Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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From The Valley County Sheriff's Office Dear Editor, The recent showing of the movie Sound of Freedom has caused a buzz across the country. The movie, about child and human trafficking, takes a two-hour dive and offers a tiny glimpse into a world that we pretend does not exist. The immense problem seen worldwide is aptly portrayed in this feature film that pulls at your heartstrings. If you have not seen the movie, I would encourage you to do so. When you leave the theater, your mind replays the...
Dear Editor, Each June, National Healthy Homes Month raises awareness on housing-related health hazards and the steps to take for safe, healthy homes. This year's theme is "Connecting Home, Health, and YOU" to highlight the important relationship between housing quality and health. One substantial way to maintain a healthy home is to keep it smoke free, whether it's a private home or an apartment. There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke exposure, and the home is the main place many children...
Dear Editor, Property tax appraisals are currently arriving in the mail. It's important to review the valuation and appeal it if you do not agree with the valuation. The appeal instructions are in the letter that was mailed to you. You only have 30 days, so do not wait. If the value of your property increased by 30 percent that does not mean your taxes will increase by 30 percent. However, generally if the value of your property increased, most likely your taxes will be increasing. Property tax...
Dear Editor, Montana's 1972 constitution guarantees its citizens a right to "a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations." The 2023 trial of Held V. State of Montana, a lawsuit brought by 16 Montana youth, attempts to show how the state government's longstanding energy policies violate this constitutional right by favoring fossil fuel industries with high carbon emissions. The lawsuit is named for plaintiff Rikki Held, age 22, a fifth-generation Montanan...
Dear Editor, In 2022, Governor Greg Gianforte faced criticism for the delay in applying for Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) funding, which would have provided up to $10 million in food assistance to over 73,000 Montana children and families. After public pressure, Greg finally submitted an application to the federal government. Instead of investing the received funds in Main Street Montana, the Gianforte administration has taken actions that hinder vulnerable Montanans from...
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Division of Criminal Investigation administrator Bryan Lockerby joined officials at Stockman Bank in Billings on June 15, on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, to remind Montana seniors to be aware and take precautions as bad actors commonly prey on the elderly population. Older Americans are frequently the targets of scammers trying to make a quick buck, and can also be victims of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. According to AARP, there are more than 369,000 nationwide incidents of financial abuse that...
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen announced on June 9 that 2024 Annual Report filing fees will be waived for all Montana businesses. The elimination of the Annual Report filing fee will result in millions of dollars in savings for Montana businesses. “Our Montana businesses work hard to provide services and products to their communities, and I want to make it easier to do business in Montana,” said Secretary Jacobsen. “I previously cut registration fees in half for Montana businesses, and our state has experienced record new busin...
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and nine other state attorneys general are suing the Biden administration over its new “Equity in Action” methodology used to calculate flood insurance rates that would force Montanans to pay hundreds of dollars more per year. Under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) new “Risk Rating 2.0 – Equity in Action” methodology, policies for 2,170 single family homes in Montana would see their flood insurance costs skyrocket by an average of 84 percent, or $757 per year. Using a methodology...
Dear Editor, When I arrived at the Highland Cemetery to get set up for placing flags on veteran grave sites on May 27th I was blown away with, first the entry gate and secondly by the way the cemetery looked. The flowers and new gate really made a welcoming sight and were beautifully displayed. The entire cemetery was meticulously manicured and looked peaceful as a cemetery should. The work that Dan Miller and his crew put in showed the great pride they have and made it a show place for family...
The Montana Association of Counties (“MACo”), of which Valley County is a part of, filed suit on June 7 to compel Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to fulfill their constitutional obligations and allow the Montana Legislature their lawful opportunity to override the Governor’s veto of Senate Bill 442 (“SB 442”). On May 1, 2023, 130 out of 150 legislators passed SB 442, a bipartisan, politically popular measure that touches the state from border to border by redistributing recreational marijuana tax revenues...
The Science Math Resource Center at Montana State University, a STEM outreach center housed in the Department of Education, is offering free citizen science kits to 10 Montana programs that serve middle school students. Applications are due Friday, June 23, and kits will be sent to successful applicants immediately afterward. Programs are asked to use the materials by Sept. 30 and fill out a short post-program survey. Each kit includes a video tutorial, instructor’s guide and physical materials to complete two citizen science projects from i...
Continuing his aggressive push to fully reopen the northern border and resume full trade and commerce with Canada, U.S. Senator Jon Tester on June 7 led a bipartisan letter to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pressing the agency to return the hours of operations at northern ports of entry to pre-pandemic hours or, at minimum, match the operating hours of Canadian ports. “As Members of Congress who represent states across the northern border, we write to request U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) expand the hours of o...
