Windy, warmer replaces sub-zero in eastern Montana future
Staff Report
The frigid weather that kept eastern Montana in a sub-zero zone for most of February has warmed up with a week of above zero temperatures during the day and moved into a windy week. It started Monday with wind gusts as high as 50 miles an hour along the Highway 12 corridor. The winds settled down a little the rest of the week with gusts forecast above 20 miles per hours by Friday and temperatures reaching about 40 degrees during the day and a low around 13 degrees at night. But the temperatures will be dropping again by Saturday, with a predicted high of under 30 degrees and a low of about 4 degrees above zero – along with winds of about 18 miles per hour. According to longer range forecasts shown for the nation by the NWS Climate Prediction Center, the area has about a 40 percent probability of being warmer, while at the same time there is better than 50 percent probability of less precipitation during the next 14 days through March 7. Over the next week, there will be a drop in temperatures over the weekend and then start a warming trend for most of the next two weeks. The daytime highs will be reaching the mid 50s (Fahrenheit) by March 5 before slowly cooling off. The predicted high for March 6 will almost reach 60 degrees. The evening temperatures will climb from the low teens upwards to the low 30s by March 6, according to forecasters. After hitting about 43 and 41 degrees for highs Thursday and Friday, the snow predicted for Saturday (Feb. 27) will drop the predicted high to just 30 degrees. The warming trend will bring Baker to the high 30s Monday and into the 40s by Tuesday (March 2). However, the winds will remain in the area for at least the next week, gusting at times to more than 30 miles per hour. NWS shows drought The eastern edge of Montana and the southwestern portion of North Dakota are still listed as being part of a severe long term drought, but it still is less severe than what has hit most of the southwest portion of the nation. According to a drought monitor map created by the National Weather Service, Bowman, Slope, Golden Valley and Billings counties are shown to be in a severe drought situation in the High Plains portion of the map. The nearby counties of Adams, Hettinger and Stark show the western portions being also impacted by the severe drought conditions, but most being shown as moderate drought.
Baker residents facing hike in trash fees
Staff Report
The price of trash collection in Baker may soon be increasing by about 15 percent, according to the City Council. Trash and how to handle a proposed increase were on the agenda for the city council Feb. 16, where they decided to move forward with a plan to announce the increase and set up public hearings. The city filed a resolution of intent to adopt a new rate schedule at the meeting, while establishing a date for a public hearing on the proposed change, along with a public comment period. The exact amount of the increase may depend on specific circumstances regarding the service. The city has to meet a requirement for publishing the hearing for three straight weeks. The date of the public hearing will be announced. Need for budget plan In addition, Mayor Steve Zachmann told the council said that the city needs to make decisions soon on its budget regarding construction and street
improvements in order to be ready to put the projects out for bid as soon as possible. “We don’t want to wait too long but we want to be thorough when looking at the options,” the mayor said, noting that the city engineer has already been getting inquiries about possible projects in the area. “We are planning on having the city crews working on potholes and sealing cracks,” the mayor added. That also includes some prep work for the projects that will be bid out, he explained. “We are working at getting all those areas that have been dug out and are currently gravel … getting those paved. We are hoping to tie that in with the end of the watermain project when the pavers are here to do that,” he said. “That might save us some mobilization costs.... the equipment will already be here. That is what we are hoping for.” For the George Avenue project, the city has an agreement with the county to cover the costs paving, the mayor added. The city has to get a better idea of the financing they
See TRASH FEES Page 2
Cenex hours correction The Cenex station is open from 4:45 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 4:45 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Sundays.
BHS Lady Wrestlers place at State Tournament By Erica Verke and Jaelyn Quenzer The BHS wrestlers Sophia Dulin and Jacey Gorder attended the first ever solely Girls’ State Wrestling Tournament for Montana, hosted at Lockwood High School on Feb. 19 and 20. Jacey Gorder placed 3rd in the weight class of 126 lbs. with the win over Gretchen Donally (Huntley Project). Jacey’s overall wins and losses for the wrestling season were 11-5. Sophia Dulin astoundingly placed 1st overall in the Championship for her weight class of 170 lbs! Sophia went up against Halyla Hoffman (Butte). It was definitely a proud accomplishment for both of these ladies, as well as Baker High School to recognize these talented individuals along with a new historical sports event taking place in our state! We asked Jacey what it was like to compete in an all girls wrestling tournament, and she said “It was so fun to see all the girls and be able to celebrate with them after they won. Also, I enjoyed watching all the amazing, strong, talented, confident and bright-minded women.” Sophia explained it was a shock to see more than just three or less girls competing, as that had been the norm at other meets during the season. She also stated, “It was really cool to see a larger number of girls that competed from the eastern part of the state.” We then asked Sophia if she was proud of this great honor in taking 1st place in the state. Her response was, “I can’t explain how proud I am. I am not just proud of myself but I am proud and thankful for the people that got me here.” She explained that Darick
Jacey Gorder and Sophia Dulin at State Wrestling Competition. Gorder had really helped in this process by encouraging her to try it out and pushing her to get better on the mat. Jacey, also with the great accomplishment of placing 3rd at State, explained she had a very strong bracket of girls to compete against in her weight class this year. She mentioned, “I’m so thankful for the tough competition that helped me improve this year. All the boys I wrestled against also made me much stronger too.” Sophia also elaborated on the importance of all the support she has had throughout this season. “I’m also really thankful for my partner in crime, Jacey Gorder. She has pushed me so hard through practice and warm-ups for meets, even if we both would sometimes get close to ripping each other’s heads off.”
