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
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
A special good day to Herald
subscriber Betty Horan of
Keating.
BRIEFING
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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
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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