SATURDAY
REACTIONS VARY REGARDING OREGON’S NEW DRUG LAW: PAGE A2
In SPORTS, A6
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
December 18, 2021
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Herald subscriber John
Heriza of Baker City.
State, A5:
People who get
COVID-19 despite being
vaccinated against the dis-
ease could develop “super
immunity” against future
coronavirus infections,
Oregon Health & Science
University researchers
have found.
Festively
fanciful
WEATHER
Today
30 / 23
Snow showers
Sunday
33 / 23
Snow showers
Monday
34 / 21
Rain or snow
Corrections: A story in
the Dec. 16 issue about
the appointment of Dean
Guyer to the Baker City
Council didn’t mention the
initial vote, in which Guyer
received three votes (Kerry
McQuisten, Joanna Dixon
and Johnny Waggoner
Sr.), Ray Duman received
two votes (Heather
Sells and Jason Spriet)
and Marvin Sundean
received one vote (Shane
Alderson). Because the
city charter requires that
councilor appointments be
made by a majority of the
council — at least four —
there was a second vote.
Guyer received fi ve votes,
with Sells and Spriet
also supporting Guyer.
Alderson didn’t vote in
that round.
A story about the Baker
City Rotary Club in the
Dec. 11 issue listed the
wrong time for the club’s
weekly meetings in the
Baker Tower. The meetings
at Mondays at noon.
The space below is for
a postage label for issues
that are mailed.
ReNae Cameron/Contributed Photo
Snowpack
surging
after
storms
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Wes Morgan was happy to see
the snow fi nally begin to fall, and
happier still that the fl akes were
sticking on ground that was moist
rather than dusty.
Morgan has more than a pass-
ing interest in such matters.
He manages the Burnt River
Irrigation District in southern
Baker County, and the amount of
snow, as well as the moisture level
in the ground on which it accumu-
lates, can have signifi cant effects
on the supply of irrigation water
many months ahead.
In the midst of one of the most
severe droughts in the region
in the past 20 years, Morgan’s
concerns were multiple.
ReNae Cameron’s collection of Christmas village homes and buildings will be on display through
Christmas at Sumpter City Hall.
 Sumpter’s city
recorder displays a
Christmas village
at City Hall
In Sumpter, she put it
up just after Thanksgiving.
“I never set it up the
same way,” she said.
She arranges every-
thing on top of white
sheets, then uses garland
to disguise the wires. The
By LISA BRITTON
miniature homes are illu-
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
minated from within, and
ReNae Cameron needed
she winds extra lights be-
to find a new place for her
neath the sheets.
Christmas village.
This year, her mom and
“It’s just outgrown my
uncle were able to visit the
house,” she said with a
village they helped create.
laugh.
“They hadn’t seen it all
She estimates she has
together in person,” she
at least 80 houses.
said. “Now they can enjoy
“Plus all the people, ani-
it without having to set it
mals, snowboarders, skiers,
up.”
the trees and the train,”
She’ll have the village
Cameron said.
ReNae Cameron/Contributed Photo
Her house may not be
ReNae Cameron’s Christmas village, on display at on display through Christ-
mas.
big enough to contain this Sumpter City Hall, features at least 80 houses.
And she already has
miniature town, but this
plans for 2022.
Cameron, with the help and uncle added houses
year it’s in a public place
“I have three new build-
of her daughter, arranged they’d been collecting, too.
for all to enjoy.
“That’s how it got to be ings to add next year,” she
Cameron’s village is on the village over a week-
said. “That’s my Christmas
so big,” she said.
end.
display at Sumpter City
Prior to taking the job gift to myself.”
It took 12 hours.
Hall, where she works as
Sumpter City Hall is
as Sumpter city recorder
“Just unpacking took
the city recorder for the
located at 240 Mill St. It is
in June 2020, Cameron
me two hours,” she said.
town of about 200 resi-
Cameron has collected taught in Mountain Home, open Monday through Fri-
dents, on the west side of
Idaho, where she’d set up day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
these houses and other
the Elkhorn Mountains
— except Thursday, when
the village in her class-
additions for 25 years. It
about 28 miles west of
it closes at 2 p.m.
Baker City via Highway 7. grew more when her mom room.
Volunteers sought for ‘human library’
The goal is “to challenge precon-
ceived biases and encourage honest
and respectful dialogue.”
