JANUARY 19–26, 2022
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Oregon East Symphony
Youth Orchestra
performs winter concert
PAGE 8
Oregon East Symphony/Contributed image
The Oregon East Symphony Youth Orchestra
performs Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022.
INSIDE
SPORTS A5
SPORTS A6
Go! magazine
Arts and entertainment guide
Baker girls rout
Vale 57-21
Baker boys best Vikings
in triple overtime
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • BUSINESS & AG LIFE • SPORTS
QUICK HITS
—————
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Ricky
Cobb of Baker City.
BRIEFING
—————
Concert in Pendleton
limited to family
members
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
Baker schools endure COVID surge
Student absentee rates higher than
usual, but staffing sufficient to
continue in-person classes
the school year continues
as usual.
The number of empty seats
And Mark Witty would
in Baker classrooms remains much rather see those scat-
above average, but otherwise tered empty seats than he
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
would silent class-
the Baker School
rooms where teach-
District is main-
ers need a computer
taining in-person
and a camera to give
classes, said Witty,
their lessons to stu-
the district’s super-
dents sitting in their
intendent.
bedrooms.
“Staffing is still
Although the surge
the biggest chal-
Witty
in COVID-19 cases
lenge we’ve got,”
continues to pose a challenge, Witty said on Tuesday after-
Due to rising COVID cases,
the Oregon East Symphony’s
youth orchestra concert on
Jan. 27 in Pendleton will
limit attendance to family
members. This change
came after the printing
of Go! Magazine, which is
included with today’s issue.
The American Red Cross
has scheduled a blood drive
on Monday, Jan. 24 from
noon to 6 p.m. at the Naza-
rene Church, 1250 Hughes
Lane. Although the drive is
currently fully booked, there
are usually cancellations
prior to the drive. Call Myr-
na Evans at 541-523-5368
to be put on a waiting list,
or check on redcrossblood.
org to see if appointments
open up.
NORTH POWDER — The
Wolf Creek Grange in North
Powder will have a chili
feed and singalong on Sun-
day, Jan. 23 starting at 1
p.m. Cost for the chili feed
is $5 per person, and $10
for a family.
People are encouraged
to bring their own instru-
ment for the singalong.
There will be kazoos and
pennywhistles.
WEATHER
—————
Today
37/26
Rain
Wednesday
38/20
Partly sunny
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
noon, Jan. 18, the first day
of the third week of classes
since students returned from
Christmas break and con-
fronted the rapidly spreading
omicron variant that has set
weekly and daily records for
case totals this month.
See, Surge/Page A3
Two more
COVID-19
deaths
reported
Red Cross blood drive
set for Jan. 24
Chili feed, singalong
Jan. 23 at Wolf Creek
Grange
JANUARY 20, 2022 • $1.50
BAKER CITY HERALD
Two Baker County residents
died last week after testing positive
for COVID-19, the Oregon Health
Authority (OHA) reported on
Tuesday, Jan. 18.
A 79-year-old woman who tested
positive on Jan. 9 died Jan. 13 at Saint
Alphonsus Medical Center in Boise.
OHA hasn’t confirmed whether she
had underlying conditions.
A 67-year-old man who tested
positive on Dec. 30, 2021, died Jan.
14, also at the Boise hospital. OHA
hasn’t confirmed whether he had
underlying conditions.
See, COVID/Page A3
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Vera Grove, director of the Rachel Pregnancy Center, organizes clothing in the girls room on Jan. 18, 2022. The center provides
help for those experiencing an unexpected pregnancy and offers counseling, parenting classes, baby clothes, diapers, and more.
Help & Healing
Rachel Pregnancy Center director
expecting an increase in demand
through the love of Christ to
hurting women and men in
difficult situations.”
Vera Grove expected to
Grove attributes the de-
see an increase in people
crease in clients to expanded
seeking help at the Rachel
government benefits over
Pregnancy Center as the
pandemic continued to af- the last year or so.
Those are ending, though,
fect everyday life.
and she expects to see more
It didn’t happen.
“It has affected our traffic visitors to the center in the
coming months.
— it’s way down,” she said.
“We think we’ll see an in-
Grove is the director of
the Rachel Center in Baker crease in people with needs,”
she said.
City, which offers support
The Center, at 2192 Court
for those experiencing an
St., is open Tuesday through
unplanned pregnancy and
Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
help for families in need.
The center’s mission is “to It is closed from noon to
offer hope, help and healing 1 p.m. for lunch.
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
Resources for pregnancy
help including tests, a re-
ferral for a free ultrasound
pregnancy options, adop-
tion referrals and mater-
nity clothes.
