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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 2021)
COMMUNITY THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021 Man accused of burglarizing his mother’s home HOOPS Continued from Page 1A But the pandemic, though scarcely begun, had an effect. Portable handwashing sta- tions were set up outside the BHS gym. The Baker School District used a misting system to dis- infect the gym and other parts of the high school each day. Yet the tournaments hap- pened. Crane nipped St. Paul, 45- 41, to capture the girls state title the night of March 7. On the boys side, Triad beat Damascus Christian 58-56 for the boys championship a few hours later in the usual raucous atmosphere in the BHS gym. “It seems like ages ago,” Taylor said of the 2020 tour- naments. “We were fortu- nate. The community came together really well to make it happen.” Less than a week later, high school sports in Oregon were postponed. Later they were canceled for the rest of the spring. The Baker girls basketball team was unable to defend its 2019 Class 4A state title. And now, almost a year later, the pandemic continues to thwart traditions across the state. Taylor said the absence of the tournaments affects Baker City in multiple ways. The economic losses are the most obvious. Taylor said the 2020 tournaments drew about 9,500 spectators over the four days. As always, a signifi cant percentage of those fans were visiting Baker City, staying in local motels, dining at local restaurants and shopping at local stores (see related story at right). But as a longtime volunteer, and now co-director, Taylor said she also feels a personal sense of loss. She will miss seeing some of the people, from across Oregon, that she has come to know over the years and decades, the fans and coaches and parents. “There are relationships that have been built,” Taylor said. “You’ve watched these kids grow up, it’s like family when they come back (for the tournaments). That personal connection has been lost.” Taylor likens the situation to one that so many people have faced over the past year. “It’s like losing contact with your grandchildren,” she said. “It’s like a big family reunion, and it didn’t happen this year.” The cancellation of this year’s tournament won’t have a major fi nancial effect on Baker County Tourna- ments, Taylor said, because the OSAA makes an annual DEATHS Continued from Page 1A As with other COVID- 19-related deaths, state offi cials did not release the names of the two residents. In a Tuesday press release, Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett said: “Even though the County’s risk level has improved, the virus continues to spread in our community. These reports weigh heavily on everyone. I want their friends and family to know how saddened we are for their loss, and we offer our condolences to everyone who is grieving.” The two deaths were the fi rst attributed to the virus in the county in a month. A 59-year-old Baker County man died on Feb. 2, and an 86-year-old man died on Jan. 30. COVID-19-related deaths in the county in 2020 were: • 85-year-old man who died on Dec. 21 • 95-year-old man who died on Nov. 26 • 83-year-old man who died on Oct. 18 • 90-year-old man who died on Aug. 21 • 82-year-old woman who BAKER CITY HERALD — 3A By Chris Collins ccollins@bakercityherald.com S. John Collins/Baker City Herald File Powder Valley’s Belle Blair, in blue, during the 2018 Class 1A state basketball tourna- ment at Baker High School. Baker City Police arrest- ed a man Tuesday morning, March 2, on charges that he burglarized his mother’s home and violated a restraining order she Rust had fi led against him. Police were called to Carla Koplein’s home in the 3100 block of Grove Street about 8 a.m. Tuesday, Police Chief Ray Duman stated in a press release. Koplein told offi cers that her son, Raleigh David Rust, 46, of Baker City, had kicked in her front door and was attempting to gain ac- cess to her bedroom where she had taken refuge, Du- man stated. Police entered the home and arrested Rust without incident. He is being held at the Baker County Jail on charges of fi rst-degree bur- glary, a Class A felony; and the Class A misdemeanor charges of fi rst-degree crim- inal trespassing, violation of a restraining order, viola- tion of a release agreement, two counts of second-degree criminal mischief and one count of harassment. Damage to the front door and bedroom door of Koplein’s home was estimated at about $700, Duman said. Rust also is accused of entering, through a win- dow, the property at 3115 Grove St., owned by Nelson Real Estate, and kicking over a metal sign. Damage was estimated at $600, Duman said. Rust was prohibited from being on the Nelson Real Estate property as part of a Baker County Jail release agreement, Sgt. Wayne Chastain wrote in a court document. Rust was arrested Feb. 6 on an earlier charge of tres- passing on that property. CONTRACT BUSINESS weekend for small, rural America for sure.” LeVenia Wilson-Tuilau at the Eldorado Continued from Page 1A Inn in Baker City said the tournament week Cutler pointed out that many of the is a “huge event for all the hotels in the area teams that play in the state tournaments because it’s one of the major events for the hail from towns much smaller than Baker year for us. And by it being canceled, it does City. For some visitors, then, the trip to the hurt our business.” “big city” offers shopping opportunities they Jennifer Bobo, offi ce manager at Ryder don’t have close to home. Brothers Stationery, which also sells toys “That’s a big deal,” Cutler said. “I get calls and handmade chocolates, said the tourna- from families weeks in advance, when they ments are important to the business. think they might qualify (for the tourna- “There’s quite a few people that come in ment), asking where they can stay, eat, what and visit from the ball tournaments, buy they can do. People are excited to be here. toys and stuff like that,” Bobo said. “So, it’ll That’s a cultural piece that we miss too.” impact us. I didn’t know they were canceled. Among the schools that competed in the It’s heartbreaking because it’s for the kids. 2020 tournaments are teams from Crane, I would have liked to have seen it happen. an unincorporated town in Harney County But what can we do?” with about 100 residents, St. Paul, popula- Beverly Calder, who owns BELLA Main tion 440, Prairie City, 915, Joseph, 1,120, and Street Market, said that although she Drain, 1,165. doesn’t see the tournaments as crucial for Cutler said the loss of the tournament her business, she knows they are important this year is especially painful because it af- for the city’s economy overall. fects businesses that have already suffered “It’s benefi cial to the whole town and as a result of pandemic restrictions over the that’s what’s benefi cial,” Calder said. “So, we past 12 months. always see a lot of people in the