BAKER CITY HERALD • THuRsDAY, JAnuARY 20, 2022 A3
LOCAL
Rachel
Baby furniture is welcome, but
call ahead first.
Continued from A1
Other needed items include
diapers, wipes, and toiletries
churches with information about such as shampoo, body wash
the center, and the help it provides. and toothpaste.
The Sunday observation dates
“Prior to COVID we gave out
to 1984, when President Ronald
quite a bit of that stuff,” Grove said
Reagan issued a proclamation
of the personal care items.
designating Jan. 22 as the first Na-
Monetary donations can be
tional Sanctity of Human Life Day. mailed to PO Box 1086, Baker
“It’s a reminder of life, and
City, OR 97814.
that life is important to God,”
Also, the center’s annual Baby
Grove said.
Bottle Fundraiser will again run
from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day.
Center needs
For more information, call the
Grove said the center has lim- center, 541-523-5357, check the
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
ited storage, but is accepting
Facebook page, or email Grove at The Rachel Pregnancy Center is stocked with clothing for boys
maternity and winter clothes.
rpc.director1@gmail.com.
and girls. The items are rotated based on the current season.
Powder
Continued from A1
The move to online instruction,
formally known as Comprehen-
sive Distance Learning, was made
after 11 students tested positive for
COVID-19 over the past week. The
number of students who were ex-
posed via close contact is now be-
ing determined, but Dixon said the
number was large. He said that do-
ing contract tracing was getting to
be extremely difficult because there
have been so many close contacts.
“It was becoming an organiza-
tional nightmare,” he said.
School districts have the option
of operating a test-to-stay program,
where students who are exposed to
someone COVID-19 positive can
stay in school if they test negative
and have no symptoms of the dis-
ease and then test negative again
five to seven days later.
Dixon said the test-to-stay pro-
gram was not an option for the
district because it does not have
enough COVID test kits under the
current circumstances.
The good news for the school
district is that plans are in place
for students to be back on campus
Jan. 24. Dixon said by that time
Surge
Continued from A1
(There were no classes
Monday, Jan. 17, Martin Lu-
ther King Jr. Day.)
“It’s moving pretty rapidly
through the community, but
we’re still able to continue,”
Witty said. “If we can just slow
it down so I can keep staff in
their seats, we can get through
this.”
On Tuesday, Jan. 18, South
Baker, with a staff of about 45,
had five employees out, and
Baker Middle School had the
same number gone, from a
staff of about 37.
None of the district’s other
schools had as many as five
staff members out that day.
“I think we’re doing pretty
well, about where we were last
week,” Witty said.
As for student attendance,
the absentee percentages for
Tuesday, Jan. 18, ranged from
14% at South Baker Interme-
diate, to 42% at Keating Ele-
mentary. Keating, which has
students from kindergarten
through sixth grade, has just
25 students, including many
siblings, so if the virus gets
into just a couple households
it can have an outsized effect
on absenteeism, Witty said.
Absentee rates Jan. 18 for
other district schools:
• Baker Early Learning
Center, 23%
• Baker Middle School,
19%
• Baker High School, 15%
• Brooklyn Primary, 15%
• Haines Elementary, 9%
Witty said he’s grateful that
parents seem to be heeding
the district’s advice and keep-
ing students home if they’re
feeling ill, regardless of
whether they’ve been tested
for COVID-19.
The protocols for staff and
students vary depending on
whether they’re vaccinated,
and whether they might have
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North Powder students and staff
will have been away from each
other in school for 10 days, more
than the state’s required quar-
antine time after a close contact
or a positive test. The span was
lengthened by the fact there was
no school on Jan. 17 due to the
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
“Thank God (Jan. 17) was a
holiday,” he said.
No online instruction was given
Jan. 18 to give teachers a day to
prepare to provide Comprehensive
Distance Learning.
Dixon said teachers are ready to
provide CDL instruction after giv-
ing it for a portion of the 2020-21
school year and remaining ready to
make a quick transition to it.
“It is easy for teachers to start
CDL again if they have a day to
prepare,” he said.
The superintendent said he be-
lieves that shutting down in-per-
son instruction this week will
pay dividends over the long term
because it will allow the school
district to be in a better position
to control the COVID-19 out-
break when in-person instruc-
tion begins again on Jan. 24.
“It is the best solution and will
keep students out of school for the
shortest time possible,” Dixon said.
been exposed to the virus at
school or elsewhere.
