SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A3
LOCAL & STATE
County has tentative schedule
for visitor center contract
By SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Chamber Director
soconner@bakercityherald.com Shelly Cutler said earlier
Contractors interested
in operating a visitors cen-
ter in Baker City probably
will have about two weeks
to craft a proposal for sub-
mission to Baker County.
Baker County Com-
missioner Mark Bennett
unveiled a tentative
timeline for the Request
for Proposals (RFP) for
visitor services during a
joint work session between
commissioners and the
Baker City Council on
Wednesday evening, Aug.
25 at the Baker County
Event Center.
County commission-
ers were initially slated to
award a new contract for
the visitor center in early
2020, but the process has
been postponed multiple
times since. The county
received two proposals in
late 2019, one from the
Baker County Chamber of
Commerce, the other from
the nonprofi t corporation
that owns Anthony Lakes
Mountain Resort.
The current contract,
with the Chamber of Com-
merce, which operates the
visitor center at 490 Camp-
bell St., expires Aug. 31 and
will not be extended.
SCHOOLS
this month that the Cham-
ber will continue to operate
the center until a new
contract is awarded.
The timeline Bennett
talked about Wednesday
includes these dates:
• Sept. 1: County com-
missioners will have a work
session at 1:30 p.m. at the
Courthouse, 1995 Third St.,
to review and discuss the
draft RFP. Commissioners
will come to a consensus on
fi nal changes.
• Sept. 8: Commission-
ers will have a special ses-
sion to adopt the RFP and
release it to the public.
• Sept. 24: Deadline to
submit proposals.
• Sept. 30: The county’s
Transient Lodging Tax
Committee (TLTC) and
advisory group will meet to
review the proposals.
The lodging tax commit-
tee will make a recom-
mendation to commission-
ers, who make the fi nal
decision.
The committee is
involved in the decision
because money for the visi-
tor services contract comes
from the tax collected from
guests at motels, bed and
breakfasts and other lodg-
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald, File
The Baker County visitors center is at the right
side of the Baker County Chamber of Commerce
building at 490 Campbell St.
ing establishments.
• Oct. 6: Commission-
ers will choose a contractor
from among proposals.
• Oct. 20: Commission-
ers will approve a new
contract for visitor services.
Bennett said this is a
tentative timeline, subject
to possible change depend-
ing on circumstances such
as the pandemic.
Both Cutler and Peter
Johnson, general manager
for Anthony Lakes, said
earlier this month that they
plan to submit proposals to
the county.
During Wednesday’s
joint work session, com-
missioners and councilors
discussed the draft RFP.
Commission Chair-
be compliant,” with the mask
rule when classes start Aug. 30.
Continued from Page A1
“We will have to see how the
day turns out,” he said.
Also, masks.
If students arrive for school
Witty said the district will
and decline to wear a face mask,
comply with the state mandate Witty said district employees
that all students, staff and
will, “fi rst and foremost, be
volunteers wear face masks
respectful.”
indoors.
“We will encourage compli-
(Masks are not required
ance,” he said. “We want to work
outdoors for recess, PE classes
with everybody, but we have to
and other outdoor events.)
have compliance. This is a per-
Witty said he understands
sonal decision, but in this case
that some people object to the
a personal decision that affects
mask requirement.
the people around you.”
On Aug. 19, a group that in-
Witty said there were
cluded parents gathered in front instances during the previous
of the David J. Wheeler Federal school year when parents ob-
Building and then marched
jected to the mask requirement.
through downtown Baker City
Most of those parents even-
to protest the mask mandate in tually decided to keep their kids
schools.
in school and to have them wear
Witty said he thinks that “by a mask, he said.
and large most people will still
Some, however, chose an
man Bill Harvey, and City
Councilor Jason Spriet were
absent.
Mayor Kerry Mc-
Quisten suggested adding a
stipulation to the draft RFP
stating that any lodging
tax committee member
who has a friend, relative
or business associate who
is associated with an ap-
plicant will recuse them-
selves from participating in
the committee’s discussion
regarding a recommenda-
tion to commissioners.
