TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2021
BAKER CITY HERALD — A3
LOCAL & STATE
Oregon OKs ‘more aggressive’
climate protection program
PORTLAND (AP) —
The Oregon Environmental
Quality Commission has
OK’d a new Climate Protec-
tion Plan for the state that
targets a 90% reduction in
greenhouse gas emissions
from transportation fuels
and natural gas by 2050.
The commission’s 3-1
vote comes after years of
unsuccessful attempts by
state lawmakers to launch
an economy-wide cap-and-
trade program to reduce the
carbon emissions that con-
tribute to climate change,
Oregon Public Broadcasting
reported.
“It has been an enor-
mous lift to get this pro-
gram to this point,” Com-
mission Chair Kathleen
George said after the vote.
Last year, Gov. Kate
Brown ordered the Oregon
Department of Environ-
mental Quality to develop
a new set of administrative
rules that would cap green-
house gas emissions from
fossil fuels and cut them
over time.
The resulting Climate
Protection Program caps
emissions from gasoline,
diesel, propane, kerosene
and natural gas and makes
the cap progressively more
restrictive.
Set to launch in 2022,
the program will distribute
a declining number of emis-
sion credits to fuel suppliers
and allow them to buy and
sell those credits as the cap
comes down. It also cre-
ates a Community Climate
Investment Fund that will
permit companies to pay for
emission reductions in com-
munities most impacted by
climate change.
The program will initial-
ly regulate 16 fuel suppliers
and three natural gas utili-
ties. Thirteen industrial fa-
cilities also will be regulated
under a different system
that creates individualized
plans to reduce emissions
using the best available
technology. Companies that
can’t meet the emission
reduction targets could face
fi nancial penalties.
POWDER
Continued from A1
Perfect timing
The storms from the
weekend of Dec. 11 brought
enough snow for the resort
to reopen. While this year’s
opening date was a bit
delayed compared to last
year’s opening right after
Thanksgiving, those at
Anthony Lake are not too
concerned as long as the
resort is open before schools
let out for winter break.
“We really try to get open
by at least that Saturday
going into the holiday
break,” Judy said.
Judy noted that the rush
of skiers on opening week-
end makes a big impact on
the resort’s overall revenue
for the ski season.
“It’s supposed to keep
snowing, so that’s a bonus,”
Judy said. “It looks like
we’re going to see some awe-
some conditions for quite a
while.”
Revamped skiing
experience
As the resort continues
Davis Carbaugh/The (La Grande) Observer
A group of skiers descend Road Run slope at An-
thony Lakes during the resort’s opening day on Sat-
urday, Dec. 18, 2021. Ski resorts across the country
have seen a signifi cant increase in traffi c during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
to adjust to COVID-19 and
create an enjoyable skiing
experience, Anthony Lakes
has started several new
programs and ramped up
its beginner education.
The resort has rebrand-
ed its learning center area
as “Alice’s Wonderland,”
with numerous slopes and
training areas for begin-
ners and young skiers. The
carpet lift was remodeled
with a covered conveyor and
renamed “The Caterpillar,”
while the handle tow is now
called “Mad Hatter.”
“It’ll be a really fun
learning experience this
year,” Judy said.
Another new feature will
be an emphasis on sup-
Companies have protest-
ed the higher targets, argu-
ing higher prices for gasoline,
diesel and natural gas will
result and have ripple effects
throughout the economy.
Industry groups did their
own analysis of the program
and found it would be more
costly for consumers than
what the DEQ is project-
ing, based on its economic
analysis.
If prices in Oregon
increase by more than 20%
of the fuel prices in other
states, Oregon DEQ staff
will do a review to deter-
mine whether the program
needs to be changed, Nicole
Singh, DEQ climate policy
advisor, said.
porting local businesses in
Union, Wallowa, Baker and
Grant counties. Anthony
Lakes Mountain Resort
will be promoting “Support
Local Thursdays,” in which
visitors can show a $40
receipt from a local business
in the area to receive a $25
lift ticket on Thursdays.
