THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A3
LOCAL & STATE
library and its branches.
One of the newest pur-
chases is a subscription to
Continued from A1
BookPage, which is a monthly
magazine detailing new books
Most books are priced at
and stories about authors.
50 cents or $1. One shelf is
Book sales
Copies are free and available
marked as “free.”
Albright said volunteers
Brown is often surprised at are always welcome to help at near the front desk.
Here’s a look at what the
the quality of book donations. the book sales, which typically
Friends fund for the library:
“I think some have been
span two weekends and the
• Furnishings: fi sh tank,
read once,” she said.
week between.
book carts, book ends, shelving,
Kathy Peterson helps sort
She said volunteers who
renovation costs, blinds, water
the donations by genre and
can lift heavy boxes of books
fountain, landscape fountain
condition.
are especially welcome.
• Programs: Battle of the
“We have several categories
Those who volunteer
Books, Early Literacy, Sum-
we sort them into,” she said.
receive coupons to spend at
These include fi ction,
the sale and the library’s book mer Reading Program, eclipse
viewers, Free Comic Book Day
nonfi ction, children’s, young
shop.
books, and Makers Club
adult, Christian, western, and
science fi ction.
Funds
• Promotions: parade
The Friends earn $5,000 to candy and decorations,
$6,000 each year, which helps fl ags, banners, posters, and
Donations
fund special requests from the bookmarks
The library is accepting
LIBRARY
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Karylanne Brown, Jen Albright and Kathy Peterson look
over selections in the book shop, located just inside the
door at the Baker County Library. Purchases in the shop
support the Friends of the Baker County Library, which
funds special library projects and services.
THEFT
donations of books. Those who
have more than two boxes are
asked to call for an appoint-
ment, 541-523-6419.
Cannon’s email continues:
mentioned Bland’s voice mails
“The Mayor expressed concerns
to Cannon.
about Mr. Bland serving on
“It is my job to bring
Continued from A1
the Budget Board if he
concerns about any of
does have a drinking
Bland has given McQuisten our board or committee
problem and is taking
members to the council
a letter demanding that she
action against coun-
as a body to handle
write an email retracting her
cilors and calling her
properly; however, as
statements. Bland also wrote
personal phone while
I mentioned mul-
that he would consider tak-
impaired.”
tiple times (as was the
ing “appropriate legal action
Cannon’s email lists
against” McQuisten if she does reason for my not once
McQuisten
fi ve potential options
mentioning your name
not retract her statements.
for councilors “in no
Bland also attended the City or the issue specifi cs
particular order.”
publicly) my desire was
Council meeting on Tuesday
“ • Take no action.
the quickest, most dis-
evening, Oct. 12 and repeated
• Discuss the issue
crete resolution during
his request to McQuisten.
in a Council meeting
McQuisten didn’t respond to which you would have
• Replace Mr. Bland
been involved.”
Bland during the meeting.
on the Budget Board
McQuisten men-
In a phone interview Tues-
• Instruct staff to
tioned the voice mails
day afternoon, Bland said he
Bland
research additional
during a Council work
wants McQuisten to acknowl-
session Sept. 23, but she didn’t information
edge that she was wrong in
• Individually meet with Mr.
refer to Bland by name.
assuming he was intoxicated
McQuisten also brought the Bland to discuss the situation.”
when he left the voice mails,
Later that day — Sept. 24
issue to City Manager Jon Can-
and to apologize.
— Bland phoned Cannon to ex-
non, who listened to Bland’s
“She’s defamed me, and
plain his medical condition and
she’s done it on purpose,” Bland voice mails. Cannon subse-
quently sent an email on Sept. to refute McQuisten’s claims.
said. “I don’t want somebody
Cannon then sent a second
24 to the fi ve other City Council
like that being my mayor.”
Bland said McQuisten could members in which he outlined email to councilors, about two
and a half hours after the fi rst,
what the mayor had told him.
have avoided the confl ict by
In the email, Cannon wrote noting what Bland had said in
returning his phone calls.
the phone call.
that McQuisten had told him
“I just wanted a call,” he
“He informed me that he
Bland had called her on her
said. “If she had just called me
suffers from a medical condi-
city-issued phone and on her
back, none of this would have
tion that slurs his speech,” Can-
happened. I really just wanted personal cellphone, although
non wrote in the second email.
she had asked him not to use
to talk to her about the party.”
