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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 9, 2021)
THURSDAY BAKER GIRLS, BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM SUFFER CLOSE LOSSES: PAGE A6 DECEMBER 8–15, 2021 Timber Truckers Light Parade WWW.GOEASTERNOREGON.COM PAGE 8 Celebrate Enterprise Winterfest Listen Handel’s ‘Messiah’ Explore SAGE Center lights PAGE 7 PAGE 12 PAGE 16 Rudy Diaz/Blue Mountain Eagle Trucks light up John Day at the 2019 Timber Truckers Light Parade. “The food is fresh, locally sourced and unbelievably delicious. Their IPAs are distinct and clearly not copy-cats of each other or anyone else making NW IPAs.” - Yelp Review, Bend. Oregon 1219 Washington Ave • La Grande, OR 97850 www.sideabeer.com GO! Magazine Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com December 9, 2021 IN THIS EDITION: Local • Business & AgLife • Go! magazine $1.50 QUICK HITS Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Jamie Hug of Baker City. Piping Progress BRIEFING Dielman to speak at Baker Heritage Museum Dec. 14 Local historian Gary Dielman will be the fea- tured speaker at the next monthly lecture series held at the Baker Heritage Museum, 2480 Grove St. His talk begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 14. Baker County YMCA plans fi rst Tinsel Trot Dec. 18 The Baker County YMCA is planning the fi rst Tinsel Trot fun run and walk on Saturday, Dec. 18, rain, snow or shine. The event starts at 11 a.m. at Geiser-Pollman Park. Same-day registra- tion begins at 9:30 a.m. Entry is $15 for ages 6-17, $20 for ages 18 and older, $50 for a family of four or more, and free for ages 5 and younger. Participants are encour- aged to wear a favorite ugly sweater. Mine City Catering Company will be selling pulled pork sandwiches at the fi nish line, and Coffee Corral will provide hot chocolate and coffee. Register online at www. bakerymca.org. Those who register before Dec. 13 will receive a T-shirt. Baker City Public Works/Contributed Photo This building houses a pump station at Baker City’s new wastewater storage lagoon near Highway 203. The pump can send wastewater from the new lagoon to the existing lagoon complex as needed for irrigation. City’s new wastewater project nears completion Wallowa-Whitman National Forest installs more signs to alert people to roads blocked by snow Today 35 / 22 By JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Snow showers Friday 36 / 23 Snow fl urries The space below is for a postage label for issues that are mailed. See, Piping/Page A3 Signs of trouble WEATHER Full forecast on the back of the B section. Mutual Agreement and Order (MAO) with DEQ that required the city to pursue a modifi cation to the wastewa- ter treatment process. Owen said the new pipeline is in place from the new lagoon to the freeway. “And then they’re working on it from our existing pond, the old one, to the river,” Owen said. Crews are working on the bore beneath the freeway that will link the pipe. across Baker Valley, and beneath both the Powder River and Interstate 84, to the newly constructed lagoon. Workers recently installed a lining at the new lagoon, said Michelle Owen, the city’s public works director. The pipeline and lagoon are the ma- By SAMANTHA O’CONNER jor parts of one of the city’s largest proj- soconner@bakercityherald.com ects in the past couple decades, a $5.7 The Baker City Public Works De- partment is beginning to see the light million job the city undertook after the Oregon Department of Environmental at the end of a seven-mile tunnel. Quality (DEQ) mandated that the city This tunnel is actually a pipeline eventually cease piping treated waste- that will bring wastewater from the city’s current treatment and storage la- water into the Powder River. In 2017, the city entered into a goons, about a mile north of town, east Wallowa-Whitman National Forest/Contributed Photo Wallowa-Whitman National Forest offi cials hope newly installed, brightly colored signs will deter travelers from driving passenger vehicles on roads that aren’t maintained for winter travel. The Wallowa-Whitman National Forest has installed new, brightly colored signs at several road junctions to remind travelers that some routes are passable only to snowmobiles and other special- ized vehicles during winter. Although signs have been posted on these roads in the past, stating that they weren’t maintained for winter travel, drivers have continued to get their ve- hicles mired in deep snow occasionally. New Sign Locations • Junction of Highway 86 and Road 39 (Wallowa Mountain Loop Road), about nine miles east of Halfway • Road 39 and Salt Creek Summit • Road 3955 just north of Road 39 junction on the Imnaha River, near the fi sh weir • Road 73 (Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway) at