LOCAL, STATE & NATION
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2021
Rover lands on Mars
vehicle arrived at Jezero
Crater, hitting NASA’s
CAPE CANAV-
smallest and trickiest
ERAL, Fla. — A
target yet: a 5-by-4-mile
NASA rover streaked
strip on an ancient river
through the orange
delta full of pits, cliffs
Martian sky and
and rocks. Scientists
landed on the planet
believe that if life ever
Thursday, Feb. 18,
fl ourished on Mars, it
accomplishing the
would have happened 3
riskiest step yet in
billion to 4 billion years
an epic quest to bring
ago, when water still
Contributed Artwork
back rocks that could
fl owed on the planet.
A rendering of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars.
answer whether life
Over the next two
ever existed on Mars. The rover will look for signs of ancient life and conduct
years, Percy, as it is
experiments for possible future astronaut missions.
Ground control-
nicknamed, will use its
lers at the space
7-foot arm to drill down
agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
a jubilant Thomas Zurbuchen,
and collect rock samples containing
in Pasadena, California, leaped to
NASA’s science mission chief, said at possible signs of bygone microscopic
their feet, thrust their arms in the
a news conference.
life. Three to four dozen chalk-size
air and cheered in both triumph and
Perseverance, the biggest, most ad- samples will be sealed in tubes and
relief on receiving confi rmation that vanced rover ever sent by NASA, be- set aside to be retrieved eventually
the six-wheeled Perseverance had
came the ninth spacecraft since the
by another rover and brought home-
touched down on the red planet, long 1970s to successfully land on Mars,
ward by another rocket ship.
a deathtrap for incoming spacecraft. every one of them from the U.S.
The goal is to get them back to
“Now the amazing science starts,”
The car-size, plutonium-powered
Earth as early as 2031.
By Marcia Dunn
AP Aerospace Writer
COVID-19
updated every two weeks.
Risk levels for the next two-
Continued from Page 1A
week period, Feb. 26 through
Baker County recorded
March 11, will be based on
six new cases on Wednesday, COVID-19 statistics for the
Feb. 17.
period Feb. 7-20.
That was the highest
As a medium-population
one-day total in more than a county, Baker’s risk level is
month. There were 11 new
based on two measurements:
cases on Jan. 15. Since then
• New cases from Feb. 7-20.
the county has averaged
To stay in the lower-risk
slightly fewer than two cases level, which has the least-se-
per day. Prior to Wednesday’s vere restrictions on businesses
six cases, the highest one-day and other activities, the county
total was fi ve cases, on Feb. 2. must have fewer than 30 new
The county recorded no new cases during that period.
cases on 10 days over the
As of Thursday, Feb. 18, the
past 34 days, including Feb.
county’s total was 23 cases.
13 and 14.
That means the county, to stay
But over the following four in the lower-risk level, could
days the county had 14 new have no more than six new
cases.
cases total from Friday and
Baker County dropped to
Saturday.
lower risk, the least restric-
• Percentage of positive
tive of the Oregon Health
tests from Feb. 7-20.
Authority’s (OHA) four-level
To stay in the lower-risk
system, on Feb. 12.
level, the county needs to have
The county will stay at
a positivity rate of less than
that level for at least two
5%.
weeks, as the risk levels are
Bennett said that as of
Thursday, the county’s positiv-
ity rate for the measuring
period was about 3.9%.
He said county offi cials
have asked state offi cials to
consider more than just the
raw numbers and percentages
in deciding risk levels.
Bennett said Matt Scarfo,
a commissioner in Union
County, has raised the situa-
tion in which, for instance, fi ve
members of a single house-
hold all test positive.
Bennett said he agrees with
Scarfo that in such instances,
if counting all fi ve of those
cases would push a county
into a higher risk level, state
offi cials should make an
exception because a single
house, if all its members
quarantine, would pose little
to no risk of further spreading
the virus.
State offi cials already take
a similar approach with infec-
tions among inmates at state
prisons.
The state doesn’t consider
A 31-year-old man arrested
Thursday, Feb. 18, for allegedly
stealing items from
several cars in
Baker City is also a
suspect in the theft
of gold plates and
other items from
St. Francis de Sales Thomas
Catholic Cathedral.
Baker City Police arrested Josh-
ua Milton Thomas late Thursday.
He was taken to the Baker Coun-
ty Jail, where he remained Friday
on charges of aggravated theft by
receiving, unauthorized entry of
a motor vehicle, attempted entry
of a motor vehicle and unlawful
possession of heroin.
Police started investigating
after a resident stopped an of-
fi cer about 10:15 p.m. Thursday
and said a man in dark clothing
was trying to enter vehicles on
Kirkway Drive at the north end of
town, according to a press release
from Baker City Police.
