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  • Vaping Prevention Curriculum

    Jan 31, 2024

    Dear Editor, The proliferation of new tobacco products threatens to reverse years of progress made toward ending nicotine addiction. Through our tools, resources, and public education and prevention efforts, truth delivers the facts about smoking, vaping, and nicotine use, exposes the tactics of the tobacco industry, and helps young people make informed choices and influence their peers to do the same. Sincerely, Valley County Tobacco Education Specialist Teri Meche For more information,...

  • Quitting Smoking And Vaping

    Jan 24, 2024

    Dear Editor, Youth nicotine use in any form is unsafe. Nicotine is harmful to developing brains: younger users are more likely to become addicted, have more difficulty quitting and may be at higher risk for addiction to other substances in the future. E-cigarette use among young people, many of whom were not smokers in the first place, remains at epidemic levels. Over 2.5 million middle and high school students use e-cigarettes with nearly half (46 percent) of high schoolers who vape doing so...

  • Why Youth Nicotine Use Is An Important Issue

    Jan 17, 2024

    Dear Editor, Faced with declines in cigarette use – the youth smoking rate dropped from nearly 23 percent in 2000 to an all-time low of 2.3 percent in 2021 – the commercial tobacco industry has expanded its product offerings to include flashy e-cigarettes, flavored nicotine-containing products such as oral nicotine pouches and lozenges, and the heated tobacco device IQOS, dramatically changing the product landscape. Companies have also begun to use synthetic nicotine– created in a labor...

  • A 2023 Political Recap: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

    Jan 17, 2024

    *Paid Political Content* Dear Editor, Skyrocketing property taxes. Astronomical energy rate increases. Thousands of homes that are unaffordable to most Montanans. And yet more big tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy, while the rest of us are left to foot the bill. When we look back on the last year, all these changes and more were brought [to] you by one party and its supermajority: Montana Republicans. And so, as 2023 ends, let's take a look back over the last 12 months to see where Republicans...

  • Half Day School Days

    Gwen Cornwell, For the Courier|Jan 17, 2024

    Do you remember when Glasgow had half day school days? I remember moving from Opheim the summer between my junior and senior year. I was lucky enough to be hired by a Bank here in Glasgow that summer and decided to finish my schooling in Glasgow. What a deal, I could go to school in the mornings, and then go to my job after lunch. Not many of us had the opportunity to make money and attend school all at the same time, unless you had an extremely good baby-sitting job somewhere. I am pretty sure these days came about due to the extra population...

  • Hwy 2 Assoc Continuing Efforts

    Jan 10, 2024

    Dear Editor, Friends and Neighbors Happy New Year The Hwy 2 Assoc continues it's efforts, as it has for 22 years, to fulfill it's Mission - "To Enhance the Economic Viability of Northern Montana Communities by constructing an Adequate Hwy # 2 that would allow communities to compete for and attract businesses" Adequate has been defined by the business community in that 80 percent of businesses locate in or near communities that have a four lane highway. Surveys have revealed that the # 1...

  • Happy New Year

    Jan 10, 2024

    Dear Editor, 2024 Happy New Year! As I watched the sun rise this first day of the new year, I was reflecting on this past year. Family and friends have all made an impact in Judy and my lives. I am thankful to everyone for the part you may have played in our lives these past years. As our state's House and Senate Districts have been redistricted and will be effective starting January 2025, I will be working with folks from the new area that was formerly Senator Mike Lang's district. I have been...

  • Tobacco Industry Ads Generate Billions Of Views And Reach Millions of Kids on Instagram, Facebook, X And TikTok

    For the Courier|Dec 27, 2023

    Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco, two of the world’s largest publicly traded tobacco companies, are advertising tobacco and nicotine products to kids on social media, according to a new report released Dec. 8 by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. The report, #SponsoredbyBigTobacco, details how the two tobacco giants have targeted more than 60 countries with expansive marketing campaigns for Velo, a nicotine pouch from British American Tobacco, Vuse, an e-cigarette from British American Tobacco, and IQOS, a heated t... Full story

  • Montanans: Celebrate The Holidays Responsibly By Planning For A Sober Ride Home

    For the Courier|Dec 27, 2023

    As the holiday season kicks off, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Glasgow Police Department, DUI Task Force and the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) are encouraging Montanans to plan for a sober ride home before celebrating. Historically, the period between Dec. 15 and Jan. 1 has a high concentration of impaired driving crashes and crash fatalities. Under the Vision Zero goal, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Glasgow Police Department, Valley County DUI Task Force, MHP and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) are committed to reducing fat...

