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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2022)
A2 BAKER CITY HERALD • SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2022 Local TURNING BACK THE PAGES 50 YEARS AGO from the Democrat-Herald January 29, 1972 CROWLEY, Ore. — The wreckage of a light plane missing since Dec. 12 was found Friday near here, the Boise Flight Service station reported. 25 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald January 29, 1997 Baker County senior citizens may fi nally get the new activity center they’ve wanted for many years. The Baker City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to sponsor an application for a $600,000 federal Community Development Block Grant to help build the center. The site for the proposed 9,200-square-foot center is a two-and-a-half acre lot Baker County Seniors Inc. owns at 2810 Cedar St. The estimated cost for the center is about $1 million. The council had two projects to choose from (the city can sponsor only one). The other was MayDay Inc.’s proposal to buy a house and use it as a shelter for abused women and their children. 10 YEARS AGO from the Baker City Herald January 30, 2012 Temperatures below 10 degrees on Friday didn’t detour more than 200 youngsters from bundling up and hitting the slopes at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. Of course, the cold doesn’t matter much when you’re maneuvering skis and snowboards up and down the hill. Every Friday, students from Baker, John Day, North Powder and Cove board buses for the program “Ski For the Health Of It” that began Jan. 6. It is for students from grades 1 to 12. ONE YEAR AGO from the Baker City Herald January 30, 2021 The director of Baker County’s Health Department is optimistic that the county will be ready to start COVID-19 vaccinations for county residents 80 and older the second week of February. That’s consistent with the schedule from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Nancy Staten, the department’s director, said on Thursday, Jan. 28, that the department and its two partners that are also administering vaccines, Saint Alphonsus Medical Center-Baker City and the Pine Eagle Clinic in Halfway, are focusing this week on teachers and other school employees, child care providers and early learning workers. She estimates those groups comprise a few hundred county residents, although she didn’t have a precise number. Staten said a vaccination clinic was scheduled for Friday, Jan. 29, at the health department with about 60 people from those groups set to get the fi rst of their two doses, while the hospital planned to inoculate about 100 people that day. Staten said the county received permission from state offi cials on Sunday, Jan. 24, to start offering vaccinations to teachers and others in that group. The previous day the county sent a letter to OHA affi rming that county residents in what the state calls phase 1A — health care workers, fi rst responders and residents of assisted living facilities and other long-term group care centers — had been offered a COVID-19 vaccine. 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CONTACT THE HERALD 2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101 Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 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 classifi ed@bakercityherald.com Circulation email circ@bakercityherald.com ISSN-8756-6419 Serving Baker County since 1870 Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays except Christmas Day by the Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media Group, at 2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101 (P.O. Box 807), Baker City, OR 97814. Subscription rates per month are $10.75 for print only. Digital-only rates are $8.25. Postmaster: Send address changes to the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker City, OR 97814. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pendleton, Oregon 97801 Copyright © 2022 COVID Baker Middle School had • Brooklyn Primary, four four of its staff of about 37 out students, no staff, Jan. 18. Continued from A1 that day. • Pine Eagle Char- As with students, ter School, Halfway, That’s a testament to stu- some of the ab- four students, no dents and staff wearing masks, sences are due to staff, Jan. 19. washing their hands and fol- COVID-19, although • North Pow- lowing other precautions, as the district doesn’t der Charter School, well as to parents heeding the know the exact break- three students, no district’s advice to keep their down, Witty said. staff, Jan. 14. kids home if they’re ill, Super- He