SPORTS A5
SPORTS A6
HOME B1
Baker boys 5th,
girls 10th at state
Bulldogs claim
5th-place trophy
Lemon chicken has
twice the tart
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IN THIS EDITION: LOCAL • HOME & LIVING • SPORTS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022 • $1.50
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Good Day Wish
To A Subscriber
COVID-19 cases drop by half in October
A special good day to Herald
subscribers Karen and Dave
Daffer of Baker City.
Baker City Herald
BRIEFING
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Veterans Day ceremony
The community is invited to
a ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday,
Nov. 11, at the Baker County
Courthouse, 1995 Third St.,
in honor of Veterans Day. The
gathering, which honors all vet-
erans, includes an invocation,
pledge and brief speech.
The number of COVID-19 cases re-
ported in Baker County during Octo-
ber was the lowest monthly total for the
county since April.
The Oregon Health Authority
(OHA) reported 34 cases in the county
during October, almost 50% fewer than
the 65 cases in September.
October was the fourth straight
month with a drop in cases.
There were 121 cases reported in
June, 116 in July, and 79 in August.
October’s total of 34 was the fewest
since April 2022, when there were 13
cases.
OHA officials say the official case
totals underestimate the actual preva-
lence of COVID-19 because residents
who do home tests are not required to
report the results.
In Baker County, however, the num-
ber of tests reported to OHA has in-
creased over the past three months,
from 384 in August, to 503 in Septem-
ber and to 551 in October.
OHA reported one COVID-19-re-
lated death in the county during Octo-
ber, on Oct. 24.
There have been 61 COVID-19-re-
lated deaths in the county during the
pandemic, 22 of those happening in
2022.
Neither the state nor the county has
released age, gender or other informa-
tion about recent deaths.
After a monthly record of 646 cases
in January 2022 during the omicron
surge, Baker County’s case rate plum-
meted to 230 during February and then
dropped even more rapidly during
March, when there were 14 cases.
The fi fth and fi nal Baker
Community Sciences & Arts
Lecture will be Nov. 17 at the
OTEC conference room, 4005
23rd St. Doors open 5:30 p.m.,
and the lecture starts promptly
at 6 p.m.
The lecture is titled “A Brief
History of Art: Fabulous Facts,
Divine Discoveries, and Creative
Connections.” Award-winning
local artist, teacher and writer
Nancy Coffelt will share her
expertise and inspiration.
OTEC sponsoring
food drive
WEATHER
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Today
40/17
Partly sunny
Wednesday
33/8
Mostly cloudy
Full forecast on the back
of the B section.
The space below is for a postage label
for issues that are mailed.
Vaccination
Since the new bivalent booster dose
became available in early September,
491 Baker County residents have had
that booster — 6.7% of the county resi-
dents who are eligible for it.
That’s slightly below the statewide av-
erage of 7.4% of eligible residents receiv-
ing the bivalent booster.
Civil rights
lawsuit
against
county,
sheriff
continues
Final science and art
lecture is Nov. 17
Oregon Trail Electric Coop-
erative (OTEC) is sponsoring a
community food drive to help
provide meals to local residents
for Thanksgiving. Through Mon-
day, Nov. 14, OTEC members
can drop off nonperishable food
at any OTEC offi ce. In Baker City
that’s at 4005 23rd St., just
south of Pocahontas Road west
of the railroad tracks. All food
will be donated to food banks
across OTEC’s service territory
for distribution before Thanks-
giving. More information is
available by emailing commu-
nications@otec.coop or calling
541-523-3616.
After April’s total of 13 — the fewest
since May 2020, the month when Baker
County had its first reported case —
cases rose to 49 in May and 121 in June.
Adam Nilsson contends Sheriff
Travis Ash retaliated against him for
complaints about 2017 incident
BY JAYSON JACOBY
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Baker City Police Department/Contributed Photo
The Baker City Police Department had this trailer moved from public property on Oct. 25, 2022. The trailer had a sewage hose
buried in the ground, according to police.
City focusing on
camping, vehicle
parking limits
Alderson
McQuisten
Councilors applaud effort to enforce ordinance
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
soconner@bakercityherald.com
The Baker City Police Department
has ramped up enforcement of both a
new and an older ordinance that regulate
camping on public property and limit how
long recreational vehicles, including trail-
ers, can be parked on city streets.
