THURSDAY
BAKER’S BRIANNA STADLER WINS TWO EVENTS AT SWIM MEET: PAGE A6
DECEMBER 15–22, 2021
Tour
The Big
at ACE
Explore
December at
Wallowology
Watch
‘West Side
Story’
PAGE 4
PAGE 12
PAGE 15
WWW.GOEASTERNOREGON.COM
Guided Holiday
Lights Tour
PAGE 8
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
Every year, the Union County Chamber receives more than 100 entries in its lighting
contest. The Chamber publishes a map for all the locations, and on Saturday, Dec.
18, residents can join a guided caravan to see displays in La Grande and Island City.
GO! Magazine
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
December 16, 2021
IN THIS EDITION:
QUICK HITS
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
Local • Business & AgLife • Go! magazine
$1.50
Council
appoints
Dean Guyer
Wondrous Wallowas
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Elizabeth
Lawson of Baker City.
By SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
BRIEFING
Library launches
winter reading
challenge
The Baker County
Library launches a winter
reading challenge for all
ages on Friday, Dec. 17,
and it continues through
Jan. 31, 2022. Those who
sign up will receive a
form to track reading and
a small prize. When the
tracker is returned, readers
will get to choose a book
and be entered into a
lottery for a gift certifi cate
from the Bikes for Books
program, which is a part-
nership with the Masonic
Lodge.
Registration is open
now at the library, 2400
Resort St. The challenge
will kick off with a puzzle
and book exchange on
Friday, Dec. 17, from 2 p.m.
to 4 p.m. at the library.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
The waning sun shining on the Wallowa Mountains created a stunning scene Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 14
in Baker City. With the foothills in the foreground in shade, this view from Hillcrest shows the peaks of the
Wallowas glowing in shades of pink, orange and white.
Doling out doses
WEATHER
Today
31 / 18
Snow showers
Friday
32 / 20
Snow fl urries
Correction: A story about
two COVID-19-related
deaths in Baker County in
the Dec. 11 issue misstated
the gender of one of
the residents who died.
A 62-year-old resident
who died Dec. 1 was a
man, not a woman. The
Oregon Health Authority
announced on Monday,
Dec. 13 that it had listed
the wrong gender in its
initial report of the death.
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
Your weekly guide
to arts and
entertainment
events around
Northeast Oregon
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald
Vehicles lined up Monday morning, Dec. 13, at the Baker County Fairgrounds for a drive-thru COVID-19
vaccination clinic.
More than 330 COVID-19 doses given during 3-day drive-thru clinic this week
“I really think that is a good
number for our county,” Staten said
on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The vast majority of those doses
As winter weather fi nally arrived
— 307 — were booster doses, Staten
this week in Baker City, more than
said.
300 people received COVID-19
The traveling team also conduct-
vaccine doses without leaving the
ed one-day clinics on Monday, Dec.
welcome warmth of their cars.
13 in Halfway, where 43 doses were
During a three-day drive-thru
vaccination clinic at the Fairgrounds, given, and on Tuesday, Dec. 14 in
Huntington, where 12 people were
a team that works for the Federal
vaccinated.
Emergency Management Agency
In addition to the drive-thru
administered 336 doses, said Nancy
Staten, director of the Baker County clinics, vaccine doses were given at
the Health Department and at some
Health Department.
By JAYSON JACOBY and
SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Baker City Herald
other medical providers, Staten
said.
The Oregon Health Authority
(OHA) reported that 144 doses were
given in Baker County on Sunday,
and 186 on Monday.
The two-day total of 330 doses is
the highest two-day total since early
April, when 634 doses were admin-
istered on April 9, the last of the
Health Department’s several major
clinics at Baker High School last
winter and spring.
See, Doses/Page A3
Driver killed in crash near North Powder
By DICK MASON and
DAVIS CARBAUGH
The (La Grande) Observer
NORTH POWDER — The driver
of a full-sized Dodge pickup pulling
a camper died in a single-vehicle
accident on the south edge of North
Powder early Wednesday, Dec. 15.