  • The Price Of A Good Life

    Dec 20, 2023

    Dear Editor, Does this little "poem" warrant a spot in your Courier? I don't know where it came from, but thought it was kind of interesting. Thank you, Pat Murdock Whitewater, Mont. The Price Of A Good Life Farms are a funny lot, some work hard, some do not. Some get up early, some sleep late, some have good intentions and some are up for debate. But most farmers are good and do what they can to raise up a family and live off the land. But some city folks lately have had some concern that the...

  • Old West Xmas Celebrations

    Dec 20, 2023

    Dear Editor, This clipping is from your newspaper about 1944. Since we are into the Christmas time, I thought Glasgow would enjoy reading this in your newspaper today in 2023. Many of the families in Glasgow worked on the building of the dam. I was born and raised in Glasgow and cherish my young years there. Sincerely, Peggy Hoffmann Wood Columbia Falls, MT...

  • Grain Trucks

    Gwen Cornwell, For the Courier|Dec 20, 2023

    Noticing the picture of grain trucks in the Buzz as well as all the activity at the elevators has made me remember the moving of grain in my young days. The use of 2-ton trucks with side boards and hoists. How the world does change. I am sure my grandfather, or maybe even my Dad could not imagine the present day grain trucks, the ease of dumping them, and the amount of grain they could have hauled. I understand that grain elevators of days past were set up for wagons to dump. I can only assume that this began in horse and wagon...

  • Shopping Small This Holiday Season Supports Montana's Main Street Businesses

    Dec 13, 2023

    Dear Editor, The pandemic confirmed the essential role that small businesses play in our daily lives. It sounds cliché, but locally owned small businesses truly are the heart and soul of our cities and towns. The holiday shopping season is a crucial time for small retailers and restaurants that depend upon the boost in sales earned between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Not so long ago, it was an annual holiday tradition to travel downtown and shop at one of the many locally owned main street...

  • An Opportunity for Schools To Expand Personalized and Work-Based Learning

    Dec 13, 2023

    Dear Fellow Montanans, The ongoing changes to our state's economy present opportunities and challenges that our education system must address. We need to ensure that students are prepared to succeed in today's economy and have the skills to adapt to future opportunities. To that end, I'd like to take this opportunity to describe a couple of the ways this is being tackled by our state's education and industry leaders in the form of Work-Based Learning and flag a few important dates to ensure...

  • School Equalization Mills

    Dec 6, 2023

    The following was written to Governor Gianforte from the Montana Association of Counties (MaCO) on Nov. 28. Valley County is a member of MaCO. Governor Gianforte: The Montana Supreme Court clarified the State's ability to accrue 'banked mills' when the calculation required under MCA § 15-10-420 results in mills above the cumulative cap of 95. While that opinion was directly in contrast to the position of many counties, and the Montana Association of Counties in our defense of our membership, we...

  • Celebrating In St. Marie

    Dec 6, 2023

    Dear Editor, We just returned from a short week of visiting, hunting and celebrating Thanksgiving with our "chosen daughter," who recently relocated to St. Marie from Olympia, Wash. We were excited to meet and be a part of the St. Marie family on Thanksgiving day at their community town hall dinner, where 25 of us gathered to share a delicious meal contributed by all. It was an incredible group of people from many areas of the country, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Billings, to name a few. Time...

  • This Year, Montanans Will Be Holiday Shopping For Health Insurance

    Dec 6, 2023

    Dear Editor, This holiday season, more Montanans will be navigating the annual open enrollment period for health insurance, seeking quality and affordable health insurance plans for their families. Cover Montana has a team of health insurance navigators who can help Montanans make sense of their options during this crucial period, which runs from to Jan. 15, 2024. But this year stands out because more than 100,000 Montanans are no longer covered by Medicaid or Healthy Montana Kids (HMK). Like al...