With all of the smoke filled skies we had in the past month I thought Burma Shave #2 appropriate. Chaperone your cigarettes, they shouldn't go out alone! On to other memories. Be careful what you wish for. At one point in my younger life I wished for an exercise bike. My husband happily purchased one for me at an auction that he attended. Needless to say, it was not what I had in my mind, but I was told I could sharpen my knives while I exercised. Many of our parents and grandparents used this...
Following the passage and signing of SB 109, the Montana Public Service Commission announces the creation of new boundaries for the five PSC districts. SB 109, carried by Senator Keith Regier and signed into law by Gov. Gianforte, uses the newly established Montana House of Representatives district map to create the boundaries of the revised PSC districts. PSC districts are no longer determined by county boundary lines. Under the recently enacted legislation, each of Montana's seven most populated cities, excluding Butte, will now be...
Dear Editor, With all the checks and balances ingrained in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it is incomprehensible how one election is totally destroying the foundation of our very successful republic. Wayne Hage, in his book 'Storm over Rangelands', extensively documented how the eastern industrialists coveted the natural resources of the western states and since the 1880's had been using the federal government to keep these resources out of the hands of the western settlers (i.e....
Dear Editor, Every year on May 31, World Health Organization and its partners mark World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death globally and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide. The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day campaign is "Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship." Tobacco addiction is...
Dear Editor, With the weather finally warming up here for spring time, I've been spending a lot of time out on my tractor finishing up planting. Every year, I plant my fields with crops like wheat, barley, peas, and millet. The days are long – Sharla and I start early in the morning and work late until the job is done – but as Montanans know, hard work is rewarding and always reminds us how lucky we are to live here in Montana. Our Montana way of life is what makes us The Last Best Place, and...
Dear Editor, In Montana, telecom companies have been given the green light by the FCC (www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-grants-relief-outdated-burdensome-phone-industry-regulations) to discontinue their copper wire landline phone service and replace it with internet-based phone service. The FCC argues that the expensive maintenance of landline infrastructure prevents the transition to the next generation of communication technology. However, this deregulation affects vulnerable groups in Montana,...
Dear Editor, I am incredibly pleased to see that spring planting is underway. Everywhere I travel, I see our agricultural producers out in the field getting their crops seeded. The days are long, and the work is hard. I know how important it is. The farthest thing on our minds at the end of the day is completing paperwork. However, I want to remind agricultural producers in Montana, who have not yet completed their crop acreage reports after planting, should make an appointment with their U.S. D...
Thanks to the reader that sent me a few Burma Shave ads. For those of you that do not remember, Burma Shave was a brushless shaving cream sold in the early 20s and 30s. I remember them as quite entertaining as a child as we traveled the highways. Burma Shave opted to advertise it a different way, as they typically chose to post four to six signs along the highways containing verses advertising their product. I thought it might be fun to start our memories with a different slogan for the next couple of issues so #1: Only a convict likes to be...
We Are Not Your Enemy Dear Editor, Public officials talking about hiring hitmen to take out the publisher and reporter of a newspaper seems like something from a tense, blockbuster thriller rather than reality. Yet, in rural Oklahoma, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) is currently investigating such a discussion. The McCurtain County Gazette is like most small-town newspapers. It’s family owned and operated, doesn’t have a website or digital version of its newspaper and stands as watchdog for the community. This responsibility, it see... Full story
I know that I have mentioned all the gas stations located in Glasgow in years past. These were service stations that offered full service. Services like checking your oil, filling your tank, washing your windows, airing up a tire or many were able to change or make repairs to tires while you waited. Now we fill our own tank (make sure you choose the correct fuel, gas or diesel) and wash our own windows. That was an adjustment for many of us senior women especially. I am wondering if my great-grandchildren will see the day that these filling...
Dear Editor, The liberal Biden administration is, apparently, dropping the other shoe for the Montana federal grazing district ranchers. The first shoe dropped in 2014 when the federal solicitors argued in front of the Montana Water Court's Water Master that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had built the reservoirs and pits on the federal allotments therefore they owned the water and our cows were their beneficial use. Why the Montana Water Master agreed with them when he had to know they wer...
As a part of his continued fight to strengthen rural America, U.S. Senator Jon Tester formally blocked President Biden’s nominees to serve as members of the Amtrak Board of Directors – five of whom are from Northeast Corridor states, violating provisions secured by Tester to ensure full geographic representation and firsthand knowledge of long-distance routes on the Amtrak Board through his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. None of the six nominees are from Western states. “It is important that people in places like rural...
Remembering a few floods of the past. I have a picture of my Dad’s family sitting on their porch overhang outside a window of the second floor of their house located on 3rd Ave. So. He would tell me how the milk cows were moved (maybe to Markles Transfer) and they managed to house the calves in the loft of the barn. This house and barn are still located on 3rd Ave. This was before the dike was built so you can maybe imagine the water that flowed into town....
