Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

A Year At The Courier: Ready To Ring In The New

Movie stars, drug deals and Santa. As I get ready to look through all the top stories in the last year at The Glasgow Courier, I can’t help but think what an interesting year it’s been. I moved to Glasgow and officially spent a year working here at the Courier in November. I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I arrived here, but I have found that there’s rarely a dull day.

Some of the people I’ve met and the things I’ve been privileged to write about in Valley County I think are incredibly notable. Several businesses and residents will keep that photo they got with actor Jon Voight this year. Perhaps many will remember some of the politicians that stopped in Glasgow this year, like Ryan Zinke – the first Navy SEAL elected to Congress. It was also the year that Fort Peck unknowingly welcomed the man who pulled the trigger on Osama Bin Laden. Valley County also saw their first same-sex marriage in December, though the happy couple declined a story.

As far as the news in the last year goes, I am always surprised by what’s going on in and around the community. I’ve watched the community rally around the sports teams like they're famous. Which I think is pretty cool and something that these kids will always remember. I’ve also watched the community rally around those who are down in their luck and need a friend.

After a year in Glasgow I can honestly say that the first three observations I made in the first week still remain true. The people in Montana are a lot more friendly, they’re a lot more politically active and they sure like to drink a lot. It’s a whole new culture I’ve been immersed in and I can honestly say that most days I feel like I fit in, until I hang out at the stockyards that is. I may have grown up around cows and horses most of my life, but I sure didn’t spend much time caring for them.

I think Valley County and Glasgow have a lot of things to be excited about. It’s a busy place that likes to focus on their local community.

There are sure a lot of things brewing for the future and it seems that 2015 could see all kinds of changes. The Keystone Pipeline, bison and sage grouse are issues that could greatly affect the area. There’s also a rise in the minimum wage starting this week. The legislative session will be discussing a wide variety of issues that could directly impact us, so I know I’ll be watching that closely.

This year in legislature Eastern Montana is pretty lucky to have some voices. Austin Knudsen as the Speaker of the House and Senator John Brenden as the chair of committees. It could be a positive year here. The session begins next week on Monday, let the circus begin!

As everyone sets their sights on New Year’s resolutions, I’m going to continue to focus on keeping up with the area. I hope to cover more of legislature, more agricultural issues and continue to seek out those positive stories we need to hear. Sometimes a positive story is a fresh breath of air when there’s so much negative in our world.

Of course there were a few negative stories that were gut wrenching to follow at times. Reporting fatalities is never a favorite for me, although it is always nice to see this community send cards, flowers and offer condolences. We also had a few noteable drug busts in the last year, one in particular I remember is the man busted in Saint Marie that had ties to some bigger fish. Our local law enforcement has been doing a pretty good job following up on leads and responding to serious situation.

As we move into the New Year we also welcome a new county commissioner, Paul Tweten. Dave Pippin will step down from his position and the swearing in of new officials takes place on New Year's Eve. Thanks for your service, Pippin, and I'll see you next year, Tweten.

You'll see the last year in review starting in next week's edition. Happy New Year!

 

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