Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 23, 2020)
LOCAL & STATE THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020 State requires all K-12 students to wear face masks in class this fall By Jackson Hogan The (Bend) Bulletin All K-12 students in Ore- gon will be required to wear face coverings if they return to classrooms this fall, ac- cording to a new state man- date. All school staff in K-12 schools will also be required to wear face coverings such as masks or shields. This decision, announced Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Education, reverses the state’s previous guidelines from June, which only recommended that older students wear face coverings. The state will distribute 5 million face coverings — donated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — to school districts throughout Oregon to help schools meet this new requirement, according to a state press release. Charan Cline, superin- tendent of Redmond School District, said he believes the face covering mandate is the right call based on current medical evidence. He also said there will be alternate options for families who don’t wish to have their children wear face masks. “I think it’s very doable,” Cline said of the mandate. “Not every family will agree with this, and I think if families don’t agree, we’re creating a very good K-12 distance learning model.” Gov. Kate Brown, in a press conference Wednes- day morning, said that face coverings will be required for all Oregon children ages 5 and older in public. She thanked parents, guard- ians and child care provid- ers in advance for helping children understand the MANAGER importance of wearing a mask. “Obviously, I cannot be everywhere all at once,” Brown said at the press conference. “I am incredibly grateful that parents are willing to step up and help us with this really impor- tant task.” Dean Sidelinger, the state’s chief health offi cer, added that although getting students back into class- rooms this fall is a prior- ity, it is key to do so with precautions. “We know that getting kids in front of a trained teacher to receive quality education can really make an impact on those chil- dren,” he said at the press conference. “But we need to do it safely.” The state will release another update to its fall school plan on Aug. 11. Nudd said the proposed salary range, of $98,000 to $115,000 an- Continued from Page 1A nually, is the same as when Warner Councilors, meeting in a work was hired. session, talked about the search for a Warner’s salary for the fi s- manager to replace Fred Warner Jr., cal year that started July 1 is who will retire at the end of the year. $104,000. Councilor Randy Schiewe was “I think we’re well within rea- absent. son,” Nudd said of the proposed Robin Nudd, the city’s human salary range. resources director, reviewed some But Bruland said she’s concerned of the standards a previous Council the range is too high, saying it’s used before hiring Warner in June about 20% more than the salary for 2016. Baker County Commission Chair- The current minimum require- man Bill Harvey. ments are a bachelor’s degree in Harvey, the only full-time county business or public administration, commissioner, has a salary for the or a combination of education and current fi scal year of $82,330. experience that demonstrates the “That’s a big difference,” Bruland candidate’s ability to do the job. said. Councilor Doni Bruland said Councilor Jason Spriet said the she wants the Council to look for city manager job requires a certain candidates with experience in city level of expertise, and “if you don’t management. pay for it, you don’t get it.” BAKER CITY HERALD — 7A Brown reduces the limit on attendance at indoor events By Gary A. Warner For the Oregon Capital Bureau Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday ordered bars to close earlier, lowered the age for mask requirements, further limited crowd sizes and said she may impose travel restrictions. Brown spoke at a Wednesday morning teleconference to lay out new rules, which take effect on Friday, that she said are required because the spread of COVID-19 in the state remains too rapid to con- Jaime Valdez /Pamplin Media Group tain. State offi cials said the number of cases of new infections was up 26 Oregon Gov. Kate Brown. percent from the week before. “Oregon, we ventured out onto • Restaurants and bars in Phase 2 coun- the ice together and that ice has begun to crack. ties — which includes most of the state, Before we fall through the ice, we need to take steps to protect ourselves and our community,” including Baker County — must close at 10 p.m., two hours earlier than the current Brown said. midnight. Effective this Friday, July 24: • Gyms must require face masks even • Anyone 5 and