A2 — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2021
Research study examines deer decline
Work in Starkey
Experimental Forest
also examines dynamics
between various predators
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
December 18, 1971
After the ballots were counted, the certifi ed teachers in
Baker last night voted to reject school district 5-J’s propos-
als after a mediation process under Oregon law.
The law now provides for a fact-fi nder appointed by the
state superintendent of public instruction.
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 18, 1996
The Baker County Vector Control District board — which
is responsible for killing mosquitoes in the 200,000-acre
district — on Tuesday voted 3-1 to renew for one year
its contract with Roy Hanan of Eagle Cap Aviation in La
Grande.
His three-year contract expired this year.
The board’s decision came after an almost three-hour
presentation by Glenn Bissell, an entomologist who works
for the Crook County Vector Control District.
Board member Michael Borisoff, who cast the dis-
senting vote, suggested the board hire Bissell, who has
worked for vector control districts for more than 20 years.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 19, 2011
Forget, for a moment, the concept of a white Christmas.
That’s just one day.
Baker City is poised to establish a far more signifi cant
meteorological milestone.
An entire December that’s not only not white.
It’s not wet.
At all.
Such a thing has not happened around here at least
since someone set out a receptacle with the intention of
tallying the precipitation.
Which is a considerable span — dating back to at least
1913.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 19, 2020
When Jessie Ritch became acquainted with Virginia
Kostol she knew straight off that theirs would not be an
ordinary friendship.
This, Ritch sensed, was a relationship she would always
treasure.
“Virginia was one of those people who, when you fi rst
form a friendship, you just know how special that person
is going to be in your life,” Ritch said on Thursday, Dec. 17.
“She was just such a joy to be around. We hit it off right
away.”
Their bond stayed strong until the very end.
Ritch said she played cards with Virginia on Sunday,
Dec. 13, and spoke with her on the phone about 4:30 that
afternoon.
Virginia, who has lived in Baker City since 1953 and
over the decades amassed a long record of community
service, died that night in the North Baker City home
where she lived for all those years.
She was 94.
Ritch, 80, said her sadness at losing her friend was
tempered by the knowledge that Virginia’s daughter, Cris,
had arrived two days earlier for a visit.
“I just feel so thankful that Cris was there,” Ritch said.
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SENIOR MENUS
MONDAY: Chicken strips, mashed potatoes with gravy,
corn, rolls, beet-and-onion salad, pudding
TUESDAY: Spaghetti, garlic bread, broccoli, green salad,
apple crisp
WEDNESDAY: Ham and beans, mixed vegetables,
cornbread, cottage cheese and Jell-O salad, ice cream
THURSDAY: Sweet and sour chicken, rice, rolls, carrots,
green salad, brownies
FRIDAY: Closed for Christmas Eve
MONDAY (Dec. 27): Barbecued ribs, baked beans,
carrots, rolls, fruit, ambrosia, lemon squares
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older), $7.50
for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
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Open Monday through Friday
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Telephone: 541-523-3673
Fax: 541-833-6414
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.
com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
ads@bakercityherald.com
Classifi ed email
classified@bakercityherald.com
Circulation email
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ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
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Copyright © 2021
By KATY NESBITT
For EO Media Group
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald, File
A mule deer buck.
STARKEY — A study looking into
predator-prey interaction at the Star-
key Experimental Forest and Range in
Union County revealed fascinating in-
sight into more than predation on deer
and elk, such as the dynamics between
competing carnivores.
To answer why mule deer are declin-
ing at Starkey and across Northeastern
Oregon, researchers are looking at possible
contributors, including the role of predators.
According to OSU associate professor Taal
Levi, who served as an adviser to a 2016-
2020 study led by Joel Ruprecht, an Oregon
State University wildlife science doctoral
student, the study included collaring a
sampling of carnivores, monitoring deer and
elk kill sites via game cameras and analyz-
ing scat to determine what predators living
within the 40-square-mile experimental
forest and range were eating.
See, Deer/Page A3
Reactions vary on new drug law
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The (La Grande) Observer
LA GRANDE — Reactions
remain mixed to Oregon’s law
decriminalizing drugs and
boosting the availability and
usage of addiction recovery
options.
Measure 110 passed by
58.5% in Oregon in November
2020 and went into effect Feb.
