SATURDAY
OREGON GOVERNOR KATE BROWN CALLS FOR END TO VIOLENCE: PAGE 5A
In OUTDOORS, 1B
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
September 5, 2020
Local • Outdoors • TV
IN THIS EDITION:
HOME &
l
l
a
F GARDEN
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Signs your gutters are in
need of repair
Defining hardscape and
how to use it
$1.50
Exploring
at Eagle
Creek
State: school employees must
repay some furlough benefits
How to avoid spreading
illnesses at home
By Chris Collins
INSIDE
TODAY:
A 12-page special section
with tips for making the
most of autumn at home
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
Baker School District employees
can add their names to the long list
of Oregonians who believe they’ve
been mistreated by the state’s belea-
guered Employment Department.
But rather than having to wait for
their benefi ts as thousands of others
have had to do, the school employees
got their money, but now the state
wants some of it back.
The Employment Department
says about 155 District employees
who were furloughed and participat-
ed in its Work Share program were
paid about $100,000 in benefi ts to
which they were not entitled.
Witty said the overpayments,
which are from a single week, the
last week of May, range from $630 to
$730 per employee.
However, District offi cials learned
late Thursday that affected employ-
ees might end up having to repay
only a relatively small portion of the
benefi t, ranging from about $30 to
$139 depending on the employee,
that came from the state rather
than from federal COVID-19 aid.
See Benefi ts/Page 5A
QUICK HITS
County
dropped
from
COVID-19
watch list
Baker City’s Water Use Remains Higher Than Usual
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Eric
Colton of Baker City.
BRIEFING
Legislator Lynn
Findley to visit
Baker on Tuesday
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
State Sen. Lynn Findley,
the Vale Republican who
represents Baker County
in the Oregon Legislature,
will be stopping at the Cof-
fee Corral, 1325 Campbell
St. in Baker City, from
10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. on
Tuesday, Sept. 8 to meet
with constituents.
A declining rate of new
COVID-19 cases in Baker
County over the past two
weeks has prompted Oregon
Gov. Kate Brown to remove
the county from the state
“watch list.”
Brown added
Baker County to
that list on July
15.
Although
being on the list
Bennett
didn’t impose
extra restric-
tions on the county, the gov-
ernor’s decision, announced
Thursday, refl ects a welcome
trend in the virus’ spread in
the county, County Commis-
sioner Mark Bennett said
Friday afternoon.
WEATHER
Today
95 / 42
Mostly sunny
Sunday
90 / 53
Mostly sunny
Monday
75 / 36
Sunny, cooler
Correction: A story about
a rash of dog deaths in
Haines on Page 2A of
Thursday’s Baker City
Herald misidentifi ed dog
owner Patty Dennis.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Photo courtesy of Baker City Public Works Department
Goodrich Reservoir in the Elkhorn Mountains west of Baker City is key source of water for Baker City.
Water Worries
Lasting Longer
See Virus/Page 2A
Business
grants
available
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
■ Water use usually plummets when students return to school, but with all
classes starting online, the city’s public works director isn’t expecting the relief
community continues to use,” Owen
said on Thursday.
In a normal year Michelle Owen
Owen’s trepidation stems from two
can pretty well predict when Baker
main factors.
City’s thirst for water will start to be
First, hot weather, with tempera-
satiated.
tures potentially setting daily records
This, of course, is not a normal year. during the weekend, is forecast to
And because it’s not, Owen, who
continue.
is the city’s public works director, is
The correlation between heat and
slightly concerned about the persis-
water usage is well-established,
tently high demand for water.
Owen said, and generally speaking
“I’m not in panic mode at all, but
people are more likely to keep their
it is concerning how much water the sprinklers going in the yard and
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
garden when the temperature nears
or exceeds 90.
The second factor is the one unique
to 2020.
One thing Owen counts on is a
signifi cant drop in water use once
school starts and students return to
classrooms.
But that’s not happening this year,
as Baker schools start Tuesday with
students learning online.
The Baker County Eco-
nomic Development Depart-
ment hopes to distribute
$200,000 in grants of up to
$5,000 to local businesses
affected by the COVID-19
pandemic.
The federal money, dis-
bursed by Business Oregon,
is available to businesses
that have been operating for
at least one year and that
meet income eligibility limits
either for the business owner
or for employees.
See Water/Page 3A
See Grants/Page 2A
Baker schools preparing for online classes
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
With the opening of online classes
just three days away, Baker School
District administrators are hoping
the extra training staff members
received prior to the Sept. 8 opening
of comprehensive distance learning
will help the year begin without too
many hitches.
TODAY
Issue 50, 24 pages
Geno Bates, South Baker Interme-
diate School principal, said Thursday
morning that most of his students
have picked up their Chromebook
laptop computers and are registered
for the new year.
The computers were distributed
Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the
school.
“We’re down to about a handful,”
Classified ............. 2B-4B
Comics ....................... 5B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........2B & 4B
Dear Abby ................. 6B
Horoscope ........2B & 4B
Bates said of students who hadn’t
registered as of Thursday.
Bates said he’s expecting about 270
South Baker fourth-, fi fth- and sixth-
graders will take remote classes,
watching their teachers via comput-
ers on a defi ned schedule.
Another 28 or 29 South Baker
students will study independently by
watching recorded online classes in
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
the Baker Virtual Academy.
The Baker School District devel-
oped the online system for students
in kindergarten through sixth grade
based on programs and platforms
that have been used by Baker Web
Academy since it was started in 2008,
Superintendent Mark Witty said.
Obituaries ..................2A
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ..........1B & 6B
See Schools/Page 3A
Senior Menus ...........2A
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 6B
INSIDE — GOP HOPEFULS FOR SEC. OF STATE, TREASURER HERE: PG. 5A