Offi cers followed tracks in the
snow leading to the Leo Adler
Memorial Parkway and found
Thomas. While talking to him,
offi cers found that he had several
items reported stolen from the
cathedral, includiing the Bishop’s
chalice, a second chalice, a silver
and gold crucifi x and three gold
plates. The estimated value of all
the items is $11,000, according to
the press release.
Police Chief Ray Duman said
offi cers will continue the inves-
tigation to determine whether
Thomas stole the items.
Police determined that Thomas
entered at least six vehicles on
Kirkway Drive and took items
with a total value of about $600.
Thomas also tried to break into
at least 13 other vehicles on that
street.
tested those who have symp-
toms — the county’s positivity
rate is certain to increase.
But that trend doesn’t
necessarily mean the virus is
spreading more rapidly, Ben-
nett said.
Baker County offi cials have
asked, to no avail thus far, to
have the county moved from
the medium-population group
— from 15,000 to 29,999 — to
the smallest population group,
counties with fewer than
15,000 residents.
Baker County has the
smallest population, at about
16,800, of the medium-size
counties.
The difference is signifi cant
— for the smallest counties,
only the number of new cases
is used to determine their risk
level.
If Baker County were
moved to that group, its test
positivity rate would no longer
affect its risk level.
If the county doesn’t meet
the standards to stay at lower
risk, it likely would move to
the medium-risk category for
the period Feb. 26-March 11.
This would have some ef-
fect on restaurants and bars,
which under the lower risk
can have indoor dining up
to 50% of capacity, and up to
eight people per table. Such
businesses can stay open until
midnight.
Under moderate-risk rules,
indoor dining could continue
up to 50% of capacity, but
there would also be a limit
of 100 people total, including
staff, if that’s a lower number
than the 50% of capacity. The
limit per table would drop
to six, and businesses would
have to close at 11 p.m. rather
than midnight.
The differences between
lower and moderate risk
limits are similar for gyms,
theaters and museums. The
occupancy limit would remain
at 50% for those venues, but
with the additional limit of
100 people total.
Anthony Lakes Veterans
Appreciation Day Feb. 22
Continued from Page 1A
Umatilla County
infant first in
Oregon younger
than 9 to die
from COVID
Man suspected in thefts
from St. Francis Cathedral
those cases in calculating the
county’s risk level because
inmates don’t circulate in the
community.
Specifi cally with test
positivity rates, Bennett
said he hopes state offi cials
understand that as Baker and
other counties have shifted
their focus from testing to
vaccinating residents against
COVID-19, fewer people are
being tested.
He said the county can’t
schedule both vaccination
clinics — 315 people received
their fi rst dose during an
event at Baker High School
on Feb. 12 — and large testing
clinics.
The county’s number of
tests dropped from 489 the
week of Jan. 24, to 284, 282
and 99 the following three
weeks.
The concern, Bennett said,
is that if the county reverts
to the situation the prevailed
for much of the pandemic —
with most of the people being
SNOW
But because skiers and snow-
boarders have to drive to the resort,
and because they like to park when
they get there, this wintry barrage,
even as it created conditions that
skiers dream about, was causing
a nightmare for Anthony Lakes’
maintenance crew.
They had 9 miles of steep road to
plow.
And a couple of acres of parking
lots.
“Our crew’s been at it since 6 a.m.
Wednesday (Feb. 17),” Johnson said
on Thursday morning. “And they’re
still going.”
The weather offered only a brief
respite for the beleaguered plow
drivers as they prepared the ski
area for its opening Thursday morn-
ing. Snow tapered off late Wednes-
day, but the latest storm arrived
Thursday and added another half a
foot or so to the ski area’s base.
Anthony Lakes is open Thursday
through Sunday.
On Wednesday afternoon the ski
area, via its website, asked visi-
tors who were planning to drive up
the mountain that day and stay
overnight in their RVs to wait until
Thursday morning to give workers
time to push the snow out of park-
ing areas.
Johnson said he’s never seen so
much snow fall in one week during
his decade as general manager.
The weather pattern during that
period illustrated the sometimes
dramatic differences between what
happens in the mountains and in
the valleys.
Although several inches of snow
also fell in Baker City on Monday,
Feb. 15, the snow there all but
stopped by late that day.
But snow continued to fall,
heavily at times, at Anthony Lakes
BAKER CITY HERALD — 5A
Chelsea Judy/Contributed Photo
A restroom beside a cross-country ski trail at Anthony Lakes bears
a heavy snow load after a week in which up to 4 feet of snow fell at
the resort in the Elkhorn Mountains.
Tuesday and Wednesday.
This was the result of a persistent
air fl ow from the west-northwest,
according to the National Weather
Service.
As that air, laden with moisture
after crossing the Pacifi c Ocean,
slammed into the Elkhorn Moun-
tains it was forced to rise, which
caused it to cool. And because cooler
air can hold less moisture in suspen-
sion, the resulting clouds dropped
much of their moisture, as snow, on
the slopes at Anthony Lakes.
