Local
A2
Saturday, December 3, 2022
TURNING BACK THE PAGES
50 YEARS AGO
from the Democrat-Herald
December 3, 1972
Three years of intensive study, reinforced by studies of
other school districts in Oregon and Idaho, prompted the
District 5-J board to plan a building program to relieve the
overcrowded Baker schools.
COVID cases rose during November
Monthly total of 54 was
third-lowest since April
Baker City Herald
25 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 3, 1997
The section of U.S. Highway 26 between Unity and Vale
is a narrow, curving ribbon of asphalt, the sort of road you
don’t take your eyes off if you want to stay on it.
But it’s a bit wider now in a couple of places, and ranch-
ers in Burnt River Valley are happy about that.
By this spring, they should be able to haul their cattle to
the livestock auction yard at Vale without worrying they’ll get
a ticket for exceeding the highway’s length limit.
10 YEARS AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 3, 2012
HILLSBORO — After Baker High School won the Class 4A
football state championship with a 52-22 win Saturday over
North Bend, there’s no doubt the Bulldog Dynasty is alive
and well.
Playing in their third state title game in the last four years,
the three-time Greater Oregon League champion Bulldogs
(11-1) dominated the game from start to fi nish in defeating
North Bend (11-2) to capture the championship trophy at
Hillsboro Stadium.
ONE YEAR AGO
from the Baker City Herald
December 4, 2021
The National Finals Rodeo is back in Las Vegas, and
Jesse Brown could not be happier.
The Baker City steer wrestler competed in his fi rst NFR
last year in Arlington, Texas, but he said there is something
special about Thomas & Mack Center.
There must be after Brown turned in a time of 4.5
seconds to fi nish in a two-way tie for fi fth place with Tyler
Waguespack in the fi rst round on Thursday, Dec. 2. Each
man won $5,661 for his efforts.
“It’s way different than Texas,” he said. “Everyone is right
on top of you here. It’s where it belongs. It was awesome.”
In an October 2021 interview, Brown said he was excited
to compete in Las Vegas.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “It’s a completely different rodeo. I
think the electricity in that building — you’re not going to be
able to match that.”
Dirk Tavenner and Riley Duvall tied for fi rst in the opening
round Thursday with times of 3.7 seconds. They each
walked away with $24,167.
Brown, who was sitting second in the world standings
before the NFR, slid a little in the standings, but there are
still nine more rounds to go, and he started off right with a
legal run and a few dollars to add to his earnings.
“I don’t really pay attention to that,” he said.
Brown, who was competing with a back strain, was happy
with his fi rst run.
“I had to make a horse change at the last minute,” he
said of riding his own horse, Gunner. “He did well. It was
good. The anticipation leading up to tonight was a rush. I
can’t wait until tomorrow.”
The steer ropers had a fresh pen of steers on Friday, Dec.
3. There are four pens, which means they won’t see Thurs-
day’s steers again until Round 4 on Sunday, Dec. 5.
While Las Vegas can be a fun place to visit, Brown said
his day before the evening performance is jam packed.
“I had a packed day,” he said of Thursday. “I had physical
therapy in the morning, then they had us doing signings
and meet and greets. It’s an honor they even want me to do
something like that.”
OREGON LOTTERY
MEGABUCKS, NOV. 30
WIN FOR LIFE, NOV. 30
4 — 16 — 17 — 22 — 32 — 39
Next jackpot: $2.4 million
14 — 22 — 53 — 74
POWERBALL, NOV. 30
• 1 p.m.: 6 — 7 — 1 — 0
• 4 p.m.: 5 — 4 — 9 — 8
• 7 p.m.: 3 — 5 — 1 — 7
• 10 p.m.: 2 — 6 — 2 — 0
4 — 19 — 24 — 47 — 66 PB 10
Next jackpot: $81 million
MEGA MILLIONS, NOV. 29
20 — 23 — 37 — 46 — 52
Mega 6
Next jackpot: $333 million
PICK 4, DEC. 1
LUCKY LINES, DEC. 1
2-7-11-15-18-23-28-32
Next jackpot: $22,000
SENIOR MENUS
MONDAY (Dec. 5): Chicken-fried steak, mashed potatoes
with gravy, biscuits, corn, green salad, cookies
TUESDAY (Dec. 6): Spaghetti, garlic breadsticks, green
beans, green salad, apple slices
WEDNESDAY (Dec. 7): Chicken cordon bleu, rice pilaf,
mixed vegetables, rolls, macaroni salad, brownies
THURSDAY (Dec. 8): Pork roast, scalloped potatoes, peas,
rolls, green salad, fruit cup
FRIDAY (Dec. 9): Taco salad, sour cream, salsa, chips,
apple crisp
Public luncheon at the Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St., from
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; $5 donation (60 and older),
$7.50 for those under 60.
