SPARTAN SCROLL, 4
COMMUNITY, 12
Spartan teams win homecoming weekend
Shianne Beach follows in Pippi the Clown’s footsteps
VOLUME 100
ISSUE 41
TIMES
FALLON County
fctimes@midrivers.com 406-778-3344
BAKER, MONTANA 59313
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FRIDAY, October 7, 2016
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Local student’s virus discovery leads to more research By Linda Rost It has been confirmed that Bo Rost, a junior at Baker High School and son of Roddy and Juanita Rost, has discovered a novel virus that kills the bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis, a cousin to the bacteria that causes Tuberculosis. He achieved this as part of the Bringing Research into the Classroom (BRIC) program, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant through Dr. Marisa Pedulla of Montana Tech and the Clark Fork Watershed Education Program (CFWEP), which brings virus researchers to high schools to introduce students to research. Last May, Rost isolated the virus, which he named YodaSoda, from a sample of soil from his Willard ranch, 12 miles south of Baker. Over
Baker High School Junior, Bo Rost, isolates ‘Yoda Soda” virus in BHS lab. Photo by Sherry Vogel
the summer, Margeaux Black from Pedulla’s lab purified and characterized this new virus and it was sent to the University of Missoula to be photographed by the trans-
mission electron microscope. This year, as part of the a science research class, Rost will be isolating the bacterial Mycobacterium smegmatis cells that integrate YodaSoda DNA into their genome called lysogens and rather than going “lytic” and manufacturing viruses that infect more cells, go dormant and keep making more bacteria with the virus DNA. Bo will then test those cells to see if they are now resistant to YodaSoda. Pedulla sent boxes of equipment for Rost to set up a mobile lab for his research. His work will become part of a major study to find a cure for Tuberculosis. Once Rost is able to isolate YodaSoda lysogens, he plans to continue testing it and working with Pedulla. Eventually, the Uni-
versity of Pittsburgh will sequence the genome of YodaSoda to study the genes that kill the bacteria, in the hopes that they will hold the key to killing Tuberculosis. The scientists from BRIC, Chris Doyle and Evan Norman, also returned to work with the sophomore, junior and senior science classes, as well as, Tom Breitbach, Carol Hadley, and Brock Parini’s seventh grade Life Science classes to extract viruses from soil and water samples. This year, no new phages were dis- Bronze statue in Boise, Idaho, pays tribute to ‘homecovered, but students ex- town newspapers’ acoss America. tracted over 100 samples to test. Student Quotes “Science isn’t bad.” “I think Dr. Pedulla is the bomb.” Forget ‘the cloud’ newspapers record “Your work is epic. Is all sci-
This week celebrates
National Newspaper Week history one issue at a time
RESEARCH, Page 12
By Sherry Vogel
It was a memorable moment on a beautiful Homecoming Game night, as the Baker Spartan football team stands at attention to honor the Red, White, and Blue. Photo by Sherry Vogel
In the fast paced social media frenzy of today some believe that newspaper has gone the way of the dinosaur. But nothing could be further from the truth. While there is a variety of media outlets that people turn to for their daily news, such as radio, television, online, and other print media, the hometown newspaper is the foundation for community history. It’s the best form of media to preserves the day-to-day lives and events of those know best. Many Montana newspapers are able to provide hardcopies of articles that go back 100 years, just like the Fallon County Times, offering a vivid glimpse into history through written accounts, and authentic images capturing the people and times. “The Cloud” a term that has only entered the public’s lexicon in the past ten years, refers to the process of storing information offsite. It’s a far cry from the trusted capability of the newspaper which has been recording history since the 1690’s, readily available at readers’ fingertips. “The cloud” may hold tweets, blurbs and posts on social media walls, but, those bits of infomation are not as easy to access as the archives of the media. Written history is more accessible than just some cloud, a physical infrastructure with numerous computers housed in massive warehouses warehouses all over the world, especially for those readers that don’t dare particpate in the overwhelming world of online social media. Your local community newspaper, The Fallon County Times is proud to have celebrated its 100 year Anniversary on May 27. We continue to record local history, week after week, publishing the history of Fallon County one issue at a time.
Baker grad selected Region 5 Teacher of the Year
Teacher Amy Wagner chosen Region 5 Teacher of the Year. By Sherry Vogel Amy Wiman Wagner, daughter of Rick and Debi
Wiman of Baker, was chosen as the 2017 Regional Teacher, in Leola, S.D. Wagner was selected from ten other nominees. She won on merit of educational history, professional development activities, philosophy of teaching, thoughts on current issues and trends in the field of education and educational recognition awards. Wagner graduated from Baker High School in 1993. She received a Bachelors of Arts degree in elementary education from Dickinson State (N.D.) University in 1999. As a new graduate, Wiman
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taught in Mandaree, N.D. for one year, then in McLaughlin, S.D. for two years, before accepting a position in a Hutterite colony in the Leola District in S.D. She has been teaching the Hutterite children now for a total of 16 years. Among her accomplishments recognized by the nominating committee was her Highway #7 rolls like a ribbon across the hills of southern Fallon County. success in helping to raise standardized test scores for her ELL students. Wagner’s only step left to complete on the project. approach has been to utilize a By Sherry Vogel peer teaching method. “I be“It is a 7 1/2 mile job and the last three miles Mel Mader, project manager on the state’s are yet to be coated, which will be completed lieve students are the instrucHighway 7 reconstruction project said last next week.” Mader said, “The final chip and A. WAGNER, Page 11 week that a second coat of plant mix is the seal will be added in June 2017.”
Hwy project nears completion
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