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Friday, April 28, 2017 • Volume 4, Issue 17
5J’s four-day school
week to continue
BY SAMANTHA
O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Thursday, April 20,
the Baker School District
5J voted unanimously to
adopt the 2017-18 Interim
School Calendar, keep-
ing the existing four-day
school week, adopted fi ve
years ago.
During the public com-
ment at the meeting, com-
munity members presented
their fi ndings, concerns,
and opinions regarding
keeping the school week at
four days or changing them
to fi ve-day weeks.
William Irvine was the
fi rst to speak, presenting
his fi ndings on his analy-
sis of the Baker School
District’s performance on
standardized testing since
the schools began their
four-day weeks.
“I thought of this idea
after reading that a parent
quoted research supporting
a four-day week at your
last school board meet-
ing,” explained Irvine. “It
occurred to me that I did
not actually need to look at
research to understand the
advantages and disadvan-
tages of a four versus fi ve
day calendar. Anyone can
look up Baker 5J District
and individual school
performance on the Oregon
Department of Educa-
tion website. I shared this
data with Mr. Witty about
one month ago. In sum-
mary, students at Brooklyn
Primary School, South
Baker Intermediate School,
Baker Middle School, and
Baker High School have
seen signifi cant decline in
some student performance
in standardized testing in
English, Math, and Science
since the change to the
four-day calendar. This
includes every grade and
every subject.”
Irvine explained in his
fi ndings that English scores
have decreased 12.1% in
English, 9.3% in math, and
Samantha O’Conner / The Baker County Press
Promise students of the month Hyrum Bradford and
Hollie Mays.
6.8% in science.
“I want to note that there
are many things that the
data does not explain,”
Irvine explained in a
pamphlet given out at the
meeting. “The data does
not explain whether the
students with a decrease in
test performance are from
an isolated group, or if
the decline in test perfor-
mance stretches across all
students.”
SEE 5J PAGE 3
Baker City
businesses
burglarized
A free day on the Oregon Trail
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Over the weekend of April 22nd, several Baker City
businesses were burglarized, with four additional at-
tempted burglaries, apparently by the same individual or
individuals, said Baker City Police Chief Wyn Lohner
earlier this week.
Then during Tuesday night or Wednesday morning,
more businesses experienced break-ins.
Offi cers were fi rst called to several locations on 10th
Street and 11th Street after owners came to work Monday.
Those businesses included Long’s WaterWorks with $750
and miscellaneous items stolen, Rushton Podiatry with
$75 stolen, Farmer’s Insurance (Tom Van Diepen) with
$30 taken, and Baker County Custom Meats with $80 sto-
len. The attempted burglaries were at the Animal Clinic,
Forty Winks and a Splash, Elkhorn Chiropractic and Ne-
Hi Signs, according to Lt. Dustin Newman.
On Wednesday morning, calls came in from the
Campbell Street area with businesses such as Carquest,
Paradise Truck Wash and Gene’s Mobile Truck repair hit.
Carquest lost $3,200 in cash and several miscellaneous
items.
SEE BURGLARIES PAGE 8
Samantha O’Conner/ The Baker County Press
Ranger Jeremy Martin performs as Joseph Meek on stage at the Interpretive Center.
BY SAMANTHA O’CONNER
Samantha@TheBakerCountyPress.com
On Wednesday, April 18, the National Historic Oregon
Trail Interpretive Center offered a Free Admission Day.
Featured at the free day was Park Ranger Interpreter
Jeremy Martin portraying mountain man and fur trapper
Joseph Meek.
Martin began working with the Interpretive Center in
2013. He began looking into human history after working
with National Parks and found he could relate to the fur
trapper.
Joe Meek is not very well known but there is enough
material for Martin pull from—and he has taken Meek’s
infamous adventures on the road.
Martin does other activities and presentations with the
Interpretive Center. According to a handout given at the
center, Martin does presentations including “Lost Gold,”
where he explains why people returned to the “Old Emi-
grant Road.”
Martin also does the “Black Powder Demo” where he
demonstrates how to properly load and fi re black powder
weapons used on the frontier.
He also portrays the “Father of the Pacifi c Fruit Indus-
Friday
Mostly cloudy with a few showers. Chance of
precipitation is 30%. Highs near 50. Friday
Night: Mostly to partly cloudy with low tempera-
tures near 30.
Saturday
Mostly sunny and milder. Highs in the upper
50s. Saturday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy with
a few rain showers. Lows in the upper 30s.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with a few scattered showers.
Chance of precipitation is 40%. Highs in the up-
per 50s. Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy with a few
showers. Lows in the mid 30s.
try” Henderson Luelling in a presentation called “The
Million Dollar Wagon.”
Martin also discusses what it would take for people to
make it across the Great American Desert in “Surviving
the Oregon Trail.”
Free admission days are a requirement for public lands
that charge an entrance fee.
When the Interpretive Center opened, it was a no-fee
site. Historically, across the nation, there were Fee Demo
Sites, where they would see how the fee system would
work and go into place.
The Interpretive Center became a fee site in 1997 and
has since been required to offer free admission days.
“We have maybe eight free days a year,” explained
Park Ranger Kelly Burns. “In the summer months, not so
much, but in the fall, winter, and spring we have a free
day every month.”
Future free days are May 25th, which is their 25th An-
niversary, June 3rd when they have their Run to the Ruts
Fundraiser. The Center will not have free days in July and
August.
September 30th, October 7th, November 11th, and
December 7th are the other free days the Center will offer
this year.
Your weekend weather forecast for Baker County.
Our forecast made possible by this
generous sponsor:
Rental scam
plagues
Baker City
BY KERRY McQUISTEN
News@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Renters browsing Craigslist and other online classifi eds
beware—another scam is making the rounds locally. This
one involves rental properties.
“Imagine my surprise when my real estate agent told
me someone contacted her and said they had spoken with
me about renting my house, and that they had wired me
money and were awaiting the keys. It took both my agent
and me by surprise, as I hadn’t spoken to anyone about
renting my house, and it wasn’t me to whom she had sent
money,” said property owner Elizabeth Estabrooks on
Monday.
According to Baker City Police Lieutenant Dustin
Newman, on April 11 a Baker City woman reported
a $1,400 loss to Dispatch after wiring that amount of
money to a man she believed to be the owner of a house
she was interested in renting.
SEE RENTAL SCAM PAGE 5
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
So I was thinking ... by Jimmy Ingram
Compassion Center tractor found
Baker City Council coverage
The Outdoor Column by Todd Arriola
Offi cial weather provider for
The Baker County Press.
CCC grant deadline coming up
Artist to appear at Crossroads
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