THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2020
TESTING
at the hospital lab to process
tests, Mollahan said.
“It was very frustrating,
frankly,” he said.
But over the past month
the labs have added the
necessary instruments, and
the availability of test kits is
better than it has ever been,
Mollahan said.
“I think this is a real
positive for Baker County,” he
said. “The more we can test
the better.”
Continued from Page 1A
Crowder said she recom-
mends the other test, with
results generally available in
4 to 5 days, for everyone who
comes to the curbside clinic
but doesn’t have symptoms.
Some, but not all, people
agree to have that test, she
said.
With either type of test, a
hospital employee will phone
the patient with the result.
The bottom line is that
any resident who wants to be
tested for COVID-19 can be.
And for no cost.
Mollahan said Saint
Alphonsus will bill patients’
insurance for either CO-
VID-19 test, and federal
funds will cover either the
amount insurance doesn’t, or
the entire cost for people who
don’t have insurance.
Kelly Nork, the hospital’s
practice manager and prac-
tice nurse lead, said people
who use the respiratory
assessment clinic might, de-
pending on symptoms, have
other tests, such as a chest
X-ray, recommended. Those
services would be charged at
the regular rate and would
not be covered by COVID-19
BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A
LOCAL & STATE
State announces infl ux of
test kits
On Tuesday Oregon Gov.
Kate Brown announced that
the state will receive up to
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention / Contributed photo 80,000 rapid COVID-19 tests
A COVID-19 virus particle.
per week from the federal
government, doubling the
state’s testing abilities.
programs, she said.
evaluation and administer
The fi rst communities to
Crowder said few people
the test. People don’t need to
receive these antigen tests,
were using the curbside
get out of their cars.
which will produce results
evaluation clinic over the
Nork said people should
in 15 minutes, will be those
past several weeks, but she
leave their pets at home
said Monday she had noticed when they come to the clinic. affected by wildfi res, Brown
an increase in traffi c since
Nork said that during the said.
the rapid result test became early stages of the pandemic
The new supply of tests
available on Oct. 2.
this spring, Saint Alphonsus allows the state to revise its
testing guidelines and now
A sign at the entrance in- “rarely” tested people who
test even those who don’t
cludes the phone number for came to the clinic, in part
patients to call — 541-524-
because they didn’t meet the show any symptoms but have
been in close contact with
7961. An employee wearing more stringent criteria.
personal protective equip-
Another issue was the lack someone who tested positive
for the virus, she said.
ment will come out to do the of test kits and equipment
COUNTY
Continued from Page 1A
Bennett said the revised process
will include a method for scoring each
proposal the county receives, something
lacking in the request that the county’s
lodging tax committee and commission-
ers approved in the fall of 2019.
In the meantime, commissioners voted
to extend the current $77,000 annual
contract, with the Baker County Cham-
ber of Commerce, through the end of
2020.
Money for the visitor services contract
comes from the county’s lodging tax,
which is collected from guests at motels,
bed-and-breakfasts, vacation rental
homes and other lodging businesses in
Baker City and in much of the county.
The tax is 7% of the rate for the room or
other accommodations.
Last fall, two organizations submitted
proposals for the contract: the Chamber
of Commerce, which has operated the
current visitors center at 480 Campbell
St. near the freeway for more than 30
years, and Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort.
Early in 2020 both the county’s lodg-
ing tax and economic development com-
mittees voted to recommend commis-
sioners award the contract to Anthony
Lakes, which proposed annual expenses
of $70,400.
The ski area, which is owned by the
nonprofi t Baker County Development
Corporation, proposed to operate a visi-
tor center at The Trailhead, the bike and
ski shop the company operates at 1828
Main St. The company also manages
several Forest Service campgrounds
and the city-owned Quail Ridge Golf
Course in Baker City.
