THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
Baker City, Oregon
4A
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EDITORIAL
Getting
ahead of
the virus
The Baker High School gymnasium, normally a
bustling place throughout the winter, has been placid
the past few months.
Instead of the squeaking of sneakers as basketball
players race up and down the court, mostly silence.
The new, brighter scoreboards installed last year
are dark.
But on two Friday mornings in February the BHS
gym again teemed with activity.
A very different sort of activity, to be sure.
But one that will help to ensure that the gym will
eventually be used again for its customary purposes.
The COVID-19 vaccination clinics that Baker
County organized on Feb. 12 and Feb. 26 were im-
pressive, and heartening.
On those two days about 800 Baker County resi-
dents were inoculated.
Several of those people emailed or wrote to the
Baker City Herald to express their gratitude, both for
the clinics and for how well-organized they were.
The clinics contributed greatly to Baker County
having the sixth-highest rate of COVID-19 vac-
cinations, per 10,000 residents, among Oregon’s 36
counties.
Since the fi rst doses were administered in mid-
December, there has been a second pandemic-related
statistic to track on a daily basis. But seeing updates
on the number of county residents who have been
vaccinated is much different from checking the new
COVID-19 cases. The latter is depressing, the former
inspiring.
Fortunately, the trend in vaccinations has been ris-
ing far faster than the number of cases.
In just two and a half months, as of Monday, March
1, a total of 2,795 Baker County residents have re-
ceived either both vaccine doses (1,147) or their fi rst
dose (1,648). That means almost 17% of the county’s
16,800 residents are fully or partially vaccinated.
By comparison, one year into the pandemic, 660
county residents have tested positive for the virus —
3.9%.
The pandemic isn’t over, of course.
For the 10-day period ending March 1, the county
recorded 31 new COVID-19 cases. There were 19 new
cases during the previous 10 days.
“We still can’t let our guard down,” Nancy Staten,
director of the Baker County Health Department,
said on March 1. “We can see the light at the end of
the tunnel. We’re getting there.”
With a third vaccine becoming available this week
— the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that requires only
one dose — the pace of vaccinations should increase.
As for the BHS gym, on Tuesday, March 2, it was
the site of the Baker High School volleyball team’s
fi rst match in an abbreviated season that continues
through early April.
Four days after the gym was a place where hun-
dreds of Baker County’s older residents were gaining
protection from a virus that poses a vastly greater
risk to them, a group of teenagers was using that
cavernous space to bump, set and spike volleyballs.
Two quite different uses of the same space.
But both were welcome indeed.
— Jayson Jacoby, Baker City Herald editor
Your views
Oregon’s River Democracy
Act should be celebrated
This letter is a response to the letter
to the editor published last week en-
titled “The River Democracy Act should
be opposed.”
Our family has lived in and loved
Baker Valley since we settled here
after World War II. My mom and dad
built our family home, raised cattle and
worked to support the community here.
This wild and verdant country and the
rivers that sustain it are what we have
loved most about this place. I was happy
to join thousands of Oregonians in nomi-
nating local rivers for protection under
Wyden’s proposed “River Democracy
Act.” I know many friends and neigh-
bors who did the same. You can read the
bill at https://www.wyden.senate.gov/
I understand concerns regarding new
public lands protections but the facts
don’t support the most common fears.
Read the Bill, and you will fi nd that
Senator Wyden’s visionary proposal
does not affect private property rights,
reduce access or stop grazing, logging or
mining.
The bill does recognize the extraordi-
nary value of our wild, life giving rivers
which are also our most valuable long-
term resource. Like all groundbreaking
proposals, successful implementation
requires thoughtful planning and local
engagement throughout the process.
I urge you to stay tuned and stay
involved. Protecting this resource is not
a land grab, rather it is passing on to
Letters to the editor
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future generations what was passed on
to us. It preserves what makes our part
of the world so special. I can think of no
better way to honor the legacy of those
who have gone before us and ensure a
vibrant future for those who will follow
us.
Robin Coen
Baker City
City Council lucky to have a
nonpartisan free thinker
Obviously Chuck Chase and Tom
Hughes have drank the “cancel culture
kool aid” and are embracing our Repub-
lican Party of Eastern OR and “their”
endorsed and skewed city council. Looks
like they are also throwing big kisses
at our power hungry and “emotional”
mayor. No moderates need apply.
Thank goodness we have at least
one “nonpartisan” free thinker in the
person of Jason Spriet. He is not afraid
of the “bullies” and will speak up and
fi ght for fairness. “The Good Ole Boys
Club” is now fi rmly entrenched in our
“once” great and fair city. Are we now at
the mercy of conspiracy believers such
as Mr. Hughes, and I quote, “baseless
health mandates?” Wow! Might want to
let some dead people weigh in on that.
As for the actions of our then city
manager? Fred Warner had complete
authority to try and keep some sanity
and safety in the city he was managing.
Wasn’t that his job? Appears he was
trying to help and protect all of us. It
only takes a day of personal research
to realize the anti-maskers, COVID
hoaxers and individuals that see the
health guidelines and restrictions as not
pertaining to their selfi sh goals, are now
fi rmly seated in our city government!
Mr. Chase described our city council as
Mayor McQuisten’s “team.” I am fairly
certain that they should be “indepen-
dently” deciding what is best for all
citizens, they are not the personal team
of our mayor. I recently read that our
dictatorial mayor possibly overstepped
her authority by misinterpreting the
rules on appointing board members?
Our former mayor and his wife are
exemplary, productive citizens of Baker
City and have given more to this com-
munity than you will ever dream of Mr.
Hughes! The only one I see causing dis-
sension, creating hate and promoting a
cancel culture agenda is you! Maybe we
should revisit the election results sur-
rounding our city councilors ... I detect
some voter fraud.
Mike Meyer
Baker City
OTHER VIEWS
A new vaccine, and more progress
Editorial from The New York
Daily News
Last weekend marked another step
in defeating COVID-19 as the FDA
approved Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine,
giving America 100 million additional
doses by this summer, another won-
derful life-saving weapon against
the deadly virus. Coming a day after
President Joe Biden celebrated the 50
millionth shot jabbed in an arm, victory
seems near.
On the two principal goals, avoiding
COVID hospitalizations and deaths,
studies show that J&J is batting a thou-
sand. If you have a chance to get a shot,
take it. The same goes for the Moderna
and Pfi zer-BioNtech vaccines.
Besides adding a third option to our
arsenal, the J&J vaccine is much more
convenient than the other two. It is a
single dose, and doesn’t require ultra-
cold storage, making it much easier to
handle than the Moderna and Pfi zer
shots. Those both require two shots,
administered weeks apart, to be fully
effective. Pfi zer’s ultra-cold storage
requirements, which the FDA relaxed
last week, limited where shots could be
kept and used, restricting distribution
sites to places like hospitals with costly
refrigerators capable of maintaining the
negative 70 degrees Celsius tempera-
ture required to keep the Pfi zer shots
viable.
The Johnson & Johnson shot’s future
availability should turbocharge efforts
in New York and around the country to
get more shots delivered to more places
— to churches, doctors, nonprofi ts and
health care clinics that have established
relationships with hard-to-reach but
vulnerable people — the elderly, non-
white, non-English speaking residents
whose biggest obstacle to getting a shot at
this point isn’t vaccine hesitancy but dif-
ficulties they face getting an appointment.
For example, Manhattan’s 125 available
vaccine sites are nearly double the 69
locations to get shots in the Bronx, despite
the boroughs’ similar-size populations.
Difficulty finding doses, trusting the
dose-givers, and getting to where shots
are given has meant just 15% of eligible
elderly Black New Yorkers had gotten
vaccinated as of earlier last week, com-
pared to 30% of eligible elderly white
New Yorkers.
We’ve got the tools we need. Get shots
into the arms that need them, now.
CONTACT YOUR PUBLIC OFFICIALS
President Joe Biden: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.,
Washington, D.C. 20500; 202-456-1111; to send comments, go to
www.whitehouse.gov.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley: D.C. offi ce: 313 Hart Senate Offi ce
Building, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3753;
fax 202-228-3997. Portland offi ce: One World Trade Center, 121
S.W. Salmon St. Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; 503-326-3386;
fax 503-326-2900. Baker City offi ce, 1705 Main St., Suite 504, 541-
278-1129; merkley.senate.gov.
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden: D.C. offi ce: 221 Dirksen Senate Offi ce
Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-5244; fax 202-228-2717.
La Grande offi ce: 105 Fir St., No. 210, La Grande, OR 97850; 541-
962-7691; fax, 541-963-0885; wyden.senate.gov.
U.S. Rep. Cliff Bentz (2nd District): D.C. offi ce: 2182 Rayburn
Offi ce Building, Washington, D.C., 20515, 202-225-6730; fax 202-
225-5774. La Grande offi ce: 1211 Washington Ave., La Grande, OR
97850; 541-624-2400, fax, 541-624-2402; walden.house.gov.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown: 254 State Capitol, Salem, OR
97310; 503-378-3111; www.governor.oregon.gov.
Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read: oregon.treasurer@
ost.state.or.us; 350 Winter St. NE, Suite 100, Salem OR 97301-
3896; 503-378-4000.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen F. Rosenblum: Justice
Building, Salem, OR 97301-4096; 503-378-4400.
Oregon Legislature: Legislative documents and information
are available online at www.leg.state.or.us.
State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Ontario): Salem offi ce: 900
Court St. N.E., S-403, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1730. Email: Sen.
LynnFindley@oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Mark Owens (R-Crane): Salem offi ce: 900 Court
St. N.E., H-475, Salem, OR 97301; 503-986-1460. Email: Rep.
MarkOwens@oregonlegislature.gov
Baker City Hall: 1655 First Street, P.O. Box 650, Baker City,
OR 97814; 541-523-6541; fax 541-524-2049. City Council meets
the second and fourth Tuesdays at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers.
Councilors Lynette Perry, Jason Spriet, Kerry McQuisten, Shane
Alderson, Joanna Dixon, Heather Sells and Johnny Waggoner Sr.
Baker City administration: 541-523-6541. Jonathan Cannon,
city manager; Ray Duman, police chief; Sean Lee, fi re chief; Michelle
Owen, public works director.
Baker County Commission: Baker County Courthouse 1995
3rd St., Baker City, OR 97814; 541-523-8200. Meets the fi rst and
third Wednesdays at 9 a.m.; Bill Harvey (chair), Mark Bennett,
Bruce Nichols.
Baker County departments: 541-523-8200. Travis Ash,
sheriff; Noodle Perkins, roadmaster; Greg Baxter, district attorney;
Alice Durfl inger, county treasurer; Stefanie Kirby, county clerk; Kerry
Savage, county assessor.
Baker School District: 2090 4th Street, Baker City, OR 97814;
541-524-2260; fax 541-524-2564. Superintendent: Mark Witty.
Board meets the third Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. Council
Chambers, Baker City Hall,1655 First St.; Andrew Bryan, Kevin
Cassidy, Chris Hawkins, Katie Lamb and Julie Huntington.