A2 — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2021
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
August 7, 1971
The Rev. Roger Bierwagen, pastor of the Richland and
Baker Seventh-day Adventist churches will move to Idaho
Falls, Idaho, in August and be in charge of the Blackfoot and
Idaho Falls churches.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 7, 1996
Reactions from Baker County Republicans to Rep. Wes
Cooley’s decision to not seek re-election range from relief
to disappointment.
Everyone seems to agree, however, that there’s still time
to fi nd a candidate who can keep the traditionally Republi-
can Second Congressional District in GOP control.
The likely candidates to replace Cooley as the Republican
nominee are his predecessor, Bob Smith; third-party candi-
date and Republican State Sen. Greg Walden of Hood River;
and Perry Atkinson of Medford.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 8, 2011
Baker City Councilors will consider a resolution chang-
ing parking restrictions around Brooklyn Primary School
during their regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall,
1655 First St.
Offi cials at Brooklyn want to move the bus loading zone
from its current location on Oak Street to the north side of
Washington Avenue, in front of the playground.
This proposal is known as Resolution No. 3667. Mak-
ing this happen would require the city to restrict park-
ing on that side of Washington from Ash toward Clark
streets from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on
school days.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
August 8, 2020
A species of moth that, in caterpillar form, likes to
munch on the needles of fi r trees is having one of its peri-
odic population surges on parts of the Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest.
But the forest’s entomologist says the outbreak of
Douglas-fi r tussock moths is of moderate severity, and she
expects it will diminish next year without the bugs having
killed large numbers of trees.
The insect, despite its name, doesn’t satiate its appetite
solely on Douglas-fi r trees, said entomologist Lia Spiegel,
who works on the Wallowa-Whitman, Umatilla and Mal-
heur national forests as well as federal land managed by
the Bureau of Land Management in eastern Oregon.
Tussock moth caterpillars also feed on the needles of
“true” fi r trees including grand fi r and subalpine fi r.
(Douglas-fi r has a hyphen in its name because, scientifi -
cally speaking, it isn’t actually a fi r.)
“Caterpillars are like kids — as they get bigger they eat
more,” Spiegel said.
Unlike some insects and parasites that also can harm
trees — the larch casebearer and the white pine blister
rust, to name two — tussock moths are native to the Blue
Mountains, Spiegel said.
A research paper from the Umatilla National Forest
noted that studies of tree core samples on that forest’s
Walla Walla Ranger District, in southeast Washington, sug-
gested that tussock moth populations had periodic surges
as early as 1843-45.
OREGON LOTTERY
MEGABUCKS, Aug. 4
MEGA MILLIONS, Aug. 3
WIN FOR LIFE, Aug. 4
18 — 51 — 57 — 72
PICK 4, Aug. 5
• 1 p.m.: 2 — 1 — 6 — 1
• 4 p.m.: 8 — 6 — 7 — 2
• 7 p.m.: 3 — 7 — 1 — 2
• 10 p.m.: 8 — 5 — 3 — 2
LUCKY LINES, Aug. 5
1 — 9 — 17 — 27 — 34
2-8-9-14-18-23-25-30
1 — 9 — 15 — 19 — 31 — 43
Next jackpot: $2.4 million
POWERBALL, Aug. 4
5 — 21 — 32 — 36 — 58 PB 14
Next jackpot: $226 million
Mega
24
Next jackpot: $191 million
Next jackpot: $50,000
SENIOR MENUS
MONDAY: Chicken cordon bleu, rice pilaf, mixed
vegetables, rolls, carrot-raisin salad, cherry cheesecake
TUESDAY: Chicken-fried chicken, mashed potatoes with
gravy, corn, rolls, pea-and-onion salad, brownies
WEDNESDAY: Chili cheese dogs with onions, carrots,
Jell-O with fruit, ice cream
THURSDAY: Old fashioned steak, red potatoes with gravy,
peas, rolls, green salad, cake
FRIDAY: Chicken ala king, rice, mixed vegetables, rolls,
macaroni salad, peach crisp
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older), $7.50
for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
2005 Washington Ave., Suite 105
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.
com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
ads@bakercityherald.com
Classifi ed email
classified@bakercityherald.com
Circulation email
circ@bakercityherald.com
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 1668 Resort St. (P.O. Box 807),
Baker City, OR 97814.
Subscription rates per month are
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Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2021
County hopes to award visitor
services contract by Oct. 6
Process has
been delayed
several times
since early 2020
On March 3, commission-
ers extended the current
visitor services contract with
the Baker County Chamber
of Commerce — for the third
time since it was slated to
expire in early 2020 — to
Aug. 31, 2021.
The county’s representa-
By Jayson Jacoby and
tives on the work group were
Samantha O’Conner
commission chairman Bill
Baker City Herald
Harvey, Martin Arritola,
Baker County’s effort to
chairman of the county’s Eco-
award a new contract for
nomic Development Commit-
operating a visitors center
in Baker City, a process that tee, and Tyler Brown, chair-
dates to the fall of 2019, has a man of the county’s Transient
Lodging Tax Committee.
new timeframe.
