SATURDAY
HIGH SCHOOL REFEREES EAGER TO GET BACK INTO THE ACTION: PAGE 6A
In OUTDOORS, 1B
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
October 10, 2020
Local • Sports • Outdoors • TV
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Lynda
Masterson of Baker City.
BRIEFING
$1.50
Virus
rate
rises
Program Offers Free Preschool For Many Local Families
Preschool Promise
Baker County
Health Department
plans drive-thru fl u
shot clinic Oct. 16
at Baker High
The Baker County
Health Department will
have a drive-thru fl u shot
clinic on Friday, Oct. 16,
from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
at Baker High School in
the student parking lot,
between the school and
football stadium, 2500 E
St.
Flu vaccine is available
to all people 6 months and
older. Alicia Hills, nursing
supervisor at the Health
Department, encourages
everyone to get a fl u shot
this season.
Flu vaccine costs
$38 (available for age 6
months and older) for the
regular vaccine and $73.50
for high dose (available for
age 65 and older).
Bring your insurance
card. More information
is available by calling the
Health Department at 541-
523-8211.
WEATHER
Today
57 / 36
Rain showers
likely
Sunday
57 / 42
Scattered rain
showers
Monday
61 / 34
Mostly cloudy
with showers
Full forecast on the
back of the B section.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Ski area’s
plans for
season
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
An increase this week
in new COVID-19 cases
in Baker County could
jeopardize the Baker School
District’s plan to return
elementary students to in-
person classes on Oct. 14.
With two new cases
reported Friday, the county
has reported eight cases
since Sunday, Oct. 4. That’s
the highest weekly total
since the week starting Aug.
30, when there were 13 new
cases. Most of those 13 cases
were from Meadowbrook
Place assisted living facility,
the site of the county’s only
outbreak. That outbreak,
which totaled 27 cases, has
been controlled.
Lisa Britton/For the Baker City Herald
Ezra Diamond, left, builds with magnetic blocks while Rhonan Gibson plays nearby during free time at Miss
Melissa’s Preschool. The preschool, along with Head Start, received Preschool Promise funds to offer tuition-
free spots to families who qualify under the income guidelines.
By Lisa Britton
For the Baker City Herald
Melissa Shafer turns a page and
continues with the well-known story
of “I knew an old lady who swallowed
a fl y.”
“She swallowed a ... cow!” Shafer
says, then looks at the youngsters sit-
ting on the carpet nearby. “Could you
swallow a cow?”
“I could!” Rhonan Gibson, 4, says,
bouncing a bit on his pillow.
Soon the story is over.
Maybe.
“Again! Let’s do that one again!”
Ezra Diamond, 3, says as he jumps
up and down.
This is a typical scene inside Miss
Melissa’s Preschool, where Shafer
uses a modifi ed Montessori approach
of play-based learning.
“I’m a believer in that kids are
little scientists,” she said.
Today she has just two children,
but she hopes that changes soon
thanks to a Preschool Promise grant
she received from the state.
Preschool Promise was developed
to help families access preschool
programs. The state program pro-
vides free preschool for those with
income that is 200% or less of federal
poverty guidelines. For a family of
four, the maximum income limit is
$52,400. For a family of six, the limit
is $70,320.
Preschool Promise is about options,
See COVID-19/Page 2A
Fugitive
arrested
after he
claimed
snakebite
already participated in the Preschool
“Preschool Promise really is
Promise program), and 35 with Head
about trying to meet all families’ Start.
needs and level the playing fi eld
The typical day at Miss Melissa’s
Preschool
is from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.,
for all children coming into
although she can extend to 5 p.m. if
kindergarten.”
needed.
— Theresa Martinez, Child Care
Her preschool is in a small build-
Resource & Referral
ing near downtown Baker City.
The approach is play-based, which
said Theresa Martinez, who is tran- includes free play time with a rotat-
sitioning from Early Learning Hub
ing collection of toys, center space for
coordinator to the director of Child
activities, and a room for storytime
Care Resource & Referral. She helps and crafts.
families enroll in Preschool Promise.