Readers and “human books” are
Readers “borrow” a book for 30
needed for a special event later this
minutes.
winter sponsored by Neigh-
“One of the goals is to cre-
bors of Baker and the Baker
ate a safe environment for the
County Public Library.
books — they are sharing a
It is called the Human
personal experience,” Stadler
Library, which is an interna-
said.
tional organization founded
The goal for this initial
in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Human
Library event is to
“It’s been around for over
Stadler
have fi ve books, who will each
20 years,” said Gretchen
Stadler, who is helping facilitate the offer three time slots for readers.
“Each book will tell their story
event.
and have a conversation three times,”
The motto is “unjudge someone.”
Stadler said. “This is an opportunity
The format mimics a library, but
for the reader to ask questions.”
with real people as the books, which
The event is set for Feb. 19 from
readers can “borrow” to learn more
4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the library,
about a topic through conversation.
Human books are volunteers who 2400 Resort St.
Stadler and Perry Stokes, library
have unique experiences with preju-
director, have worked on this project
dice, stigma, or stereotypes.
since early summer of 2021. Organi-
According to the Human Library
information, book topics may include zations who wish to have a Human
Library must fi rst apply and be
ethnicity, religion, physical/mental
approved, then go through a training
health, social status, occupation,
LGBT+, immigration status, violence/ process for both the organizers and
abuse or past drug/alcohol addiction. human books.
By LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
TODAY
Issue 93, 12 pages
Calendar .........................A2
Classified .................. B2-B4
Comics ............................B5
Community News .........A3
Crossword ............ B2 & B4
Dear Abby ......................B6
Readers also have guidelines and
ground rules of respect.
“They’ve maybe never sat with
someone recovering from a drug ad-
diction,” Stadler said. “Here’s someone
you may never have met and here’s an
opportunity to ask questions.”
This is, as the name implies, a way
to learn about life through another’s
perspective, much like the many top-
ics found in a library.
“Part of learning is being aware
and empathetic of another person’s
struggling,” Stokes said. “This is an-
other storytelling format — this one’s
just face to face.”
Those interested in being a
human book can email Stadler at
neighborsofbaker@gmail.com.
Readers can begin signing up in
January at the library or by calling
541-523-6419.
The three-hour event will consist of
three time slots, which includes 30 min-
utes with a book and time to fi ll out an
evaluation form, which will be shared
with the Human Library organization.
To learn more, visit https://hu-
manlibrary.org/.
Horoscope ............ B3 & B4
Jayson Jacoby ...............A4
News of Record .............A2
See, Snow/Page A3
Deer disease
outbreak
may leave
hunting tags
unaff ected
 Insect-spread
disease confi rmed in
mostly white-tailed
deer in Baker, Union
and Wallowa counties
By JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
An insect-borne virus killed
dozens of deer, most whitetails,
in Baker, Union and Wallowa
counties this summer, but
wildlife biologists said the die-off
might not lead to any reduction
in hunting tags.
Offi cials from the Oregon
Department of Fish and Wildlife
(ODFW) started getting reports
of dead deer around the region
this summer.
Tests of tissue samples
confi rmed that the animals were
infected with a virus, spread by
biting midges, that causes the
frequently fatal illness, Epizootic
Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD).
Although EHD can kill both
white-tailed and mule deer, as
well as other wild animals such
as elk and pronghorn antelope,
and sheep and cattle, the disease
typically is much more virulent
among whitetails, said Brian
Ratliff, district wildlife biologist
at ODFW’s Baker City offi ce.
In late summer, Ratliff said
33 of the 36 dead deer he had
examined were whitetails.
Baker County
In Baker County the disease
outbreak was mostly confi ned to
the western edge of the Baker
Valley, an area including Pine
and Goodrich creeks, Ben Dier
Lane and upper Hunt Mountain
Lane, Ratliff said.
White-tailed deer are common
in that part of the valley, about
12 miles northwest of Baker City.
Ratliff didn’t have a fi nal
estimated tally of how many
deer died.
Obituaries .......................A3
Opinion ...........................A4
Outdoors .............. B1 & B2
TUESDAY — WEEKEND BAKER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS ROUND UP
Grizzlies
slip past
Baker girls
See, Disease/Page A5
Sports .............................A6
Turning Backs ................A2
Weather ..........................B6