BAKER CITY HERALD • SATuRDAY, JAnuARY 15, 2022 A3
Advisory
70TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
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The Guymons
Inversions can persist for many days,
during which smoke and other pollutants
accumulate.
Typically, air temperature drops as eleva-
tion increases, which is why it’s usually colder
in the mountains than in adjacent valleys.
But that situation is reversed during an
inversion.
As an illustration of the phenomenon, at
8 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, the temperature
at the top of the chairlift at Anthony Lakes
Mountain Resort, elevation nearly 8,000 feet,
was 32 degrees. At the same time it was 23
degrees at the Baker City Airport, elevation
3,376 feet, 7 degrees along Highway 7 at the
Sumpter Junction, elevation 4,245 feet, and 12
degrees at North Powder, elevation 3,255 feet.
The hourly air quality index at sites
around Oregon is available online at
https://oraqi.deq.state.or.us/home/map.
The lone air quality measuring station in
Baker County, atop the David J. Wheeler
Federal Building in Baker City, had been
offline from Jan. 6 through Friday morn-
ing, Jan. 14.
But Lauren Wirtis, a public affairs spe-
cialist with the DEQ, said DEQ employ-
ees were able to get the station operating
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
again. As of 11 a.m. on Jan. 14, the air
This scene from Flagstaff Hill on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022, shows how a temperature inver-
quality index in Baker City was 18, which
sion — with warm air trapping cold air near the ground — can result in a layer of clouds
is in the good (0-50) category.
over Baker Valley.
Clinic
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Turk was accompanied by
Ashlinn Robertson, who said
she was offering moral support.
Robertson said she received
her booster dose during the
Baker County Health Depart-
ment’s most recent drive-thru
clinic, on Dec. 12-14.
Terry Fosback and Sherry
Buxton received their booster
doses as well during the Jan.
13 event.
“The doctor told us to get
boosters,” Fosback said.
Nancy Staten, director of
the Baker County Health
Department, said she was
pleased with the turnout
during the clinic, which ran
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The clinic boosted Baker
County’s vaccine dose num-
ber to its highest one-day to-
tal since Dec. 14, the last of
the three days of the clinic.
A total of 445 doses were
administered in the county
during that three-day period,
most of them at the clinic,
also at the Fairgrounds.
Since then the county’s
seven-day running daily
average of doses given has
dropped from 90 to 20.
The Jan. 13 clinic hap-
pened during the county’s
biggest surge in COVID-19
cases since September.
Baker County reported 36
cases on Thursday, Jan. 13,
the second-highest one-day
total during the pandemic.
The record high is 37
cases, on Sept. 9, 2021, and
Sept. 14, 2021.
For the first 12 days of Jan-
County in mid-September.
OHA reported on Thursday,
Jan. 13, that across the state,
777 people with COVID-19
were being treated in hospitals.
That’s in increase of 32% from
Jan. 6, but it’s below the peak
of about 1,200 patients in early
September 2021.
The number of patients
currently in intensive care in
Oregon is also well below all-
time records. There were 144
COVID-19 patients in inten-
sive care in the state on Jan. 13,
compared with about 310 in
early September 2021.
Staten said she was encour-
aged by the turnout to the Jan.
Samantha O’Conner/Baker City Herald 13 vaccination clinic because
About 85 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were given during a drive-thru “our best line of defense is be-
ing vaccinated and boosted.”
clinic on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022, at the Baker County Fairgrounds.
She said the growing ev-
uary, the county reported 197
Oregon’s overall break-
idence that omicron is less
cases. That’s more than the
through rate for that week
likely to cause severe illness
totals for December (106),
was 26.4%, according to the or death is welcome. But she
November (143) and Octo-
Oregon Health Authority
said the sheer number of cases
ber (168).
(OHA).
means more people are likely
The daily case rate of 16.4
Health officials say the
to need medical treatment
exceeds that of September,
breakthrough case rate is
than was the case during most
which set records with 465
likely to increase, as the
of the fall.
total cases and a daily average now-dominant omicron vari-
“I want to be optimistic but
of 15.5.
ant is more likely to infect
I also want to be realistic,”
Staten said that although
vaccinated people.