Granite • Road 73 at the junction with Road 43 (Ladd Canyon Road, at the turnoff to Grande Ronde Lake, about a mile west of Anthony Lakes Ski Area) See, Signs/Page A3 Brown adds to winnings at National Finals Rodeo “I’ve been making really good runs.” Jacob Talley, who came into the NFR ranked No. 1 in the world stand- LAS VEGAS — Baker City steer wrestler Jesse Brown fi nished sixth in ings, remains on top with $179,944 in earnings this season. Dirk Tavenner, the sixth round of the National Finals Rodeo on Tuesday, Dec. 7, taking down who has won three of six rounds, is right on his heels with $170,925. his steer in 4.5 seconds. “He is making it happen and I’m Brown earned $4,354 for his effort. not,” Brown said of Tavenner. In Tuesday’s fi fth round, Brown Brown was second in the world broke the barrier — resulting in a 10-second penalty — and fi nished with standings heading into the NFR. He now sits eighth with $121,517 with a time of 14.2 seconds. “I just went a little too fast, I guess,” four rounds to go. Tristan Martin leads the NFR Brown said. “It’s a would of, could of, average after six runs with a time of should of.” 25.8 seconds. Brown is eighth at 36.7 Brown, a 2011 Baker High School seconds. graduate who is competing in the In addition to competing daily, National Finals Rodeo for the second straight year, has placed in three of six Brown has gotten to spend a little time with his parents, Jim and Vicki, and rounds, pocketing $19,159. just enjoy what Las Vegas has to offer. Though placing in the top six and “I’m having fun,” Brown said. earning money has been nice, Brown “Vegas is a pretty fun town and being still is looking for that one big run. “Hell yeah, I think it’s there,” he said. here for the fi nals is great.” By ANNIE FOWLER East Oregonian TODAY Issue 89, 32 pages Business ...........B1 & B2 Calendar ....................A2 Classified ............. B2-B4 Comics ....................... B5 Community News ....A3 Crossword ........B2 & B4 Your weekly guide to arts and entertainment events around Northeast Oregon Wyden calls for pharmacy investigation By JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden continues to press federal of- fi cials to investigate the retail pharmacy market as custom- ers in Baker City and elsewhere continue to wait for hours to pick up their medica- tions from Wyden understaffed pharmacies. On Tuesday, Dec. 7, Wyden, a Democrat and Oregon’s senior U.S. sena- tor, asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to look into Walgreens’ recent acqui- sition of Bi-Mart’s pharmacy operations. That deal resulted in the closure, in early November, of the pharmacy in the Baker City Bi-Mart store. With many customers transferring their prescrip- tions to the three remaining pharmacies in Baker City — in the Albertsons, Safeway and Rite Aid stores — lines have been long at times. In a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan, Wyden wrote that his “deep concern about the trends unfolding in Oregon lead me to request that the FTC investigate Walgreens’ acquisition of Bi-Mart pharmacies, includ- ing the surrounding cir- cumstances. Although these closures represent a local example, as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I am concerned that they represent a larger national trend in which a few power- ful companies have gained the market power to drive competitors out of business and monopolize the market.” See, Pharmacy/Page A3 Free nasal spray to reverse opioid overdoses available Drive-thru giveaway set for Dec. 14 By JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Contributed Photo Jesse Brown and his mother, Vicki, at the 2020 National Finals Rodeo in Arlington, Texas. Jesse Brown, a 2011 Baker High School graduate, is competing in the 2021 National Finals, which has returned to its usual venue in Las Vegas. The event continues through Saturday, Dec. 11. Dear Abby ................. B6 Horoscope ........B3 & B4 Letters ........................A4 Lottery Results ..........A2 News of Record ........A2 Obituaries ..................A2 SATURDAY — BAKER GIRLS, BOYS BASKETBALL TEAMS IN ACTION A nasal spray that can prevent death from opioid overdose will be distributed for free during a drive-thru event Tuesday, Dec. 14 in Baker City. The giveaway of Narcan, a nasal formulation of the medication naloxone, will take place at New Directions Northwest, 3425 13th St., from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The fi rst 30 people will also receive a to-go container of hot soup. The event is sponsored by the Tri-County Substance Abuse Disorder Peer program and the NDC Medication As- sisted Treatment program. See, Spray/Page A3 Opinion ......................A4 Sports ........................A6 Weather ..................... B6