LOCAL A2
SPORTS A5
SPORTS A6
County clerk prepares
for primary election
Baker baseball sweeps
past Mac-Hi
Bulldog softball
can’t hold late lead
IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • OUTDOORS & REC • SPORTS
Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
School
District’s
International
School
progressing
QUICK HITS
—————
Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to
Herald subscriber Ken
Kritchen of Baker City.
BRIEFING
—————
Presentation about
human traffi cking set
for April 11
The American Associa-
tion of University Women
will sponsor a presentation
about human traffi cking
on Monday, April 11, at
6:30 p.m. at the Baker
High School library, 2500
E St. This talk is open to
the public.
Kristen Campbell will be
the presenter. She is the
operations and program
director for In Our Back-
yard, a human traffi cking
awareness group.
‘Durkee Stories’ event
April 12 at Baker
Heritage Museum
Baker Heritage Museum
will host “Durkee Stories,”
a conversation with Gary
Bloomer, on Tuesday, April
12, at the museum, 2480
Grove St. Doors open at
5:30 p.m. and the pre-
sentation begins at 6 p.m.
Attendance is free.
Bloomer, a long-time
Durkee rancher, will share
stories about the town’s
history and the Opal Mine.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9, 2022 • $1.50
District plans to host 22
to 25 foreign students
this fall, and enable Baker
students to study abroad
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
YMCA member Cliff Hall, second from right, tries out the newest addition at the Y fitness center after visiting with
CEO Koby Myer, left, and Y staff Sarah Watkins and Wayne Dyke.
Fitness and Family
Baker Family YMCA expands its programs
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
K
oby Myer’s background with the YMCA
extends for at least 15 years.
“My history with the Y is long,” he said.
For one, he wants to increase open
“I believe in the organization and how im- swim time at Sam-O Swim Center., 580
pactful it is in our community.”
Baker St. This offering has been limited,
Myer, who grew up in Eastern Oregon, he said, due to a lack of lifeguards. Each
started Feb. 9 as CEO of the Baker Family open swim session requires four life-
YMCA in Baker City.
guards, and Myer said more are working
Although life took him to other loca-
on the certification.
tions after high school, he and
“We’d love to be open more,”
his family moved back to Eastern
he said.
Oregon — this time to Baker City
In an average year, the pool,
— six years ago.
which is owned by Baker City
“I had the opportunity to move
and managed by the Y, has
back,” he said.
80,000 visits of all ages, from 3
He worked for New Directions
months to 90 years. In the sum-
Northwest in Baker City for five
mer, visits average 100 per day.
years, first as the financial man-
Myer
“This pool is used by everybody
ager and then as the chief finan-
in the community,” Myer said.
cial officer.
Water safety, he said, is a, essential skill.
He’s worked with nonprofits for 20 years.
“We need our parents to support this
“I do like nonprofits — I like serving
life skill — it’s a benefit to our youth,”
people,” Myer said.
he said.
Lap swim is offered three times a day
New programs
Monday through Friday, as well as Satur-
Coming out of the pandemic, Myer said day mornings. Currently, open swim is
the Y staff is working to expand programs Fridays from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. and Sat-
and add some new options.
urdays from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“We have new and exciting programs
See, YMCA/Page A3
that we’re rolling out,” he said.
WEATHER
—————
Today
44/23
Snow possible late
Sunday
43/24
Snow showers
Monday
43/25
Mostly cloudy
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
See, School/Page A3
OSP: wolf
killed in
March near
Richland
Baker City Herald
Mayor: Council will consider
the county’s ambulance offer
She hopes city fire
department can
continue to operate
ambulances
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian
Baker City Mayor Kerry McQuisten
expressed optimism that ambulance
service can continue beyond the
September deadline.
TODAY
Issue 139
12 pages
gotiations between the city and
county, McQuisten said.
“The next step is bringing all
the information to all city council-
ors together at our meeting next
week,” McQuisten said on Thurs-
day, April 7. “Until that happens,
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER AND
not one of us can speak fully in-
formed of all developments.
JAYSON JACOBY
“I’m optimistic that with six
Baker City Herald
months to work this out and a
Baker City Mayor Kerry Mc-
Quisten said she thinks it’s possi- firm deadline, we might finally
ble that the city fire department be able to move forward in this
process,” McQuisten said. “It
can continue to operate ambu-
was kicked down the road for
lances beyond a deadline that’s
years too long, and the amount
less than six months away.
But whether the city can con- of cleanup like this that we have
tinue to do so after Sept. 30,
had to tackle as a city this year
2022 — the date in a notice the
has been baffling.”
city sent to Baker County in
late March — depends on ne-
See, Council/Page A3
Classified ....................B2-B4
Comics ..............................B5
Community News.............A2
Crossword ...............B2 & B4
Dear Abby .........................B6
Horoscope ..............B3 & B3
Jayson Jacoby ..................A4
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
The Baker School District has bought one
historic home in Baker City and plans to buy
a second soon as housing for students from
other countries who will be
attending Baker High School
starting this fall.
The Baker School District
started the Oregon Inter-
national School about four
years ago.
But the pandemic, as well
Bryan
as a delay in the district’s ap-
plication for a student visa
program under which the
state will pay the district the
standard per-student rate
for visiting students, put the
project in limbo over the past
two years, Superintendent
Mark Witty said.
Witty
The idea, Witty said, is to
bring up to 40 international
students to the district each school year, and,
with revenue from the International School,
to forge relationships with other countries and
schools that makes it easier, and less expensive,
for Baker students to visit and study abroad.
Oregon State Police’s Fish and Wildlife Divi-
sion is asking the public for information about
the killing of a wolf near Richland last month.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
employees reported to OSP on March 25 that a
wolf wearing a tracking collar was likely dead.
The collars have a feature that sends a signal
if they haven’t moved for a significant period of
time, suggesting the wolf is dead.
OSP troopers found the dead wolf about 1.5
miles east of New Bridge, and two miles north
of Richland.
The wolf, a year-old male, died around
March 12-13, according to a press release
from OSP.
The release did not say how the wolf died,
and in an email to the Baker City Herald, OSP’s
public information office said the agency will
not be releasing the manner of death.
During the past couple years, OSP has inves-
tigated cases where wolves were either shot or
poisoned.
The Oregon Wildlife Coalition, a group
of wildlife conservation groups, is offering a
$11,500 reward for information that leads to an
arrest or citation in connection with the most
recent wolf killing.
Anyone with information can contact OSP
through the Turn in Poachers (TIP) hotline at
1-800-452-7888 or *OSP (mobile). Reference
case number SP22071683.
Three other wolves have been killed in east-
ern Baker County since the fall of 2020.
One wolf was shot and killed in late Septem-
ber 2020 near Eagle Forks campground north
of Richland, and a second wolf was shot and
killed in late October near Grouse Flat, about 8
miles northeast of Halfway.
Police made no arrests in either case.
On April 7 or 8, 2021, a wolf was hit by a
car on Highway 86 about five miles west of
Richland.
Opinion .............................A4
Outdoors .................B1 & B2
Senior Menus ...................A2
Sports ..................... A5 & A6
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B6