Staten said. “Hopefully we
the Health Department is re-
But officials also note that
won’t see the level of hospital-
ceiving a handful of positive vaccination continues to re-
izations that we did with the
test results from residents
duce the risk for developing
(delta) variant.”
who did at-home tests, she
severe symptoms that require
believes more people have
hospital treatment.
Testing clinic set for Jan. 22
been infected recently than
In December, breakthrough
The Health Department
the official numbers show.
cases accounted for 19.7% of
will have a free COVID-19
the 188 COVID-19-related
testing clinic on Saturday,
Breakthrough cases and deaths in Oregon, according
Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
to OHA. Statistics on break-
at the former Baker Clinic
hospitalizations
through case deaths are not
During the most recent
building at 3175 Pocahontas
available at the county level.
week tallied, Jan. 2-8, Baker
Road, just east of Saint Al-
Omicron is also less vir-
County had 35 breakthrough
phonsus Medical Center.
ulent than the delta variant
cases — infections in fully
People are encouraged
that drove the surge last sum- to pre-register at doineeda-
vaccinated people — out of
mer, which peaked in Baker covid19test.com.
91 total, a rate of 38.5%.
Prosecutors
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But perhaps the biggest reason why
lawyers have given the cold shoulder to
Eastern Oregon attorney offices is sala-
ries in the rural areas have not been able
to compete with the metropolitan areas.
According to the economic survey
from the Oregon State Bar, the gap is sig-
nificant. Median income for the 2017 sur-
vey shows an average Oregon lawyer can
expect a salary of $105,000 per year. East-
ern Oregon attorneys will see $84,000.
Portland attorneys, however, will earn
$125,000, or nearly 20% more than the
Oregon average and roughly 50% more
than those working in Eastern Oregon.
That $41,000 a year difference means stu-
dent loans can be paid off much faster.
But those averages, which cover all
attorneys, not just prosecutors, still are
higher than the advertised salary posted
for many Eastern Oregon counties.
County
Union County, which has one open
position, offers a starting salary of about
$56,000 a year and going up to $92,000
a year based on experience. Morrow
County, which has no deputy district at-
torney at the moment, advertises $68,400
per year with the ability to earn up to
an additional $30,000 per year by doing
county and city work. Umatilla County
pays up to $77,000 for an entry level dep-
uty district attorney.
Wallowa County’s open position
advertises a yearly salary of just over
$52,000. Frolander said the salary for a
prosecutor was raised recently, but has
yet to attract any prosecutors to join the
team in Wallowa County. While the dis-
trict attorney’s office waits for applicants,
the lack of qualified staff means cases
sometimes don’t receive the attention
they deserve.
“There are cases that I have resolved
for less than I wanted to,” Frolander said,
“and there have been cases I’ve declined
to prosecute due to resources.”
promised to follow the federal
and state constitution,” said
Continued from A1
Justus, a former candidate for
the county commission. “The
industries, to either be vacci-
issues that I have, I think it
nated or receive a medical or
would be a great idea to have
religious exemption.
a committee or something in
Commission Chairman Bill the county to help understand
Harvey said the work session what the constitution actually
was scheduled to ensure peo- says on certain matters.”
ple had a chance to express
Curtis Martin of North
their views.
Powder said he thinks the chief
Commissioners made no
goal should be “a return to true
decision about whether or not represented government at the
to adopt the ordinance.
county level.”
“We’re here just to listen to
“And I don’t mean that in
you because the last meeting
the generic term, I mean it in
we had we were not able to
specific terms,” Martin said.
give everybody the opportu-
“We already have one commis-
nity to speak,” Harvey said.
sioner who decided to go off
“That’s all we’re asking.”
and not be here and join vir-
Kody Justus told commis-
tual because he considers this
sioners that although the pro- mask mandate and this social
posed resolution is “somewhat distancing as law. It’s not law;
redundant,” he supports its
it’s a mandate that does not
adoption.
have the authority or the vali-
“I think our county officials dation to make those edicts.”
with their oaths of office, they
Martin was referring toe
already understand and have
Commissioner Bruce Nichols,
Frolander also said the coronavirus
pandemic had created a traffic jam of
cases that has yet to clear, further impact-
ing the office’s ability to prosecute crimes.