Witty said it appears that
there are few instances of pos-
sible exposure at school.
Most students and staff who
have missed school have chosen
to stay home, rather than be-
ing identified, through contact
tracing or case investigations
from the Baker County Health
Department, as having been
potentially exposed at school.
Employees and students
who are fully vaccinated, in-
cluding a booster shot, and
are possibly exposed at school
but have no symptoms, do not
need to quarantine, Witty said.
They can continue to attend
school.
Those who aren’t fully vac-
cinated but have no symptoms
can use the state-approved
“test to stay” protocol. Stu-
Wolves
about the wolves and rec-
ommended he haze the
Continued from A1
wolves. Ratliff said the
rancher said he would try to
A depredation report
drive away the wolves.
from ODFW doesn’t
The owner reported
name the rancher who
finding the carcass of his
owns the dog.
dog, a 40-pound Kelpie
Ratliff said the attack
herding dog, about 150
site, in an area where the yards from his house on
rancher is feeding cattle, the morning of Sunday, Jan.
is the farthest into Keat- 16, according to a depreda-
ing Valley that wolves
tion report from ODFW.
have traveled.
A biologist who exam-
In the past the wolves
ined the dog estimated it
have mainly stayed on
was killed Friday night,
the fringes of the valley,
Jan. 14.
about 15 miles northeast
The dog’s carcass had
of Baker City.
been scavenged and most
of the muscle tissue and
Ratliff said the Keating
organs were missing, ac-
pack consists of at least
cording to the report.
10 wolves. ODFW has
trapped four of the wolves,
The biologist examined
including one pup that was the remains and shaved hair
born in the spring of 2021, from the dog, finding more
and placed tracking collars than 15 premorten bite
on the animals, he said.
punctures about 1/8th of an
inch in diameter, as well as
A signal from one
tears on the back and inside
of those collars about
9 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 14, of the dog’s right front leg.
showed the wolves on the
“The location, size, and
property where the dog
number of tooth scrapes
was killed, Ratliff said.
are consistent with wolf
attack injuries on dogs,”
He said he called the
the report states.
owner and advised him
dents and staff in that situation
take a district-supplied test. If
it’s negative, they can stay at
school. They then take another
test five days later, Witty said.
If the first test is positive, the
student or staff member would
then follow the usual five-day
minimum quarantine.
Witty noted that if the quar-
antine starts on a Friday, which
is not a regular school day, a
student or employee could po-
tentially miss just two school
days, with the first three being
a Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
When state officials re-
duced the quarantine period
from 10 days to 5 days late last
year (the period had been as
long as 14 days earlier in the
pandemic), it was a “game-
changer,” especially in terms
of keeping an adequate num-
ber of employees, Witty said.
James (Jim) Bacon
August 14, 1948 - January 2, 2022
James (Jim) Bacon, 73, of Baker
City, Oregon, died Sunday, January
2, 2022, surrounded by his family.
A memorial service will be held for
Jim on Saturday, January 22 at 11
a.m. at the Harvest Church, 3720
Birch Street, Baker City, Oregon.
James Henry Bacon was born in
Baker City, Oregon on August 14,
1948, to Charles Clayton Bacon
and Genevene Myrle Bacon (née Blize). A fourth-gen-
eration Baker County resident, Jim grew up in Sumpter,
Oregon. He attended Baker High School before being
stationed in Germany while serving in the United States
Army from 1969 until 1971, where he finished his ed-
ucation.
After his honorable discharge from the Army, he re-
turned to Baker City, where he started dating the love
of his life, Rose Emilie Cheadle. Jim and Rose were
married on March 31, 1973. Together they raised two
daughters, Heather and Laura, and a son, Allen. Last
spring they celebrated 48 wonderful years of marriage.
Jim worked throughout his life as a welder, a me-
chanic, and a fuel attendant. An avid outdoorsman, he
loved hunting and fishing, wrenching on cars, building
trailers and repairing guns. As a shooting enthusiast, he
reloaded his own ammunition, and was also proud to
be a licensed gun dealer for many years. If you had a
problem with, or needed help finding a gun or a car, Jim
was the guy you wanted to talk to! He just loved sharing
these interests with his family and friends, and his fa-
vorite pastimes were working on cars with his kids and
grandchildren, and heading out to the hills with family
and friends to “burn some powder.”
Jim was a hard worker and a loyal friend, but he
really shone as a father and grandfather. He loved his
family immensely, and would do anything for them. Jim
didn’t seem to know the meaning of the word “in-law.”