The driver, an adult male, was
killed when the pickup he was
driving went off the left westbound
lane of Interstate 84 and down an
embankment. The pickup and the
camper came to rest on Union Pacifi c
Railroad tracks. The accident was
reported at 6:29 a.m. to the Baker
County 911 dispatch center.
According to Oregon State Police
Sgt. Dave Aydelotte, the driver was
deceased by the time fi rst responders
arrived. The victim was not ejected
from his truck, said Sr. Trooper Greg
Retherford.
The driver in the fatal accident
had no passengers. The pickup the
man was driving was an Enterprise
rental and had Washington license
plates. The camper also had at least
one Washington license plate.
A Life Flight helicopter was
dispatched to the crash but turned
around immediately after reaching
North Powder because the driver did
not survive the crash.
“It fl ew in and circled the area but
it did not set down,’’ Retherford said.
The identity of the driver was not
released as of press time, pending the
notifi cation of the next of kin.
In addition to OSP, those respond-
ing to the accident included the La
Grande Fire Department, the Union
County Sheriff’s Offi ce and Union
Pacifi c Railroad. Retherford said a
La Grande Fire Department vehicle
got stuck on the railroad tracks while
a train was coming toward it about
a quarter mile west of the accident
scene.
See, Crash/Page A3
The Baker City Council is
again complete.
The Council reached its full
complement of seven members
Tuesday night, Dec. 14, when
councilors voted 5-1 to appoint
Dean Guyer.
The Council’s vacancy dates
back almost four months, to
August when Lynette Perry
resigned due to health issues.
Councilor Shane Alderson
cast the only dissenting vote on
the motion to appoint Guyer.
Alderson said Wednesday
morning that he wasn’t opposed
to Guyer joining the Council,
but that he doesn’t know Guyer.
Alderson said he is acquainted
with the two other people who
had applied to fi ll the vacancy
— Marvin Sundean and Ray
Duman.
Duman was the city’s police
chief until he retired June 30 of
this year.
After his appointment,
Guyer was sworn in and partici-
pated in the rest of Tuesday’s
meeting.
The Council had tried to
replace Perry at previous meet-
ings, with candidates including
Thomas Hughes and Randy
Daugherty, but all motions
failed on 3-3 votes, with Mayor
Kerry McQuisten and council-
ors Joanna Dixon and Johnny
Waggoner Sr. in one group,
and councilors Jason Spriet,
Heather Sells and Alderson in
the other.
Guyer is a longtime banker
who retired Jan. 31, 2021, from
Malheur Federal Credit Union
in Ontario.
In his application for the
councilor position, Guyer wrote
that in Baker City he worked
for several banks and credit
unions, most of the moves re-
sulting from mergers. The one
exception is Old West Federal
Credit Union, where he was a
branch manager.
Guyer also has been a board
member for several church or-
ganizations, president of a non-
profi t housing board that built
a 24-unit apartment for low- to
moderate-income families, a
member of the Historic Baker
City committee for business re-
cruitment, Baker City Planning
Commission and Baker City Ro-
tary Club, where he was a board
member and past president. He
also served on the St. Elizabeth
Foundation board.
“I am a civic-minded person
who wants to participate with
other civic-minded individuals
for the betterment of all Baker
City residents,” Guyer wrote
in his application. “I come from
a family that has always been
civically minded. Now that I am
retired, I can devote the time
and energy needed to be an ac-
tive Councilor.”
In other business Tuesday,
the Council scheduled a work
session for Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. to
talk about the homeless issue in
the city.
Councilors want to meet
with Baker County Commis-
sioners, who recently proposed
to open a temporary warming
shelter this winter.
McQuisten also plans to add
a discussion about the phar-
macy crisis to the agenda for the
Council’s next meeting.
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Bak Oregon
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TODAY
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2022
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Issue 92, 32 pages
Business ...........B1 & B2
Calendar ....................A2
Classified ............. B2-B4
Comics ....................... B5
Community News ....A3
Crossword ........B2 & B4
Dear Abby ................. B6
Horoscope ........B3 & B4
Letters ........................A4
Lottery Results ..........A2
News of Record ........A2
Obituaries ..................A2
Opinion ......................A4
Sports ........................A6
Weather ..................... B6
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Youn
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