Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Students at Irle Elementary got a vision of the past when it came to the good old school days. While they celebrated 100 days of school this year, a special guest was invited who is celebrating 100 years of life. Charlotte Wigness visited a few classrooms and students were able to ask a few questions. In Kathy Bell's first grade classroom she spoke a little bit on Friday, Jan. 30, about some differences in school from back in her day. She said in the first grade class that not many people owned... Full story
Not one to circle the wagons to have a jamboree in his honor, Marlen Halverson was excited in the last week to be a part of something pretty big. He's known in the area as the "wagon man," and in Arizona where he weathers out the winter he's known as "Montana." Halverson said that he had some excitement before one of the biggest televised events in history took place not far from his winter retreat. One of his wagons, a prairie schooner, made it into the Dan Patrick Show. This particular wagon h...
The last Glasgow School District Board meeting held a lot of updates about the elementary school construction taking shape. Viewing from the outside, those passing by might notice a roof, walls and windows are all in place. They won't be able to see the daily progress on the inside, but that progress is happening rapidly. The project remains on time and on task at this point, but it was clear there were still some challenges ahead. Glasgow School District Owner's Representative Eric Hulteng repo...
There was goofy dancing, shouting competitions and a lot of jazz, rock and roll, and country shaking the Elks Lodge on Saturday, Jan. 31. With a slight change in tune, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce brought in some professional dueling pianists to ring in the new year, new board and president. It was a huge success. Executive Director Lisa Olk said it was one of the most well attended chamber awards banquet in at least a decade. Around 300 people showed up for a little entertainment and drinks. The gavel was passed as the 2014 Chamber...
Over two decades with only small changes led to a much bigger change taking place locally. Valley View Home saw a little shakeup in September when Health Management Services stepped in to help turn things around for the full time care facility. Administrator Kandi Svenningson explained that the building had been running on a budget and with some policies that hadn't changed in around 20 years. She explained that Medicaid cuts and a freeze that didn't help pay the full costs to cover each resident. The board met and discussed different ways to...
It was a hurdle finally jumped on Thursday, Jan. 29. The U.S. Senate finally passed the Keystone XL Pipeline bill with enough votes to overcome a veto. The final count was 62-36 and Sen. Jon Tester did vote in favor of the pipeline in the end. With amendments added to the bill it will have to travel back to the House and get final approval. The House passed the bill earlier in January, but there weren't enough votes to overcome a veto. A total of 67 votes will be needed to override a presidential veto. A press secretary from the White House...
A controlled version of chaos could describe the scene at St. Raphael's Parish Hall in Glasgow. Children and adults of various ages gathered to cheer on, encourage and see the final outcome of hard work on small wooden cars. The annual Pinewood Derby is something that Boy Scouts across the nation take part in. It helps build several skills, including healthy competition. This year about 24 kids, ages 7 to 11, participated from Pack #898. Cub Master Blaine White somehow managed to keep the... Full story
It's all about the small details. But bigger than the details is the passion for patriotism and history. Those are some of the qualities that got Glasgow East Side Middle School Sixth Grade Teacher Laurie Enebo noticed. Mike Zoanni, East Side School principal, kind of tricked her into accepting the nominations for the (Veterans of Foreign Wars) VFW Teacher of the Year. She admits she was hesitant, more than hesitant, she didn't want the recognition at all. But Zoanni was a little persuasive in...
Statewide complaints are being heard about crowded jail cells. Inmates are sleeping wherever beds might be able to fit and a lot of movement of prisoners from one jail cell to another has been taking place to cover the lack of spaces available. Valley County's jail has been housing an average of 30 inmates. Valley County Sheriff Glen Meier said that they have been charging other counties $60 a day to house inmates. Inmates have been held from Phillips, McCone, Roosevelt, Blaine, Hill and Custer counties and other various locations in the...
“It'll pass guys, relax! It's been seven years, what's the hurry,” one commenter stated on a social media post by the radio host of Voices of Montana, Aaron Flint. Once again the Keystone Pipeline has failed as the votes needed to overcome a veto in the Senate didn't come to fruition. A total of 60 votes were needed, and the final vote ending the debate was 53-39. The final vote was pushed to end the debate by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell-R. The Courier interviewed Senator Jon Tester-D just over a week ago and he had stated they were dra...
If you don’t think Facebook has changed the world, take a look at the letter to the editor section. What used to be one of the more popular sections of the paper is now nearly non-existent. Of course we still have our columns and guest opinions in the opinions page. You just don’t see responses to those opinions anymore. Why? Well I argue the internet has changed it all. Two weeks ago, our Hinsdale sports correspondent and contributing Opinion page columnist wrote a piece on gay marriage. I spoke to him myself and said that I didn’t think...
Working on deadlines isn't always for the weak-hearted. Digging into stories that you're passionate about can make those weird off the clock hours more tempting. One local writer and editor for a national magazine is headed to New York to reap some of the benefits of his hard work. Andrew McKean, editor-in-chief for Outdoor Life, has made his job work while staying in Glasgow. McKean came to Glasgow to work for Fish, Wildlife and Parks and fell in love with the area. He explained that he...