“We’re just trying to
encourage local spending in
the area,” Judy said.
In addition to promoting
local businesses in sur-
rounding areas, Anthony
Lakes has also seen a boost
from being a more locally
based ski resort. This recent
trend — along with a rise
in outdoor activities during
the pandemic — has helped
Anthony Lakes.
“People are really escap-
ing the larger ski areas and
traveling to the smaller
ones,” Judy said. “That is
an industry trend that is
benefi ting us — we’ll see a
lot of locals and visitors.”
Anthony Lakes Moun-
tain Resort is set to stay
open through Jan. 2. The
area will close at 1 p.m
on Christmas Eve and be
closed on Christmas Day.
Eide has lived in Baker
City off and on since he was
fi ve years old. He attended
Continued from A1
every school in Baker except
Churchill.
The Attic’s gaming offer-
The Attic is the eighth
ings include Super Ninten-
business he has started, and
do, Atari, Nintendo 64, Sony
he said he only failed at one.
Playstation, Playstation 2
“My favorite part actually
and Playstation 3, XBox
about business is just doing
360s, Wii, and a couple of
the business, designing it,
modifi ed systems.
and setting it up,” Eide said.
“We probably have about
He said one of his goals
7,000 to 8,000 games in
with The Attic is to show
here,” Eide said. “We need
younger residents that
more TVs still. We need
entrepreneurship can be
gaming chairs and we need
successful. He also hopes to
entertainment centers.”
develop a rapport with kids.
The Attic also has ping
He worked as a barber
pong tables and older arcade
games such as DigDug.
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald for years and said he noticed
kids who went in had their
The owners have even
Co-owner Tim Eide at The Attic in downtown Baker
heads down and didn’t re-
more games in storage that City.
ally communicate.
haven’t been installed.
“I think we’re just really
membership receive 20%
The Attic also has a selec- trical outlets for additional
interested in teaching kids
discounts on merchandise,
gaming consoles.
tion of board games.
how to communicate,” Eide
“That’s really our biggest snacks, and other items.
Donations and volun-
teers are also needed at The need right now is funding,” People will also receive 50% said. “That’s part of being in
a barbershop; when you go
off entry fees for gaming
Attic. Volunteers can be ages Eide said.
in a barbershop, you learn
Admission to The Attic is tournaments that are
16 and older.
how to talk to a man, how to
$5 per person, and they offer planned, the fi rst taking
Eide and Brown have
shake a man’s hand, how to
place Dec. 18.
memberships.
received donations from
look a man in the eye. This
“We’re going to do a lot
“We have four different
Les Schwab, ranchers, and
is kind of part of that too.”
of old school tournaments
membership levels right
business owners. They are
The Attic is open
now; you either pay a year in like Street Fighter, Mor-
also looking into grant op-
Wednesdays and Thursdays
advance, pay three months, tal Kombat, hockey, and
portunities.
maybe baseball,” Eide said. from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m, Fridays
six months in advance or
“Things are in the
“There’s almost an unimag- from 4 p.m to 11 p.m., and
pay monthly,” Eide said.
works,” Eide said.
inable amount of games we Saturdays from 4 p.m. to
People who sign up
Eide said they need
10 p.m.
can play.”
about $5,000 to install elec- for automatic pay for a
GAMING
Baker County Veterans
Service Office will be
closed from
December 20, 2021
through
December 27, 2021
Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald
Snow berms along Washington Avenue between First
and Second streets, looking west, on Monday morn-
ing, Dec. 20. Baker City Public Works Department crews
will be hauling away the snow as quickly as possible,
working on midnight shifts.
BERMS
was especially snowy, the city
spent $79,820 and $55,173,
respectively.
