City Council approves 15 percent trash increase Staff Report The City of Baker has approved an increase in the cost of collecting trash. The city council moved the resolution forward after it passed during its April 7 meeting. According to the city, the rate increase was needed because of increases in the cost of materials, labor and equipment since 2014 when the rates had been set previously. The increase will be approximately 15 percent over the previous fee schedules. The city officials explained that the residential charges will increase from $21 per month to $24. For small businesses, the rate will increase from $37 to $43. The medium businesses will see the cost go up from $67 to $77 per month. The large businesses will see the cost climb from $95 to $109 for each month. Extra-large businesses will go from $315 per month to $363. There will be increases in the prices for other materials and services, according to a city spokesperson. The additional garbage tub fee will increase from $19.50 per month to $22.50 per month. Motel charges will increase from $3.87 for overnight rooms to $4.45, while the rooms with kitchenettes will increase from $8.40 to $9.60 per month.
Weather warming after winter flashback – briefly
Weather keeps changing in Fallon County and the rest of southeastern Montana with a brief warming trend for the weekend before another cold front hits the start of the next week. PHOTO/Brad Mosher
Staff Report Weather in southeastern Montana and the upper plains region may have been hit by sub-freezing temperatures and some snow, but there will be a warm-
ing trend hitting the region over the weekend. According to the National Weather Service office in Billings, the region will get warm for the weekend. The office announced on Facebook Tuesday that the “Chilly weather will persist through the work week. Mainly light snow will continue at times, especially Wednesday night to Friday, when some locations will likely see accumulation.” “This weekend will be warmer and dry, then another cold front arrives Sunday night and Monday,” the office announced. Fallon County got some snow in recent days when the cold front hit, but most of the snow hit other areas in the state. Baker had highs in the low to mid-30s during the first part of the week, with it warming up into the 40s through Friday before climbing to 59 degrees on Saturday. The NWS office also predicted more than a 40 percent probability of precipitation through Friday.
Watermain project has hydrants helping serve residents, businesses Staff Report The $4.5 million Montana watermain project is temporarily changing the water service in the city of Baker. “The watermain replacement project for Montana Avenue is planned for completion in July, with some finishing items coming after July,” explained Shannon Hewson of Brosz Engineering Tuesday. “Temporary water is being completed currently along Montana Avenue west of Main Street, so that is currently what the contractor is working through.” “Our temporary water feeds off of various fire hydrants located in town and then feeds back towards Montana Avenue. We used the Baker Lake tributary channel as a corridor for laying our temporary piping.” “So all of the piping that is on the surface of the ground is temporary and just being used for feeder lines until the project is coming to completion and then those will be removed,” he said. “The water is coming from the fire hydrants. The fire hydrants in town are feeding that pipe. That pipe is running to the businesses and residences located along Montana Avenue.” “We are feeding those from the city water system, we are just bringing the water up from underground and running it above ground until we get the new mains placed,” he said. The west side should be completed in May, he said. “When we get to the east side, we are hoping by the end of June that the temporary water will be completed on the
east side of Baker. Basically, the temporary water will flop from one side of town to the other as excavation continues.” “Currently, there are new curb stops being replaced on existing curb stops that are not functioning. Then the watermain actual dig portion starts Wednesday with a shutdown. Then we will be digging the watermain on Fifth Street West and turn the corner, start on Montana Avenue from Fifth Street West heading east towards Main Street.” There will be some changes. “As excavation moves forward, the temporary water will be disconnected and will be reconnected to the new mains in town. “The main project corridor runs along Montana Avenue/Highway 12 Fifth Street West to Sixth Street East and Main Street from the BNSF railroad to Reynolds.” Beck Consulting of Dickinson is the prime contractor for the project. Griffith Excavating is one of the local subcontractors for the project, according to Hewson. The city also has public notices on its new app, Hewson added. “There’s instructions on how to download the new app on the city’s website.” Hewson said that the app will be a helpful tool for the public. “The city is going to do their hardest to try to notify every one, especially if there is a shutdown.” If residents or business experience any water service related problems, Hewson said the people should contact the city office. “The city office would then contact Brosz Engineering from there.”
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band comes to Baker for county fair Staff Report One of the biggest bands of the last half century which can cross multiple musical genres between folk, rock and country will be playing in Baker for the 2021 Fallon County Fair. It will be the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band taking the main stage Aug. 21. The Fallon County Fair made the announcement on Facebook April 7, saying “It’s official! Nitty Gritty Dirt Band right here Saturday Night of the Fallon County Fair! Tickets will be available at
www.falcofair.com June 18!” The band will be making Baker one of its early stops on its tour, after a group of concert dates through July were postponed. The band was originally started in the Southern California community of Long Beach and has been active ever since. It also has been known as the Dirt Band and the Toot Uncommons over the years. Since the band started, it has won Grammys, appeared in the 1969 movie “Paint Your Wagon” with Clint Eastwood, and were opening acts for The Doors and for Jack Benny. Among the biggest success-
es has been the band’s cover of Mr. Bojangles. That version of Jerry Jeff Walker’s song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and spent 36 weeks on the chart. In 1977, the band had 28 sold out concerts in the Soviet Union. They also performed during the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and also at the first FarmAid concert. In 1989, the group won the Country Music Awards for Album of the year and also two Grammy awards. In 2004, the band won a Grammy for best country instrumental and was inducted into the Colora-
do Music Hall of Fame in 2015. The band has changed members over the years, with the current members listed as Jeff Hanna, Jimmie Fadden, Bob Carpenter, Jim Photoglo, Jaime Hanna and Ross Holmes. Hanna and Fadden have been with the band since the mid-1960s. In addition to “Mr Bojangles,” other notable singles the band has made over the years include: •“House at Pooh Corner” •“I Saw the Light” •“Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” •“The Battle of New Orleans” •“All I Have to Do Is Dream”
Youth basketball tournament scores as success in bringing business to town By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia.net After hundreds of basketball games over the weekend, the biggest winner of the Baker Jam may not have been on the basketball courts in the school gyms. With each of the more than 64 teams bringing dozens of players and family members to the community, the 18th annual tournament bounced back from being canceled the year before because of COVID-19. According to Alissa Miller, the vice president of the Baker Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, the city saw an increase in business, especially with local restaurants and motels. With good weather Saturday, food trucks outside the Baker High School and Longfellow School gyms also report good business. However, a precipitous drop in temperature on Sunday also caused a drop in the sales of ice cream one food truck
reported on the second day. Miller, who was also one of the organizers of the tournament, added that a breakfast buffet by one local business was also a big hit. Saturday The fifth and sixth grade teams controlled the courts at both the Longfellow and high school gyms Saturday. Baker had two teams competing in the Fifth Grade girls division, with the Lil’ Shooters making it to the semifinals after knocking off the Baker Voltage by a 22-13 margin. The Custer/Hysham Rebels beat the Lil’ Shooters in the semifinals by a narrow 23-20 decision. In the boys bracket, Baker’s Runnin’ Rebels 1 team won the pool play with a perfect 4-0 record, before going on to win the title by beating Spearfish. Baker did not have a team in the sixth grade boys tournament. In the girls sixth grade competition, the local players
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