CONTACT THE HERALD
2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101
Open Monday through Friday
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Telephone: 541-523-3673
ISSN-8756-6419
Serving Baker County since 1870
Publisher
Karrine Brogoitti
kbrogoitti@lagrandeobserver.com
Jayson Jacoby, editor
jjacoby@bakercityherald.com
Advertising email
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Classifi ed email
classifi ed@bakercityherald.com
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Published Tuesdays, Thursdays and
Saturdays except Christmas Day by the
Baker Publishing Co., a part of EO Media
Group, at 2005 Washington Ave., Suite 101
(P.O. Box 807), Baker City, OR 97814.
Subscription rates per month are $10.75
for print only. Digital-only rates are $8.25.
Postmaster: Send address changes to
the Baker City Herald, P.O. Box 807, Baker
City, OR 97814.
Periodicals Postage Paid
at Pendleton, Oregon 97801
Copyright © 2022
Baker City Herald • bakercityherald.com
COVID-19 cases rose in Baker County
during November after declining for four
straight months.
The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) re-
ported 54 cases in the county, up from 34
during October.
October’s total was the fewest in a month
since April 2022.
November’s is the third-lowest monthly
total since then.
There were 121 cases in June, 116 in July,
79 in August and 65 in September.
OHA reported nine cases on both Nov.
17 and Nov. 28, the highest one-day total
since Aug. 1, when there were 11 cases in the
county.
No COVID-19-related deaths were re-
ported in the county during November.
There were two related deaths during Octo-
ber. There have been 63 COVID-19-related
deaths in the county since the pandemic
started in March 2020, 24 of those happening
in 2022.
OHA officials say the official case counts
underestimate the actual prevalence of the
virus because many people are using home
tests, which they’re not required to report to
the state.
In Baker County the number of reported
tests has been relatively steady, with 474 in
November, compared with 551 in October
and 503 in September.
After a monthly record of 646 cases in Jan-
uary 2022 during the omicron surge, Baker
County’s case rate plummeted to 230 during
February and then dropped even more rap-
idly during March, when there were 14 cases.
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 to 121 in June before declining in
four straight months.
GO STEM uses grant to expand computer
science education across Eastern Oregon
The Observer
LA GRANDE — Eastern
Oregon University’s Greater
Oregon STEM Hub is helping
break barriers and providing
support to give students across
Eastern Oregon direct access
to engaging computer science
education tools and profes-
sional development.
The Oregon Department
of Education has awarded $6
million of a $10 million invest-
ment from the Oregon Gover-
nor’s Computer Science Initia-
tive to the 13 STEM Hubs in
Oregon. Eastern’s GO STEM
Hub intends to use its portion
of the grant — $587,000 — to
provide free computer sci-
ence materials, professional
development and support for
schools around Eastern Ore-
gon.
In addition, the effort will
curate a menu of items that
schools can incorporate to sup-
port and improve upon their
current computer science ca-
pacity/abilities, meeting the
students where they are at.
“We are excited to have the
opportunity to provide com-
puter science materials and
experiences for our students,”
David Melville, executive di-
rector of GO STEM said. “The
goal is to have materials in the
hands of Eastern Oregon stu-
dents this spring.”
Through this effort, GO
STEM has hired three EOU
students to help ensure the
Eastern Oregon University, File
Eastern Oregon University student-athletes volunteered on Oct. 31, 2020, to assemble 2,000 at-home learn-
ing kits as part of a grant-funded effort by the Greater Oregon STEM Hub to support fourth-graders in rural
counties.
project’s success. These stu-
dents have been working
closely with the GO STEM
team to provide insight and
collaboration on new and in-
novative ways to aid Eastern
Oregon schools on their road
to making computer science
programs more readily accessi-
ble to students.
“Getting the opportunity to
work with the GO STEM team
and the equipment within this
grant has been an absolute
blast,” said EOU senior Jordan
Rogers. “With the systems in
this grant, these kids will gain
opportunities in learning some
of the ways that code works
and hopefully it will inspire
some passion for them to keep
pursuing computer science in
the future.”
The projects from the grant
will also help prepare Oregon
students for an increasingly
digital future workforce, as
well as to help youth develop
important cognitive and crit-
ical thinking skills through
computer science lessons and
learning.
Stefanie Holloway, program
director of the GO STEM Hub,
shared that having these re-
sources be available is an “in-
credible opportunity.”
“It is incredible to have this
opportunity to share engaging
computer science materials
with schools,” she said. “Hav-
ing the help of the EOU stu-
dents has been an incredible
asset to this project. This larger
grant is a tremendous learning
opportunity for all of us, and
it is exciting to see how every-
thing is coming together.”
Virtual meeting Dec. 5 on B2H power line
public convenience.
This virtual meeting option
to comment via Zoom or by
phone follows a recent in-per-
son meeting in La Grande, held
in November.
The virtual meeting will be
conducted from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
The meeting may go beyond the
scheduled end time to allow more
people to comment, so it is im-
portant for people who want to
give input to log in before 7 p.m.
Access the Zoom link and
phone-in details at: https://bit.
ly/3zXBRlz or at https://www.
oregon.gov/puc/Pages/Whats-
New.aspx.
The deadline for submit-
ting comments is Jan. 10, 2023.
