy
and safe.
“Any sign of an illness
and we have to ask them
not to bring (their kids),”
Whitebread said. “I’m hoping
everybody is cautious a bit.”
SALEM — Several Oregon big game tag auctions
are being rescheduled from original dates printed in
the 2020 Big Game Regulations due to coronavirus
concerns.
The Lewis and Clark chapter of Safari Club Inter-
national (SCI) has rescheduled its auction for a state-
wide deer tag for Friday, March 27, at 7:30 p.m. The
live auction will be bid-by-phone only. Hunters wishing
to bid on the deer tag should call Jeremy Coburn, of
SCI at 702-622-7664 prior to the auction.
The Oregon Hunters Association Mid-Willamette
Chapter’s auction of a statewide elk tag will still occur
on April 4 at 8:30 p.m., but the event will be bid-by-
phone only. Those hunters wishing to bid should call
Bryan Cook at 971-270-7035 prior to the auction.
The Oregon Bowhunters have rescheduled their
auction for the Rocky Mountain goat tag to Friday,
May 8, at 7 p.m. The live auction will be bid-by-phone
only and will be live streamed by Oregon Bowhunters
for the public to view. Hunters wishing to bid on the
goat tag should call Wayne Endicot at 541-556-7039
or 541-746-9711 by 6 p.m. on May 8 to register for the
auction.
The National Wild Turkey Federation Central
Oregon Chapter’s April 4 auction of a statewide deer
tag has been rescheduled for May 23 at 7 p.m. The live
auction will be bid-by-phone only. Hunters wishing to
participate should call Jason Preston at 541-693-4597
prior to the auction.