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Serving Baker County since 1870 • bakercityherald.com
December 23, 2015
Your guide to events happening around the region
iN mis aomoN:Local • Business @AgLife • Go! magazine QUICIC HITS
MOVIE SETS BOX OFFICE RECORDS
ResidentsExpressTheir FeelingsAdontTheChristmasSeason
Good Day Wish To A Subscriber A special good day to Herald subscriber Keith Miles of Baker City.
GO! Magazine
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REMINDER TO OUR READERS:
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Special Christmas issue will be published on Thursday rather than on Friday
MERRY CHRISTMAS
By Joshua Dillen ldillen©bakercityherald.com
Oregon, 3A It's no wonder that marijuana growers gravitate to the Tumalo Irrigation District and other small water districts in Central Oregon. Their water rights have only loose ties to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation or none at all. Federal policy imposed in May prohibits the use of water from federal reclamation projects to grow marijuana, still considered a controlled substance under federal law.
BRIEFING
Open swims at Sam-0 Center BAKER CITY — Sam0 Swim Center, 580 Baker St. in Baker City, will have special open swim times during the holiday break. The pool will be open from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 26, then will have two open swim sessions per day Dec. 28-30 — from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be a session Jan. 2 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Cost per session is $3 for those younger than 18.
Baker Heritage Museum has holiday hours Baker Heritage Museum will be open special holiday hours, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 26 through Jan. 2. The museum is at 2480 Grove St. in Baker City. Admission is $6 adults, $5 seniors and youth age 13-17, and free for 12 and younger.
Commissioners to talk B2H with the BLM Dec. 30 The Baker County Board of Commissioners will have a public work session on Dec. 30 at1 p.m. at the Courthouse, 1995Third St., to discuss the Boardmanto-Hemingway project with BLM employees.
WEATHER
S. John Collins/BakerCity Herald
Baker City residents have been writing their reflections about the Advent calendar in the windows on the north side of the First Presbyterian Church at Fourth Street and Broadway Avenue.
By Lisa Britton For the Baker City Herald
"It wasn't about our church — it
for the Every December day this year has was put together by and dawned with the revealing of a new commumty. They are allfoour image in Baker City's biggest Advent windows. Itis a gi ft to us all." calendar. "It's a gift to the community," says — Pastor Katy Nicole, Katy Nicole, pastor of the First Pres- First Presbyterian Church byterian."The intent was to welcome ¹bakeradventwindows. the community into a different type ofholiday season — to walk together Katy Nicole said each day's"broad through Advent, with reflection and questions hoped to allow people to relate to the ancient Christmas patient waiting." The church congregation and story in a personal and relevant way." others from the community helped color images to be displayed in the She said the online posts received "likes" from people across the counchurch's windows on the north side, which faces Washington Avenue and try, and locally,people stopped her Baker Middle School. to talk about the windows. 'Yet it wasn't about our churchEach window's image is accompanied by a Bible story or verse, and it was put together by and for the an open-ended question that invites community," she says. "They are all of our windows. Itis a gift to us all." the community to reflect on their own life. And this is the season of giving. "Isn't that what Christmas is all Booklets with each day's devotion were available around town for those about?" she says. The windows will remain on who wanted to write a response. Those who prefer social media display through Jan. 3, the Sunday could find the day's message on the closest to Epiphany ithe day that church's Facebook page and on Insta- celebratesthe arrival ofthewise gram and mark their response with menl.
The force at the box office was strong last weekend at theaters throughout the world. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" garnered $248 million in ticket sales in North America for its much anticipateddebut. That demolished the previ-
ously held record of $208
Although the images can be saved for next year, she said the planning group has talked about inviting localartiststo participate.Anyone who has feedback or would like to help next year is encouraged to send an emailto secretaryfi rstpresbaker @gmail.com.
million in opening weekend box office sales by"Jurassic World" in June. With another $281 million in international ticket sales, the seventh installment of the "Star Wars" saga has
generated $529 million globally. That also beats "Jurassic
World," which made $525
Katy Nicole responded with this reflection: "I wait for the moment, when one candle reaches another, and one by one, the faces in the dim sanctuary are illuminated, as if the light of the world has touched us all, finding us singing,'Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright.' "
million for its opening weekend worldwide. What makes the global ticket sales brought in by "The Force Awakens" even m ore impressive isthat it hasn't been released in China. The dinosaurs had the addedbenefitofChina — "Star Wars" won't open in the world's most populous country until Jan. 9. The movie also had impressiveattendance atthe Eltrym Theatre in Baker City, owner Teresa ZimmerMcQuisten said. ''We sold out our opening and one show on Sunday, and the rest of the shows had a really solid turnout," she said.
See Advent/Fbge 6A
SeeThe Force/Page 8A
Reflections Here area sample ofthe responses to the Advent calendar. Some were accompanied by photos or drawings: Dec. 1: "Advent Wreath, John 1.14. Advent is a time of patient waiting and reflection, traditionally marked by advent wreaths and calendars, counting down until Christmas. For what do you wait in this season?"
Bio lncreaseInScrapMetal CollectionsTheIlriuinIFactor
Baker ountyseta recyclingrecordin 2 14 By Jayson Jacoby llacoby©bakercityherald.com
Baker County residents recycled a record amount of their trash in 2014. But the record wasn't set in the way you might expect. Residents recycled about the same amount of typical household items, such as newspapers, plastic milk jugs and aluminum cans, in 2014 as they did the year before. The biggest difference by far between the two years was scrap metal. Baker County recycled 1,680tons ofscrap metal in 2014, compared with 189 tons in 2013, said Michelle Shepperd of the Oregon Department of Environmental
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that compiles recycling statist ics. S. John Collins/BakerCity Herald
SeeRecyclelPage 6A Baker Sanitary Service's recycling center at 12th and Campbell streets in Baker City. Snow showers
Thursday
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28 /11
Issue 98, 30 pages
Business........1B2B, 9B Comics.......................3B Dear Abby.... ...........10B News of Record... .....2A Senior Menus ...........2A Calendar....................2A C o m m u nity News ....3A Hor o scope........BB & 7B O b i t uaries..................2A Sp o r ts ........................5A Classified............. 4B-SB C r o ssword................. 7B L e t t ers........................ 4A O p i n ion......................4A We a t her ................... 10B
Snow showers 8
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