Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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"It's everyday and all year for Santa," Santa Claus said. It was going to be a long day, but there will certainly be some magic in the air as he worked through. He took a quick look at his hair and beard in the mirror. Time to strap on his boots and striped socks and get ready for his big debut. He left behind the big red coat and heavy clothes, because that's for traveling the world in one day, not for the bright lights of the camera. Santa Claus spent a few hours prepping the day before with... Full story
There won’t be any huge celebrations marking one year. No balloons, no flowers, no parties, only a silent passing of the one year anniversary since Valley County took over the Wokal Field Glasgow International Airport. While the airport is out of sight, out of mind for most of the local community, the economic impact is big enough it can be felt. There hasn’t been a recent economic impact study on the local airport, but the most recent one finished in 2012 estimates statewide airports provide 18,800 jobs, have over $600 million in payroll and...
It all started with a story. Prayer Circles by Mark Batterson. He never even finished the book before he was ready for a challenge. Something that even he, himself, thought was a little crazy. He was set to walk all the way around the perimeter of the United States. Randy Montgomery wasn't dissatisfied from life completely. He'd been a manager at a cement plant and a logging trucker for many years. But at the age of 62 he found himself feeling like there had to be something more to life. He has...
News releases sent out cited the Montana Lands Bill Agreement as historic. The announcement came Dec. 3 and caused some confusion as it was included in the National Defense Authorization Act. Sen. Jon Tester, Sen. John Walsh and U.S. Rep. Steve Daines all stood by the legislative package that included eight Montana-based lands and resource bills. While that agreement doesn't seem to have any direct impact on Eastern Montanans, information is still being released on the agreement. The package included changes in the Rocky Mountain Front...
New opportunity will come with new classes and new classrooms in the next school year. One local teacher has been spearheading the efforts to bring a program to Glasgow that will encourage students to look at future careers in engineering, technology and design. Jim Stone, who has been teaching at the Glasgow High School, is getting ready to make his move into the middle school next year. He's been chipping away at boxes and gathering equipment and supplies that will be needed for the new STEM... Full story
Glasgow may be a step ahead on improving infrastructure compared to other Eastern Montana communities that are in need to get ahead of the curve. The city finished up their wastewater treatment plant upgrades in 2013 and began to pursue upgrades to the water treatment plant in the last year. Those plans moved a step forward in funding. Jeremy Perlinski from Morrison-Maierle explained to the city council that the grant applications had been accepted. The $500,000 TSEP (Treasure State Endowment...
Constituents of Eastern Montana had a chance to speak to three legislative representatives about issues they are interested in during the upcoming legislative season. Business owners, ranchers, school representatives and other interested parties showed at Farm Equipment Sales (FES) on Tuesday, Dec. 16, up to ask questions and get to know those who would be representing this side of the state this upcoming year. Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen, Representative Mike Lang and Senator John...
A Glasgow native has been making trips up to the area as a civil engineer with plans to develop some land just outside Glasgow city limits. Travis West made an appearance at the Valley County Commissioners meeting to get subdivision plans accepted on Skylark Road. West showed commissioners areas of easement and access road to five lots plotted out near the Ridge Runners Saddle Club building. Some issues on conditions were discussed and the possible need for the property owner to deal with drainage issues on one lot were worked out. Language...
It's been around long enough that some of the locals might take it for granted. But public transit in rural areas is often a struggle in small communities across the nation. Next month will mark 40 years since Valley County Transit began their journey. While the program has made many changes over the last four decades, recent times haven't seen many large changes. Manager of Valley County Transit and Daniels County Transportation Colleen Pankratz explained that the biggest change that Valley... Full story
The city council has approved the bid for a downtown revitalization plan from Land Solutions, LLC. At $12,000, it was the lowest bid. Other bids that came in were at $20,000 and higher. Land Solutions' proposal outlined working with the city staff and the planning board committee to strategize public participation and finish a plan to approach the project proposal. The public will be included to gather trends and gather issues and priorities. Other key efforts will involve zoning, streetscapes and reviewing historical information of previous...
By Bonnie Davidson The Courier The annual Skywarn Radio event took place this weekend at the National Weather Service in Glasgow. They started broadcasting around 5 p.m. Friday and continued through Saturday at 5 p.m. It sounded a little like a foreign language as they made ham radio calls out to other stations all over the country. Their goal was to reach as many as they could in 24-hour period as part of this storm spotter program. A few veterans and a few first time amateurs were spotted during the event. Scotty Gray, who has been using ham...
This was the second year the Glasgow School District offered the Class C Showcase, allowing Class C schools to preview their basketball teams. Activities Directer Brenner Flaten told the Glasgow School Board that the district collected around $6,200 from gate fees, the first day paying for the officials. Concessions collected $3,000 from the two-day event. The Tourism Business Improvement District offered outside schools eight complimentary rooms at local hotels. The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and the National Guard also kicked in funds for...
With a busy legislative season only a few weeks away, legislators are gearing up for mountains of paperwork to read and several bills to review. Constituents in Eastern Montana will have a chance to talk with their legislators before the session next week as Montana Senator John Brendan, Representative Mike Lang and Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen stop by Farm Equipment Sales next week. Sarah Swanson Partridge of FES said that the event is open to anyone who wants to talk about issues that might be coming up in the legislative session, and...