“Prosecutors should be able to make
decisions on whether to pursue a crim-
inal action, based on the merits of the
case, rather than on the resources avail-
able,” Carpenter wrote. “However, that
is exactly the position many prosecu-
tors in Northeastern Oregon are in at
the moment. The lack of available dep-
uty prosecutors and the lack of funding
to attract the qualified applicants leave
us in the position of making resource
based decisions every day.”
Umatilla County District Attorney
Dan Primus said his office was able
to increase the salary, but he said that
money isn’t the sole cause of hiring
woes in Eastern Oregon.
“I think that regionally, it plays a
role in what we’re doing. I think it’s
also less desirable to be a prosecutor,”
Primus said.
who participated in the work
session remotely.
Martin said Baker County
United is asking commission-
ers to stand strong and em-
phasize that “we have author-
ity, at the county level, that
we’re not going to let the state
or federal come over” and en-
force mandates that are “to-
tally unconstitutional.”
Penny Rienks said many
people could not attend the
meeting as they were “trying to
save their businesses that these
mandates have destroyed.”
“When are we the citizens
of the United States, state,
county, and city, going to start
standing up for our God-given
rights?” Rienks said. “That is
why we need to be a constitu-
tional county. We need to have
our constitution abided by.”
Debbie Henshaw reminded
commissioners that they work
for the citizens and that they
promised, in their oaths of of-
fice, to uphold both the state
and federal constitutions.
Harvey, in responding to the
mask mandate, said the county
is obligated to enforce it for
county employees only.
“We have no legal authority
to mandate that any citizen do
something else,” Harvey said.
“So, there is no mask mandate
from Baker County other than
the employees that we have to
deal with and that’s because of
OSHA and SAIF. That’s what
we have, that’s why you’re al-
lowed to do whatever you want
to do here today.”
He said he will not support
mask or vaccination mandates.
Karen Riener of Richland
talked about the mixing of
government and corporate
rule.
“Because we are very con-
cerned about COVID, but we
are also concerned about re-
ligious beliefs,” Riener said. “I
do not have the shot because
of religious beliefs. But you
have to remember when these
Gary Guymon, Teri Swanson
and Tim Guymon are mark-
ing the “amazing milestone” of
their parents, Pat and Nadine
Guymon, as the Baker City
couple celebrates their 70th
wedding anniversary on Jan.
18, 2022.
Their children wish to honor
their parents’ long-term, un-
wavering love, dedication and
commitment to each other and
their God upon which they
Contributed Photo
have built their wonderful lives, Pat and Nadine Guymon of Baker
blessing the community they
City will celebrate their 70th wed-
call home.
ding anniversary on Jan. 18.
Pierce
“Incumbency is worth a lot,”
he said during an interview
with the Baker City Herald the
afternoon of Jan. 12.
Another difference this year
is who’s likely to be on the
general election ballot.
Betsy Johnson, a former
Democratic state legislator, re-
signed her position last fall to
run for governor, but as an in-
dependent, not a Democrat.
Several prominent Dem-
ocrats, including House
Speaker Tina Kotek, who is
resigning from the Legislature
Jan. 21, and Tobias Read, Ore-
gon state treasurer, are seeking
their party’s nomination.
Pierce believes that with
two Democrats on the general
election ballot — Johnson and
the party’s nominee — votes
from Democrats, who out-
number registered Republi-
cans by about 34%, could be
divided enough to give the Re-
publican candidate “a pathway
to victory.”
Pierce acknowledged that
Johnson, who is generally con-
sidered more moderate than
the leading Democratic can-
didates, could also attract Re-
publican votes.
But overall, Pierce believes
a general election with both
Johnson and a Democratic
nominee on the ballot benefits
the Republican candidate.
“Republican voters tend to
back the Republican candi-
date,” he said.
Pierce said he has also no-
ticed during his campaigning
that, unlike in 2016, Oregon
voters don’t seem satisfied
with the current political
leadership.
He describes this is a “roiled
electorate.”
Pierce said he senses that
many voters, including Dem-
ocrats, in effect want to “pun-
ish” the party in charge, and
in Oregon that’s been the
Democratic Party for many
years, with its supermajorities
in the Legislature.
“People rightfully feel that
their government isn’t respon-
sive to them,” he said.