It was a bit of news that caught statewide attention last week. The Fort Peck Journal covered the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Council decision to legalize medical marijuana during their first meeting in the new year. Headlines were splashed around in December that the Obama administration was going to allow Native American tribes to decide amongst themselves whether or not they wanted to legalize and distribute marijuana. While that decision is up to the tribes, there will still be... Full story
"It was kind of a surprise," Rob Davis said at the New Trends in Ag conference at the Cottonwood Inn on Jan. 14. He was awarded the Del Strommen Trend Setter Award by the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture in front of an audience just over 100. Davis is a farmer with Box L Farms in Larslan. He explained that he grew up farming and ranching and he has hopes to share his passion with future generations. "Ag is all I've known my entire life; it's a passion of mine," Davis said. Ryan Fast, ch...
She's finally getting comfortable in her chair. The library got an overhaul this summer, with new windows, carpet, paint and shelves for the children's section; it's starting to look a little more up to date. As the previous library director stepped down and moved on, Megan Haddix took the seat in November, just before Thanksgiving. For Haddix, it was a natural progression and fit perfectly in with her passion. Some around the community might recognize the name, as she's previously served on the...
All eyes are on Eastern Montana as an oil spill has taken to national headlines. The Bridger Pipeline LLC running along the Yellowstone River experienced a broken pipeline that spilled oil into the river, just seven miles upstream from Glendive. The 12-inch steel pipeline was placed in the area in the 1955. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported Monday night that the first estimates of the spill could possibly be higher than the original 50,000 gallons estimated on Saturday. It has been reported that the change of pipeline pressure...
It's been a rough year for being on time. Amtrak has struggled to keep on schedule, but Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari explained that BNSF has helped them get back on track with their investments into improvements. The Empire Builder is going back to the scheduling they had about a year ago in the West and restarted that schedule on Monday, Jan. 12. Magliari said said Amtrak officials took a tour last week, including a stop in Glasgow, visiting with the press about the schedule changes and said that this year is expected to be much better wi...
It's been a few years in the making, and it could be a few more years until a final plan is complete. The Glasgow Levee Committee has been working over the last year on creating a System-Wide Improvement Program (SWIF) policy that will help address several of the issues with the local levee. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has made a few visits to Glasgow to work with the committee and see in person the issues of encroachments along the levee line. A new chair for the committee was put into place recently, Tanja Fransen, who works for the...
Opinions are like shoes. Everyone has got them. Not all of them fit and each person has an acquired taste and comfort zone. When it comes to marijuana and legalization, there's no difference. You'll find a whole array of opinions, from the adamant against legalization, to the very pro pot. With the local tribes legalizing medical pot, and a vote on the way for recreational pot, it's probably a good time to have open discussions with each other on marijuana. By open discussions, I mean being open to the opposing view and trying to gather the rea... Full story
Like a nightmare that just doesn't shake off, tragedy strikes and the natural response is to wonder why. One local family faced a tragedy that faced national attention just over a year ago today. The Chalmers lost Sheree Chalmers Smith to a plane crash, along with her husband, Daniel Smith, her sister-in-law, Amber Smith, Amber's fiance Jonathan Norton and her father-in-law, Dale Smith. The plane went down in Idaho, in the rugged terrain located near McCall in what is known at the Frank Church R... Full story
Will the hand of power slap it down again? That's the question that many might be wondering in the upcoming weeks, as the Keystone XL Pipeline bill made its way through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week. Sen. Steve Daines spoke at a hearing about the pipeline bringing jobs and tax revenue that could help support infrastructure in Eastern Montana. In November representatives passed the bill, but it failed by one vote in the Senate. As Republicans have taken control of th...
Legislators slipped in a provision through the federal budget bill in December that may, or may not, affect the sage grouse. Just one sentence prohibited the Department of Interior from changing the classification of the sage grouse. That's good news for farmers, ranchers and those with active oil pumps in Eastern Montana. Although it might not impact the overall decision that is eventually made, it prohibits this for up to a year. Valley County would encounter a direct impact if the bird were listed as endangered. Local ranchers and farmers...
July • While the flood of 2011 is still a topic of conversation, necessary repair work at Fort Peck Dam is ongoing. Even though several repair projects have been completed, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers continues work on the Fort Peck spillway. Consequently the 2011 discharge caused a lot of erosion. The spillway ran for over four months. Downstream dams along the Missouri River are also undergoing flood repairs. The projects, costing around $45 million, are coming closer to completion. • Wh...
A crowd large enough to fill a court room showed up on New Year's Eve to welcome the newcomers and to say goodbye to those going out of Valley County Office. David Pippin stepped down as County Commissioner and Paul Tweten took over the seat. The other newcomer is Christine Hillman who is now officially sworn in as the justice of the peace. Pippin retired after two terms of service, or 12 years. David Reinhardt will be taking over the chair position this year during his third term as a... Full story
January • Has Glasgow really been sucked into some vortex that's dropped the temperatures below zero? The easy answer is no. Tanja Fransen, warning coordination meteorologist at National Weather Service Glasgow, explains that this is actually a low pressure system that came down from the North Pole and brought cold weather with it. The Arctic cold front pushed down farther south than usual, which brought colder than average temperatures to much of the nation. • Resigning one city council sea...