Baker City Mayor Loran Joseph,
who is the city’s representative on the
lodging tax committee, said in January
that he made the motion to recommend
Anthony Lakes receive the contract
because it proposed to operate the visi-
tors center for more hours than under
the current contract with the Chamber
of Commerce.
Others, including Kathy Reedy, a
lodging tax committee member who
cast the lone dissenting vote on the
motion to recommend Anthony Lakes
receive the contract, said the Main
Street location is poorly suited for a
visitor center in part because it lacks
parking for visitors with trailers or
larger vehicles.
Reedy did say she believed Anthony
Lakes would “do a great job” operating
a visitor center.
On Feb. 19, commissioners decided to
delay a decision on awarding the con-
tract until Oct. 1. They planned to have
a series of public meetings across the
county to solicit opinions for residents
about the visitor center contract, but
those meetings didn’t happen, in part
due to the coronavirus pandemic that
started just a few weeks later.
On Sept. 9, Peter Johnson, general
manager of Anthony Lakes, sent a let-
ter to the commissioners asking them
to award the contract during their Sept.
16 meeting. Johnson pointed out that
the two county committees had recom-
mended commissioners award the
contract to Anthony Lakes.
Commissioners declined to do so.
Commission Chairman Bill Harvey
said in September that the county had
not solicited residents’ opinions about
the competing proposals.
Bennett also pointed out that the
county had yet to have the public meet-
ings it had planned to schedule.
During Wednesday’s meeting, Ben-
nett also talked about the importance
of soliciting opinions from businesses
that depend on tourists and that have a
direct stake in the operation of a visitors
center.
“It’s focused on visitors services and
we need to get the discussion back to
visitor services and, while we certainly
appreciate all kinds of input, we need
to refl ect what those businesses that
are providing visitors services to Baker
County need and want and have it in
that context,” Bennett said.
“To me, it’s time to go back to the be-
ginning and build a good, solid founda-
tion on what do the businesses that rely
on visitor service programs want and
need.”
Shelly Cutler, the Chamber of Com-
merce’s executive director, said “We are
looking forward to submitting another
proposal. We thank the commissioners
for their time and for their due diligence
on the process. We’re going to submit a
new proposal when the time comes. In
the meantime, we just hope to continue
to serve Baker County to the best of our
ability until the next determination is
made.”
N EWS OF R ECORD
DEATHS
Steve Myers: 67, of Baker
City, died Oct. 6, 2020, at his
home. Arrangements are under
the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home and Cremation
Services. Online condolences can
be made at www.tamispine
valleyfuneralhome.com
Allan Glenn White: 70, of
Baker City, died Oct. 6, 2020, at
Nampa, Idaho. Arrangements are
under the direction of Bowman
Funeral Parlor of Garden City,
Idaho.
FUNERALS PENDING
David Hicks: A remembrance
of David Hicks will be held on
Saturday, Oct. 10, from noon to
3 p.m. at The Little Pig, 3685 10th
St.
Jan Haga: A memorial
service and celebration of his life
will take place Friday, Oct. 16, at
1 p.m. at Harvest Church, 3720
Birch St. in Baker City. COVID-19
precautions will be in place, and
people attending should bring a
mask and follow social distanc-
ing requirements. The fam-
ily suggests donations in Jan’s
memory be made to Harvest
Church through Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home & Cremation Ser-
vices, P.O. Box 543, Halfway, OR
97834. Online condolences can
be made at www.tamispine
valleyfuneralhome.com
Robert T. ‘Bob’ Gilkison: His
graveside service will take place
Saturday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. at the
Haines Cemetery. Contributions
in memory of Mr. Gilkison may
be made to the Eastern Oregon
O BITUARIES
Continued from Page 2A
Paul Johnson
Formerly of Baker City, 1955-2020
He was Papa to his
granddaughters and great-
granddaughters. He loved his
family. Paul loved growing his
dahlias and he always had a
fantastic garden.