One Forsyth family had a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day. Their 14-year-old son, Marcus Rothwell, was lost overnight during a hunting trip that brought them to the Timber Creek area, near Wyatt Coulee and Plum Creek. Valley County Undershefiff Vern Buerkle said a large group effort in the county helped search for the boy. Search and rescue, the sheriff's office, hunters, community members, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, BLM, emergency medical services and a search dog all put efforts in to recover the boy. Marcus was to meet up with his...
As the year winds down to an end, voters are already putting elections behind them and looking toward those getting ready to take office. But campaign funding records are open to the public for disclosure, and funds raised went toward radio ads, print ads, window decals and signs to promote the local candidates. The funds collected totaled nearly $18,800 in Valley County. That doesn't include some of the personal contributions from the candidates themselves. Most of the final reports have been filed for funding, but a few still may turn in the...
The Glasgow City Council met and approved to pay back water customers over the next six months after a glitch in software was found by the auditors that made their visit in November. The software was unable to convert cubic feet and gallons. The glitch only made pennies in a difference in Glasgow City billing, but over a year it added up. A total of $38,120.16 is owed and will be credited to both commercial and residential customers, just over $15,450 is owed to commercial users, the leftover $22,668 going toward residents who hooked up to...
The Valley County courthouse had visits from the auditors recently. Their responses came in with some minor suggestions. The full report is usually available after the the New Year. The auditors suggested segregated collections and budgets for the airport, refuse and weed departments. They also suggested that they consider taking a supply inventory so the county can track property and items. Another suggestion was that formal financial procedures and policies be made for the county's fair board and the health department. The county...
Family, food and football are American traditions for Thanksgiving. As residents may be heading out of town for festivities this year, they might want to make extra preparations as two storms make their way through the state this week. According to AAA, more than 46 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving dinner this year and with the average price of gas dropping below the $3 a gallon mark, it's probably a safe bet that holiday travel will increase this year. AAA stated that this will be the highest travel volume for the holiday since...
You might see students from Glasgow High School, Soroptimist members and other various members of businesses and organizations standing in the intersections downtown Glasgow on Friday, Dec. 5. It's a 50-year tradition for the community to rally for funds to help provide clothing for children. The tradition started with the Glasgow Jaycees, a fraternal organization that accepted men between the ages of 21-35. The group had various projects throughout the year that helped the community. In 1960... Full story
It was a day for Montana's history books. While the topic is still controversial and will likely face another battle in court, U.S. District Court of Montana Judge Brian Morris ruled in favor of four same-sex couples who were suing for marriage on Wednesday, Nov. 19. His decision led to several marriages in the last week of same sex couples celebrating the decision. Yellowstone County saw some of the first marriages in the state for same-sex couples. It also had some controversy as a few clerks refused to marry couples, but they were told by a...
With altercations involving police and civilians making headlines nationwide, perhaps Glasgow is a few steps ahead of the curve. Glasgow Police Chief Bruce Barstad explained that while the department has been using cameras for several years, they have also embraced body cams. Car cameras have been used for years here. They can help during traffic stops and other situations, but often the quality of video and audio can leave something to be desired. The department has also used other versions of a body cam in the last three or four years, along...
It's been roughly over two decades since Glasgow lost its Christmas tree located downtown. The tree used to sit in the middle of the street on 2nd Ave. S and 4th St. S. A manhole was uncovered and a pot the city created to place the tree in helped hold the tree in place. The tree brought some of that holiday cheer and Christmas spirit to shoppers, pedestrians and workers as they traveled through the downtown area. "It was just a tree stuck in a hole every year," Dan Carney, previous mayor of... Full story
The Tri-Agency Drug Force and the Valley County Sheriff's Office reported that they made a bust after an intense investigation came to a close on Monday, Nov. 10. After a search warrant was conducted at 587 BIA Route 1, the task force located Shon Wilcox, who had approximately 4.5 pounds of pot, methamphetamine, prescription pills and numerous paraphernalia items that were located in a camper, utility trailer and a pickup. The estimated street value of drugs was in excess of $20,000. Wilcox, 45, was charged with four felony criminal possession...
The highly charged debate surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline, which could heavily impact Valley County, found approval and rejection in a week's time. Last week on Friday, Nov. 14, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill of approval for the pipeline, 252 to 161. Rep. Steve Daines stated in a release that it took Canada seven months to pass the pipeline and it has taken the U.S. Senate and President Barrack Obama six years to move forward. Incoming Rep. Ryan Zinke stated that the president has been putting politics before the needs of...
It's been a local tradition that has continued to grow. The thought that started it all was, why couldn't we do this in Glasgow? The Festival of Trees for Relay For Life will bring locals in and kick off the holiday season this weekend. Creative tree décor will line the room at the Glasgow Elks Club. The prime rib dinner and auction will take place on Friday, Nov. 21, from 6-8 p.m. Tickets have already been selling for the event. For those who just want to take a peak at what quirky themes were created, the trees are open for public viewing on...
