Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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The closure of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development offices threatened to affect Glasgow’s upgrade to the water infrastructure prior to the end of the government shutdown on Friday, Jan. 25. According to the Director of Public Works Robert Kompel, if the Rural Development Office had not been able to process loan and grant payments for the project within the next month, then the city may have been forced to delay the upgrade. With parts on order and contractors lined up to begin work, that would have added additional c...
In an unanimous decision, the Glasgow City Council voted to advance Ordinance No. 960 to extend the Glasgow Police Department’s arrest authority out five miles from the city limits at their regular meeting on Jan. 22. During the meeting, Chief Brien Gault presented the Council with a powerpoint presentation highlighting the needs the ordinance would address, such as officer and city liability and the Montana Municipal Interlocal Authority’s ability to pay out those liability claims. That presentation also addressed concerns that any arrest not...
The Glasgow Scottie wrestlers spent last weekend, Jan. 25 and 26, in Malta taking second in the tournament beating out the Mustangs, which placed third and coming in behind the Class A ranked team Havre at Saturday's match-ups. On Friday the Scotties dominated Malta in a dual that left Glasgow with 66 points and Malta with six. Scottie Coach Jory Casterline described the tournament as "not bad" while discussing the results which saw first place finishes by Colton Fast (126), Oden Hallock (132),...
With expectations premised by just under a week of rehearsals, crowds turned out to view the Missoula Children's Theatre's rendition of "The Emperor's New Clothes," written and conceived by Jim Caron and Matt Loehrke, and what they found was a delightful, funny and well-rendered performance by some talented area youth. The play told the story of what can happen when we fall victim to the notion that appearances matter more than character and the comical antics that can ensue when the Royal...
Only nine members of the public alongside the County Attorney, Sheriff and the Commissioners administrative assistant attended a public hearing Jan. 14, to hear public opinion on establishing a medical marijuana dispensary ordinance in the county. Three of those in attendance represented the medical marijuana industry directly and only one person expressed opposition to allowing dispensaries in the area. Participants were asked not to discuss the legality or morality of medicinal use of the drug, but rather to discuss favor or opposition to...
Glasgow Middle School eighth-graders demonstrated their command of physics, motion, design, construction and flare Jan. 11 in the middle school gym. The challenge was part of their science class, taught by Wade Nelson, in which they were to design a car using any means of propulsion available to them that would travel quickly and accurately across the gym floor. Students were assessed for speed, how straight and how far the car travelled. If a car veered off course then the total distance off...
Former Valley County Undersheriff Luke Strommen pleaded not guilty to the charge of Felony Sexual Intercourse Without Consent Jan. 14, in District Court in Glasgow. Strommen also maintained his plea of not guilty on an earlier charge of Felony Sexual Abuse of a Child from back in October. As a result of the plea and in light of the new charges, Missoula-based Judge Jon Larson vacated trial dates set in May and will allow both counsels for Strommen and the State of Montana to pursue trial dates i...
When you stop to consider Montana's great destinations, it is unlikely you would ever list off Hays, Mont. Nestled in the heart of the Little Rocky Mountains on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, the little north-central Montana town is not a major tourism draw for many travelers to the Big Sky State. But for those locals with more time to spend, Hays offers both cultural and natural wonders of Montana. In late Dec. 2018, I volunteered to venture to Hays to deliver shoeboxes full of gifts and...
The Valley County Search and Rescue, in partnership with the three local wrecker services (Thompson & Sons, Glenn’s Automotive and Hi-Line Collision), gave rides to 206 New Year’s Eve celebrants Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. According to Search and Rescue director Rob Brunelle, that number more than doubled the 2018 New Year’s celebration. As a result of the ride program, the Valley County DUI Task Force will donate $500 to Valley County Search and Rescue. According to Sheriff Tom Boyer, the program likely contributed to a New Year’s Eve that saw no...
The Glasgow City Council is expected to take up the issue of expanding the Glasgow Police Department’s arrest authority out five miles from the current city limits at their next regular meeting on Jan. 21. The measure, if approved, would add roughly 100 square miles to the current GPD coverage area. According to Chief of Police Brien Gault, the reasoning is to alleviate concerns the department and the city have regarding liability for Glasgow police officers. Gault asserts that as it stands now questions on the liability of officers could c...
A vehicle was riddled with bullet holes during the night of Jan. 5 or morning of Jan. 6, while it sat parked on the side of Highway 24 heading north towards Saint Marie about a half mile past mile marker 4, according to Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer. The owner of the vehicle was traveling along the highway when his tire went flat the evening of Jan. 5. After determining he would not be able to fix the vehicle he made his way home and upon returning the next morning found the car full of bullet...
Retiring Sheriff Verne Buerkle hadn't always wanted to be a cop. He just always was a cop. After sitting through a presentation from the then Glendive Chief of Police Gary Olson during his high school career day in Southeast Montana, Buerkle thought, "You know what, that's something I'd be interested in." That thought would translate into a 46-year long career in public service culminating in his being appointed Sheriff of Valley County in 2017. Initially, Buerkle enlisted in the Army in 1972...