Paul had a beautiful voice
and often did special music in
church. He was a Christian
camp counselor and Sunday
School teacher. He was a
strong Christian man who
loved fellowship with Grace
Baptist Church in Newberg.
Paul is survived by his
wife of 39 1/2 years, Diana
(Bigelow) Johnson; his three
children, Amy Johnson,
Laura (Yoon) Saeteurn
and Ken (April) Johnson;
Museum in Haines through Coles
Tribute Center, 1950 Place St.,
Baker City, OR 97814. To light
a candle in his memory, go to
www.colestributecenter.com
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
FOURTH-DEGREE ASSAULT,
HARASSMENT and SECOND-
DEGREE DISORDERLY CON-
DUCT (Baker County Circuit
Court warrant): Tamara Kay Fine,
47, transient, 1:10 a.m. Wednes-
day, in the 100 block of Campbell
Street; jailed.
FOURTH-DEGREE DOMESTIC
ASSAULT: Larie D. Bates, 57, of
York, Pennsylvania, 8:54 p.m.
Tuesday, in the 2200 block of
Balm Street; jailed.
fi ve granddaughters, Jay
Wheatley, Makenzie Foster,
Kinsley and Maci Johnson,
and Cami Saeteurn; two
great-granddaughters, Willow
Wheatley and Emerie Foster;
FAILURE TO APPEAR (Six Bak-
er County Circuit Court warrants)
and SECOND-DEGREE CRIMI-
NAL TRESPASSING: Edward
Allen Braswell, 45, transient, 6:43
p.m. Tuesday, in the 1200 block of
Campbell Street; jailed.
HARASSMENT (Multnomah
County warrant): Atraya M.
Lovato, 21, of Portland, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, on Elm Street near Indi-
ana Avenue; cited and released.
Baker County Sheriff’s
Offi ce
Arrests, citations
DRIVING UNDER THE INFLU-
ENCE OF INTOXICANTS: Robert
Bryan Hamby, 35, of Portland,
7:25 p.m. Monday, on Highway
86, about 20 miles east of Baker
City; cited at the jail and released;
Hamby was arrested after investi-
gation of a motor vehicle crash.
his mother, Mary Johnson of
Baker City; his sister, Sally
(Bob) Michels of Texas; his
brothers, Dan of Albany,
Johnny (Julie) of Utah, and
Sam (Heidi) of Baker City.
Safeway, Albertsons stores
selling at-home saliva test kits
Safeway and Albertsons pharmacies in Oregon are of-
fering at-home COVID-19 test kits.
The saliva tests, sold at Safeway and Albertsons stores,
in partnership with Phosphorus Diagnostics, typically offer
results in 72 hours or less from the time the lab receives
the test.
Here’s how it works:
• Visit scheduletest.com to complete a short medical
questionnaire and request your test.
• Your local Safeway or Albertsons pharmacist will au-
thenticate the information, review, and order your test.
• You will be contacted for payment — tests cost
$139.99, and the stores can’t bill insurance — and receive
notifi cation that your test kit is ready for pick up or has
been delivered/shipped to your address. Patients showing
symptoms should not pick up their own test; they must
send a representative or choose delivery.
• Complete the sample collection and send it to the lab
via the kit’s prepaid next-day shipping envelope.
• Receive your results by email or text.
There is no limit on the number of test kits customers
can buy, said Stephen Certo, Safeway/Albertsons director
of pharmacy operations.
“We have plenty of supply,” Certo said. “It’s 98% accu-
rate. If it is positive, then you have COVID, but if it’s nega-
tive you don’t have the results for the two viral targets it
tests for.”
MANAGER
Continued from Page 1A
Councilors interviewed two candidates on Monday
and three others on Tuesday in Zoom meetings.
“I think it’s been going very well,” Mayor Loran Joseph
said on Wednesday. “I think that our questioning has
really exposed who understands the city management
and who has the chops, if you will, to do the job. I’m very
confi dent that we will select someone that will be able to
do a fabulous job for quite some time.”