The goal, according to a press release
from Police Chief Ty Duby, is to reduce
the number of vehicles parked for long
periods, which can make it a challenge for
snowplows, street sweepers and other city
maintenance equipment.
“Both street sweepers and heavy snow
removal equipment have difficult maneu-
vering around these and other long-term
storage vehicles,” Duby wrote.
“This leaves the streets without regu-
lar maintenance and creates hazardous
snow and ice conditions for drivers as the
weather worsens.”
A city ordinance limits recreational
vehicles, including RVs, utility trailers
and boats, to parking on city streets for
no more than 72 hours without being
moved.
Guyer
Waggoner
More Inside
Please turn to Page A3 for
a story about other cities,
including Portland, that
are struggling to deal with
people camping on public
property.
A $1.3 million civil rights lawsuit that a
former Baker City man filed more than three
years ago against Baker County and Sheriff
Travis Ash is still pending in federal court,
although a federal magistrate judge recently
recommended that all but
one of the claims be dis-
missed.
Adam David Nilsson
filed the suit in August
2019 in U.S. District Court
in Pendleton.
Nilsson, 51, who is rep-
resenting himself and is
Ash
seeking a jury trial, con-
tends the county and Ash
violated his constitutional rights under the
First, Second and Fourth amendments in Au-
gust 2017.
The Fourth Amendment claims are based
on a warrant search that the sheriff’s office
conducted of Nilsson’s home and vehicle.
That search stemmed from an incident on
Aug. 1, 2017, at the abandoned lime plant
near Huntington in which Sheriff’s Deputy
Gabe Maldonado cited Nilsson for trespass-
ing with a firearm and criminal mischief.
Nilsson said in 2017 that he and a friend
had gone to the lime plant, which the county
owns and where it had posted no trespassing
signs, to photograph graffiti.
See Lawsuit / A3
See Camping / A3
District governor meets with Baker City Rotary Club
BY LISA BRITTON
lbritton@bakercityherald.com
Every day, Rotarians help fulfill the interna-
tional club’s theme of “peace and peace building,”
says Janice Fulkerson, governor for Rotary Dis-
trict 5400.
“Every day, as Rotarians, working in the com-
munity is peace building. We’re working with
other people,” Fulkerson said during a recent talk
to the Baker City Rotary Club.
District 5400 includes 42 clubs. Many, she said,
have changed structure a bit to better accommo-
date members who can’t fit weekly meetings into
their life.
The focus, she said, is to capitalize on what
members can offer.
“People have time, talent, treasure. They will
contribute where they can,” she said.
Although some clubs have seen declining
membership or low attendance, “globally, mem-
bership is growing,” she said.
And, although only about a third of the Baker
TODAY
Issue 77
14 pages
Classified ....................B4-B6
Comics ..............................B7
Community News.............A2
City club’s membership attends weekly meetings,
she said the group’s activities demonstrate dedi-
cation.
“Your club does a lot,” she said. “If it wasn’t
here, who would do it? Who would step in if not
for Rotary?”
The Baker City Rotary Club is most visi-
ble during Miners Jubilee in July, for its buffalo
burger fundraiser in Geiser-Pollman Park.
Other activities include setting out flags on
holidays, supporting the literacy program, fund-
ing scholarships, providing free bike helmets
through the Baker City Police Department, or-
ganizing the Easter egg hunt and helping Sleep
in Heavenly Peace (both by donating money and
helping build beds).
The Rotary Theme
As part of her visit, Fulkerson explained Rota-
ry’s theme for the year, “Imagine Rotary.”
A large focus is “peace and peace building.”
See Rotary / A3
Crossword ...............B4 & B6
Dear Abby .........................B8
Home & Living ............B1-B3
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald
Janice Fulkerson, kneeling on the left, is the district governor for Rotary
District 5400. On Oct. 17, 2022, she attended a meeting of the Baker
City Rotary Club to talk about the service club and present awards
recognizing the club’s financial contributions to the Rotary Founda-
tion. Attending the meeting were, from left, Dave Lindley, Bill Fessel,
Ken Krohn, Anthony Bailey, Brenda Holly and Perry Stokes (kneeling).
Horoscope ..............B4 & B6
Lottery Results .................A2
News of Record ................A2
Opinion .............................A4
Senior Menus ...................A2
Sports ..................... A5 & A6
Sudoku..............................B7
Turning Backs ..................A2
Weather ............................B8