SATURDAY
BUSY SKI SEASON AT ANTHONY LAKES DESPITE PANDEMIC: OUTDOORS, 1B
In SPORTS, 5A
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
April 3, 2021
Local • Outdoors • Sports • TV
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Mike
Wilson of Baker City.
$1.50
Vaccine count overstated
■ Problem with state reporting system inflated Baker County’s vaccination numbers by about 50%
Oregon, 3A
By Jayson Jacoby
Another gun regulation
bill is headed for a legisla-
tive debate and vote, this
time in the Oregon House.
House Bill 2510, ap-
proved Tuesday, March 30
by the House Health Care
Committee, would require
the storage of fi rearms
with trigger or cable locks,
in a locked container or in
a gun room.
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The Oregon Health Authority
(OHA) estimates that its website had
recently exaggerated by about 50%
the number of Baker County resi-
dents who have been partially or fully
vaccinated against COVID-19.
The agency on Wednesday, March
31, temporarily blocked the section of
the website listing county vaccination
statistics due to the Baker County
error.
Earlier this week the website
showed that more than 10,400 Baker
County residents — about 62% of
the county’s population — had been
partially or fully vaccinated.
That was by far the highest rate
among Oregon’s 36 counties.
The Baker City Herald on March
23 sent an email to OHA noting that
the website showed that more Baker
County residents in certain age
groups, including 80 and older and 75
to 79, had been vaccinated than there
are residents in the county in those
age ranges based on a state-supplied
spreadsheet.
Baker County Commissioner Mark
Bennett told the Herald last week
that he believed the OHA website
overstated the number of county resi-
dents who have been fully or partially
vaccinated.
See Vaccine/Page 2A
COVID
cases
have
nearly
tripled
Program Designed To Prevent Co-Sleeping Deaths
BRIEFING
Easter sunrise
service planned
There will be an Easter
sunrise service this Sun-
day, April 4 from 6:30 a.m.
to 7:15 a.m. in the parking
lot at the Harvest Church,
3720 Birch St. in Baker
City. This service is for all
in the community. Partici-
pants can hear the service
on the radio from their
vehicle if they choose.
■ Due to state’s
new ‘caution period’
the county’s risk
level won’t change
despite rising cases
the past two weeks
Haines Fire
Protection District
board meeting set
HAINES — The Haines
Fire Protection District’s
board of directors will
have its monthly meeting
on Monday, April 12 at 6
p.m. at the main station,
816 Cole St. The meeting
is open to the public, and
COVID-19 safety proce-
dures will be in place.
WEATHER
Today
71 / 38
By Jayson Jacoby
Cribs for Kids/Contributed Photo
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
The Cribs for Kids organization emphasizes that having babies sleep on their backs and in cribs, rather than
with parents in a bed, is the safest method and a way to prevent baby deaths from co-sleeping.
A recent change to Or-
egon’s COVID-19 risk level
system should allow Baker
County to remain at the
lowest level, with the least
severe restrictions, through
most of April even though
the county’s case rate has
nearly tripled in the past two
weeks.
Oregon’s four-tier system
imposes restrictions on
businesses and events based
on the number of new virus
cases and the test positivity
rate in their county.
Risk levels are subject to
change every two weeks,
based on statistics from the
previous two-week measur-
ing period. Baker County has
been in the lowest of the risk
levels since March 26.
The current measuring
period ends today, April 3,
and will determine counties’
risk levels starting April 9.
Through Thursday, April 1,
Baker County had recorded
65 new cases during the cur-
rent measuring period. Prior
to the recent change, that
number of new cases would
have pushed the county from
the lowest risk level to the
highest (known as “extreme”)
starting April 9.
Sleeping Safely
Partly sunny
Sunday
68 / 31
Partly sunny
Monday
54 / 30
Morning showers
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Badgers
sweep
Baker
Cribs for Kids program in 2016.
In 2009 the Baker County medi-
The Cribs for Kids program is
cal examiner, Dr. James Davis, said
going on fi ve years in Baker County seven babies in the county had
with the number one goal of saving
died over the past seven years after
babies.
sleeping beside a parent, including
“We want to reduce the number
three deaths in three months in
of deaths postpartum and out of the 2009.
hospital,” said Sommer Sargent,
Two other babies died in similar
OB supervisor at Saint Alphonsus
circumstances in 2015, and one in
Medical Center-Baker City.
2016.
Cribs for Kids was founded in
The education about safe sleep
1998 to provide education on “safe
relies on community partnerships,
sleep” for infants. According to the
Sargent said.
organization, about 3,500 babies die
“We (the hospital) should never be
in their sleep every year.
the fi rst or last place they hear about
These deaths are classifi ed as
safe sleep,” she said.
SUID, or Sudden Unexpected Infant
Providing information about safe
Death. Some are due to SIDS —
sleep is part of pre-natal and post-
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, of natal appointments with doctors.
which the cause is unknown.
The Department of Human Services,
However, the organization reports Baker County Health Department,
that many infant deaths are due to Rachel Pregnancy Center and fi rst
suffocation or strangulation in un-
responders also dispense recommen-
safe sleeping environments, includ- dations on keeping infants safe while
ing babies sleeping with a parent or sleeping.
other adult.
At the hospital, patients are pro-
Saint Alphonsus adopted the
vided with printed materials, as well
By Lisa Britton
For the Baker City Herald
as a HALO sleep sack to take home
thanks to grants from the Saint
Alphonsus Foundation and hospital
auxiliary.
“The whole hospital helps keep the
program going,” Sargent said.
The sleep sacks are also sold in the
hospital gift shop, although that has
been closed during the pandemic.
A large part of the program is
right in the name — cribs.
The Northeast Oregon Compas-
sion Center can provide a free crib to
a family in need. Instead of an actual
crib that is diffi cult to relocate, the
center provides play yards, which
are an approved sleeping environ-
ment.
“That’s another big piece that
makes this program successful,”
Sargent said.
The cost of cribs is covered by
donations.
“Community members donate
funds to the Compassion Center
specifi cally for this program,” Sargent
said.
See Safe Sleep/Page 3A
See COVID/Page 6A
Lodging tax working group begins meeting
City Mayor Kerry McQuisten.
She is representing the city in the
A work group comprising Baker
group, along with City Councilor
County and Baker City representa-
Joanna Dixon and City Manager Jon
tives has started reviewing the lodging Cannon.
tax program that helps pay for tourism
The county’s representatives are Bill
promotion and economic development. Harvey, chairman of the county board
The six-member group plans to
of commissioners; Martin Arritola,
meet every week or two, said Baker
chairman of the county’s Economic
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 139, 12 pages
Classified ............. 2B-4B
Comics ....................... 5B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........2B & 4B
Dear Abby ................. 6B
Horoscope ................. 4B
Development Committee; and Tyler
Brown, chairman of the county’s Tran-
sient Lodging Tax Committee.
The work group’s next meeting is
set for Wednesday, April 7, at 5 p.m. at
the Courthouse, 1995 Third St.
Jason Brandt, president of the
Oregon Restaurant and Lodging As-
sociation, also will be participating in
Jayson Jacoby ..........4A
News of Record ........2A
Obituaries ..................2A
the work group’s discussions.
County commissioners voted 3-0 on
March 3 to propose that county and
city offi cials create the group to review,
and consider possible changes, to the
lodging tax system that’s been in place
since 2006.
Opinion ......................4A
Outdoors ..........1B & 2B
Senior Menus ...........2A
See Lodging/Page 2A
Sports ........................5A
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 6B
TUESDAY — NORTHEAST OREGON SNOWPACK STAYS ABOVE AVERAGE