SATURDAY
THREE BHS ATHLETES SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT TO PLAY IN COLLEGE: PAGE 5A
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
March 20, 2021
IN THIS EDITION:
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Kim
Anderson of Baker City.
Oregon, 3A
WALLOWA — Wallowa
High School Principal Da-
vid Howe resigned his po-
sition as the school’s girls
basketball coach Monday
night, March 15, in the face
of an offi cial complaint
fi led by the school’s foot-
ball team with the Wallowa
superintendent of schools
March 2.
The outcome of the
complaint is pending and
still in review.
Local • Health & Fitness • Outdoors • TV
$1.50
COVID
Supporting Families
cases
down
by 50%
Baker Relief Nursery Opens in Baker City
■ Program, for ages 0 to 2, includes classes and parent education
■ County on pace to return to
lowest risk level on March 26
Sports, 6A
The Baker girls soccer
team dominated Ontario
Thursday, March 18 at the
Sports Complex, topping
the Tigers 6-1 to improve
to 3-2 on the season.
Freshman Daphne
Thomas and sophomore
Sydnee Pierce each
scored a pair of goals,
and freshman Jozie
Livingston added another
score. Baker’s other goal
came on an own goal by
Ontario. Baker led 6-0 at
halftime.
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
With the rate of COVID-19 cases drop-
ping by about 50% over the past two weeks,
Baker County could return to the lowest of
the state’s four risk levels starting March 26.
The county, which had been at the lowest
risk starting Feb. 12, moved to the moderate
level — one step higher — on March 12.
That jump was due to the county reporting
44 new virus cases for the two-week measur-
ing period, Feb. 21 through March 6.
To qualify for the lowest risk, the county
must have fewer than 30 cases during the
two weeks, and a test positivity rate below
5%.
Counties’ risk levels change every two
weeks.
The next change, effective March 26, will
be based on case totals and positivity rates
for the period March 7-20.
Through Thursday, March 18, Baker
County had 20 new cases during that period.
That means the county could have up to nine
new cases on Friday and Saturday and still
meet the threshold for the lowest risk level.
The county hasn’t had that many new
cases in a two-day period since March 4-5,
when there were 10 total cases.
Sports, 6A
The Baker boys soccer
team, playing at home for
the fi rst time this season,
lost 4-1 to Ontario on
Thursday. After allowing
three goals early, Baker’s
defense tightened up.
WEATHER
Today
49 / 28
See COVID-19/Page 2A
Rain or snow showers
Sunday
Contributed Photo
The Baker Relief Nursery classroom is at 1925 16th St. in Baker City.
50 / 32
By Lisa Britton
A few showers
For the Baker City Herald
Monday
49 / 29
A few showers
Full forecast on the
back of the B section.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
After 18 months of planning,
paperwork, and fundraising,
the emerging Baker Relief
Nursery is now open to help
local families
The start of relief nurseries
dates to 1976 when women of
the Junior League of Eugene
created a childcare center “in
response to a growing crisis
of child abuse and neglect,”
according to the Oregon As-
sociation of Relief Nurseries
(OARN).
The model, which is now
replicated by relief nurseries
across Oregon, was to provide
respite care and support to
families.
The Baker location was
spurred when Kim Mosier did
some research on “childcare
deserts,” which refers to areas
where the available child-
care spots are fewer than the
number of children who need
care. Baker City is considered
a childcare desert under that
defi nition.
She also found data show-
ing Baker County having high
rates of child abuse and neglect,
as well as higher rates of foster
care than most other Oregon
counties.
“That lead me to research
what’s proven to work to keep
kids out of foster care. Relief
nurseries are the only thing I
found,” she said.
She also learned that of the
35 relief nurseries in Oregon,
only two are east of the Cas-
cade Mountains.
The relief nursery model is
for ages 0 to 5. It is a three-
pronged approach that includes
a classroom, home visits, and
parent education.
“To support struggling fami-
lies and give parents the tools
to support their kids,” Mosier
said.
Renovation
grants for
older buildings
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
The owners of fi ve historic buildings in
Baker City have received federal grants
totaling $10,000 to replace roofs, repair win-
dows and do other improvements.
The money is from the Historic Preserva-
tion Fund, which is administered by the
Oregon State Historic Preservation Offi ce.
The list of grants:
• 1928 Court Ave., $2,650 for window and
trim repairs
See Nursery/Page 2A
See Buildings/Page 2A
A snowmobile,
a 14-foot tent pole
and an adventure
in the mountains
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
David Spaugh and his daughter, Katie, might some day
return to the alpine saddle high in the Elkhorn Mountains.
But they won’t be riding a snowmobile.
David is emphatic on that point.
“I’ll never go up that pitch again,” he said. “It was quite a
David Spaugh/Contributed Photo
Katie Spaugh, 14, measured 83 inches of snow in the Elkhorn Mountains on Wednes-
challenge.”
See Adventure/Page 3A day, March 17. She and her father, David, reached the spot via snowmobile.
TODAY
Issue 133, 14 pages
Classified ............. 4B-6B
Comics ....................... 7B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........4B & 6B
Dear Abby ................. 8B
Health & Fitness ....... 2B
Horoscope ........4B & 6B
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
News of Record ........2A
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ................... 1B
Senior Menus ...........2A
Sports .............. 5A & 6A
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 8B
TUESDAY — DUCKS, BEAVERS IN NCAA BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT