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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
December 10, 2014
>N >H>s aD>i'>oN:Local • B usiness @AgLife • Go! magazine $ < QUICIC HITS
Nine MonthsNterCity,lidrary EnactIodaccoRestrictions
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber
Nightof music, lessons BAICER CITY COUNCIL
A special good day to Herald subscriber Barbara Burton of Baker City.
BRIEFING
Vespers concerts set for Sunday The Baker High School bands and choirs will present the annual Vespers Concert at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Sunday at the BHS auditorium. Both performances are the same — a second was added several years ago because the concert was so popular. The program includes "AngelsWe Have Heard on High," Cathedral Chorus From Russian Christmas Music,"The Bells," "Sleigh Ride, "Grown Up Christmas List," "Christmas Concerto," "0 Holy Night," "Carol of the Drum," "Carol of the Bells,"Themes from the Nutcracker Suite, "Three Noels," "Christmas Pop Sing-along," the Hallelujah Chorus (From The Messiah). This a mixed performance — some songs are just band, some are just choir, and some are combined.
By Joshua Dillen ldillen©bakercityherald.com
A heated discussion among Baker City councilors Tuesday centered on a proposal to give City Manager Mike Kee a pay raise. After about 20 minutes of somettmes intense debate, the Council voted 4-3 to give Kee a 2-percent Kee raise effective Jan. 1. Mayor Clair Button and Councilors Kim Mosier, Barbara Johnson and Mike Downingvotedin favorof the pay hike, Kee's first since he was hired in September 2010 with an annual salary
of $90,000. SeeCouncil IPage 5A
Senators:
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Seniors' Christmas dinner comes early Christmas dinner is planned a weekahead of the Dec. 25 holiday at the Community Connection Senior Center. The Dec. 18 meal will be served at the usual time — from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.— in the dining room at Community Connection, 2810 Cedar St. The dinner will feature roasted turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing with gravy, tomato green beans, broccoli-bacon salad, rolls and pumpkin cake. The suggestion donation for seniors will be $4.50 (up from the usual $3.50) and nonseniors will be charged $6.75 (up from $5.75). Those attending are asked to sign up by Dec. 12.The Center will be closed on Dec. 25 and Dec. 26. A special New Year's Eve luncheon is planned for Dec. 31.Tickets, which must be purchased ahead of time, will be $7 for seniors and $8 for nonseniors. A limited number of tickets will be on sale through Dec. 22. Prime rib will be served with baked potatoes, tomato green beans, pea-and-onion salad, roll and birthday cake.
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S. John Collins /BakerCity Herald
Evidence still exists that some smokers disregard the city ordinance prohibiting smoking along the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway and city parks.
groceries By Jayson Jacoby llacoby©bakercityherald.com
By Joshua Dillen ldillen©bakercityherald.com
It's been nine months since Baker City banned smoking at city parks and along the Leo Adler Memorial Parkway. Lighting up was also prohibited on property owned by the Baker City Library, including walkways and parking lots extending to the sidewalks. Both city and library officials say the tobaccobans have been effective, with few complaints or other problems. Police Chief Wyn Lohner said officers have warned many smokers but written just four citations. The city's ordinance bans the use of smokingproducts and e-cigarettes
The library's ban includes smokeless tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes. Library stafF members have had only one serious enforcement L ehn e r issue involving an e-cigarette user since the ban was implemented, Library Director Perry Stokes said. In April employees found a woman vaping in one of the study rooms. i'Vaping" is the common term for usingan e-cigarette.) "After staff informed her two or three times (of the library's policy) we had to evict her," Stokes said."She was highly irate and disruptive." He said the woman felt that vap-
ing in the library should be allowed. That she became so disruptive was the main reason she was asked to leave, Stokes said. In spite ofher disagreement with the library's rules, she left. According to Stokes, the woman wasn't disallowed from the library, but she would be if caught vaping on the premises again. Other than that incident there have been no serious issues at the library concerning the new policy. ''We've had one or two people smoking and one or two people vaping," he said.'We just let them know (the policy) and they were compliant."
Oregon's two U.S. senators, Democrats Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, are urging federal regulators to Wyden ensure that Baker City will still have two large grocery stores after the pending merger of Albertsons Merkley and Safeway. Wyden and Merldey on Monday sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the merger.
See Smoking/Page 5A
SeeGrocerylPage 8A
SluerihlIonsto lIoostself-esteem By Lisa Britton For the Baker City Herald
WEATHER
Today
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Kathy orr/BakercityHerald
Greg Mccarty
Greg McCarty wants to make a difference, one person ata tim e. He is a nursing student at Oregon Health and Science University at Eastern Oregon University, and as partofa leadership classhe has developed the Blue Ribbon Project to help boostself-esteem. The idea is simple — one person gives the blue ribbon to another person"to let them know they made a difference in someone's life," McCarty said. He has introduced the project at Baker House, Recovery Village, Elkhorn Adolescent, Settlers Park and Baker High School. The deeper reason behind this prOjeCt Came frOm MCCarty'S researchabout suicide— he said
"Ijust want people to know that random acts fokindness are huge. It's a way to demonstrate compassionfor other human beings." — Greg Mccarty
between 2007 to 2014, there were approximately 30 suicides in Baker County, and of those 40 percent involved alcohol or drugs. He said it mayjust save a life to give someone a'Who I Am Makes a Difference" blue ribbon. ''We never know what's going on in another person's life," McCarty said."I just want people to know that random acts of kindness are huge. It's a way to demonstrate compassion for other human beings."
Someone who receives a blue ribbonisthen encouraged to passit along by presenting it to someone who made a difference in their life. He said he saw a difference at Baker House after the project was implemented. "The attitudes," he said."They were more open with each other. They found out other people cared about them." He has been asked to bring the Blue Ribbon Project to a drug and alcohol treatment center in La Grande. He has six months left to complete his nursing degree, and then plans to work in an emergency room setting where, he said, he feels like he can make a difference in lives. And along the way, he plans to hand out more blue ribbons.
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Issue 90, 32 pages
Business... ........1B & 2B Comics.......................3B DearAbby..... ............SB News of Record... .....2A Senior Menus...........2A Calendar....................2A C o m m u nity News ....3A Hor o scope........5B & 6B Ob i t uaries..................2A Sp o r ts ........................6A Classified............. 4B-7B C r o ssword........5B & 6B L e t t ers........................ 4A O p i n ion......................4A We a t her ..................... SB
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