County jobless rate jumps to 6.3%

CANYON CITY — Grant County’s unemployment rate jumped more than 1½ points last month, climbing to 6.3% in November from 4.7% in October, according to the latest information from the Oregon Employment Department.

Adjusted for seasonal fluctuations, the county’s jobless rate was 6.4% in November, the department reported, up slightly from a seasonally adjusted 6.1% the month before.

Total nonfarm employment in Grant County was at 2,340 jobs last month, down 70 jobs from October as the federal government continued to draw down its seasonal labor force. The total jobs number was unchanged from the same period a year ago, however, as the county lost 30 private sector jobs and gained 30 in the public sector between November 2021 and November 2022.

As of last month, the county’s largest private sector employer was the trade, transportation and utilities industry with 350 jobs, including 260 in retail establishments. Second was leisure and hospitality with 200 jobs, followed by mining, logging and construction with 190 and education and health services with 180.

Local government was the big employer on the public side of the ledger with 660 jobs, followed by federal government with 220 and state government with 130.

Emergency fire cost meeting

SALEM — The public will have a chance to weigh in on the state’s firefighting expenditures next week.

The Emergency Fire Cost Committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, with a virtual option to attend via Zoom.

The agenda will include the financial status of the Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund, an insurance market/policy update, an update on the status of large fire cost collection efforts, district deductible rates for 2023-24 and a committee membership policy discussion.

For details on how to access the meeting online, view the meeting agenda at https://tinyurl.com/yc5ukkdx.

To submit a public comment, call Chrystal Bader at 503-945-7220.

The Emergency Fire Cost Committee oversees the Oregon Forest Land Protection Fund, an insurance fund aimed at equalizing emergency fire suppression costs among Oregon Department of Forestry fire protection districts. Each district pays a premium to support the fund.

Grooming starts on Malheur

JOHN DAY — Thanks to early snow accumulations, road and trail grooming has started early this year on some parts of the Malheur National Forest, the agency announced.

Forest officials said some roads and trails are already blocked off by snow berms, meaning they are closed to motorized travel except by snowmobiles or other vehicles designed for use on snow.

For information on snow and trail conditions on the Grant County portion of the Malheur, check the Grant County Snowballers grooming report online at https://tinyurl.com/27ua9etc. Additional grooming reports can be found at https://members.oregonsnow.org/grooming.

During the winter months, forest officials urge visitors to check weather forecasts and know road and snow conditions before venturing out. Many roads are not maintained for winter travel and can become impassable due to snow, ice or mud. Visitors are urged to dress warm and be prepared for emergencies.

Baker Tech lands training grant

BAKER CITY — Baker Technical Institute has been selected for a $500,000 grant to provide “brownfields” job training programs aimed at rehabilitating contaminated industrial sites, the Environmental Protection Agency announced.

The grant was awarded by the EPA with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The funding is among 29 grants awarded nationally through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program to recruit, train and place workers for community revitalization and environmental cleanup projects at brownfield sites.

Baker Tech plans to train 60 students and place at least 57 in local environmental jobs, according to a press release from the school. Students will receive up to 364 hours of training in hazardous waste operations and emergency response, environmental site assessment, asbestos and lead paint safety, environmental career planning and up to seven federal certifications, as well as a capstone field trip.

Blue Mountain Eagle