Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 149
F.J. Mersen was born on July 31, 1928 in Glasgow, Mont. to Frank Mersen Sr. and Louise Opheim Mersen, to the delight of his sister, Betty. F.J. passed away on March 27, 2021, leaving this world as sharp as a tack and remembering just about every car he sold. F.J. attended school in Glasgow through high school. He was confirmed in the First Lutheran Church in 1942. F.J. served in the Marine Corps from 1946 through 1948 where he served in the Honor Guard. He attended the University of Montana in...
ERROR...
The US Department of Justice will host a digital “hate crime forum” for residents of Valley County and surrounding areas on Jan. 28. The platform will present perspectives from Montana residents on their own experiences with hate crimes as well as a panel of federal, state and local law enforcement on how federal law defines hate crimes and how such crimes are treated and investigated. Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson told the Courier that the forum was the idea of the US DOJ and that they make the offer to any Montana town. She pointed out that su...
To Glasgow Residents, The City of Glasgow’s priority work area for this year’s Annual Paving Project is the two City blocks on 2nd Ave. South between 4th Street South and 6th Street South. The City recognizes this two block stretch of street as the downtown hub for many of Glasgow’s businesses and public attractions. In an effort to improve access and to keep our down town vibrant, we will be rehabilitating the street grade and resurfacing that section of 2nd Ave. South. The cost of this project is $138,000. Street improvement/Rehab Proje...
The Glasgow City Council voted unanimously—with four members present—to approve the ballot language that will appear on November’s ballot asking if residents want to allow a household to own up to six female chickens inside city limits. The vote, which occurred on Aug. 12, is the final step in presenting the question to the public. The ballot language will read: Do you support allowing property owners to maintain six (6) domestic chicken hens, within the incorporated Glasgow City limits, subject to the regulation by the Official Code of the C...
City Wages: The Glasgow City Council overhauled the way they pay employees at the meeting on July 20. The vote to change the city from the traditional pay scale to a “wage matrix” was split four to two with Rod Karst and Dan Carr voting against the measure and Butch Heitman, Stan Ozark, Doug Nistler and Todd Young voting in favor. Months of preparation were needed to hash out details and set employee wages. The new matrix will establish periodic wage increases for employees and add the ability to provide an incentive bump based on per...
The Glasgow City Council is in the process of passing a new city ordinance to increase penalties associated with weedy lots. Ordinance No. 968 will amend the city’s already existing weed ordinance to increase fees for non-compliance in an effort to increase compliance with the lot standards. Currently, nuisance weeds are deemed any weed, grass, wild vegetation and any uncared for vegetation that grows to a height in excess of eight inches and any vegetation that poses a fire hazard inside the city limits. Under the current system, a notice i...
It is no secret that Glasgow’s roads are in disrepair. A drive down 2nd Street South will confirm a stretch riddled in potholes, dugouts and cracks. For years the city has contended with the quick pace of roads crumbling and decaying while revenues drop and resources dwindle. Director of Public Works Rob Kompel and Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson sat down with the Courier to discuss the city’s 2020 plan for roads and to lament the lack of money to rectify the situation. To illustrate the problem, Kompel presented a series of past year revenue to...
The Glasgow City Council moved one step closer to adding a resolution to the November general election ballot that would allow residents to raise chickens inside the city’s limits. The motion to draft a resolution for both chickens and to eliminate the ward-based city council with an at-large city council, were first discussed and passed last week in a working session on June 10 and were finalized at the June 15 regular city council meeting. The move will allow the city attorney to go forward with drafting a ballot resolution that would put t...
Dear Glasgow Residents, I would like to comment on the numerous Facebook comments pertaining to the commercial hanging flower pots and trees in the downtown area. The comments state that local tax dollars have been used to purchase the flowers, trees and benches in the downtown area. This is not true! Many current and past Glasgow residents, local businesses, grants and donations from TC Energy, Northwestern Energy, Thrivent Lutheran, WELCA, Montana Aviation Research Company, Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce, Soroptimists, Two Rivers Growth,...
Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson teamed up with the Montana Aviation Research Company and TC Energy to fund an essential item giveaway on May 14. The event stuffed 400 plastic totes with items like laundry detergent, bleach, disinfectants, dish soap, Dial soap bars, toilet bowl cleaner, a cloth, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, paper towels, facial tissues and first aid kits. All 400 totes were given away in just about an hour. According to Erickson, cars had started lining up for the...
To Glasgow Residents, I have been asked the question many times if Glasgow’s drinking water is safe to drink. The answer is yes; there is no higher priority for the City of Glasgow than protecting the health and safety of our residents by continuing to provide safe drinking water. The EPA and CDC stated “the COVID-19 virus has not been detected in drinking water supplies based on the most current evidence; the risk to water supplies is very low. You may continue to use and drink water from your tap as usual.” EPA has established regul...
Dear Glasgow Residents, As this public health crisis continues to develop, we are facing unprecedented challenges managing the situation and I want the public to know that the City of Glasgow is committed to the health and wellbeing of our residents and employees. Glasgow is still committed to ensuing that the city provides all essential services while practicing social distancing and upholding other federal, state and local stakeholder health guidelines and directives. A critical component of our safety policy is following the directives of...
