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Serving Baker County since1870 • bakercityherald.com
August 27, 2014
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Good Day Wish To A Subscriber
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A special good day to Herald subscriber Carleen Griffith of Baker City.
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Itappears that atleast one write-in candidate will be elected to the Baker City Council Nov. 4. That's because just three people have qualified for the ballot, which will include four openings. City Recorder Luke Yeaton said this morning that three candidates qualified for the ballot beforethedeadline at 5 p.m.Tuesday: Benjamin Merrill, R. Mack Augenfeld and James Thomas. With fewer candidates than vacancies, the qualified person who receives the most write-in votes will also be elected. SeeElection/Page 2A
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WallowaWhitmaneases fire restrictions
Whit Deschner of Baker City, founder of the Great Salt Lick Contest and Auction, a fundraiser for Parkinson's Disease research, was named a recipient of a 2014 Crystal Award Tuesday by the Willamette Valley Development Officers. The annual event, in which people enter actual salt licks "sculptured" by cattle and wildlife, has raised more than $50,000 for the Oregon Health Sciences University's Parkinson's Center. Deschner, who was living near Sparta east of Baker City when he started the event eight years ago, has the disease. He will be honored at the Portland Business Journal's Corporate Philanthropy Awards for Excellence in Fundraising on Sept. 18 in Portland. Deschner received the Community Hero award.
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Banner Bank will dedicate its new Baker City branch to longtime employee Dave Banta during a ceremony Friday, Sept. 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the bank, 2024Washington Ave. The dedication will be at 11:30 a.m. with lunch to follow.
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Banner Bank to dedicate building to Dave Banta
Whit Deschner honored for Salt
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BRIEFING
Starting at12:01 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest will downgrade its public use restrictions from Phase B to PhaseA. Under Phase A, firewood cutters can use chainsaws, but only between 8 p.m. and1 p.m. Chainsaw use had been prohibited under Phase B, which took effect Aug. 8. Under Phase A, campfires are allowed outside designated recreation areas, although fires must be in fire rings cleared of combustible debris.
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By Coby Hutzler chutzler©bakercityherald.com Submitted phato
ElishahThomas with her daughter, Izabella, 8, left, and her son, Ezra, 6.
having an allergic reaction. Thomas could tell her kids were really proudfher. o She didn't Elishah Thomas has been stung close to panicking. "I said 'I need your help. You need before, so she didn't give it much cry until they took her mom thought when a yellow jacket nabbed away. to stay calm.' " her on the morning of Aug. 18. While Izabella called for help, — Jacque Cobb, a friend and She and her company were pickElishah Thomas made her way into registered nurse who responded ing apricotsatherplace,about12 thebathroom and took a Benadryl to 8-year-old Izabella's call for miles outside of Baker City, when a tablet. Then she laid on the floor help when her mother suffered an while Ezra placed a cool rag on her wasp stung her middle finger. allergic reaction after being stung "I've never had a problem with forehead. ''While I'm out feeding horses, my stings — even this summer," she "Ijustlaid there —breathe in, said. breathinggetshard and labored.And breathe out. By this time I realize I To alleviate her throbbing finger, it felt like my throat was closing." can't get off the floor," she said. She climbed in the truck and drove When Cobband her fiiend Tifanie she dabbed on some Benadryl cream and then returned to picking to the house, honking the horn to get Polkowske arrived, the Thomas kids apricots. the attention ofher children, Izabella, led them to the bathroom. "Elishah's out on the floor and not Not long after, she came down 8, and Ezra, 6. Her husband, Pat, was with a throbbing headache. at work. breathing well at all," Cobb said. She and took some ibuprofen and When Izabella reached the truck, She checked for swelling and took went back outside to feed the horses Thomas gave her the cell phone and Thomas' pulse, but was really wortold her to call Jacque Cobb, a fiiend ried about the labored breathing. and get her truck for a trip to town. By this time, her company had left. and registered nurse who lives five And then her symptoms worsened. minutes away, and say her mom was SeeSting IPage8A By Lisa Britton
For the Baker City Herald
"Izabella stayed so calm. I was
eSort etai s crVSto crisis By Pat Caldwell pcaIdwell©bekeratyheraId.com
A report on last summer's cryptosporidi osisoutbreak in Baker City was released in February by the Oregon Health Authority but the document never reached local elected leaders nor, it seems, were area officials aware of itsexistence. "I didn't know that report was there," Baker City Manager MikeKee said. "No one from the Oregon Health Authority drew my
attention to it." The report's final summary disclosed few new factsregarding the crisis but it raised questions with at leastone elected leader regarding whether the city received the report but did not disclose its existence. The report is public, and accessible through OHA. Former Mayor and nowCouncilor Richard Langrell said the episode leaves, in his mind, more questions
than answers. He said he never saw a copy of the report generated through internal city channels. 'You don't think it odd the council never got a copy
ofitithereport)?"he asked. Langrell said he believed the city had access to the report and it was withheld from electedoffi cials. "I'm pretty sure that the city, that the county and the health department had copies," he said. However, Baker County
Commissioner Mark Bennett said he was unaware of the report. "I know that I've never seen it," he said. Baker County Emergency Management Manager Jason Yencopalsaid thereport never reached the county. ''We didn't know about this report. 0$cially did
they iOHAl send one to Baker County, to the commissioners? No," he said. See Crypto/Page 8A
In a short meeting Tuesday the Baker City Council discussed ways to maintain a ban on marijuana dispensaries within the city. The city's one-year moratorium prohibiting medical marijuana shops expires May 1, 2015. Police Chief Wyn Lohner said he initiated Tuesday's discussion even though the moratorium doesn't expire for eight months. "I just want to ensure that when eight months is up, we have something in place so that we don't have dispensaries in our community," Lohner said. SeeCouncil IPage8A
Young actors prompt ice water dump For the first time, local children had to be turned away from participating in the Missoula Children's Theatrebecause allthecast rolesfilled up sofastforthe production of"Rapunzel" Aug. 18-23. In response, Ginger Savage,executivedirectorof Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, challenged the young actors to spread the word about the performances to help raise enough money to bring the theatre back for two weeks next summer. If the funding came, Savage would let the kids dump ice water on her head. See TheatrelPage 2A
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Issue 46, 28 pages
Business... ........1B & 2B Comics.......................3B Horoscope.... .............SB News of Record... .....2A Senior Menus...........2A Calendar....................2A Cro s sword................. SB L e t t ers........................4A Obi t u aries..................2A Spo r ts ........................6A Classified............. 4B9B De a r Abby ............... 10B L o t t ery Results.......... 2A O p i n ion......................4A We a t her ................... 10B
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