For parents, the cen-
ter provides “encourage-
ment and counseling,”
baby clothes up to size 3,
baby furniture, diapers and
formula, and referrals for
other assistance.
Classes are offered too,
on topics including prena-
tal, infant care, relation-
ships, money management
and more.
Grove said a program
called “Earn While You
Learn” allows participants
to earn Baby Bucks, which
can be redeemed in a spe-
cial area of the center.
Those who are unable to
attend in person can still
access the center’s offerings
with educational lessons by
email and Zoom meetings.
The Rachel Center is a
nonprofit organization, and
depends on local donations
and grants.
“Everything is donated,”
Grove said.
In addition to donated
items, she said monetary
donations help buy diapers,
formula, and other items.
This weekend, the cen-
ter is observing “Sanctity
of Human Life Sunday” on
Jan. 23. Grove said bulletin
inserts are provided to local
See, Rachel/Page A3
Police believe Idaho angler
drowned in the Snake River
Alberto Sillonis,
85, failed to
return to his
Weiser home on
Monday, Jan. 17
BAKER CITY HERALD
Police believe an 85-year-
old Idaho fisherman
drowned in the Snake River
on Monday, Jan. 17, after
falling from a dock just be-
low Hells Canyon Dam.
The Baker County Sher-
iff ’s Office received a re-
port about 6 p.m. that day
that Alberto Sillonis of
Weiser was overdue in re-
turning home from a fish-
ing trip to Hells Canyon.
TODAY
Issue 106
28 pages
Deputies searched the
He had left his home
immediate vicin-
that morning and
ity and found two
planned to return
fishing poles, with
home in the eve-
the line from one
ning.
still in the water,
Baker County
on the center dock
deputies, along
below the visitors
with deputies from
center.
the Washington
Sheriff Travis
County Sheriff’s
Sillonis
Ash and the Baker
Office in Idaho,
County Search and Res-
began searching the route
cue team deployed at about
to Hells Canyon as well as
6 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 18, to
checking hotels in nearby
search for Sillonis.
towns, according to a press
Searchers covered the area
release from the Baker
near the docks and along the
County Sheriff’s Office.
At about 9:07 p.m., depu- river’s shore.
ties found Sillonis’ 2008 Nis-
Idaho Power Com-
san Frontier pickup truck in pany employees used a re-
the parking lot at the Hells
mote-operated vehicle with
Canyon Visitors Center.
an underwater camera and
Business ................B1 & B2
Classified ....................B2-B4
Comics ..............................B5
Community News.............A3
Crossword ...............B2 & B4
Dear Abby .........................B6
sonar to search the river.
Searchers found a felt,
short-brimmed hat on
rocks about 60 feet from the
docks, and Sillonis’ family
confirmed that it belonged
to him. No other signs of
Sillonis were found.
Sillonis is a white man
who stands 5-foot-8 and
weighs about 160 pounds.
He has white hair.
If anyone has information
about Sillonis, they can call
Ash at 541-523-6415.
The Baker County Sher-
iff ’s Office thanked the
Baker County Search and
Rescue volunteers as well
as Idaho Power and their
employees for their assis-
tance during the search.
Horoscope ..............B3 & B4
Letters ...............................A4
Lottery Results .................A2
North Powder
schools move
to distance
learning for
two days
BY DICK MASON
The (La Grande) Observer
NORTH POWDER — An out-
break of COVID-19 in the North
Powder School District has forced
the school to shut down in-person
instruction and provide only on-
line instruction.
The changes were for Wednesday,
Jan. 19, and Thursday, Jan 20. The
district has a four-day school week.
“This is what is best for the
health and safety of everyone,” said
Superintendent Lance Dixon.
See, Powder/Page A3
Wolves kill
herding dog
in Keating
Valley
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Wolves from the Keating pack
killed a working dog on a cattle
ranch in Keating Valley on Friday,
Jan. 14, the Oregon Department
of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) con-
firmed after an investigation two
days later.
Brian Ratliff, district wildlife biol-
ogist at ODFW’s Baker City office,
said wolves were attracted to the
site by six unburied cow carcasses
on the property on Middle Bridge
Loop Road north of Highway 86.
He strongly urges ranchers to
bury carcasses. Even carcasses that
are heavily decomposed can lure
wolves, as they will eat almost any-
thing, Ratliff said.
“That’s the number one thing you
can do to keep wolves away,” he said.
News of Record ................A2
Obituaries ............... A2 & A3
Opinion .............................A4
See, Wolves/Page A3
Sports ..................... A5 & A6
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B6