older must wear a mask in while customers exercise. public indoor spaces and outdoors where social In one loosening of restrictions, Brown distancing is not possible. Masks are recom- announced that outdoor visits to people in mended but not required for those between 2 long-term care facilities will be allowed as and 5. long as there are no virus cases at the facility • The maximum number of people allowed in- (see related story on Page 1A). side indoor restaurants, bars, churches, theaters See Limits/Page 8A and other venues is reduced from 250 to 100. Mayor Loran Joseph noted that Burns, which is also seeking to hire a city manager, is offering a salary range of $60,000 to $75,000 but has not been able to fi ll the position for more than a year. Joseph suggested advertising a range of $85,000 to $115,000 for the Baker City manager job. Nudd said the city’s highest-paid department head is the police chief at $82,284. Warner questioned setting the lowest salary for the city manager at $85,000. “I think the problem with start- ing at $85,000 is I can guarantee you that 95% of the councils never want to give the city manager a pay raise and it’s never a good time to do it,” Warner said. “In my con- tract, when I negotiated it, I had 2% in there and that’s probably the only reason I have a pay raise.” Bruland suggested the city set the base salary on the manager’s qualifi cations. She doesn’t think the city can afford $110,000 or $115,000 annually. As for soliciting candidates, councilors discussed advertising the job in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and possibly Northern California. Potential advertisement sites include the League of Oregon Cities (LOC) and the International City Management Association (ICMA) Job Center, which adver- tises nationally. Councilor Lynette Perry said she wants the city to make sure that candidates who live in larger cities understand in advance the differ- ence in living in a smaller city. “It isn’t just them you’re dealing with, it’s their wife and kids and a lot of them come from bigger areas, they think they have the dream of settling in a small town,” Perry said. “They get here and they just can’t cope with life in a slower pace rural area. So we really need to let them know that the culture is dif- ferent here than it is in the city.” Nudd said advertisements will begin the second week of August. Councilors discussed hiring an interim manager if it looks as though they won’t be able to hire someone before the holiday season. Warner offered to stay on beyond the turn of the year if necessary. Councilors also plan to appoint three of their members to a selec- tion committee to work with Nudd to review applications and sched- ule interviews. Councilors plan to have newly elected councilors meet with candi- dates following the Nov. 3 election. Six of the seven seats on the Coun- cil are up for election. SWITCH & GET FREE PRE-TRIP $ 700 OFF LATEST PHONES NO TRADE-IN REQUIRED INSPECTION WE WILL CHECK YOUR: Tires Brakes Wiper Blades Bearings Battery Alignment Travel without worrying about your vehicle! Through the difficult times, Lew Brothers Les Schwab is here for you. LEW BROTHERS LES SCHWAB 210 Bridge Street | Baker City | 541-523-3679 We gladly make appointments! 1084 Campbell St., Baker City, 541-523-3334 Promotional pricing requires an Unlimited Everyday or Even Better plan, new line, port-in, credit approval, qualified Smartphone purchase and comes via monthly bill credit on a 30-mo. RIC. Taxes, fees, and additional restrictions apply. Things we want you to know: New consumer or small business (25 lines or less) Unlimited Everyday or Even Better plan, new line, and port-in required. Tax due at sale. A Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or gov’t-required charge. Additional fees, taxes, terms, conditions and coverage areas may apply and vary by plan, service and phone. Credit approval and Auto Pay/Paperless billing required. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. OFFER DETAILS: Purchase of a qualifying device via 0% APR, $0 down, 30-mo. Retail Installment Contract (RIC) and receive a $700 bill credit. Qualifying Devices: Any Smartphone with an MSRP of $699 or greater. $700 Credit will be divided into 30 monthly credits and comes via a monthly bill credit on a 30-mo. RIC. Bill credit applied within 3 bill cycles and ends when balance is paid. Line must remain in good standing with required price plan for entire 30-mo. RIC. Customer may lose bill credit if price plan is changed. In the event of cancellation of Service, customer will be responsible for the entire RIC balance. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited time offer. While supplies last. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. ©2020 U.S. Cellular