The city’s representatives
The county has released a
Request for Proposals (RFP) were city manager Jon Can-
non, mayor Kerry McQuisten
that sets a deadline of Sept.
17 for prospective contractors and councilor Joanna Dixon.
The group had multiple
to submit a proposal.
The RFP includes a sched- meetings during the spring
and created a draft RFP that
ule that calls for the county
is similar to the RFP the
to issue a notice of intent to
county has posted on its web-
award the contract on Sept.
30, and for the Baker County site, www.bakercounty.org.
The current contract,
Board of Commissioners to
for about $77,000 per year,
potentially sign the contract
is with the Baker County
on Oct. 6.
That’s more than a month Chamber of Commerce,
which operates the visi-
later than county offi cials
tor center at 490 Campbell
anticipated awarding the
St., near Interstate 84. The
contract when commis-
money comes from the local
sioners, along with the
tax that guests pay at motels,
Baker City Council, created
a six-member work group in bed and breakfasts, vacation
rental homes and other types
March 2021.
of lodging.
The county put out an
RFP in the fall of 2019, and
in December 2019 it received
two proposals, from the
Chamber of Commerce and
from the nonprofi t that owns
Anthony Lakes Mountain
Resort.
Both the county Economic
Development Committee and
the committee that over-
sees the lodging tax, which
advise county commissioners,
endorsed the Anthony Lakes
proposal.
But in February 2020 com-
missioners postponed award-
ing the contract. In November
2020 commissioners decided
to restart the process, after
the county’s attorney deter-
mined there were potential
confl icts of interest.
Both the Chamber and
Anthony Lakes — the latter
now operating as the Antho-
ny Lakes Outdoor Recreation
Association — plan to submit
proposals.
“I would say that we’re
excited to bring this process
to a close and we are looking
forward to submitting our
proposal and we hope that
our 30 years of service and
what we have to offer plays
a role in making the deci-
sion,” said Shelly Cutler, the
Chamber’s executive director.
“All we have right now is a
draft RFP, we don’t have the
fi nal version. They are still
making edits to that. And
so I may be able to speak to
it better when the fi nal is
released here in a week or so
but regardless, whatever the
content is, whatever the ask
is, we’re excited to continue
our service to Baker County
and look forward to fi nally
bringing this whole process to
a close.”
Peter Johnson, gen-
eral manager of the Anthony
Lakes Outdoor Recreation
Association, wrote in a July
20 email to county commis-
sioners that he hoped the
county would release an RFP
by Aug. 1 and set a deadline
of no later than Aug. 22 for
proposals to be submitted,
with a goal of awarding the
new contract by Aug. 31,
the date through which the
county extended the current
contract with the Chamber.
Johnson said on Thursday,
Aug. 5 that although he still
encourages the county to “do
what they said they were go-
ing to do,” he plans to submit
a proposal by the deadline of
Sept. 17.
OBITUARIES
Melissa Wilkinson
Baker City, 1973-2021
Melissa
Ruth Wilkin-
son, 47, of
Baker City,
died peace-
fully at home
surrounded
by her loved
Melissa
ones on Aug.
Wilkinson
1, 2021.
There will
be a celebration of her life
service on Saturday, Aug. 7
at 1 p.m. at the Baker City
Church of the Nazarene, 1250
Hughes Lane, with Pastor
Troy Teeter offi ciating.
Melissa was born on Aug.
4, 1973, at Tacoma, Washing-
ton, to Ed Ager and Carolyn
Parker. Melissa graduated
from Foss High School in
1991. After high school, she
attended Pierce Community
College and graduated from
Eastern Washington Univer-
sity in 1997 with a Bachelor’s
Degree in Elementary Educa-
tion. She would later earn a
Master’s Degree in Education
from Heritage University.
Melissa and her future hus-
band, Rob, met in college in
1994 and became friends very
quickly. He proposed to Me-
lissa on Feb. 12, 1995, because
he said, he couldn’t wait until
Valentine’s Day. Her beauty,
kindness, loving personality,
and infectious smile captured
my heart instantly. We were
married on June 23, 1997, in
Las Vegas.
After college, Melissa and
I made our home in Ken-
newick, Washington. Melissa
taught for several years at
Southgate Elementary, and
then Desert Hills Middle
School making many friends
along the way. In 2008, we
moved to Plainview, Texas.
After staying home for four
years to raise our children,
she returned to teaching at
Plainview Christian Acad-
emy and then Estacado
Middle School, making
more friends. In 2019, after
completing the school year,
Melissa and the family joined
me in Los Alamos, New
Mexico. Melissa was hired to
teach at Pinon Elementary.
Unfortunately, in October of
2019, Melissa was diagnosed
with a grade 4 glioblastoma
brain tumor. After surgery
and recovering, Melissa went
back to teaching part-time
until COVID closed schools.
I’ll never forget the reaction
of Melissa’s kids when she
returned to school in Janu-
ary 2020. All her students
ran up to Melissa and waited
patiently for a hug. Even
in that short time, Melissa
made a huge impact on her
students. In August of 2020,
we decided to move back to
the Pacifi c Northwest to be
closer to family and relocated
to Baker City.