1. In Baker County a majority
of voters — 62.5% — opposed
the measure.
“The diffi culty of mea-
suring 110’s impact on our
community and policing at
this time is we only have
nine months of experience in
determining short-term and
long-term effects of Mea-
sure 110,” La Grande police
Lt. Jason Hays said. “Also,
COVID-19 also complicates
this since COVID mandates,
joblessness and other COVID
stressors also impact behavior
and criminal activity.”
The measure adjusts the
approach on drug addiction
and abuse, reclassifying the
penalties for drug possession.
The penalty for drug posses-
sion is essentially the price of
a parking ticket. The new pun-
ishment for smaller amounts
of controlled substances is
a $100 fi ne, which can be
avoided if the individual seeks
out a health assessment at an
addiction recovery center.
This shift in drug posses-
sion enforcement was put
into place to emphasize drug
abuse as a public health issue,
one that encourages addicts
to reach out to addiction ser-
vices instead of being placed
behind bars.
Mixed reviews
While Measure 110 was
drafted with a goal of improv-
ing treatment for addictions,
law enforcement across the
state has had mixed feelings
regarding the new procedures.
The measure changed the ap-
proach of drug abuse enforce-
ment, as police departments
across the state are taking a
more reactive approach to drug
usage in communities.
“Historically we were proac-
tive in our fi ght against illicit
drug abuse, drug possession,
drug manufacturing and drug
dealing in a way to increase
the livability within our com-
munity,” Hays said. “With the
implementation of M110 voted
in by the people, it sends a
message that illicit drug activ-
ity is not a priority within our
communities in Oregon as it
once was.”
According to Hays, local law
enforcement in La Grande saw
more success in drug abuse
treatment when individuals
were ordered by the court to
receive drug treatment.
“We deal with citizens
daily who are drug dependent,
whose health digresses be-
cause we don’t have the ability
to arrest them on drug charges
that would typically get them
into court-ordered drug treat-
ment when they refuse to
get treatment on a voluntary
basis,” he said. “There is now
very little accountability for
drug-dependent persons, and
we are seeing an increase in
certain criminal conduct that
could be contributed to the
effects of Measure 110.”
According to Hays, there is
a 135% increase in theft cases,
113% increase in criminal
mischief-related calls, a 33%
increase in assault-related
calls and an 83% decrease in
drug law violations that corre-
late with the start of Measure
110’s enforcement in February.
The stats compared criminal
activity related to drug usage
in Union County between
the period of February 2019
through November 2019 to
statistics from February 2021
through November 2021.
Hays noted that it is dif-
fi cult to quantify whether or
not these stats are a direct
result of Measure 110, as the
trial period since the start of
its enforcement is still fresh.
He also stated that these
numbers do not include calls
for service where a report was
not taken by law enforcement.
The COVID-19 pandemic is
another factor that could be
affecting crime trends across
the country.
With that being said, Hays
also noted mental health is the
larger trend playing a negative
role in communities impacted
by Measure 110.
“My personal feeling is the
increase in people suffering
from mental health issues
has had a much larger impact
on our policing and commu-
nity than Measure 110,” he
said. “Although, some mental
health issues can also be M110
related due to chronic drug
abuse.”
Hays emphasized it is
NEWS OF RECORD
DEATHS
Robert George: 77, of Baker
City, died Dec. 16, 2021, at his
home, surrounded by family.
Arrangements are under the direc-
tion of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home & Cremation Services.
Online condolences can be shared
at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral-
home.com.
Thomas Hooton: 73, of
Huntington, died Dec. 16, 2021.
Arrangements are under the direc-
tion of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home and Cremation Services.
Online condolences can be shared
at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral-
home.
Kathleen Mae Bradshaw: 60,
of Baker City, died Dec. 15, 2021,
at St. Charles Medical Center in
Bend. Her memorial service will
take place at Gray’s West & Co.
Pioneer Chapel in Baker City. The
date and time will be announced
soon. To leave an online condo-
lence for Kathleen’s family, go to
www.grayswestco.com.
Gwyn Adams: 68, of Baker
City, died Dec. 10, 2021, near Baker
City. Gray’s West & Co. is looking
for relatives to direct his disposi-
tion. If you have any information
regarding a relative of Gwyn, call
Gray’s West & Co. at 541-523-3677
or go to www.grayswestco.com.
