‘La Rue’s Return’
Actor’s Studio presents fundraising DVD
THURSDAY
OREGON EXTENDS WORKPLACE MASK REQUIREMENT: BUSINESS, PG. 1B
NORTHEAST OREGON
Also inside:
Josephy Center’s ‘Fire in the West’
What’s happening at Art Center East
Warm weather brings outdoor music
MAY 13, 2021
www.gonortheastoregon.com
GO! Magazine
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
May 13, 2021
IN THIS EDITION:
Local • Business & AgLife • Go! magazine $1.50
QUICK HITS
Baker City Downtown Hangs Flower Baskets Along Sidewalks
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
Basket Beauty
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Ralph
Ward of Baker City.
State, 3A
Gov. Kate Brown’s
signature awaits a bill that
gives tenants more time to
pay past-due rent stem-
ming from the coronavirus
pandemic and protects
their future ability to rent.
The Oregon House
sent Senate Bill 282 to the
governor on a 39-17 vote
on Tuesday, May 11.
WASHINGTON — Re-
publicans launched an all-
out assault Tuesday, May
11 on sweeping voting
rights legislation, forcing
Democrats to take politi-
cally awkward votes spot-
lighting the increasingly
charged national debate
over access to ballots.
By Samantha O’Conner
soconner@bakercityherald.com
Baker City Council members queried
county offi cials on a variety of topics involv-
ing the COVID-19 pandemic during the
Council’s regular meeting Tuesday, May 11.
Baker County Commissioner Mark Ben-
nett, who has served as the county’s inci-
dent commander throughout the pandemic,
attended Tuesday’s meeting.
Bennett was accompanied by three other
senior managers from the county:
• Nancy Staten, director of the Baker
County Health Department.
• Jason Yencopal, emergency manage-
ment director.
• Holly Kerns, public information offi cer.
BRIEFING
Baker Heritage
Museum reopens
The Baker Heritage
Museum, 2480 Grove
St., has reopened after
being closed while Baker
County was in the extreme
risk category under state
COVID-19 guidelines. The
Museum, which has a
display titled “Extraordi-
nary Women” in its Central
Gallery, reopened Monday,
May 10. It is open Monday
through Saturday from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., and noon to
4 p.m. on Sunday.
See Council/Page 3A
INSIDE, PAGE 2A
Baker County’s vaccination rate well
below new state threshold to move to
lower risk level starting May 21.
Why is the
river so full?
WEATHER
Today
75 / 43
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Sunny
Baker City Downtown spearheaded a project to hang baskets of fl owers along Main, First
and Resort streets.
Friday
By Lisa Britton
Mostly cloudy
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Council
queries
county
on virus
■ Four county officials
attended Tuesday’s Council
meeting to answer questions
Nation, 6A
73 / 42
Your guide to arts,
entertainment and
other events
happening around
Northeast Oregon
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
Flowers are brightening
Main Street this year thanks
to a pilot project by Baker City
Downtown (BCD).
“We’re jealous of all the
other downtowns and their big
beautiful fl ower baskets,” Kate
Reid said.
Reid and Tom Novak headed
the project by the BCD design
committee.
A grant from Transient Lodg-
ing Tax enabled BCD to buy
brackets — fabricated by Baker
Welding — to go on the concrete
lamp posts along Main St.
Baker City Public Works
installed two brackets on each
post.
As for the fl owers, Novak
talked to business owners, who
committed to watering their
own basket throughout the
“We wanted big, bold
baskets. And our goal is to
keep the money local.”
— Kate Reid, who worked
on project to install fl ower
baskets along Main Street
summer season.
Once she had a number, Reid
placed orders for fl ower baskets
in the fall of 2020 from Rock
Garden Greenhouse and Eagle
Cap Nursery.
“We wanted big, bold bas-
kets,” Reid said. “And our goal is
to keep the money local.”
Each business paid for the
basket or baskets. Thirteen
were delivered last week.
“They look amazing,” Reid
said.
For locations that do not have
a lamp post, brackets were
installed on the buildings along
Main Street, as well as First
and Resort streets. Those fl ow-
ers — another 40 baskets —
will be delivered this week.
Reid said the design com-
mittee wants to continue the
fl ower basket project, but needs
to raise funds for a dedicated
watering system. This could be
either a four-wheeler or golf cart
equipped with a water tank. As
for the watering, that could be
done by a volunteer or possibly
be a paid part-time position,
Reid said.
She said BCD received sever-
al donations during the spring
clean-up event held in April.
Anyone who would like
to support the fl ower basket
project can donate to Baker City
Downtown by mailing a dona-
tion to 1655 First St., Baker
City, OR 97814 or PO Box 650,
Baker City, OR 97814.
■ Irrigation district official
says dry spring has led to
high demand for water before
mountain snow has melted
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Jeff Colton has heard the question many
times over the past couple weeks: Why is
the Powder River running so high, so early
in spring?
The answer is simple, even though the
complete story involves multiple factors,
said Colton, who manages the Baker Valley
Irrigation District and is responsible for
releasing water from Phillips Reservoir, on
the Powder about 15 miles upstream from
Baker City.
The math is working against him right
now.
But Colton also knows the two sides of
the equation will soon swap places.
And when that happens, he said, the
Powder River fl owing through Baker City
will recede, and the reservoir, depleted from
the 2020 drought, will begin, albeit likely
slowly, to refi ll.
See River/Page 3A
BHS student talks about getting vaccinated
■ Sarah Plummer, a 17-year-old junior, will have her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine this Saturday
By Jayson Jacoby
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Sarah Plummer, a 17-year-old
junior at Baker High School, had
no qualms about getting vaccinated
against COVID-19.
TODAY
Issue 1, 24 pages
But there was one other thing she
didn’t have, and it was a vital one.
An appointment.
Sarah was determined, though,
to protect herself, and potentially
others, from the virus that has
Business .............. 1B-3B
Classified ............. 3B-6B
Comics ....................... 7B
Community News ....3A
Crossword ........3B & 6B
Dear Abby ................. 8B
wreaked such havoc on her penulti-
mate year of high school.
So after talking with her parents,
Faith and Dave Plummer, both of
whom were fully vaccinated earlier
in the year, Sarah decided to drive
Senior Menus ...........2A
Horoscope ........4B & 6B
Letters ........................4A
to Meridian, Idaho, where doses of
the Pfi zer vaccine — the only one
approved for people younger than
18 — were available.
Lottery Results ..........2A
News of Record ........2A
Opinion ......................4A
See Vaccine/Page 2A
Sports .............. 7A & 8A
Turning Backs ...........2A
Weather ..................... 8B
SATURDAY — COUNTY CLERK CERTIFIES BALLOT-COUNTING MACHINE