To him, family was family, and however you came to be
part of his, he treated you with the same unconditional
love and kindness with which he treated his own kids.
He especially adored his grandchildren, all of whom
will readily tell you that he was the “world’s best Papa.”
Jim was preceded in death by his father and mother,
Charles and Genevene Bacon.
He is survived by his wife, Rose Bacon, his daugh-
ters, Heather Bacon-White (Zack), Laura Hale (Griffin),
his son, Allen Bacon, his sister, Linda Myers (Gale),
several grandchildren, nieces and nephews and numer-
ous family members and friends.
Donations can be made in Jim’s name to the Powder
River Sportsman’s Club Rifle Range, through Tami’s
Pine Valley Funeral Home P.O. Box 543, Halfway, Ore-
gon 97834. Online condolences can be shared at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Students or staff who do
have symptoms are required
to quarantine, regardless of
their vaccination status or
whether they’ve been tested,
Witty said.
“If you’re sick, we can’t have
you at school,” he said.
For students and staff who
quarantine, they can’t return
to school until their symp-
toms are improving, and they
have gone at least 24 hours
without a fever (without using
aspirin or other fever-reduc-
ing medications), Witty said.
They do not have to have a
negative test before returning.
COVID
Continued from A1
The two deaths bring
Baker County’s total to 40
during the pandemic. They
are the first two COVID-19-
related deaths reported in
the county in 2022.
The Baker County Health
Department reported a daily
record of 55 COVID-19
cases on Tuesday, Jan. 18.
That eclipsed the previ-
ous daily record of 37, set on
Sept. 9, 2021, and Sept. 14,
2021.
According to OHA offi-
cials, the highly contagious
omicron variant is driving
a surge in cases statewide.
However, because the variant
is less likely to cause severe
illness, the rate of hospital-
izations, though increasing,
and deaths, are not propor-
tional to what happened
during the delta variant wave
in late summer 2021.
Officials say people who
are fully vaccinated and have
received a booster shot are
well protected from severe
illness, even though omicron
is more likely to cause break-
through infections in vacci-
nated people.
Nancy Staten, director of
the Baker County Health
Department, said vaccina-
tion remains the best tool to
protect people from becom-
ing severely ill.
For the first 18 days of
January, the Health Depart-
ment reported 363 cases, the
second-most in any month
during the pandemic.
The monthly record is
465, in September 2021.
The Health Depart-
ment is promoting a free
COVID-19 testing clinic
on Saturday, Jan. 22, from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the for-
mer Baker Clinic building,
3175 Pocahontas Road, just
east of Saint Alphonsus
Medical Center.
Wayne Bourrie
March 9, 1953 - January 14, 2022
Wayne Bourrie, 68, of North
Powder, met his Savior on January
14, 2022.
Wayne was known by all who
loved him as a man of integrity,
kindness, and overwhelming gen-
erosity. He valued people and ex-
pressed that in how well he cared
for them, modeling the character of
Christ in whom he put strong faith.
A lifelong Oregon resident, Wayne was born to Hen-
ry and Grace Bourrie in Elgin on March 9, 1953, and
attended high school in Hermiston. He married Christy
Bradley in 1975 and together they had three children.
He worked as a millwright and at various carpentry jobs
throughout the northwest.
In 1993, he married Theresa Heaton and began his
general contracting business in Baker City. The ultimate
outdoorsman, he loved hunting, fishing and serving his
community. He took particular joy in blessing Rachel
Pregnancy Center in Baker City through generous do-
nations.
Wayne died as he lived, with dignity and with his
eyes on Jesus. He was preceded in death by his son,
Samuel Wayne, his parents, and his two brothers, Bruce
Bourrie and Lance Cady. He is survived by his chil-
dren Travis Bourrie; Sarah and Jamie Coller of Bella
Vista, Arkansas; Joe and Kim Bourrie of South Jor-
dan, Utah; his stepdaughters Ami Halvorson and Jenni
Rounsville-Heaton; 11 grandchildren; his brother Larry
and wife Barbara Bourrie of Caldwell and his special
friend, Diane Aichele of Haines.
A celebration to honor Wayne will be held at 10
a.m. on Saturday, January 22 at First Baptist Church of
Haines, 714 Cole St. All memorial contributions may
be made to Rachel Pregnancy Center, P.O. Box 1086,
Baker City, OR 97814.
