Lipizzaners Perform In Baker City
The Lipizzaner Stallions performed at the fairgrounds in Baker City last Wednesday, May 13, during their 39th Anniversary Tour.
Over the years, 23 million people throughout North and South America, Great Britain, Europe, Australia and Hawaii have seen this performance. When traveling overseas, the horses are flown Fed-ex.
The show maintains a traditional performance similar in many ways to what you would see at the Spanish Riding School of Vienna.
Also included in the performance is a segment called the "Airs Above the Ground." These are the spectacular leaps and maneuvers, once used by riders in saddle to protect and defend themselves on the battlefield.
The current tour features 12 to 14 stallions. Most Lipizzans are born dark - usually bay or black — and turn white at 6 to 10 years of age.
The Lipizzaners last visit to Baker City was in 1985.
School Budget Board To Make Tough Decisions
By Eden Taylor
The first of what will probably be many District Budget Board meetings was held at the 5J building on May 12. With the drastic cuts necessary for the school district to balance the budget, the board members may feel more like butchers.
At the beginning of the meeting Deon Strommer was elected Chairman of the Budget Committee and Ron Luelling was appointed Vice Chairman.
Ed Hayhurst explained the budget process and the proposed budget submitted by the administration. It is a law that the school budget be balanced every year. The 2008-2009 school funds were cut by the state after the year’s budget was set. Superintendent Don Ulrey froze spending in December 2008. Since that time, other cuts have been made just to survive this school year. Finally, five days were cut at the end of the school calendar at a savings of approximately $250,000. As a result, May 28 will be the last day of class for the students. It will be an early release day. Teachers and classified employees will work May 29 and June 1. The entire district will be closed June 2 through 8. The administration finished negotiations with the teacher’s union to finalize the 5 days without pay solution.
City Council Discusses Billboards
By Candie Campbell
Councilor Aletha Bonebrake started the continuing discussion at last Tuesday’s Baker City Council meeting concerning the adoption of Ordinance No. 3291 Sign Regulations, by stating. “I’d like to reiterate my statement from last time, that I think the restrictions on the freeway zone billboards is a method of getting rid of the whole concept of billboards.”
Bonebrake then added. “It was captured in the newspaper and it was not captured in the minutes and I mean for that statement to stand.”
Councilor Clair Button pointed out that it was brought to his attention that the ordinance has a discrepancy and suggests that, if passed, council might want to consider an amendment to said ordinance which would take into consideration the grade of the landscape surrounding the freeway zone. He said, “It leaves our current ordinance a little weak.”
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