Joseph said he expects councilors to invite two, three
or four candidates to visit Baker City and meet citizens
and councilors, including the people who are elected Nov.
3. Six of the seven seats on the Council are on the ballot,
and among the 13 candidates for those seats are three
incumbents.
Although the current Council plans to pick the new
manager, as few as one of those seven, and as many as
four, if all three incumbents are re-elected, will remain
on the Council when it convenes for the fi rst time in
January 2021.
WEATHER
Continued from Page 1A
BLM to end
fi re restrictions
The National
The damp, cool
Weather Service pre-
weather forecast this
dicts that the strongest
weekend prompted
storm since last spring
the Bureau of Land
will barrel into Baker
Management’s Vale
County on Saturday,
District to end seasonal
bringing widespread
fi re restrictions starting
rain to lower elevations,
Monday, Oct. 12.
possibly a few inches
Campfi res, which
of snow on the peaks of
have been banned on
the Elkhorn and Wal-
BLM land since mid-
lowa mountains, along
summer, will be allowed
with blustery winds
again. BLM offi cials re-
and temperatures more
mind people that the fi re
typical of November
danger remains higher
than of August.
than usual for early fall.
The temperature
likely won’t reach
60 degrees on either
Sunday or Monday. That hasn’t happened since May 21
and 22.
The storm, which will drop the snow level to between
5,500 feet and 6,500 feet, according to the Weather
Service, will end the abnormally warm beginning of
autumn.
The high temperature at the Baker City Airport was
above average on 12 of the 16 days since the equinox.
The warm spell has been even more notable, which is
to say unprecedented, during October.
The temperature topped 80 degrees on each of the fi rst
7 days of the month at the Baker City Airport. That’s the
fi rst time that has happened since at least 1943, the fi rst
year for which temperature records are available from
the airport.
A weather station that operated in Baker City from
1928 to 1981 also didn’t document any October that
started with 7 straight 80-degree days.
This October’s torrid start — daily highs of 85, 87, 85,
81, 81, 86 and 81 (as of 4 p.m. Wednesday) — didn’t set
any daily records, however. The closest was Tuesday,
Oct. 6, when the high of 86 fell just 1 degree short of the
record set in 1980.
The balmy trend started in September. The month’s
average high temperature of 81.5 degrees at the Airport
was 6 degrees above average, and the fi fth-warmest on
record for September. The hottest September at the Air-
port was 1967, when the average high temperature was
83.3. The runner-up is 1990, with an average high of 82.7.
Rachel Pregnancy Center
2192 Court Avenue, Baker City • 541-523-5357
Services Provided:
Free Pregnancy Tests
A resource
center for
Referrals for Free Ultrasounds
families
Pregnancy Options Counseling
Adoption Referrals
Prenatal, Infant Care & Parenting Classes
Maternity & Baby Clothing
Post Abortion Recovery
Helping women & men in an
Open Tues -Thurs
unplanned pregnancy.
All services free & confidential.
10 am - 5 pm
(closed for lunch)
Appreciation
iation from family of Janice Smull
With gratitude e and appreciation, the family of Janice Smull would like to thank
than all of those
that expressed kindness, love and caring thoughts and prayers of encouragement, support
and strength during the loss of our mother, grandmother, sister and more to so many. We
can’t express the heartfelt love and gratitude we felt from all the calls, visits, flowers, gifts of
food and goodie baskets, memorial contributions and so much more.
A shout out of thanks to all those special staff members of mom’s Hospice Team, her
card playing partners and friends, the staff at Gray’s West & co and all the others that so
kindly made the celebration of life come together so efficiently and effectively. A special
thanks to our sister-in-law Cheryl and her family for all the work they put into the pictures
and everything else they helped with.
May peace, good health, love, and light be with you and your families.
From the families of Danna, Celeste, Dale, and Molly.