Doug Nichols: Doug Dale
Nichols, 70, of Sandy, and a for-
mer Baker City resident, died Dec.
12, 2021, after severe pneumonia,
his grandson and namesake at
his side.
Margaret Helen Starr: 89,
of Baker City, died Dec. 16, 2021,
at her residence at Settler’s Park
Assisted Living Community. Coles
Tribute Center is in charge of
arragements. To leave an online
condolence, go to www.colestrib-
utecenter.com.
POLICE LOG
Baker County Sheriff’s Offi ce
Arrests, citations
FOURTH-DEGREE ASSAULT
(domestic), HARASSMENT: Martin
Bradley Davis, 48, Baker County,
1:52 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 15 on
Smelcer Road near Richland; jailed.
still diffi cult to measure the
effectiveness of Measure 110,
seeing as a major shift in law
enforcement takes time to fully
take effect.
Moving parts
Law enforcement is not
seeing the same results from
relaxed punishments for drug
abuse versus when drugs were
criminalized. That is not to say
that a focus on recovery and
mental health can’t be effec-
tive, but the legwork to switch
the emphasis still is being put
in place.
La Grande attorney Jared
Boyd weighed in on what he
has noticed from the legal side
of things, where there has
been a signifi cant case drop
due to Measure 110. While
the intent of the measure is to
make treatment and recovery
options readily available, Boyd
stated those options are lack-
ing in Eastern Oregon.
“It’s a measure that was
well-intended,” he said. “I agree
with the goal of the measure,
but there needs to be a much
better system in place.”
Boyd said there are signifi -
cantly less treatment options
in Eastern Oregon as opposed
to the western side of the
state, which may be having
a negative effect on Measure
110’s effectiveness on the east
side of Oregon.
Court statistics from
around the state also show
that individuals are not show-
ing up for their court appear-
ances in high frequencies.
According to Oregon Public
Broadcasting, defendants did
not show up for circuit court
appearance in about three-
fi fths of the 978 cases through
Oct. 1.
According to Boyd, a rough
estimate on reduction in crimi-
nal cases fi led would be some-
where around 20-30%. He said
he also expects a large ripple
effect on defense attorneys’
budgets due to the absence of
drug-related cases.
“I agree with the spirit of it.
Jail doesn’t treat addiction, we
know that,” Boyd said. “There
needs to be changes and it
needs to be fully implemented
to fi x crimes.”
Path to recovery
Early numbers may not
refl ect the measure’s long-
term effects in Oregon, but the
initial stages of Measure 110
have seen a major shakeup in
how drug abuse is addressed
in the state.
In a letter from Amy Ash-
ton-Williams, the executive
director of the Oregon Wash-
ington Health Network, she
entailed what she described
as positive strides that have
been made since the passing
of Measure 110.
“Measure 110 alone cannot
fi x this nationwide crisis, but
it’s an important tool for how
we stop treating addiction
as a moral failing deserving
of punishment, and start
treating it as a health issue
deserving of medical care,”
Ashton-Williams said.
OWhN is one of 70 orga-
nizations funded through the
fi rst round of Measure 110
grants that were distributed
this summer. The idea of
increased recovery and treat-
ment comes from the notion
that money saved from the
cost of arrests and incar-
ceration can be spent toward
increased medical care.
According to Ashton-
Williams, OWhN has opened
three new drop-in peer
centers in Hermiston, Milton-
Freewater and Pendleton
— spaces where individuals
can share experiences with
resources and others who
have overcome addiction.
While certain elements of
the new system may need time
to be implemented and some
aspects of law enforcement
may see negative impacts,
health offi cials such as Ashton-
Williams are optimistic of Mea-
sure 110 moving forward.
“Oregon communities have
been denied proper access to
addiction recovery services for
so long that it’s going to take
some time before we feel the
full positive impacts of this
new law,” Ashton-Williams
said. “We’ve got a lot of people
who have, for far too long,
fallen through the cracks.
We’re working hard to meet
the tremendous need, ensur-
ing there is no wrong door
when it comes to accessing
critical care.”
As the new measure
continues to be established as
the new method for handling
drug abuse and possession in
Oregon, only time will tell the
full impact of Measure 110 on
substance abuse in the state.
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