Comments can be emailed to
PUC.Public comments@puc.
oregon.gov or mailed to Ore-
gon Public Utility Commission,
Attn.: AHD-PCN 5, P.O. Box
1088, Salem, OR, 97308-1088.
For additional information
call 503-378-6600 or 800-522-
2404.
it to overturn into the barrier.” The truck
was driven by Muhammad Sarwar
Nizam, 47, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 2:23 p.m.
on Highway 245, Milepost 33, a Ford
Excursion driven by Crista Joan Roth,
29, slid on the snow-covered highway
and ended up in the ditch, blocking
the northbound lane. The vehicle was
drivable.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 9:22 a.m. on
Interstate 84, Milepost 317 eastbound,
a GMC Sierra pickup truck driven
by Cristian Castellon Sabalza, 25, of
Washougal, Washington, lost control
on a bridge and hit the cement barrier
in the center of the ridge. The truck had
front end damage but was able to be
driven away.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 5:46 a.m. on
Interstate 84, Milepost 338 eastbound,
a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck
driven by Charles Clinton Straub, 32, of
Huntington, lost control on the snow-
covered freeway and hit the concrete
barrier in the center of the freeway.
On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 4:35 a.m. on
Interstate 84, Mileost 292 eastbound,
OSP responded to a commercial truck
crash. The driver, Marius T. Danciu, 35, of
Boise, told OSP that he lost control due
to a wind gust. The freeway was icy at
the time, according to an OSP report.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 8:50 p.m. on
Interstate 84, Milepost 280 eastbound,
OSP responded to a commercial truck
that had jackknifed and ended up in
the median. The driver was Mhretu
Gebrehiwet, 35, of Houston.
On Tuesday, Nov. 29, at around 2 p.m.,
Superior Towing removed a vehicle
that posed a hazard to other traffic on
Highway 7 near Milepost 40, about
9 miles southwest of Baker City. The
Volvo, owned by Sarah Elisabeth
Blackstun of Boise, was stuck against
an embankment on a blind curve,
according to an OSP report. The left side
of the car was near the fog line and was
lodged on top of a large rock.
EO Media Group
The Oregon Public Utility
Commission is hosting a virtual
meeting on Monday, Dec. 5 for
the public to comment on Idaho
Power’s application for a certif-
icate of public convenience and
necessity.
Idaho Power’s request is part
of its proposed construction of
a transmission line that would
connect the Hemingway substa-
tion in Idaho with a substation
near Boardman, Oregon. The
transmission line is known as
the Boardman to Hemingway
or B2H project.
Idaho Power has asked the
PUC to issue a certificate of
public convenience and neces-
sity for this project. If granted,
Idaho Power would use this
certificate in court proceedings
where it seeks to condemn an
S. John Collins/Baker City Herald, File
The proposed Boardman-to-Hemingway power line would follow the
route of an existing line that crosses Highway 86 between Baker City
and the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center.
interest in land along the trans-
mission line’s path. The certifi-
cate would demonstrate to the
court that the transmission line
is a public use and necessary for
News of Record
DEATHS
Jeffrey ‘Jeff’ Reese: 52, of Baker City,
died Nov. 30, 2022, at his home with
his family at his side. Arrangements are
under the direction of Tami’s Pine Valley
Funeral Home & Cremation Services.
Online condolences can be shared at
www.tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Wendy Marks: 57, of Richland,
died Dec. 1, 2022, at her home,
surrounded by the love of her
family. Arrangements are under the
direction of Tami’s Pine Valley Funeral
Home & Cremation Services. Online
condolences can be shared at www.
tamispinevalleyfuneralhome.com.
Donna Carver: 84, of Clatskanie,
Oregon, and formerly of Baker City,
died Nov. 25, 2022, at her home.
Groulx Family Mortuary is in charge
of arrangements. Her funeral will
be Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Westport
Community Church in Westport,
Oregon.
VIOLATION OF RELEASE AGREEMENT,
RESISTING ARREST: Steven Arthur
Engle, 58, Baker City, 12:08 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 30 in the 2300 block of
Eighth Street; jailed.
Accident reports
Baker City Police responded to multiple
noninjury accidents in the city on
Thursday, Dec. 1.
• 12:18 p.m., Broadway and Main streets.
• 1:10 p.m., Foothill Drive and Highway 7.
• 2:21 p.m., Broadway Street near the
middle school.
Oregon State Police
Accident reports
On Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 3:03 p.m. on
Interstate 84, Milepost 332 eastbound,
a commercial truck crashed, blocking
the fast lane. According to an OSP
report, the freeway was bare and
the temperature around 35 degrees.
“Evidence on scene suggests that the
“truck” took the corner too fast causing
POLICE LOG
Baker City Police
Arrests, citations
IMPROPER USE OF 911: Nicholas
Neshun Lark, 39, Baker City, 2:28 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 1 in Baker City; cited and
released.
“You’ll love the work we do. I guarantee it.” - JR
225 H Street • East of I-84 • 541-523-3200 • grumpysrepair.com