“The biggest problem I
saw with this past process
was that confl ict of interest
that kept coming up again
and again,” McQuisten said.
“That (stipulation) neutral-
izes that.”
CHARGES
Continued from Page A1
Shirtcliff ruled that Regan would
not be allowed to testify regardless.
Shirtcliff did approve, in part,
Schaeffer’s motion to suppress
evidence.
The judge ruled that any
evidence Regan obtained after Sept.
14, 2020, as well as any phone calls
Greenwood made after that date,
will not be allowed during trial.
As for evidence that Regan
collected before Sept. 14, 2020, the
judge ruled that the prosecution will
have to bring a motion to the court
for all such evidence, outside the
presence of the jury, and that the
judge will determine, on a case-by-
case basis, whether such evidence is
admissable.
During the Aug. 24 hearing,
Schaeffer argued that dismissal of
charges against Greenwood was
justifi ed due to Regan’s “outrageous
and egregious” conduct that violated
Greenwood’s constitutional rights.
Baxter countered that by
excluding Regan from the trial, and
suppressing some of the evidence
she collected, the prosecution could
“secure (Greenwood’s) constitutional
rights.”
In his decision, Shirtcliff writes
that a key factor in deciding
between dismissal of charges and
suppression of evidence is whether
information from the privileged
phone calls between the defendant
and his attorney was conveyed to
the prosecutor.
Shirtcliff, citing case law, noted
that in instances when the prosecu-
tion either is involved in obtaining
privileged information, or learns of
represents teachers, the other
online option instead.
“We’ll operate on the basis of representing other employees.
“I’m asking for patience and
one family at a time,” Witty said.
calm,” Witty said.
Vaccine requirement for staff
He pointed out that the vac-
Another major issue looming cination deadline is Oct. 18; and
as classes resume is Gov. Kate
moreover, the mandate includes
Brown’s recent announcement
the option of employees to seek
that all school employees, as
an exemption for either medical
well as volunteers, will have to
or religious reasons.
be vaccinated against CO-
According to the Oregon
VID-19 by Oct. 18.
Health Authority, employees
Witty said he knows of only can seek a religious “exception”
one district employee who has
— the agency uses that word
resigned and cited, in a resigna- rather than the commonly em-
tion letter, the mask and vaccine
urgers,
mandates.
dy, hamb
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a
c
n
o
tt
ice,
Co
“There certainly has been
i, shaved e,
il
h
c
,
s
g
o
hotd
some concern from some staff
hortcak
awberr y s corn,
members,” he said. “We’ll see
pizza, str
le
food, kett
how that actually plays out.”
Mexican
nade,
ezed lemo
Witty said he has been hav-
fresh sque s and more!
a
ing frequent conversations with
iced moch
representatives from the dis-
trict’s two unions, one of which
that information, “the result is usu-
ally dismissal.”
Baxter argued during the Aug.
24 motion that Regan alone listened
to the fi ve phone calls between
Greenwood and Schaeffer, and that
she alone knows what the pair
discussed in those calls.
Baxter called as witnesses
during the hearing four employees
from the Baker County Sheriff’s
Offi ce and three from the Baker
City Police Department, all of whom
testifi ed that they had not listened
to the calls and that Regan had
never mentioned the calls to them.
Schaeffer argued that the pros-
ecution had not proved convincingly
that no one other than Regan might
have had access to the calls.
Schaeffer pointed out, for
instance, that a computer disc con-
taining recordings of the phone calls
was on Sheriff Travis Ash’s desk for
several months in 2020 and 2021.
But Shirtcliff found Baxter’s
argument more compelling.
The judge wrote in his ruling
that “The state has demonstrated
by clear and convincing evidence
that the prosecutor did not receive a
copy of the contents of the commu-
nications of the privileged calls at
question in this matter. This court
fi nds that the contents of the calls
were not listened to by anyone in
law enforcement other than Detec-
tive Regan.”
The issue of who listened to the
calls or had access to their contents
is vital, the judge wrote, because not
only were the calls privileged, they
also contained details about the
defense’s trial strategy, information
which, had it been available to the
prosecution, would irreversibly taint
Greenwood’s right to a fair trial.
ployed “exemption” — when “an
individual has a sincerely held
religious belief that prevents
the individual from receiving a
COVID-19 vaccination.”