In addition to being a
wonderful loving mother to
our fi ve children, Melissa
impacted hundreds, if not
thousands, of youth through
teaching. She absolutely loved
sharing her gift of reading
and writing with her stu-
dents. Melissa was a beloved
teacher by both students and
co-workers. Melissa passed
on her gift of curiosity and
being a lifelong learner to our
children.
Melissa was an incred-
ibly talented individual who
had many hobbies. She loved
spending time with family
and friends. She had a green
thumb and designed all kinds
of different fl ower beds over
the years. She loved to read
and would spend hours on
her favorite swing with a
good book. She was also a
very good artist who would
paint murals on the kids’
walls when they were young-
er. Melissa loved animals, and
we had many pets over the
years who were also part of
our family. To many, she was
known as the pet whisperer
and saved many wounded
animals over the years.
Throughout the years, there
were many times we would
receive calls from people who
found a wounded bird, dog,
cat, etc. Melissa would nurse
these animals back to health,
more times than not.
Melissa faced many health
challenges over the years,
but she always remained a
positive light in the lives of
others and never asked, why
me. She truly was an inspira-
tion to me, our children, her
loved ones, and all she came
into touch with. Melissa had
a rare gift of taking care of
other’s needs before her own,
even while fi ghting cancer.
She was my best friend, wife,
mother of our children and
leaves a huge hole in our
hearts, as well as anyone she
touched. However, I know she
would want all of us to keep
on living, go on adventures,
create memories, and make
a difference in lives of others,
just as she did.
Melissa is survived by her
husband, Rob; her children,
Drew, Erin, Tatiana, Zack
and Jordan; her parents, Ed
(Debra), Carolyn (Bill); her
siblings, Betty (Gary), Teresa
(Jeff), Darwin, Dewayne,
Brian (Crystal) and Jack.
She is also survived by many
nieces, nephews, cousins, and
friends.
The family would like
to thank Melissa’s medi-
cal team at the Christus
Cancer Center in Santa Fe,
New Mexico, her St. Luke’s
Medical team in both Baker
City and Boise, and Heart ‘N
Home Hospice for excellent
and tender care.
We would be honored for
memorials to be made to
the following organizations:
In Kennewick, Washington:
Benton Franklin Humane
Society or the YMCA of the
Greater Tri-Cities. In Plain-
view, Texas: PAWS Pet Adop-
tion or YMCA of Plainview.
In Los Alamos, New Mexico:
Los Alamos Schools Founda-
tion or The Family YMCA.
In Baker City, Baker County
YMCA. You may make your
donation through Gray’s
West & Co. Pioneer Chapel,
1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City,
OR 97814.
To light a candle in mem-
ory of Melissa or to leave a
condolence for her family, go
to www.grayswestco.com.
NEWS OF RECORD
FUNERALS PENDING
Robert Kent Nelson: Me-
morial service, Aug. 14 at 11 a.m.
at the Baker City Church of the
Nazarene, 1250 Hughes Lane. A
reception will follow the service
at the Nazarene Church’s Family
Life Center. Memorial contribu-
tions can be made to the Burnt
River Community Church or the
Northeast Oregon Compassion
Center through Gray’s West &
Co. Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey
Ave., Baker City, OR 97814. To
leave an online condolence for
Kent’s family, go to www.gray-
swestco.com.
Virginia Kostol: Interment
will be Saturday, Aug. 14, and a
Celebration of Life service will
be held Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. at
the First Presbyterian Church,
Fourth and Washington, in Baker
City. Donations may be made
to either The Salvation Army or
Baker County Historical Society,
through the Coles Tribute
Center, 1950 Place St., Baker
City, OR 97814. To light a candle
in Virginia’s name, go to www.
colestributecenter.com.
Stan Grove: Celebration of
his life, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m. at Quail
Ridge Golf Course, 2801 Indiana
Ave. There will be a no host
bar and some of Stan’s favorite
foods.
Keitha Kay (Luster) How-
ard: Potluck and memorial, Aug.
21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the
Missouri Flat Grange Hall, 1050
Hughes Lane. Please bring fried
chicken, potato salad or rolls.
Beverage will be provided.
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
CONTEMPT OF COURT
(Two Baker County warrants):
John Marsik Guthrie, 49, Baker
City, 10:26 p.m. Thursday, Aug.
5 in the 1100 block of Campbell
Street; cited and released.
FOURTH-DEGREE ASSAULT
(Baker County Circuit Court war-
rant): Kadin Patrick Bailey, 20,
Baker City, 1:08 p.m. Thursday,
Aug. 5 at the Courthouse; cited
and released.
FIRST-DEGREE CRIMINAL
TRESPASSING, THIRD-DEGREE
THEFT: Michael Myers-Gabiola,
30, Baker City, 6:58 a.m. Thurs-
day, Aug. 5 in the 500 block of
Campbell Street; jailed.
FAILURE TO APPEAR (Ada
County, Idaho, warrant, two
Baker County Circuit Court
warrants): Stacey Lee Bork, 32,
Baker City, 11:12 p.m. Wednes-
day, Aug. 4 in the 1100 block of
Campbell Street; jailed.
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