Chaos At Council Meeting
by Mark Bogart
A disagreement over who’s to blame for a “paltry” number of city manager applicants led to strong words and a brief recess in Tuesday’s meeting of the Baker City Council.
After Councilor Milo Pope said, “No one should be surprised by this paltry response,” he proposed a contract that would offer the new manager a greater level of job security.
Mayor Dennis Dorrah thanked Pope for the suggestion then asked him to work with current City Manager Steve Bogart to draft a possible contract.
Then Dorrah said he was angered by Pope’s frequent negative comments over the past year. He told Pope he needed to “move on” and “think more about the community and less about your own ego.”
County Accepts Gift Of Anthony Lakes
Baker County Commissioners agreed to accept the gift of Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort to Baker County from its owners during a meeting yesterday, July 28.
According to a resolution drafted by the Baker County Board of Commissioners, Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort will continue to operate until Nov. 1, 2010, at the current owner’s expense, at which time the County will take over. Meanwhile, Baker County personnel will work with the Resort owners to familiarize itself with Resort operations and to prepare a budget and operating plan.
The resolution stated the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort board of directors approached Baker County with the intention of gifting stock and all Resort assets to the County.
School Board Ponders More Budget Cuts
By Eden Taylor
Looming over any School Board meeting this time of year is, “What else will have to be cut?” School Board members and new Superintendent Walt Wegener spent Sunday, July 25, at Rusty Munn’s home hashing out the budget and what to do if further cuts are made.
As of now, the District has only laid off one part-time certified (teacher). But if the State’s predictions come true, Baker 5J will have to cut another $800,000 from its budget. That’s the concern of the school board which has cut to the bone already. Any cuts from here on out will be choosing between something good and something good. Hard, if not impossible, decisions will have to be made.
School Board members want to know what is most important to the public. Any public input will help as further cuts are being decided upon.
Courier Editor Receives 1st Place In Newspaper Association Contest
Debby Schoeningh, editor of The Record-Courier received first place in the Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association’s “Best Local Column” category of the 2010 Better Newspaper Contest. Other winners in this weekly circulation division were: 2nd place, John Schrag of News-Times, Forest Grove; and 3rd place, Matt Crownover of Lebanon Express.
Schoeningh’s column, “The Country Side,” on ranching humor appears in The Record-Courier and in three books that she has published.
Grass Orchid, A Finicky Wildflower Of Eastern Oregon
by Brian Bolin
By the time this article is printed the Oregon Grass Orchids will all be gone... at least for this year. Finicky, is not word enough to describe this rare beauty that blooms as it chooses, when it chooses, where it decides; and that is if it will grow at all. Millions of rhizomes lay waiting for years if necessary until the conditions are perfect, and for about three weeks they put on a spectacular show if you are lucky enough to find them.
A symbiotic-parasite, the rhizomes attach themselves to the roots of grass and sage-brush; trading the sugars they produce for water and other nutrients. The first two and only leaves break ground in early spring and are nearly impossible to identify as they look like two blades of grass about eight inches tall.
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