The religious exception form
requires that the employee sign
the form and include a “state-
ment describing the way in
which the vaccination require-
ment confl icts with the religious
observance, practice, or belief of
the individual.”
A medical exception “must
be corroborated by a document
signed by a medical provider
certifying that the individual
has a physical or mental
impairment that prevents the
individual from receiving a
COVID-19 vaccination.”
Although Witty concedes
that the pandemic, the man-
dates and other factors compli-
cate the upcoming school year,
his goal is simple.
“I want to keep kids in
school,” he said. “We know fl at
out that’s the best place for kids
to be.”
COW
TONGUE
ATV tracks on the road, but, as
Other possible explanations
at the carcass site, no predator aren’t much more plausible, he
tracks.
said.
Ratliff said that as he cut
Cows do curl their tongues
Continued from Page A1
open and examined the carcass, around plants they’re eating to
he considered, and in turn dis- rip the food loose, and Ratliff
The carcass was undis-
carded, multiple theories about speculated that perhaps the
turbed with one exception
the cow’s demise.
cow’s tongue had been entwined
— birds had pecked out one
He initially thought the cow in vegetation and ripped that
eyeball.
might have been shot.
way.
He estimated the cow died
But there was no bullet
But while that could cause a
either late on Aug. 24 or early
wound — no wound at all in the small wound, he said it hardly
on Aug. 25.
hide, come to that.
explains the removal of most of
Ratliff said tracking condi-
He wondered if the animal
the tongue.
tions were “phenomenal,” with had had an internal tumor that
He also considered the pos-
a large area of dry, soft dirt
had burst.
sibility that the cow’s tongue
around the carcass.
But the cows’ lungs and
was caught in a trap.
He didn’t fi nd any predator heart appeared to have been
Or that the cow bit off its
tracks, but there were tracks
healthy.
own tongue.
from deer, elk, mice, squirrels
The mystery deepened when
Except cows don’t have front
and birds. There were also hu-
Ratliff examined the jaw and,
teeth on the top of their jaw —
man boot tracks — presumably for the fi rst time, saw that most there’s just a hard plate.
from the ranch manager who
of the tongue was gone.
(They do have lower front
found the carcass.
The wound was jagged, not incisors.)
The carcass was near the
the clean cut that a knife or
As for the tongue itself,
upper Fox Creek road, east of
other sharp implement would
Ratliff didn’t fi nd it.
Lookout Mountain in eastern
make, he said.
He said he didn’t open the
Baker County.
There were no tooth marks cow’s stomachs, so he can’t say
But Ratliff said the evidence or other evidence of a predator. for certain that the cow didn’t
suggests that the cow sustained
Ratliff said he can’t envi-
swallow the tongue.
the fatal injury on or near the
sion how a person could have
“I cannot tell you what
road, about 100 yards from
removed such a large section of caused that cow to lose its
where the carcass was found.
the tongue from a living cow.
tongue,” Ratliff said.
That evidence, in the main, is
Providing quality and compassion to all his patients.
blood.
Dr Sanders specializes in all aspects
Copious quantities of blood.
of the foot and ankle. Anything from
“Buckets,” Ratliff said.
foot
& ankle pain to diabetic foot care &
There were multiple large
limb salvage, injuries, surgery, skin or
patches of bloody ground,
toe nail conditions, sports medicine, he
splashes of blood as high as fi ve
covers it all!
feet up in nearby trees, and a
blood trail between the road
and the carcass.
Ratliff surmises that the
2830 10th St Baker City, Oregon
blood was splashed onto the
Baker City office hours:
trees when the cow whipped
Mon-Thurs 8am-5am
her head from side to side after
Brian Sanders, DPM
Clinic hours: Tuesday 8am-5pm
Accepting most insurances
the injury.
Thursday 8am-12pm
Tracking conditions were
Clinic offices in Ontario (every other monday)
also good at the road, which
John Day (every other monday)
was dry and dusty. Ratliff found
La Grande (every Wednesday)
541-524-0122
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