Measures Aimed at Preventing Over-Burdened Hospital Valley County has declared a state of emergency as of March 17. The city followed suit on March, 19, declaring a state of emergency at a 3 p.m. emergency meeting of the City Council. The actions come after Governor Steve Bullock and President Donald Trump issued state and nationwide emergencies last week as a result of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic that has spread to all 50 states and territories. “The County has continued to monitor the situation and the circumstances surrounding the s...
The Valley County Food Bank, an all-volunteer organization, has found a way to keep serving those in the community who face food insecurity. Dealing with the closure of most brick-and-mortar establishments in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, food bank volunteers came together on March 21 to gather and distribute necessary food to 111 households across the country in lieu of the normal pick-up date. Members of local churches, the Glasgow High School student council and the community set out...
The County has declared a State of Emergency in Valley County as of March 17. The action comes after Governor Steve Bullock and President Donald Trump issued state and nationwide emergencies from the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic that has spread to all 50 states and a few territories. In Montana there are, as of March 18, 11 presumptive cases, mostly in major cities across the state. Nonetheless, schools and nursing homes have closed for a couple of weeks while businesses and local government have taken precautions to slow the spread of the...
Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson kicked off the Dec. 17 city council meeting by swearing in one new and two returning members of the Glasgow City Council. Swearing in were returning councilmen Butch Heitman, representing Ward 2, and Rod Karst, who represents Ward 3. Newly elected to the council is Todd Young who will represent Ward 1 as of Jan. 1. Young is replacing Nanci Schoenfelder who represented Ward 1 for five years – two as an appointee and three as an elected member of the council, according to the mayor’s comments. Schoenfelder was also re...
The Montana Department of Commerce (DOC) has officially rescinded a $492,000 HOME Investment Partnership Program grant awarded to the City of Glasgow and earmarked for the delayed Nemont Manor renovation. In a letter sent to Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson the DOC states, “On July 16, 2019, the City requested and Commerce granted an extension to meet start up conditions with an end date of November 11, 2019. However, the developer is not yet prepared to proceed with the project. Therefore, Commerce withdraws its $492,000 HOME commitment to the C...
It happens to most of us. We wake up one day and suddenly we’re what Dr. Seuss calls “obsolete children.” The world around us has changed and we’re confronted with difficult decisions in our senior years about our healthcare, housing and more. “We want to provide a road map for seniors,” said coordinator for Council on Aging (COA) Vicky Wetz. Wetz has developed “A Day of Education,” a lunch and learn session, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 16, from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the Valley County Senior Center, 328 4th Street South in Glasgow. “We ha...
Glasgow resident and current city council member Nanci Schoenfelder is currently in the running to keep her city council seat for Ward One against Glasgow resident and County Road Department Supervisor Todd Young. Schoenfelder has served on the City Council for six years, after initially losing her first election against Stan Ozark and then was appointed to fill the seat vacated by Becky Erickson after she became mayor. Being a part of city government is in her blood, as her mom, Pat (Hallett)...
The Glasgow City Council voted in a split decision to raise tax revenues for the city by a total of roughly $49,000. The move is likely to raise taxes next year for most Glasgow residents and businesses. The vote followed a tense exchange between Councilman Stan Ozark and Mayor Becky Erickson as they debated the principle of raising taxes just because they have the ability to do so. Ozark was in favor of an increase, but felt it unnecessary to raise the tax levy to the full amount allowable by state law. He instead advocated to raise the levy...
Nemont Manor’s new ownership, Affiliated Developers Inc., has told the Courier that they are struggling to acquire the necessary Housing and Urban Development (HUD) loans and grants required to complete their planned $4.6 million renovation of the building. The announcement comes just over a year after the property was sold to Affiliated Developers in July 2018. At the time of the sale, Nemont Manor housed around 65 tenants at 65 percent occupancy, which put them well within the occupancy rate needed to gather the HUD financing and grants. A...
The Glasgow City Council has revived the Yard of the Week program, formerly run by the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, rewarding city residents whose yards brighten up the neighborhood. Every week this summer a member of the council will select a Yard of the Week in their area to highlight. Ward 1 was the first to name a winning lot. Paul and Lisa Koski, 730 Hillside Drive, were nominated by Council member Stan Ozark for the week of June 3-10. The winners displayed a sign in their...
The seventh annual Cuisine for the Cure will be on Thursday, April 25, 6 p.m., at the Cottonwood Inn and Suites. Come and enjoy an evening of food from around the world and help raise money for the Valley County Medical Relief Fund (HOPE). The menu for the evening includes cutie pies prepared by Allison Nichols and Beth Flynn, Mardi Gras (Southern) cuisine prepared by Jason Myers, Greek cuisine prepared by Michelle Eliason, Italian cuisine prepared by Rod Karst, Kristi Stingley and Tiffany Ost, Vietnamese cuisine prepared by Zak and Lindsey...
Shopko announced Monday, March 18, that they will be closing all remaining stores. The move comes after Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings failed to restructure the company’s debt and save the retailer’s remaining locations across the north-central midwestern United States. Staff at the Glasgow store confirmed that they had been informed of the closure Monday morning. There are currently 30 full and part-time employees at the Shopko in Glasgow, and it is unclear if there are enough vacant jobs in the community to support such a loss. Acc...
