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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 13, 2022)
GO! INSERT LOCAL A2 SPORTS A6 EOU prepares for homecoming Prescribed burning on hold until it rains Lillard, Simon to lead Blazers’ backcourt Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com IN THIS EDITION: BUSINESS & AG LIFE • SPORTS QUICK HITS ————— Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Betty Horan of Keating. BRIEFING ————— Two forums set for local candidates Two public forums for local candidates in the Nov. 8 elec- tion have been scheduled later this month. The American Association of University Women’s Baker branch is sponsoring the fi rst forum, set for Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the commons at Baker High School, 2500 E St. The forum is for all elected positions in Baker City and Baker County. Candidates have been provided with two questions about local issues, and attendees can ask ques- tions during the forum. The second forum, coordinat- ed by Juliet and Forrest Hughes of Baker City, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Baker High School. The forum, for Baker County Commissioner and Baker City Council candidates, will include a 3-minute introduction for each candidate and a period for the audience to ask questions. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2022 • $1.50 BAKER COUNTY Behind the scenes at the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center’s renovations Moving a Museum WEATHER ————— Today 77/32 Sunny Friday 75/35 Photos by Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald Above: Exhibits that stayed in place were protected with boxes and special wrapping during construction at the Na- tional Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. Work is on schedule to be complete by 2023. Top: This Fremont map dates to 1846 and details local topography. Two Baker County residents have tested positive for West Nile virus, an illness spread by infected mosquitoes. Those are the first human cases of the dis- ease in the county reported this year. One other human case has been confirmed this year in Oregon, in Malheur County, Baker County’s neighbor to the south. Meghan Chancey, director of the Baker County Health Department, said the two people infected in Baker County both live in the Richland area. She declined to divulge any details, includ- ing their ages or genders. Chancey said the two people had symp- toms, which prompted them to seek medical care and to be tested, but they are recovering. BY LISA BRITTON lbritton@bakercityherald.com Bobby Reis, curator of collections and exhibitions at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, uses gloves to inspect a sewing machine from the 1880s. Artifacts such as this were documented and moved into storage during a major renovation at the center. New shelving, which can be seen in the background, increased storage space by 60%. How do you pack up an entire 30,000-square-foot museum? A careful system of cataloguing helps, as well as extensive shelving that lends easy access to each artifact. When the National Historic Or- egon Trail Interpretive Center faced a multi-year closure for renovations in early 2022, the staff got to work protecting the museum’s exhibits. First, they had to document the condition and location of each artifact. “We have a road map of putting everything back,” said Bobby Reis, curator of collections and exhibi- tions. “Everything has a number — every movement is documented in the database.” Council acts to prevent lapses in ambulance memberships BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER soconner@bakercityherald.com NHOTIC is 5 miles east of Baker City, on top of Flagstaff Hill, and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The center opened in 1992 and has welcomed about 2.4 million visitors during the past 30 years. Now, it is undergoing a $6.5 mil- lion remodel that includes new sid- ing, insulation, roofing, windows and doors. The heating and cooling systems will be upgraded as well. The work, partially funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, is expected to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 73%. Construction is on track to be complete by 2023, and then it will take four to six months to rebuild the exhibits, said Sarah Sherman, project manager. See Renovations / A3 Mostly sunny Full forecast on the back of the B section. BY JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com See Infected / A3 Downtown trick-or- treating set for Oct. 31 Baker City’s downtown trick-or-treat event is happen- ing on Halloween, Monday, Oct. 31.The annual Baker City Kiwanis event is set for 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Main Street will be closed to traffi c from Church Street to Auburn Avenue so that costumed children may safely gather their treats. Businesses and organizations, both on and off Main Street, are invited to participate. 2 residents infected with West Nile virus FIRE PREVENTION WEEK COLORING CONTEST The space below is for a postage label for issues that are mailed. Baker City will transfer $48,500 to Metro West, the new local ambulance provider, to ensure that more than 2,000 city residents who have memberships covering the cost of ground ambulance transports won’t have any lapse in coverage. The Baker City Council on Tuesday, Oct. 11 approved a resolution transferring the membership balances for those customers who had memberships with FireMed. The money will apply to new memberships with LifeGuard, the ground ambulance pro- gram that Metro West is affiliated with. Metro West will honor the previous FireMed memberships and citizens can choose to reapply under LifeGuard when their memberships are to be renewed. The LifeGuard membership is $59 per year. A website has more information — https:// ambulancemembership.com/baker-county/. Jennifer Spencer, the city’s administrative services manager, told councilors the $48,500 is from the city’s 70% share of FireMed mem- berships. “This is just a service to the community to make sure,” Spencer said. “There’s a lot of people that were concerned they weren’t go- ing to have that coverage and it’s important to a lot of people.” See Ambulance / A3 Group is building a community that’s ‘dementia friendly’ Cody Gregg, a first grader at Haines Elementary, was a winner in the col- oring contest to celebrate National Fire Prevention Week. Becca Hansen, a second grader at Brooklyn Primary School, was a win- ner in the coloring contest to cele- brate National Fire Prevention Week. Liberty Welch, a third grader at Pine Eagle Elementary School, was a win- ner in the coloring contest to cele- brate National Fire Prevention Week. Three students are named winners Baker City Herald Almost 100 students in grades first, second and third from across Baker County entered a coloring contest as part of National Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 9-15. Baker County commissioners approved a resolu- tion on Oct. 5 designating Fire Prevention Week in the county. This year’s theme, on the 100th anniversary of the event, is “Fire Won’t Wait. Plan Your Escape.” Gary Timm, fire division manager for Baker TODAY Issue 66 32 pages Business ...........................B1 Classified ....................B2-B4 Comics ..............................B5 County Emergency Management, said the county received entries from students at Brooklyn Primary School, Haines Elementary, Pine Eagle Elementary and Burnt River School. The grade level winners: • First grade: Cody Gregg, age 6, Haines Elemen- tary. • Second grade: Becca Hansen, age 7, Brooklyn Pri- mary. • Third grade: Liberty Welch, age 8, Pine Eagle El- ementary. Community News.............A2 Crossword ...............B2 & B4 Dear Abby .........................B6 Horoscope ..............B2 & B4 Lottery Results .................A2 News of Record ................A2 Goal is to help people with dementia live independently as long as possible BY JAYSON JACOBY jjacoby@bakercityherald.com Beth Mastel-Smith’s goal is to ensure Baker County residents who have dementia can live independently for as long as feasible and with the highest quality of life possible. This is, she concedes, a daunting challenge. Mastel-Smith, an associate professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Texas at Tyler, moved from Houston to Baker City in February 2022. While living in Texas she learned about, and became involved in promoting, the con- cept of the “dementia friendly community.” After moving to Baker City she started swimming regularly at Sam-O Swim Center. Opinion .............................A4 Senior Menus ...................A2 Sports ...............................A6 See Dementia / A3 Sudoku..............................B5 Turning Backs ..................A2 Weather ............................B6