The other day a gentleman came into the Courier to check out the archives. He had been coming in on and off for months looking for a certain article. He had a partial clip but no date. So, taking what information he did have he started combing through the countless pages of text in the general timeframe he thought the piece had been published. It took some time but he finally found the article and more, some dating back to the 1940s. Eventually, he would have copies of those pages recreated to keep for future generations as they provided backgr...
The Valley County Commissioners met at their normal weekly meeting last Wednesday, Dec. 12, to discuss, in addition to their normal business, plans to seek input from the public regarding future county-wide regulations on the operation of a medical marijuana dispensary inside the county but outside the numerous town and city limits. According to the discussion held at the meeting, the County had allowed a previous ordinance, which barred the open operation of a dispensary outside the home, lapsed some time ago and the County had not taken up th...
At their regular meeting Monday, Dec. 17, at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital, the Hospital Guild honored late member Rosalie Palazzo for her years of service to the guild and specifically for her initiation of the baby hat program. To honor Palazzo, the Guild unveiled a plaque featuring her photograph and a knit baby hat to memorialize her contributions. The Guild also donated a nursing chair to be placed in the nursery for all new parents to use. According to Guild members, Rosalie had...
The City of Glasgow has secured rural development funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to proceed with a plan to upgrade the city's water infrastructure. According to City Manager Robert Kompel, the plan will provide resources on upgrading equipment inside the water treatment plant, at pumping stations throughout Glasgow and the water line and at the intake station along the Missouri River. "This is the culmination of five years of effort to get this project going," said Kompel...
The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3107 of Glasgow honored students from Opheim, Hinsdale and Glasgow for their winning submissions to the Patriot's Pen and Voice of Democracy essay contests at a Christmas dinner last Thursday, Dec. 13 at the VFW Hall on Highway 2. The winner of the Patriot's Pen contest was Kodi Boone, of Hinsdale, and the runner-up finalists were Ellie Stone, of Glasgow, and Carrie Taylor, of Opheim. The Patriot's Pen essay focuses on service to democracy. On their website the...
The Soroptomist’s annual fundraiser, organized by Denise Forbes Kegel, to purchase winter clothing and outerwear for area children raised a record setting amount of money for the second year in a row. The fundraiser, which gets volunteers to stand on downtown street corners, took place last Friday, Dec. 7, and the temperature was forecast not to rise above 34 degrees. Despite the chilly day, Glasgow and the surrounding area brought in over $37,000, a record breaking total for the event. In 2017,...
The Glasgow Natural Resources Conservation Services District Conservationist Tracy Cumber and the Valley County Conservation District held a holiday open house at the United States Department of Agriculture Office in Glasgow on Dec. 10, to hear resource concerns from not only the elected members of the conservation district, but from area farmers and ranchers as well. Cumber explained that the open house was designed to hear from the local agriculture community about their resource concerns. Many of the topics discussed revolved around water...
By Mary Helland's recollection, for the first time in over at least 20 years a barber pole is spinning on Front Street and the first time in a few years an actual barber is again cutting hair and shaving faces in the Bonnie City. Shelbie Irvin, barber and owner of the newly minted Whistle Stop Barber Shop, has taken up residence in the old Stan's Saloon building on Front Street next to the Montana Bar. Helland has undertaken the monumental task of renovating the more than century old Stan's Salo...
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle told the Courier that Kory Amundson has been charged with Felony Arson, Burglary, Criminal Mischief and Criminal Trespass in connection with an early Sunday morning fire on Glasgow's southside. According to Buerkle, Amundson allegedly drove his truck onto the Montana Aviation Research Company's (MARCO) property on Sunday morning Dec. 2, at an unreported time and then hid in one of the structures. The vehicle was discovered and reported by company employees...
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Glasgow held their fourth annual Nativity Open House last week at their location on Airport Road. The event was open to the public for three days spanning from Wednesday the 28th through Friday the 30th. According to one of the event's many organizers Shelley Romo, they had on display over 280 nativities that spanned four rooms. "Our goal is to open every classroom we've got. If people are willing to bring them in and show them," explained Romo...
Valley County Sheriff Buerkle has reported that two county residents were killed in a car crash Nov. 23, when they were struck by a truck attempting to make an apparent U-turn on U.S. Highway 2 near the Highway 24 intersection. Buerkle stated that the driver of the car, 71-year-old Anthony Curley, was pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, 72-year-old Joan Swails, was transported to the hospital and died of her injuries that afternoon. The other vehicle contained a driver and passenger who were both transported to Frances Mahon Deaconess...
The 14th Annual Festival of Trees charity auction to support the local Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society was held Friday, Nov. 16 at the Glasgow Elks Club. Organizers for the event estimated that there were over 130 people in attendance and over 60 items were auctioned off, bringing in over $7,000 to go towards the charity. The evening featured a prime rib dinner catered by Terri Ellsworth and served by GHS volunteers. The rest of the evening contained laughs, jokes and much...
Valley County Undersheriff Alex Esteves and Glasgow Police Department Officer Tim Fisher recently returned from Las Vegas, where they represented Valley County and Montana at the International Law Enforcement Torch Run Convention. The two were selected to be two of 27 law enforcement officers from around the state to attend the event due to their volunteer work with the Law Enforcement Torch Run, Special Olympics and the Polar Plunge in Northeast Montana. According to Fisher and Esteves,...