said the num- • Haines Elemen- Witty intendent Mark Witty said on CDC/Contributed Photo ber of absent employ- tary, two students, Thursday, Jan. 27. A COVID-19 particle. ees has remained low enough no staff, Jan. 9. “I’m proud of my staff and that all schools have been able • Eagle Cap Innovative the students for doing the right The absentee percentage, by to continue operating. The sit- High School, one student, no thing,” Witty said. “We’re not school: uation has been in effect bal- staff, Jan. 16. perfect but we’re pretty good.” • Baker Middle School, anced, he said — as a few em- The outbreak report also Witty said the district’s over- 30%. Witty said a few sports ployees have to stay home, a lists one outbreak in a Baker riding goal is to avoid having to teams were quaranting due to similar number of workers who County business — six cases return, even briefly, to online COVID-19, which boosted the had been out are able to return at Marvin Wood Products in classes, known as comprehen- absentee rate at BMS. to work. Baker City, with the most re- sive distance learning (CDL). • Baker Early Learning Cen- “We’ve been able to make cent onset Jan. 16. “CDL is pretty challeng- ter (kindergarten), 20%. it work,” Witty said. “It hasn’t ing for families,” Witty said. • Baker High School, 18%. been easy for sure, and the staff Breakthrough cases “The staff wants to keep kids • South Baker Intermedi- deserves a lot of credit.” For the most recent week, in school.” ate, 14%. The OHA’s weekly outbreak Jan. 16-22, Baker County had Witty said the percentage • Brooklyn Primary, 14%. report lists case totals for Baker 65 breakthrough cases — in- of students absent on Thurs- • Keating Elementary, 8%. County-area schools over the fections in fully vaccinated day, Jan. 27, was lower in • Haines Elementary, 2%. past month. residents — out of 183 total most district schools than the Employees being absent, • Baker High School, 20 stu- cases, a rate of 35.5%. previous week. rather than students, is the dents, two staff, most recent The breakthrough case He said the percentages in- biggest threat to continuing onset of symptoms, Jan. 20. rates for the previous two clude all students missing for in-person schools, Witty said. • Baker Middle School, 15 weeks were 31.8% and 38.5%. any reason — some, he said, On Thursday, Jan. 27, the students, no staff, Jan. 19. The statewide break- certainly are due to either a school with the most staff out • South Baker Interme- through case rate for Jan. 16- COVID-19 positive test or a was South Baker, with seven diate, six students. no staff, 22 was 28%, up from 21% the possible exposure. from a total of about 45. Jan. 19. previous week. Oregon hospitals strained under near-record COVID-19 cases even as new infections wane health officer and state ep- idemiologist. “What makes Oregon hospitals are seeing these losses more painful is a surge in COVID-19 cases that nearly all our most re- caused by the omicron vari- cent deaths could have been ant, even as the state is seeing prevented by COVID-19 vac- the initial signs of a drop in cines, which remain the best reported new infections, pub- protection against serious ill- lic health agencies reported ness and death.” Thursday, Jan. 27. Unvaccinated Oregonians The Oregon Health Au- make up the majority of severe thority reported that 1,130 cases and deaths. The Centers people in state hospitals have for Disease Control and Pre- tested positive for COVID-19, vention reported earlier this a jump of 69 cases in one day. week that Americans 65 and The record of 1,178 people in older who are not vaccinated Oregon hospitals was set Sept. are 49 times more likely to 1, when the delta wave that be infected and require hos- began in late June peaked. pitalization than those who Oregon Health & Science have received the full course University forecasted last of vaccine and booster recom- week that the number of hos- mended for adults. pitalizations would peak at Data shows that Oregon is 1,553 on Tuesday, Feb. 1. showing signs of following the There were 169 COVID-19 nationwide trend of hitting a positive patients in intensive peak in omicron-driven in- care unit beds on Thursday, Jan. fections followed by a steep 27, up from 155 the day before. drop-off. OHA reported 19 new Oregon’s hospitalization spi- deaths on Thursday, bring- ral comes as reported new in- ing the state total since the fections dropped to 7,781 on beginning of the pandemic Thursday, Jan. 27, down from two years ago to 6,067. OHA 8,207 in Wednesday’s report. noted the fatality milestone The state tallied 10,034 new on Wednesday. infections in its Jan. 20 re- “We’ve lost mothers and port. The percentage of tests fathers, sisters and brothers. that were positive dropped to Coworkers and neighbors. 