She incorporates outside activities
“Preschool Promise really is about as much as possible.
trying to meet all families’ needs and
Shafer usually advertises her pre-
level the playing fi eld for all children school on Facebook, but had to delay
coming into kindergarten,” she said. this year while awaiting Preschool
Preschool Promise is in its fourth
Promise paperwork.
year, but in 2020 it expanded to offer
To learn more about Miss Melissa’s
more slots for eligible families. It
Preschool, check Facebook or her
includes a variety of settings — cen- website, missmelissaspreschool.com.
ters, homes, and schools — that offer
To apply for Preschool Promise,
options for availability.
call Martinez at 541-473-4822 or
“Some parents need longer care,”
email theresa.martinez@malesd.org.
Martinez said. “That’s where home
Head Start
programs are an option.”
Although Head Start is already in
Preschool Promise programs are
session, the program still has space
required to provide 900 hours per
for students. Later this month, Head
year.
And that time, Martinez said, must Start will transition to the Baker
include “developmentally appropriate Early Learning Center (BELC) at
2725 Seventh St., and resume classes
activities.”
This year, Baker City was allotted in early November.
8 spots at Miss Melissa’s Preschool,
See Preschool/Page 3A
6 at Masterminds (which is full and
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
An Idaho fugitive who
reported about 7 p.m. Thurs-
day that he was
lost in the Hells
Canyon area
summoned
law enforce-
ment offi cers
Henry
to his rescue
after claiming
that he had been bitten by a
rattlesnake.
Ryan Paul Henry, 33, of
Kuna, Idaho, was found,
with no signs or symptoms
of a rattlesnake bite, about
10 p.m. Thursday and was
in custody Friday in the
Baker County Jail where he
was being held on an Idaho
parole violation warrant.
See Fugitive/Page 2A
Baker Technical Institute Will Create Online Hub Linked To Regional Hospitals
BTI receives grant for medical training
By Chris Collins
ccollins@bakercityherald.com
A $147,203 federal grant will help
Baker Technical Institute provide
improved distance education train-
ing to students interested in pursu-
ing health care careers in remote
areas of the region in the months
ahead.
John Huffman, state director of
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
Rural Development, announced
the award Wednesday in a press
release.
“With the vast geographic dis-
tances in this part of the state, it is
TODAY
Issue 65, 12 pages
not always feasible for rural resi-
dents to travel to attend classes,”
Huffman stated. “This investment
will give those who want to begin a
career in health care the ability to
access classes remotely, increasing
the job opportunities available to
them.”
Doug Dalton, BTI president, said
the organization applied for the
grant funding prior to in-person
classes being shut down because
of the COVID-19 pandemic last
spring.
“Now distance learning is in the
spotlight ... throughout the world,
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Community News ....3A
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Dear Abby ................. 6B
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really,” he said.
The USDA funding, and an addi-
tional $22,075 contribution from the
Baker School District, will be used to
provide state-of-the-art technology to
train students not only in Baker City,
but also in communities in Grant,
Harney, Morrow and Wallowa coun-
ties.
BTI, which has been housed in the
northwest wing of Baker High School
since it was established in 2014, is the
hub site for the health care training.
Community hospitals in the region —
Blue Mountain Hospital in John Day,
Harney District Hospital in Burns,
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
Morrow County Health District in
Heppner and Wallowa Memorial
Hospital in Enterprise — will serve
as end-user sites for the program.
In most cases, students, for whom
Chromebooks will be provided, can
study from their homes. Those who
don’t have reliable internet service,
would be able to visit the hospital in
their area and access the internet
at that site, said Tonia Springer,
BTI program coordinator. The
Chromebooks will be rotated through
students at each site.
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ..........1B & 2B
Senior Menus ...........2A
See Training/Page 3A
Sports ........................6A
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 6B
TUESDAY — UPDATE ON ORPHEUM THEATER RENOVATION PROJECT