Sophia Dulin shows excitement after her winning match. Both of these two want to encourage more girls to join the wrestling team. These additions and inclusions of more female competitions to the sport will be a nice improvement. Sophia explained, “Wrestling is a great sport for girls, so don’t let anyone say you can’t do it. I also wanted to say that if you are thinking about joining wrestling, please come talk to Jacey or myself. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s well worth it.” Congratulations to both of these hard-working ladies on their accomplishments this season!
Plevna student selected for Senate honor, scholarship Staff Report Trinity Rieger of Plevna is one of two Montana high school students who have been selected from among the state’s top student leaders to be part of the 104 national student delegation. She also will receive a $10,000 college scholarship for undergraduate study. The United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP) selected Rieger and Georgia Balius to serve as delegates and alternates for the state this year. Due to the pandemic, the 2021 program will break ground as the first-ever fully virtual Washington Week, according to organizers. The program is designed to be an interactive and educational forum to develop leadership for some of the nation’s most outstanding student leaders. Plevna superintendent Nick Schumacher praised Rieger’s selection. “What an amazing honor for a very deserving and hard-working young lady,” he said. Started in 1962 The USSYP was created by Senate Resolution 324 in 1962 and has been sponsored by the Senate and fully funded by The Hearst Foundations since inception. Originally proposed by Senators Kuchel, Mansfield, Dirksen and Humphrey, the Senate leadership of the day, the impetus for the program as stated in Senate testimony is “to increase young Americans’
understanding of the interrelationships of the three branches of government, learn the caliber and responsibilities of federally elected and appointed officials, and emphasize the vital importance of democratic decision making not only for America but for people around the world.” According to organizers, each year this extremely competitive merit-based program brings the most outstanding high school students - two from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity - to Washington, D.C. for an intensive week-long study of the federal government and the people who lead it. However, this year, the program will be held online. The overall mission of the program is to help instill within each class of USSYP student delegates more profound knowledge of the American political process and a lifelong commitment to public service. In addition to the program week, The Hearst Foundations provide each student with a $10,000 undergraduate college scholarship with encouragement to continue coursework in government, history and public affairs. All expenses for Washington Week are also provided by The Hearst Foundations; as stipulated in S.Res.324, no government funds are utilized. Rieger selected Rieger, a senior at Plevna High School, serves as the vice president of the senior class and president of her school’s Busi-
ness Professionals of America chapter. She is also a member of the National Honor Society and National Society of High School Scholars, and maintains a 4.0 grade point average. She is interested in pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration in order to open her own business focused on environmentalism, sustainability, and ethics. Trinity works as a bookkeeper and is proud to participate in litter prevention efforts and highway cleanup in Montana. Online meetings During the program week, the student delegates will attend online meetings and briefings with senators, the president, a justice of the Supreme Court, leaders of cabinet agencies and senior members of the national media, among others. In addition to outstanding leadership abilities and a strong commitment to volunteer work, the student delegates rank academically in the top one percent of their states among high school juniors and seniors. Now more than 5,800 strong, alumni of the program continue to excel and develop impressive qualities that are often directed toward public service. Among the many distinguished alumni are: Senator Susan Collins, the first alumnus to be elected U.S. senator; Secretary of Transportation and former Mayor of South Bend Indiana, Pete Buttigieg; former
Senator Cory Gardner, the second alumnus to be elected U.S. senator and the first to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives; former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, the first alumnus to be elected governor; former Chief Judge Robert Henry, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit; former Ambassador to West Germany Richard Burt, former presidential advisors Thomas “Mack” McLarty and Karl Rove. Additional notables include former Lt. Governor of Idaho David Leroy, Provost of Wake Forest University Rogan Kersh, military officers, members of state legislatures, Foreign Service officers, top congressional staff, healthcare providers and other university educators. Members of the U. S. Senate Youth Program 2021 annual Senate Advisory Committee are: Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Democratic CoChair; Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma, Republican CoChair; Advisory Members: Senator Thomas R. Carper (D-DE); Senator Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT); Senator Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ); Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR); Senator Richard Burr (R-NC); Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND); Senator Mike Lee (RUT) and Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-MS). Each year, the Honorary CoChairs of the program are the vice president of the United States and the Senate majority and minority leaders.