store during “It’s hitting us at a bad time,” she said. those tournaments and we’ve really missed “We will feel the impact.” them. Any time a group that large comes Carla Smith, who owns the Baker City into town and supports restaurants and Motel and RV Park, said the tournaments supports all the lodging associations and are “a big deal to us.” it supports all of the other retailers, then “That’s a lot of rooms that we will miss it benefi ts the community and all of those having rented,” Smith said. “That’s a huge people end up shopping with me. I look at it bummer. Our community will really suffer as, it’s part of the whole circle of our healthy from that. That’s a nice money making economy.” payment to cover the tourna- ment costs. All the workers, with the exception of scorekeepers, are volunteers, Taylor said. She’s optimistic that the 2022 tournaments not only will happen, but that they will attract larger crowds than usual because spectators are so excited to be able to watch high school basketball again. “I think there will be so much enthusiasm to follow the kids,” Taylor said. died on Aug. 16. Of the nine people who have died in the county, all had underlying medical conditions except the 86-year- old man who died on Jan. 30, according to OHA. the county into the moderate category starting March 12. The county qualifi es for that category if it has from 30 to 44 cases during the measuring period. Differences in restrictions between the low and moder- ate categories include: 50% of capacity • Moderate risk: Maxi- mum of 50% of capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer County could move from low to moderate risk Based on an increase in COVID-19 cases over the past 10 days, Baker County is on pace to move from the lowest of the state’s four risk levels to moderate, which is the second-lowest level. That change would take effect Friday, March 12. Baker County has been at the lowest risk level, which has the least-stringent limits on businesses and activities, since Feb. 12. To stay at the lowest level, the county has to have fewer than 30 cases, and a posi- tive test rate below 5%, for the most recent two-week measuring period. The current measuring period is Feb. 21 through March 6. That period will determine each county’s risk level from March 12 -25. From Feb. 21 through March 2, the county had 32 new cases. That would move Theaters, museums, other indoor entertainment • Lowest risk: Maximum of 50% of capacity; midnight closing time • Moderate risk: Maxi- mum of 50% of capacity or 100 people, whichever is fewer; 11 p.m. closing time Restaurants and bars • Lowest risk: Indoor dining up to 50% of capacity; up to eight diners per table; midnight closing time • Moderate risk: Indoor dining up to 50% of capacity or 100 total people, including Churches, funeral homes and mortuaries staff, whichever is fewer; up • Lowest risk: Indoors, up to six diners per table; 11 p.m. to 75% of capacity; outdoors closing time up to 300 people Gyms, fi tness centers, • Moderate risk: Indoors, indoor pools, indoor up to 50% of capacity or 150 school sports people, whichever is fewer; • Lowest risk: Maximum of outdoors up to 250 people Continued from Page 1A Because the county’s contract requires that it notify the Chamber at least 30 days in advance if the contract is canceled, Commission Chairman Bill Harvey gave Cutler that notice last week. The reason, Bennett said Wednesday, is that commis- sioners were not scheduled to meet until that day. He emphasized that commissioners did not intend to cancel the contract. They voted unanimously on Jan. 6 to extend the contract through April 30. It was the second time commissioners have extended the contract since March 2020. “At no point, I want everybody to clearly understand it, at no point had we discussed (canceling the contract),” Bennett said. “We were doing a procedural step (the 30-day notice) not a result of an action step. We were just doing that because if, not knowing how the action of today would turn out, if we didn’t do it we were in a real quandary.” Bennett said the Chamber of Commerce is a critical element to the community and to the county. Commissioner Bruce Nichols said Wednesday that he hopes the extension of the contract, in addition to giving a level of certainty to the Chamber of Commerce, will help to “dial back some of the rhetoric.” “The Commission has never said that the county was canceling events or shutting down the Chamber of Com- merce,” Nichols said. “We have never said that. Not one commissioner has said that. It’s dividing our county and it’s not necessary. We need to try to work this out and move forward and get the problem solved.” Nichols said he wants Miners Jubilee and other events, most of which were canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, to return, saying they help to drive the county’s economy. Creating a work group Commissioners also voted 3-0 Wednesday to propose to Baker City offi cials that the city and county work together to create a work group that will review not only the visitor services contract but the entire lodging tax system. Bennett, who proposed the group, said he envisions a six-member board, three appointed by the city, along with three from the county, including the county repre- sentatives on the transient lodging tax and economic development committees. Bennett said the work group would gather commu- nity input as to how the lodging tax revenue is spent, including from owners of motels, restaurants and other businesses that cater to visitors. “We’re moving forward,” Harvey said. “I want the citizens of Baker County to understand; we’re not sitting still, we’re not waiting for the governor to tell us to do something, to close this down, open that up. No, we’re moving forward.” Commissioners have been wrestling with the visitor services contract for more than a year. In February 2020 commissioners decided not to award a new contract, al- though both the lodging tax and economic development committee recommended that Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, which along with the Chamber of Commerce submitted a proposal, receive the contract. Anthony Lakes general manager Peter Johnson has urged commissioners to make a decision on the contract. Commissioners, based on the advice of county counsel Andrew Martin, decided last fall to restart the process because the request for proposals that yielded bids from the Chamber and from Anthony Lakes lacked details about how a visitors center should be operated. NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, OR YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEED! CALL US TODAY FOR We Cancel TIMESHARES for You Every year 150,000 people reach out to us for help getting rid of their timeshare. In 2019, we relieved over $50,000,000 in timeshare debt and maintenance fees. We can help. A FREE ESTIMATE 15 % AND! 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