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October 22, 2009 Front Page |
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USAF Commanders Perform in Baker City
By Eden Taylor
Baker City had a great opportunity to experience one of the finest jazz bands in the West at no charge.
USAF Commanders, the 18-piece jazz band from the USAF Band of the Golden West, performed in the BHS auditorium on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m.
“The United States Air Force Band of the Golden West is stationed in the San Francisco Bay area at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The only active duty Air Force band west of the Rockies, the Band of the Golden West is comprised of 47 talented and versatile Airmen-musicians under the command of Major Keith H. Bland. In addition to performing for civilian communities throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, the band supports 10 Air Force Bases, five Air Force Reserve Wings, and 5 recruiting squadrons in over 500 annual performances for 1.5 million listeners.”
Last year the band traveled to the Middle East to play for the service men and women. The band members said it was a great honor for them to play for those who are fighting for our freedom.
Citizen Files Complaint With Secretary Of State Office Over Duplicate Signatures On Recall Petitions
By Debby Schoeningh
Baker City resident Gary Dielman has filed a complaint with the Oregon Secretary of State Elections Division regarding duplicate signings of the recent recall petitions for Mayor Dennis Dorrah and Councilor Beverly Calder.
Dielman claims Baker County Code Enforcement Officer Shannon Regan and former city manager Steve Brocato are in violation of ORS 260.555 because they signed two separate petitions for the same recall.
Recall signature sheets show that Regan signed two petitions for the recall of Dorrah. One of the petitions she signed was one she circulated dated June 17 and the other was circulated by Sgt. Kirk McCormick and dated Aug. 3.
Brocato’s signature was on petitions for the recall of Dorrah, one circulated by Baker City Councilor Milo Pope on Aug. 21 and one circulated by Vicki Brocato (Steve’s wife) dated June 19. His signature was also on two recall petitions on Calder, those same dates with the same circulators.
TLTC Committee Discusses Marketing Expenditures
By Eden Taylor
At the Transient Lodging Tax Committee (TLTC) Meeting in September, several questions were raised about expenditures. Fred Warner Jr., Chairman of the County Commission, asked County Marketing Director, Andrew Bryan, about certain invoices that had appeared at the County.
The invoices were from Kolshots Photography for work by Heidi Lagao totaling over $3,000. Bryan said he had not seen a couple of the invoices; they had been sent directly to the County. Other invoices for indirect billing from the Geiser Grand and for Co-op advertising also raised some questions. Some discussion ensued and it was apparent several policies and procedures needed to be clarified.
Bryan was elected to the City Council in January 2007. In February, the City appointed him as its representative to the TLTC. Then in September 2008, Bryan was elected the Board Chairman of BCDC (Baker County Development Corp.) a non-profit corporation that worked with TLTC. That same month Kari Whitacre resigned as the Marketing Director and Andrew acted as the interim marketing director.
Flu Season Arrives With Vengeance In Baker County: Swine Flu Is Here
By Mark Bogart
While flu symptoms are present in some of the students absent in Baker County, it isn’t completely clear what impact the flu has had on the increased absences in some schools.
Local schools are reporting a range of data on student attendance over the past two weeks. The Pine Eagle district had 24% of elementary and 32% of high school students out Monday, and levels were similar on Tuesday. Baker 5J schools saw a spike in absences last week with 290 students, or about 16.3 percent, out of school on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Absences were down to 242 (13.6 percent) by Thursday and 213 (12 percent) on Monday. Huntington estimated a peak of close to 20% two weeks ago, followed by a decline to near normal levels. Powder Valley schools have had a few more absences than normal this fall, and Burnt River reported “great” attendance recently.
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