“He indicated that he does not
her personal number.
Bland means the Baker
drink but sometimes when he
“She expressed concerns
County Republican Party, for
speaks his speech slurs. His
which McQuisten is an elected because the phone messages
condition became apparent as
sound as though Mr. Bland
precinct committee person.
has slurred speech and may be we were having a conversation
Bland has also sought to
on the phone.
drunk or impaired,” Cannon
talk to McQuisten about her
“He wanted it to be very
wrote in the email to councilors.
decision to not support Randy
Daugherty’s application to fi ll a “I have heard three of the mes- clear to City Council that he
is interested in serving the
sages and can confi rm in two
vacancy on the City Council.
city and considers himself an
In an Oct. 5 email to Bland, of them the speech is slurred
and certainly sounds as though upright and respectable citizen
McQuisten wrote: “I have
here in Baker City,” Cannon
some sort of impairment is
certainly not defamed you by
wrote in the second email,
attempting to follow the proper apparent.”
Cannon also referred in the referring to Bland. “He intently
City process ... I think we are
shared his desire to assist and
email to McQuisten’s allega-
clear now that gathering my
do what’s right on the budget
tion that Bland instigated
private information online,
board and for the city.
a “social media smear cam-
publishing the source in the
“He indicated that he is
paper so others could obtain my paign” against city councilor
private information, or repeat- Lynette Perry, who resigned in trying to reach the mayor to
discuss the applicant Randy
edly calling on my personal cell August due to health issues,
and that McQuisten “believed Daughtry (Daugherty) for City
phone at home are not appro-
Council. He indicated he found
him (Bland) to be drunk at
priate. Thanks in advance for
her phone numbers on true-
the launch of that campaign
honoring that.”
people.com”
as well.”
In the Oct. 5 email, Mc-
McQuisten responded to
Bland denies that allegation.
Quisten explained why she
MAYOR
Continued from A1
One count of fi rst-degree theft and one count
of second-degree theft were dismissed.
Judge Russell B. West, who presided over the
trial after Judge Matt Shirtcliff recused himself
due to a confl ict, sentenced Thamert on Oct. 8 to
10 days in the Baker County Jail and 24 months
of probation, and ordered him to pay $10,565 in
compensation and restitution to his former busi-
ness partner, Robert Whitnah of Baker City.
Thamert, who waived a delay in sentencing,
also has to pay $300 in court fees and fi nes.
Thamert was charged in August 2019 with
stealing about $100,000 from Beehive Homes,
the Baker City assisted living center he former-
ly co-owned with Whitnah.
Thamert and his former wife, Traci, were
business partners with Whitnah and his former
wife, Krischele Whitnah. Beehive Homes opened
in 2014.
Robert Whitnah is now the sole owner of
the business, which he renamed Memory Lane
Homes.
Whitnah said in a phone interview on Mon-
day, Oct. 11 that he is “really glad that the jury
saw through (Thamert’s) nonsense.”
Whitnah said Thamert was not only his busi-
ness partner, but also his “best friend.”
Whitnah said it was distressing to learn that
Thamert had been stealing money from the
business.
In regard to the $10,565 Thamert has to pay,
Whitnah said that in his view “this has never
been about the money.”
“It’s about needing him to be held account-
able.”
Whitnah, who is himself a defense attorney,
testifi ed during Thamert’s trial.
Whitnah said he was surprised by how
“emotionally involved I was,” even though he
acknowledged that it is a different matter to
defend someone in a criminal trial as compared
to testifying against a defendant.
“I don’t think I was a great witness,” Whitnah
said. “I think the state could have gotten more
charges if I was a better witness.”
Kurt Miller, a senior assistant state attorney
general, prosecuted Thamert.
Thamert, who is the facilities manager for
Crook County, was represented by Erick Ward
of Bend.
