50 YEARS AGO

from the Democrat-Herald

May 20, 1971

A brand new gasoline war is under way in Baker for the second time this year. At the beginning of this week Jerry Duffey, manager of Jerry’s Enco at Eighth and Broadway, dropped his price of regular gasoline to 32.9 cents per gallon.

25 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

May 20, 1996

A Baker County project is among 37 new watershed restoration and education programs receiving grant funds from the Governor’s Watershed Enhancement Board.

The Baker County project received $8,410 of a total $700,000 in grant funds awarded to projects around the state in the coming year.

The Lower North Powder Riparian Restoration project, conducted by the Powder Basin Watershed Council and the Union Soil and Water Conservation District, will improve riparian conditions, implement a planned grazing system, improve water quality, enhance species diversity and improve streambank stability.

10 YEARS AGO

from the Baker City Herald

May 20, 2011

A group of off-road driving enthusiasts want to make a section of North Powder River Road more accessible for recreational users.

It would be a volunteer effort financed and carried out by the off-road group. The county would provide guidance and advice on how to proceed with the work. The group plans such tasks as cleaning culverts, inlets and outlets to redirect the path of water that currently flows down the middle of the road, for example.

ONE YEAR AGO

from the Baker City Herald

May 21, 2020

Baker City missed books.

“We’ve had a steady stream of cars coming through — very happy patrons,” Perry Stokes, library director, said on Monday.

That was the day Baker County Public Library, 2400 Resort St., opened its drive-up window after being closed since March 28. Services are limited to library inventory. Interlibrary loans are not yet available.

To request books, patrons can either place a hold online at www.bakerlib.org, or call the library at 541-523-6419.

The drive-up hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Book returns are quarantined for seven days after receiving a strong UV light treatment.

Stokes said information varies from three days to five days for how long a virus can survive on a book surface. They decided seven days for an extra precaution.

Stokes said Monday also brought phone calls asking when the library would reopen its doors.

He said the tentative date is June 1 for limited use. This includes appointments to use the computers with only five users at one time, and limited browsing to five small family groups at a time.

Stokes said the library generally has 10 employees on site. Add five patrons on computers and another 10 browsing the stacks, and that gets to the limit of 25 people.

Patrons who come to search for books will need to sign in, receive a time limit, then sign out before leaving.

In-person storytime is still on hold, but Missy Grammon has been livestreaming storytime on the library’s Facebook page.

The summer reading program planning is still in process, but will likely combine outdoor and online activities.

As he looks ahead, Stokes projects the library’s cleaning budget will increase.

“We’ll more than double the janitorial budget for next year,” he said.

Although not set, he said the hours for the limited reopening in June will probably be the same as the current drive-up hours.