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December 20, 2007 Front Page |
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Baker City Community Of Charity During Holiday SeasonStory and Photos
By Brian Addison
Fortunately, Santa’s sleigh isn’t subject to high fuel costs; he is about the only one not feeling the economic crunch this holiday season. High oil costs have hit everyone in the wallet this year and the economic future looks uncertain with delivery fuel (diesel) currently up over $3.50 per gallon at the pump. And, lest we forget, we are a country at war on two major fronts with members of our military deployed across the globe.
It is under this backdrop that the Baker City community comes together to give to those who might otherwise do without, and to support members of our military deployed away from their families this holiday season.
5J Students Score Low On Writing
Assessment Testing
By Brian Addison
Baker School District 5J educator Beth Bigelow presented the Baker School District 5J Assessments for the 2006-2007 school year. The Assessments are standardized tests used to measure the number of students meeting minimum state and federal standards. Writing Assessment scores are the lowest among the three subject areas tested in 2007.
The Writing Assessment showed that 50-percent of Baker School District’s 4th graders met or exceeded minimum benchmarks as measured by state and federal standards. That number equals 47-percent of 7th graders and 56-percent of 10th graders who meet or exceed the minimum standard on the writing tests.
Local Scale Auto Enthusiast Committed to Authenticity
By Brian Addison
Baker City resident Bill Ball restores hotrods and vintage classic cars just like they do on television, but on a smaller scale. Ball is a scale auto enthusiast of a professional caliber. He has his own shop where he applies his restorative magic on automobiles, fabricating parts to suit his needs and turning ‘glue bombs’ into works of art. Ball specializes in restoring and customizing ‘rat rods’, 1950s style customs and Chryslers.
Ball takes on restoration projects by purchasing models that were previously assembled by amateurs and transforming them into scaled down replicas of the real thing. Pro-modelers call these previously assembled models, “glue bombs.” Ball’s projects range from the authentic replica to the tricked-out custom “rat rod.”
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