The complete refurbishment is projected to cost as much as $250,000, with final costs to be determined after surveys are completed as it is disassembled and inspected, according to a press release.

The 1920 vintage locomotive was last rebuilt at the Brooklyn Shops in Portland, returning to service in 1996. The current overhaul will be done at the SVRR shops at McEwen.

The cost is $150, of which $100 is nonrefundable. The cost includes a textbook, “Sustainable Gardening — Oregon, Washington Master Gardener Handbook,” handouts and 14 weeks of instruction from Extension agents and professionals from Oregon and Idaho. Couples may register for $250 and receive one handbook.

When you think about it, that’s pretty much everything. Even work usually has an element of choice; you could probably do something else.

In two previous articles we’ve looked at how these choices are the result of our needs and our inherent drive to meet them. I’ve focused on some of the most recognized physical needs (e.g. food, water, shelter) and psychological needs (belonging, control, and competence).

However, it seems that we have many other drives that can be harnessed to help motivate us toward positive action and achievement.

When sisters Jody Jeffries and Cristi Vega made plans to open a general store here, they chose the name Cody’s General Store for two reasons.

First, the name touts the store’s Western theme.

Second, it honors their father, Donald Cody, who shared the same Feb. 26 birth date with Buffalo Bill Cody and was proud to be related to the Wild West legend.

“The family always thought an old-time general store in an Old West city would be a perfect fit for Baker City,” Vega said.

Besides the family relationship and Cody’s 1908 visit to Baker City, Vega said there’s another coincidence linking the names Cody and Baker.

Buffalo Bill’s adopted son, Johnnie Baker, met Cody at age 9 and later became known as The Cowboy Kid when he performed as a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show.

When Buffalo Bill died in 1917, Baker inherited most of Cody’s personal items and memorabilia, which is displayed at the William F. Cody “Buffalo Bill” Museum near his burial site at Lookout Mountain, Colo.

Jeffries ran an antique business for nearly 10 years, and her antiques are displayed in the new store along with a collection of Western and colonial furniture, art, memorabilia and gift items.

January has been a transition period in which Yturriondobeitia, who goes by Jen Y, has been working part time getting up to speed on MVMH operations while wrapping things up with her former employer, Lifeways, in Malheur County.

“Lifeways is Malheur County’s counterpart to Mountain Valley Mental Health in Baker County,” Levinger said.

Both agencies provide services to people dealing with mental health issues and development disabilities, as well as drug and alcohol problems.

It’s been seven months since Levinger gave notice to the board of directors that she was planning to retire, and she said the board conducted an extensive search before offering the job to Jen Y in December.

Jen Y has been working at both places during January because she wanted to give a month’s notice to her previous employer.

On Thursday, Jen Y will be available to meet Baker residents during a community mental health meeting scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Community Connection Senior Center, 2810 Cedar St. in Baker City.

State wildlife officials shot and killed an emaciated adult cougar earlier this month after the cougar killed a dog in the yard of a home near Durkee.

The female cougar weighed 60 pounds.

“For an adult cougar that’s really, really light,” said Brian Ratliff, a biologist at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Baker City office.

The cougar had severe cataracts in both eyes, an ailment that would have hampered the animal’s ability to hunt preferred prey such as deer, Ratliff said.

Considering the cougar’s limited vision, it’s not surprising that the cat was malnourished, he said.

A cougar in that condition is more likely to attack a dog or other domestic animal that’s easier to take down than a deer, Ratliff said.

A Baker County grand jury will be held over for another six months while the state continues its investigation of former County Commission Chairman Brian Cole, who was arrested Halloween night on a charge of furnishing alcohol to a 17-year-old girl.

A pre-trial hearing set for Jan. 8 was cancelled and no new court date has been scheduled, according to Baker County Circuit Court staff.

According to court records, Judge Garry L. Reynolds of Pendleton granted the motion to extend the grand jury’s term on Dec. 24. Reynolds, who serves Circuit Courts in Umatilla and Morrow counties, is hearing the case in place of Baker County Circuit Court Judge Greg Baxter. Baxter recused himself from the case on Nov. 18.

State investigators and attorney Sean Riddell, who heads the Department of Justice’s district attorney assistance program, are handling the case because of potential conflicts of interest. As the head of the county commission, Cole oversaw the county sheriff’s office and district attorney’s office.

A consultant who has been hired to help the Baker School Board find a new superintendent came to town this week to begin the process by learning about the personal and professional qualities the community would like to see in the new school leader.

In meeting with the board Tuesday night, Forrest Bell of the Oregon School Boards Association presented a proposed calendar that targets April 29 as the date for hiring a replacement for retiring Superintendent Don Ulrey. Ulrey will leave the district at the end of April.

Bell said the job was posted Jan. 15 and will close March 12.

The board agreed Tuesday to tentatively approve the calendar Bell presented. Directors hope to resolve any possible scheduling conflicts by Thursday and will schedule a special meeting if any significant changes are needed.

In approving the calendar, Damien Yervasi, board vice chair, expressed concern about the ability of board chair Deon Strommer to attend critical sessions. Strommer has been working out of town for the past several months. He and director Rusty Munn, who was also out of town on a job assignment, were absent Tuesday.

The Business of Year was won by the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration, Inc. This last year the railroad had more than 10,000 passengers. The organization started in 1976 with its first steam engine and has grown to 400 volunteers with 60 active members who come from as far away as Alaska and California to work on the steam engines and trains. The rail line is considered a Heritage Railway due to the fact that it sits on the original historical site. From left to right are Cynthia and Steve Christy, Taylor Rush and Ryan Dela. (Baker City Herald/Kathy Orr)

Accepting the Business of the Year award for the restored narrow-gauge passenger railroad were Cynthia and Steve Christy, Taylor Rush and Ryan Dela.

“In 38 years of operations, SVRR Inc. has increased membership, expanded operations and acquired equipment to become a tourist railroad comparable to any in the country, with a reputation of being one of the friendliest,” according to the award nomination letter read by the 2008 winners from Lew Brothers Les Schwab tire store in Baker City. 

In 2009, the Sumpter Valley Railroad carried more than 10,000 passengers.

The organization started in 1976 with its first steam engine and has grown to 400 volunteers with 60 active members who travel from as far away as Alaska and California to operate the steam engines and train.

It is considered a Heritage Railway because it sits on the original historical site where the railway was established in the 1890s to haul timber and gold from the Sumpter Valley and surrounding hills.

 The central theme of this year’s free workshop is “Opportunities in a Changing Beef Industry.”

The event is sponsored by Beef Northwest Feeders in North Powder and 30 other cattle industry groups, agencies and businesses.

Ron Rowan of Beef Northwest said the workshop helps ranchers keep abreast of the challenges and opportunities facing their industry, ranging from the activities of animal rights groups to the importance of regaining export markets.

“We had record attendance of 350 people attend last year’s Cattlemen’s Workshop, and we’re hoping to top that this year,” Rowan said.

He said the workshop has grown in stature over the years by bringing in an all-star cast of beef industry speakers from throughout the United States, and that tradition continues this year.

“The purpose of this whole Cattlemen’s Workshop is to an opportunity for regional cattlemen to come to a one-day free conference and listen to speakers who are national leaders in the cattle industry,” Rowan said.