Betty Thomas, a Huntington woman whose husband of 61 years, Jerry, died in August 2023, talked with Herald reporter Ian Crawford about the family’s experience with West Nile virus, the mosquito-borne illness that killed Jerry Hunter.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/huntington-woman-recounts-husbands-fatal-west-nile-virus-infection/article_d3baa9b2-bed4-11ee-8a42-070d5bfaf4fe.html

For the first time in many years, a squad of cheerleaders from Baker High School competed in the state championships. But the athletes’ route to the competition was a difficult one as they dealt with ice storms, cancellations and having to perform in front of a camera rather than an audience.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/sports/bhs-cheerleaders-to-compete-at-state-championships/article_856b74e6-c6a7-11ee-99c7-cfca7df19aea.html

The Baker School Board is asking for public comments about two possible calendars for the 2024-25 school year. Although both call for the same number of student days — 147 — one would shorten the summer break by one week and add a week-long vacation sometime during the year. Both calendars call for a 2-week Christmas break.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/school-district-considers-two-draft-calendars/article_40b34e6a-c6ab-11ee-9b4d-33940f89f396.html

Baker County’s unemployment rate reached a near record low in December 2023, but the number of people actively looking for work has also declined over the past two years.

https://www.bakercityherald.com/news/local/jobless-rate-near-record-low-but-workforce-is-shrinking/article_2376117e-beb9-11ee-bd66-d388e5f798e3.html