Janice Evelyn Munn Gyllenberg
March 9, 1933 - December 31, 2021
Janice Evelyn Munn Gyllenberg, 88, a
longtime Baker City resident, died Decem-
ber 31, 2021, at Meadowbrook Place in
Baker City, Oregon. Her memorial service
will be at 1 p.m., Saturday,
January 22, at the Baker City
Church of the Nazarene, 1250
Hughes Lane. Friends are in-
vited to join the family for a
dinner reception immediately
following the service at the
Family Life Center adjacent to
the church.
Janice was born in Bak-
er City on March 9, 1933, to
Ralph and Elma Munn. She
was raised on the family ranch
in Unity, Oregon, for the majority of her
childhood. The family briefly resided in La
Grande and Jordan Valley before returning
to Unity where Janice graduated from Her-
eford High School.
Janice was very involved in family and
school activities. Favorite memories in-
cluded driving a team of horses to put up
hay, time with family, and participating in
sports and school events including volley-
ball, track, baseball, student body offices,
yell leader, and acting.
Following graduation Janice attended
Portland Business College. She then re-
turned to Baker and married her husband,
Jack, whom she’d met before college at a
community dance where he and his band
were playing in Hereford. They wed in
1952 and celebrated 52 years of marriage
before Jack’s passing in 2004.
Janice joined Jack’s band as a drummer
and singer. They played for dances every
Friday and Saturday night until 1962, and
continued playing for special family events
through the 1990s. Janice especially en-
joyed family music sessions with her hus-
band, sons, and her brothers, as they played
for family gatherings. She enjoyed playing
the accordion at these family gatherings. In
later years she found this same joy in play-
ing music with her grandchildren.
Janice and Jack worked side by side to
raise their family of four, and worked to-
ward their dream of owning a ranch. After
40 years of hard work together, Jack often
working multiple jobs while Janice held
things down at home, they accomplished
their dream and built a ranch from nothing.
The couple raised cattle, sheep and hay,
and Janice had a milk cow, chickens, and a
garden to provide for her family. She loved
irrigating, raking hay, and taking care of
her animals. Her greatest joys were her
children, grandchildren, and caring for oth-
ers. You never left her home without being
offered a meal, dessert, or fresh produce or
flowers from her gardens. She was known
for hosting special gatherings for friends
and neighbors, and especially
her annual craft-wreath making
parties. She expressed her love
by giving. She loved greatly,
and was greatly loved by those
around her.
Janice was heavily involved
in her church, serving as a Sun-
day school teacher for almost
30 years, and assisting wherever
needed. She was a 4-H volun-
teer and supported the program
from her children’s involve-
ment in 1964 until her health no longer al-
lowed, just a few years ago. Whatever the
need, cooking, sewing outfits for a parade,
cleaning — she did it all, and humbly. She
never wanted to be in the limelight or rec-
ognized. She worked diligently with her
hands, and her faith was expressed in her
actions. Her love for animals was also an
expression of her gentle nature. Whether
nursing a sick calf to health, raising bum-
mer lambs, or caring for a brood of chicks,
her love for animals was evident. She gave
all she could by doing the little things that
held meaning for others.
Janice is survived by her four chil-
dren and their spouses, Brent and Bitsy
Gyllenberg of Baker City, Neva Parker
of Powell Butte, Oregon, Clay and Chris
Gyllenberg of Baker City, and Elissa and
Clint Morrison of Baker City. Grand-
children and spouses Justin and Savan-
nah Gyllenberg, Dani Gyllenberg,
Laura and Cale Marcum, Ty Morri-
son and Zack Morrison, all of Bak-
er City, Cody and Elle Gyllenberg
of Richland, Washington, and Dusty
Gyllenberg of Pocatello, Idaho. She is
also
survived
by
seven
great-
grandchildren,
and
nieces
Wilma
Johnson, Theresa McClay, and Shelly
Westfall, nephews Ralph Morgan,
Floyd Morgan, Steve Munn and Wm.
Munn, and their families. She was pre-
ceded in death by her husband John
Powell “Jack” Gyllenberg, her parents, and
siblings Betty Morgan, Loren Munn and
Melvin Munn.
Memorial contributions may be made to
the Northeast Oregon Compassion Center
either online, or through Tami’s Pine Val-
ley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 543, Halfway,
Oregon, 97834. Online condolences can
be shared at www.tamispinevalleyfuneral-
home.com.