BAKER CITY HERALD • TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2022 A3
LOCAL & STATE
EOU students and staff eager
to finally take off their masks
BY DICK MASON
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Daniel
Fuchs was happy to see the
change.
Eastern Oregon University
lifted its mandate for wearing
masks on campus indoors be-
ginning Saturday, March 12,
in accordance with the state’s
plan. The lifting of the mask
mandate came about two years
after it was imposed.
“I’m excited. There is some-
thing really good about be-
ing able to see people’s faces,”
Fuchs, a freshman at EOU, said
last week. “It is important to be
able to see people’s faces when
interacting with them because
it lets you see their emotions.”
Gov. Kate Brown last month
announced the current mask
requirements will expire at
11:59 p.m. March 11, citing de-
creasing cases, hospitalizations
and a strategic alignment with
the lifting of mask mandates in
Washington and California.
Brown announced Oregon’s
accelerated timeline Feb. 28 on
the two-year anniversary of the
state’s first known COVID-19
infection, saying residents
must “learn to live with the
virus” while maintaining vigi-
lance going forward.
EOU freshman Eli Milling-
ton is also looking forward
to being mask free because
to normalcy,” he said.
Eastern will continue to
monitor COVID-19 cases and
will remain in contact with lo-
cal and state health officials as
it moves through changes in
other safety and health proto-
cols.
State and federal require-
ments for wearing masks in
health care settings, within
public transit and in other spe-
cialized settings will remain in
place after March 12, accord-
ing to a press release from the
Alex Wittwer/EO Media Group, File school. Masks will still have
Dr. Lau Vargas studies in the campus library at Eastern Oregon
to be worn at EOU’s student
health center, said Vicky Hart,
University on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021. Eastern Oregon University
EOU public information rep-
lifted its mandate for wearing masks indoors Saturday, March 12, in
resentative.
accordance with the state’s plan. The requirement has been in place
Ron Wheeler, EOU’s food
for two years at EOU.
services general manager, is
it will make interacting with
cause it will make it easier to particularly looking forward
others less difficult.
communicate. He explained
to not wearing a mask. He
“I’ll enjoy not having to
that when he is in an environ- noted that he came to Eastern
wear a mask in class. It will
ment where it is hard to hear two years ago, which means
make it much easier to com- people talking he likes to read he has never been on campus
municate,” Millington said.
lips, something masks make
when masks were not required.
EOU women’s soccer coach impossible.
He feels good about Eastern’s
Jake Plocher said EOU’s stu-
Avila noted that when he
COVID-19 status because he
dents have been good about
first started wearing masks
said a high percentage of its
following the mask mandate the strings made the skin
students are vaccinated for
rule, but he senses they are
around his ears sore. Today,
COVID-19.
ready to start going mask free. though, he feels no soreness
Wheeler said that masks and
“I can tell they are ready to because of calluses that have sanitizing supplies will still be
get back to normal,” he said.
developed. While he has be-
available to students.
Brian Avila, EOU’s head
come accustomed to wearing
“We have raised sanitizing
athletic equipment manager, masks indoors, he is happy
to a new level,” he said. “Sani-
is eagerly anticipating the lift- the mandate is being lifted.
tizing stations are now every-
“It will be good to be back where you go.”
ing of the mask mandate be-
Advisory panel weighs comments
on paid family and medical leave
BY PETER WONG
Oregon Capital Bureau
An advisory panel seeks pub-
lic comments as it writes rules
for how Oregon will offer paid
family and medical leave, which
is scheduled to start next year.
The Legislature approved
the program in 2019. But last
year, it extended the deadlines
from Jan. 1, 2022, to Jan. 1,
2023, for the program to col-
lect its first payroll taxes —
workers will pay 60% and em-
ployers 40% of the fund — and
from Jan. 1 to Sept. 3, 2023, for
the first payments of benefits.
Oregon will join eight states
and Washington, D.C., with
similar programs.
Workers who earn at least
$1,000 during the previous
year would qualify for up to 12
weeks of paid family leave, the
maximum benefit set at $1,215
per week.
“We remain on track and
on budget,” David Gerstenfeld,
acting director of the Oregon
Employment Department,
told reporters in a briefing on
Wednesday, March 9.
Oregon’s program is more
generous than a proposal last
year by President Joe Biden
for a federal program, which
would offer up to $4,000 per
month. The House has passed
a program that proposes four
weeks of benefits, but it is part
of a broader plan of social
supports — known as Build
Back Better — that has stalled
in the Senate. It is highly un-
certain whether a federal pro-
gram will emerge.
Nine members will advise
the Employment Department
on rules required to carry out
the law. Gerstenfeld says one
rule will focus on how work-
ers obtain benefits.
“Topics include how much
money someone may receive
in a benefit year, how people
apply for paid-leave benefits,
how we will verify whether
someone is eligible, and if and
how workers must give notice
to their employers to use paid
leave,” he said.
“This is an opportunity to
provide feedback on these
rules. There will be more in
the coming months.”
The advisory committee
has scheduled a second virtual
meeting from 9 a.m. to noon
on March 17. It held a similar
meeting March 10. Advance
registration is required for par-
ticipation: bit.ly/3w1Cdq2
Museum
Continued from Page A1
Extraordinary Women exhibit
The exhibit “Extraordinary
Women of Baker County”
continues this season. Weems
said they decided to extend
it for a year longer than orig-
inally planned. A display
about the Chinese presence
in Baker County will open in
2023.