Robert Whitnah said Thamert also had
worked as an investigator for the Whitnahs’
law offi ce.
Thamert had been the bookkeeper for the
business, Whitnah said. Once Thamert left, an
audit was conducted in October and November
of 2017. That’s when it became apparent that
money was missing, Whitnah said.
More Information
National Friends of
Libraries Week is Oct.
17-23. The recognition is
coordinated by United
for Libraries, a division
of the American Library
Association.
• Reserves: ballot measure
funding and unanticipated
needs, such as grant matches
• Staff development: train-
ing, appreciation, volunteer
appreciation
Contact
Anyone interested in
helping at the Friends’ book
sales can call the library at
541-523-6419.
Cannon’s second Sept. 24 email,
following his phone conver-
sation with Bland, writing:
“Thank you for letting us know.
The cyberstalking and bizarre
calls at my home were creepy
at best.”
Bland said he hand-de-
livered a letter to McQuisten
during the Council’s Sept. 28
meeting, in which he accuses
the mayor of defaming him.
“I demand that you imme-
diately cease and desist from
making any and all false and
defamatory statements against
me,” Bland wrote in the letter
to McQuisten. “I also demand
that you publish a retraction
of all these false statements in
the form of an email to me, Mr.
Cannon and all City Council
Members by October 6, 2021.
If you do not cease and desist
immediately, and if you do not
provide a retraction by October
6, 2021, I may be forced to take
appropriate legal action against
you and seek all available dam-
ages and remedies.”
Bland said in a phone inter-
view Tuesday afternoon that
he was upset that McQuisten,
after receiving Cannon’s
second email, explaining the
source of Bland’s slurred
speech, failed to concede that
she was wrong in assuming
Bland was intoxicated.
Instead, Bland noted, Mc-
Quisten repeated her accusa-
tion that Bland had engaged
in cyberstalking and described
his actions as “bizarre” and
“creepy at best.”
In his letter to McQuisten,
Bland addressed those claims.
“I do not know what you
mean by ‘cyberstalking,’ but I
do not engage in any stalking
behaviors,” Bland wrote. “That
you fi nd phone calls from con-
stituents asking for information
‘bizarre’ and ‘creepy at best’ is
unacceptable. As an elected
offi cial, a County Republican
Precinct Committee Person,
and a candidate for governor,
please respond to a constitu-
ent’s inquiries rather than de-
fame them — especially after
their disability is revealed.”
Oregonians will get 17% of their 2020 state income taxes back
By BETSY HAMMOND
The Oregonian
Oregonians will get 17%
of their 2020 Oregon income
taxes back as a kicker credit
when they fi le their 2021
taxes next year, the Oregon
Department of Revenue an-
nounced Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Revenue offi cials deter-
mined more than a month
ago that Oregon’s unique
kicker rebate law would
generate a jaw-dropping $1.9
billion. But they needed to fi -
nalize and certify exactly how
much each tax fi ler would be
entitled to.
The offi cial answer is
17.341% of 2020 state income
court fi nes or child support,
People who paid 2020 Or- taxes on their 2021 income.
taxes paid. Taxpayers can
If you owe the state money, however, the state may use
egon income taxes can fi le for
fi nd their 2020 tax liability
all or part of your kicker that
on line 22 of their 2020 Form and receive the credit in 2022, whether for back taxes
debt fi rst.
even if they don’t owe Oregon or for other items such as
OR.
Oregonians get a kicker re-
bate when the state’s revenue
exceeds by 2% or more what
OPEN!
state forecasters projected far
2192 Court Avenue, Baker City • 541-523-5357
ahead of time. No other state
Where: Corner of Booth Lane and
Services Provided:
Lower Cove Road
has a similar law.
PICK’N PATCH
When: Friday and Saturday:
9am-6pm
Sunday: 10am-4pm
Monday-Thursday: By appointment
What you will find:
Small corn maze, several
varieties of pumpkins and gourds,
straw bales, corn stalks.
If you would like to schedule a
school field trip or other event,
please call the number listed below.
Like us on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/
PickNPatchFarm
farmkidsatoregonwireless.net
Please call
541-786-2421
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