In Eastern Oregon in par-
ticular, Pierce said, that in-
cludes a failure by state of-
ficials to advocate on behalf
of residents with regard to
how the vast swathes of pub-
lic land is managed by federal
agencies.
Half of Baker County’s 2
million acres are managed by
either the Forest Service or the
Bureau of Land Management.
Pierce said he believes tim-
ber from those public lands
should be used to benefit the
economy, locally and state-
wide, rather than relying on
obtaining those resources
from outside the state or
country.
Although Brown won’t be
on the ballot, Pierce said he
doesn’t think the Democratic
candidate can deflect blame
for voter dissatisfaction — es-
pecially if a current state offi-
cial, such as Kotek or Read, is
the nominee.
The pandemic, and specifi-
cally Brown’s response to it, is
among the issues that Pierce
believes is fueling that dissat-
isfaction.
He contends that Demo-
crats need to “accept responsi-
bility” for the state-ordered re-
strictions that in his view were
“more disruptive than they
needed to be” to the economy
and to public schools.
Pierce, who treats cancer
patients five days per week,
said he was vaccinated as soon
as vaccines were available, in
December 2020 and January
2021. He said he had a break-
through infection last fall, but
had mild symptoms.
He believes the current
surge in infections due to omi-
cron will “quiet down” rela-
tively soon.
“I think we’re on the right
path,” Pierce said.
He criticizes Brown for
what he considers a consis-
tent lack of positive, encour-
aging statements.
“The messaging was dam-
agingly pessimistic,” Pierce
said. “A steady drumbeat of
disaster.”
He said Brown’s executive
orders for mask and vaccine
mandates were “not appropri-
ate” and that citizens should
make their decisions.
In a Jan. 6, 2022, speech
kicking off his campaign at
the Willamette Heritage Cen-
ter near Salem, Pierce said
he believes “the majority of
us will voluntarily receive life
protecting vaccines. All people
in their daily lives will decide
proper precautions for their
health and vigor.”
Pierce believes another fo-
cus of his campaign — im-
proving public safety — will
resonate with voters even in
Democratic strongholds such
as Multnomah County. Pierce
thinks the riots that played
out in downtown Portland on
more than 100 consecutive
nights in 2020, and the record
number of homicides in the
city in 2021, have left many
voters looking for new leaders,
regardless of the party, who
will make it a priority to pun-
ish criminals.
During his Jan. 6 speech,
Pierce said: “Imagine when we
can once again safely walk the
streets of our cities in Oregon.”
Pierce said his campaign
will focus, in addition to pub-
lic safety, on finding a solu-
tion to the homeless crisis
that benefits communities
and those who need shelter,
bettering public schools and
creating a more hospitable cli-
mate for business.
Pierce said he would like
the next governor to spend
more time outside Salem, po-
tentially living elsewhere in
the state for a month or so
occasionally.
people that we are calling ‘the
government’ make a rule, they
are highly, highly influenced
by lobbyists who come in
with a lot of money and talk
to these people a lot and give
very, very persuasive argu-
ments for why people need to
get shots, wear a mask.”
She encouraged people to
pay attention to the Oregon
Legislature.
“And you’ll see that laws are
being created through cor-
porations. So, if you have a
beef, deal with corporations,
don’t throw it on the govern-
ment because there’s a ton of
very well-meaning govern-
ment people who are trying to
do their very best at the local
level,” Riener said.
Nichols submitted written
comments, which were read
aloud, saying executive orders
from the governor’s office have
the force and effect of law un-
til the legislature changes that
authority or until the courts
declare that order illegal and
unconstitutional.
Justus spoke again, saying
the county needs to “protect
our ability to disagree with
each other.”
“My fear is if we start letting
decisions be made in different
government, state or federal
level, if it’s something that’s
outside of what the constitu-
tion says they are able to do,
we’re going to give away our
ability to disagree,” he said.
Harvey said the commis-
sioners, through the federal
coordination process, have
blocked actions such as the
Blue Mountain Forest Plan re-
vision process, preventing fur-
ther road closures and restric-
tions on the use of public lands
that make up half of Baker
County’s 2 million acres.
“Baker County is one of the
only counties left that has our
rights intact. So, we do battle,
we do fight back, and we are, I
believe, winning,” Harvey said.
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