And on the road and parking lots,
of course.
The same pattern pummeled
other mountain areas, including the
northern Blues around Tollgate, with
prodigious amounts of snow over the
same period.
Downwind valleys such as Baker,
meanwhile, were in the rain shadow
— or, rather, snow shadow, given the
temperatures.
The offi cial snow-measuring sta-
tion nearest Anthony Lakes is an
automated device in a meadow about
half a mile east of the ski area itself.
While the format of the event is different this year due to COVID-19
safety measures, veterans will “own the mountain” Monday, Feb. 22,
according to Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, which is hosting its sixth-
annual Veterans Appreciation Day.
Veterans, active military and their families will have the resort to
themselves. Cosponsored by the Center for Human Development Inc.,
La Grande, the event offers free ski lessons, equipment rentals, lift
tickets and lunch at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, 19 miles west of
North Powder off Interstate 84 at exit 285.
The resort’s annual Veterans Appreciation Day is open to local veter-
ans and their spouse/partner and any dependents 18 and younger.
Tickets need to be reserved ahead of time. To register and reserve lift
tickets, go to www.anthonylakes.com/veterans-appreciation-day.
The resort requires proof of military duty to pick up the tickets
Monday at the window on the west side of the lodge. Participants will
receive a packet of information as well regarding veterans services.
Sign-up for lessons will be at the ticket booth. Lessons are at 11:30
a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The rental shop will open at 9 a.m.
A free lunch will be served noon to 1 p.m. through the window of the
Smokin’ Starbottle. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase.
Face coverings are required at all times within the permit area, in-
cluding parking lots. Guests are encouraged to arrive in groups of three
and to ride the chairlift with those you traveled with. The lodge is closed
except for bathroom use.
For information, contact Brian Blais at the Center for Human Devel-
opment at 541-962-8842 or bblais@chdinc.org, or Chelsea at Anthony
Lakes at 541-856-3277 or chelsea@anthonylakes.com.
That station, which reports snow
depth at midnight each day, re-
corded 43 inches of snow at the start
of Thursday, Feb. 11.
During the next seven days, con-
cluding at the start of Feb. 18, the
snow depth increased to 79 inches
— a total of 36 inches.
Another station, in the north-
ern Blues near Tollgate, recorded
similar totals for the week. There
the snow depth rose from 47 inches
early on Feb. 11 to 90 inches the
morning of Feb. 17 — 43 total inches
in six days.
At Schneider Meadows, in the
southern Wallowa Mountains north
of Halfway, the snow depth in-
creased from 68 to 88 inches.
The storm that started Thursday
afternoon and continued overnight
delivered another 7 inches at
Schneider Meadows.
Two sites at the southwest corner
of the Wallowas both measured
about 30 inches of new snow over
the past week.
A station at Taylor Green record-
ed a snow depth increasing from
44 to 75 inches, and at nearby West
Eagle Meadows, the snow depth
increased from 61 to 91 inches.
Considerable amounts of snow fell
even at lower-elevation sites, such
as Tipton, along Highway 7 between
Sumpter and Austin Junction.
The snow depth there rose this
week from 32 to 52 inches.
Although the snow was mostly
light and powdery — the stuff skiers
and snowboarders covet — there
was enough of it to signifi cantly
increase the water content in the
snowpack.
That measurement, not depth, is
the one irrigation district manag-
ers and farmers heed, because the
water content more accurately re-
fl ects the amount of water that will
trickle into streams and reservoirs
this spring and summer.
The average water content from
more than a dozen sites around
Northeast Oregon was cumulative-
ly 11% below the 30-year average
on Feb. 2.
By Feb. 19 the water content
from those sites was 17% above
average.
same day at Kadlec Regional Medi-
cal Center in Richland, Washington,
UMATILLA COUNTY — The
according to a press release from
Oregon Health Authority has
OHA on Thursday, Feb. 18. He
reported the state’s fi rst COVID-
had unspecifi ed underlying health
19-related death of a child between conditions.
0-9 years old — an infant boy from
“Every death from COVID-19 is
Umatilla County.
a tragedy, even more so the death of
The boy tested positive for
a child,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, OHA’s
COVID-19 on Jan. 17 and died that health offi cer and state epidemiolo-
gist, said in a press release. “The
death of an infant is extremely rare.
This news represents a tremendous
loss to the mother and family. My
thoughts are with them during this
diffi cult time.”
Children with certain underlying
medical conditions, as well as in-
fants younger than 1 year old, could
be at increased risk for developing
severe symptoms. Most children
who have experienced severe illness
from COVID-19 have had underly-
ing medical conditions, according to
the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
According to the CDC as of Feb.
17, 140 reported COVID-19 deaths
have come from children and teen-
agers under the age of 14.
By Bryce Dole
East Oregonian
— The (La Grande) Observer