Continued from A1
But during the winter of
(As an illustration of how 2016-17, when snow depths
exceeded two feet and snow-
rapidly the weather can
change, Fisk noted that just a plows were running for weeks
week ago those graders were straight, the city spent more
smoothing sections of the
than $300,000.
city’s gravel streets.)
Although Sunday was
That crew was joined
the fi rst day snowplow and
around midnight by a fi ve-
removal crews worked, Fisk
man crew that used loaders
said the city’s sanding and
and dump trucks to haul
salting trucks have been out a
snow after it was plowed into few times earlier this winter.
berms, Fisk said.
This week’s plowing task
Another pick up crew was is somewhat less daunting
scheduled to start around
because Baker schools are on
midnight on Monday.
Christmas break, so crews
Usually it takes about three don’t have to concentrate on
midnight shifts to truck away streets near the schools as
all the snow berms, Fisk said. they do when classes are in
Hauling snow is a late
session, Fisk said.
night/early morning task
because it’s too dangerous to Shoveling snow from
operate the heavy equipment sidewalks, driveways
when there’s any signifi cant
A city ordinance states the
volume of traffi c, Fisk said.
property owners must clear
Crews dump snow at two snow and ice from sidewalks
locations — a lot off 12th
within 24 hours after snow
Street north of A Street that stops falling.
Baker Sanitary Service owns
Fisk urges residents to
and allows the city to use, and avoid shoving snow from
the parking lot at Leo Adler
sidewalks, or driveways, into
Field along D Street, which
the street, as that adds to the
the Baker County Fair Board snowplowing burden.
allows the city to use.
On Main Street there is
The city budget for the
no park strip between the
current fi scal year, which
sidewalks and the street, so
runs through June 30, 2022, property owners have little
includes $115,000 for snow
choice but to shovel snow into
and ice control.
the street, he said.
The amount the city actu-
Fisk also recommends
ally spends varies widely, not people avoid parking at the
surprisingly, based on the
curb on Main Street and other
severity of the winter.
downtown streets if possible,
During the previous two
to allow snowplows to clear
winters, neither of which
the entire width of the street.
COVID
Continued from A1
Data from other countries
where omicron is already the
main variant show that it
causes fewer severe cases and
deaths than delta and earlier
variants.
But Oregon offi cials fear
that omicron, due to its
greater infection rate, will
still strain hospital capacity.
During a three-day drive-
thru vaccination clinic Dec.
12-14 in Baker City, about
310 residents received a
booster dose.
Staten said county
residents who want a booster
dose can call the Health
Department at 541-523-8211,
or their health care provider.
She noted that people who
received the one-dose John-
son & Johnson vaccine are
now recommended to have
a booster dose of either the
Pfi zer or Moderna vaccine.
She said county offi cials
are talking about having an-
other drive-thru vaccination
clinic during January.
According to Oregon
Health Authority (OHA) sta-
tistics, 38.1% of Baker County
residents 65 and older have
had a booster dose.
About 19.4% of residents
ages 50 to 64 have had a
booster dose.
Case counts
Baker County reported
22 new cases for the week
Dec. 12-18. It was the fourth
straight weekly decline, fol-
lowing weekly totals of 25,
35 and 37.
The total of 22 cases
is the fewest in any week
since Oct. 31-Nov. 6, when
there were 20 cases, and the
second-fewest since late July.
Daily averages have
dropped since reaching a
record-high of 15.5 cases per
day during September.
The daily average
dropped to 5.4 during
October, and to 4.8 during
November.
The daily average for the
fi rst 19 days of December
was 3.4 cases.
That’s well below the
rate during December 2020,
when the county recorded
a then record high of 196
cases, an average of 6.3 per
day.
Don’t text and
drive... you
won’t have to
come see us!
Baker City's
Newest Brewery
Taproom Hours:
Wed-Fri 4pm to 8pm
Sat 2pm to 8pm
Closed Sun-Tues
Snacks | Beer | Cider
541-519-1337 | 1935 1st St, Baker City, OR
2390 Broadway, Baker City
541-523-5223