Weems said the “Extraor-
dinary Women” display has
been redesigned and updated.
“We added some things,”
she said.
For example, the section
dedicated to Phyllis Badgley
now features several of her
original pressed flower cards.
Another addition came
when Weems received a
phone call from a woman
who wanted to donate a
friendship quilt made by
members of the Baker City
Methodist Church that in-
cludes 130 stitched names.
“One of them happened to
be Myrtle Lee,” Weems said.
Lee, who became superin-
tendent of Baker schools in
1943, is included in the ex-
hibit. The quilt is on display
near her section.
Other featured females in-
clude Johanna Packwood,
who arrived in Auburn as a
schoolteacher in 1862, and
Nellie McCarty, who partici-
pated in four bank robberies
between 1891 and 1892 with
the McCarty Gang.
Volunteer support
The museum is supported
by the Friends of the Baker
Heritage Museum, a volun-
teer group that raises money
After using the $10 bill to
buy a pack of cigarettes and
returning home, he looked
more closely at the remaining
bills and realized they weren’t
real, Leanne Small said.
She said her father, who has
lived in Huntington for about
3 years, told her he then rode
his bicycle back to the store
“to make it right.”
When he arrived, the dep-
uty was there, and although
Michael Small explained what
happened, he was arrested
and taken to the jail.
“He’s a man of integrity,”
Leanne Small said of her fa-
ther. “He would never inten-
tionally use a fake bill.”
She said her father has
poor vision and didn’t re-
alize the bills had “movie
prop”printed on them until
he looked more closely after
buying the cigarettes.
Although forgery implies
that Small made the money,
Resolution
Continued from Page A1
The mask mandate ended
March 11, and Brown has
also ended the vaccination re-
quirement.
Jake Brown of Halfway,
representing Baker County
United, told commission-
ers on Dec. 15 that “we are
merely asking you commis-
sioners to double down on
the liberty that we already are
afforded in the Constitution
and Bill of Rights.”
The proposed resolution
states, among other things,
that “all actions by the federal
government and its agents
will conform strictly and im-
plicitly with the principles
expressed within the United
States Constitution, Declara-
tion of Independence, and the
Bill of Rights.”
After discussing the resolu-
tion Dec. 15, commissioners
scheduled a work session on
Jan. 12 at the Baker County
Events Center to solicit com-
ments from the public about
the proposal.
More than 40 people at-
tended that meeting, and sev-
eral encouraged commission-
ers to approve the resolution.
Commissioners did not
take any action then.
Commission Chairman Bill
Harvey said he did not sup-
port the mandates that Brown
had enacted through execu-
tive order.
Commissioner Bruce Nich-
ols, although he has expressed
concerns about the mandates,
said during the Jan. 12 meet-
ing that executive orders from
the governor’s office have the
force and effect of law until
the legislature changes that
authority or until the courts
declare such orders illegal and
unconstitutional.
Raffle
partment, said the city ap-
preciates the support of the
sponsors for the raffle prizes.
Continued from Page A1
Travis Cook won the
Capa rides in an SUV that grand prize, a 2021 Can Am
the department bought with Maverick XDS RR Turbo
money from fundraisers and side-by-side ATV.
Cliff ’s Saws and Cycles
donations.
sold the ATV at a discounted
“When we started the K-9
price for the raffle.
program back in 2009, then
Chief (Wyn) Lohner made
Alvin Dockweiler won the
it very apparent to the (city)
second prize, a Tikka .300
council that the only way we
Winchester magnum hunt-
could continue to do it was if ing rifle with a scope. Patton
it was based totally off of com- Excavating donated the rifle,
munity donations because we and D&B Supply donated
didn’t have the money nor did the scope.
we want to burden the taxpay-
Tyler Hufford won the
ers more,” Chastain said.
Traeger Pro 780 wood pellet
Phoebe Wachtel, adminis- grill, the third-place prize,
trative assistant and car seat donated by Lew Brothers Les
technician for the police de- Schwab Tires.
Work with people with disabilities!
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
The Oregon Trail Interpretive Center is creating exhibits inside the Baker Heritage Museum. This to-scale
replica of display plans offers a sneak peek of what the center will unveil in May.
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
The display
“Extraordinary Women
of Baker County”
continues this year at
the Baker Heritage
Museum. It includes
information on Myrtle
Lee, who became
superintendent of Baker
Schools in 1943.
for exhibits, maintenance, and
other needs.
Weems said volunteers are
also needed for daily activities
inside the museum.
“We have jobs for everyone,”
she said.
Anyone interested in getting
ADD TO YOUR PACKAGE FOR ONLY
19 . 99
$
/mo.
where available
$
Continued from Page A1
Ash said the state statute for
forgery includes situations in
which a person uses a “forged
instrument,” including coun-
terfeit money.
Michael Small was ar-
raigned Monday afternoon
on a lesser charge, third-de-
gree theft, rather than felony
forgery. The investigation is
continuing, District Attorney
Greg Baxter said.
Although the bills are
printed with words that they
are to be used only as movie
props, Ash said the bills are
realistic and that the movie
prop warning “blends in with
the bill quite well.”
He said the paper also feels
similar to legitimate currency.
Ash said it doesn’t surprise
him that an employee would
not notice the bills were
counterfeit while processing a
normal transaction.
He said on Monday morn-
ing, March 14, that he wasn’t
sure whether deputies had
gone to the site where Small
said he found the counterfeit
bills among the other items.
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