23.6% on Thursday, Jan. 27, These losses pain all of us,” down from the previous day’s said Dr. Dean Sidelinger, state average of 24.9% BY GARY A. WARNER Oregon Capital Bureau Multnomah County, the state’s most populous, had 1,101 new cases. Marion (989), Washington (936), Lane (869), Clackamas (522) and De- schutes (454) followed. The counties with the highest number of cases over the previous week, adjusted for population, were Sher- man, Jefferson, Wheeler, Crook and Wasco. Morrow County had the highest positive test rate at 52.3%, followed by Wheeler (50%); Malheur (44.1%); Curry (42.2%); Douglas (38.1%) and Wallowa (37.2%). Oregon is hoping to soon join the parts of the country where the wave hit and peaked earlier and is now receding. New infections are down 21% nationwide compared to two weeks ago, according to an ongoing survey by The New York Times. Data shows 31 of 50 states reported fall- ing case rates. Hospitals reported the num- ber of COVID-19 patients had slowed to a 5% increase com- pared to 14 days ago. Deaths, which have been a lagging indicator throughout the pandemic, are up 34% over the same period. A total of 878,220 people in the United States have died from COVID-19, the most of any country among the more than 5.63 million killed worldwide, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Federal officials had said over the weekend that enough data had come in to be able to say the decline in cases was a nationwide trend. “Things are looking good,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said Sunday, Jan. 23. “We don’t want to get overconfident, but they look like they’re going in the right direction right now.” Health officials have in- creasingly shifted to the idea that COVID-19 surges are less likely in the future as vaccina- tion and exposure to the virus leave fewer Americans with no defenses. COVID-19 could become endemic — a permanent but cyclical part of life that can be managed but not eradicated. Local Briefing Taco Tuesdays fundraiser for Brooklyn School Brooklyn Primary School is again organizing a Taco Tues- day fundraiser in February in place of its traditional taco feed event organized by the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization. Throughout the month, four restaurants will donate a per- centage of their proceeds every Tuesday to Brooklyn. Partici- pating businesses are D&J Taco Shop, El Erradero, Delicioso Mexican Restaurant, and MC Taco Bus. Brooklyn students will also sell raffle tickets throughout the month ($1 each, six for $5, or 25 for $20). Raffle winners will be drawn live on Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 24. Winners can pick up their items on Friday, Feb. 25, from Brooklyn Primary, 1350 Washington Ave. The school houses students from first, second and third grades. OSU Extension offers online science workshops The Oregon State University Extension Office is offering on- line “Explore 4-H Science” workshops each Tuesday in Febru- ary from 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Registered participants will receive a kit with all the materials needed for the 45-minute session. The kits are free to partici- pating county residents who can pick them up at the local Ex- tension Office. Registration is required for each class, and space is limited. Register online at https://bit.ly/4HVIRTUALSTEM. Here is the schedule: • Feb. 1 — Light it Up!: Explore simple circuits and create your own wand. • Feb. 8 — Cooking Chemistry: Mix up something fun and yummy. • Feb. 15 — Engineering Challenge: Create a DIY that’s part slingshot and part crossbow. • Feb. 22 — Chemistry is Cool!: Explore chemical reactions to create something fun. Happy 50 th Anniversary Gary and Pat Young! Come help us celebrate their 50 years with an open house! Saturday, February 12th 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. Veteran’s Memorial Club 2005 Valley, Baker City News of Record POLICE LOG Baker City Police Arrests, citations DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF INTOXICANTS: Laif Robert Edison, 24, Baker City, 8:46 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, in the 1000 block of Place Street. Baker County Sheriff’s Office Arrests, citations PROBATION VIOLATION: Paul Lloyd Niehaus, 54, Baker City, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 27, on Schoolhouse Road; jailed. “You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR 225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com