  • From Mayor Rod Karst

    Nov 29, 2023

    The following was written and read by Glasgow Mayor Rod Karst during the public comment period at the Nov. 20 City Council Meeting. This letter is printed with permission from Mayor Karst. Before we get started tonight, I want to take a couple of minutes to address an issue that has gotten out of hand on Facebook. I do not use Facebook for this simple reason, people can go online and act as judge and jury on things that they don’t have all the facts on and get others sharing their knowledge or lack thereof. The City of Glasgow and its e...

  • Thanksgiving Dinner At Senior Citizens

    Nov 29, 2023

    Dear Editor, Just thought I would write a letter in regards to the Thanksgiving Dinner I enjoyed at the Senior Citizen Center. Many thanks to Ruth Ann Hutchison for her dedication and hard work in preparing this tasty meal with all the trimmings! She has done this for 31 years WOW!!! How wonderful that she does this with limited amount of volunteers, feeding approximately 150 people is a lot of work, although Ruth Ann and her crew appear to do it effortlessly and they all had a smile and very...

  • A Letter From Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital (FMDH) CEO Nick Dirkes

    Nov 29, 2023

    Dear Community Members, I want to express my gratitude for the thoughtful concerns raised regarding the potential acquisition of a portion of Hoyt Park for additional parking. At FMDH, our commitment to community well-being is paramount, and we aim to provide excellent care close to home while exploring opportunities to better serve our community. Firstly, it's crucial to clarify that the park is not bound by the same deed restrictions as our current hospital site. The park's origin traces back...

  • Remember County School Picnics

    Gwen Cornwell, For the Courier|Nov 29, 2023

    Although I am submitting this and do remember these picnics, this was written by my significant other, Paul “Bud.” I will talk about Tampico School picnics in particular. I remember the site being the Bob Cornwell place across the Milk River from Tampico. This site was up by the mouth of Buggy Creek in a hay field along the river. We would cut the hay crop so there was a clear spot to play baseball. One time, as we arrived, someone hollered “Bud, catch.” I reached out and the ball caught the end of my thumb and bent it backward. Needless to say...

  • Help For Your Home Energy Bill

    Nov 22, 2023

    Dear Editor, Many Montanans have heard about Energy Share of Montana, but may not realize exactly what it does. Energy Share helps Montanans who are facing loss of heat or lights in their homes and who have no resources to pay the bill themselves. Assistance is situationally-based, not income-based. This means that even if someone has an income that is higher than normal poverty guidelines, if their situation is such that they're about to lose their heat or lights and they have no money in the...

  • The Great American Smokeout On Nov. 17 Is Your Day To Quit!

    Nov 15, 2023

    Dear Editor, Quitting tobacco is hard. But starting with a single day of giving up tobacco can help you take the first step to a longer, healthier life. Let the Great American Smokeout event on Friday, Nov. 17, be your day to start the journey toward a life free from smoking. On Nov. 17, join your fellow Montanans and thousands across the nation to celebrate the Great American Smokeout by making a pledge to a tobacco-free life. For over 40 years, the Great American Smokeout has motivated...

  • Clarifying The Facts As I See Them On The 95 Mill Property Tax Increase

    Nov 8, 2023

    Dear Editor, Recently opinion pieces and information sent to legislators regarding the counties decision to levy 77.9 mills instead of the State directed 95 mills has been circulating in both statewide newspapers, and internal legislative correspondence. It appears that the message being distributed is counties are giving large tax breaks to corporations and out-of-state homeowners while doing little for the average Montanan. While the numbers can be interpreted to support that message, and...

  • Why Is Economics Education Important?

    Oct 25, 2023

    Dear Editor, October is Economics Education Month – A time to promote the importance of economic education and to help all students understand how economic decisions and policies affect their lives, their communities, the state of Montana, and the world. Governor Gianforte recognizes October as Economics Education Month with a Proclamation noting Econ Ed equips students with invaluable skills and tools to help ensure they are well rounded and well prepared to thrive and achieve their American d...

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