Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Jan. 10, 2025 Wednesday afternoon began a number of bad weather days, with rain freezing to the gravel, as well as making slick highways. Friday’s forecast wasn’t very good for the Dodson commute for basketball or Circle coming here Saturday. From 5 p.m. this afternoon to Sunday 5 a.m., “mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations up to four inches and ice accumulations around a light glaze. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph.” This is according to the Winter Weather Advisory. Monday brought a snow and Tuesday was foggy all day. Lu...
Arnold promised in at least one of his movies, “I’ll be back,” and so we are. We spent the last couple weeks of last year at our daughter’s home outside Tampa. We also spent most of the first week of 2025 down there. While we avoided some of the nasty weather Montana serves up, we’ve been home long enough to witness freezing rains and the resulting icy roads. I’m glad we weren’t driving back from Billings on the ice in the winds! Before you think about suffering a bit of jealousy, the weather was not the usual heat we’ve had while there. It...
It’s widely thought that home ownership is a key to building wealth — but is it? And should you consistently make sacrifices to buy your own home? Let’s start with the first question: Is owning a home essential to building wealth? It would probably be more accurate to say that home ownership can be helpful in building wealth. Building home equity — essentially, the difference between the size of your home’s value and what you still owe — is certainly valuable. Plus, the bigger your equity, the less you might have to take out in a new mortgag...
Now that the calendar has flipped, it’s time for some New Year’s resolutions. You could decide you’re going to exercise more, lose weight, learn a new skill, reconnect with old friends — the possibilities are almost limitless. This year, why not add a few financial resolutions to your list? Here are a few to consider: • Reduce your debts. It may be easier said than done, but if you can cut down on your debt load, you’ll increase your cash flow and have more money available to invest for your future. So, look for ways to lower your expenses an...
Jan. 3, 2024 After a mild week before Christmas, it has turned cold, hovering at -10 at night. Florence Marie Unrau Chalmers passed away Dec. 30, in Billings, Mont., with family by her side. No services have yet been planned. She graduated from LCHS in the class of 1955. We extend our condolences to her family from Lustre, Gerry (Bonnie) Unrau of Lustre, and Eldon (Elaine) Unrau of Billings, and Arden (Darlene) Unrau of Enumclaw, Wash. Steve Trimble has returned from Spain where he spent a week...
Have you ever thought about how much you have to protect? Between your family, your finances, your independence and your legacy, it can be quite a lot — and that’s why it’s important to have the right protection plan in place. Let’s look at these areas of need and some possible protection solutions: • Protecting your income – An injury or severe illness could prevent you from working for some time. And if that happened, your family’s finances could become strained. To help guard against this possibility, you may want to consider disability in...
Dec. 27 Those who come home for Christmas look forward to attending the EMB Christmas Program. This year it was Sunday night, Dec 22. The prelude, by Virgil Rauch, Brad Traeholt, Karen Fast and Eileen Traeholt, included “C is for the Christ-Child,” “We Three Kings” and “Star of the East.” Pastor Hathaway welcomed everyone, inviting them to sing “Silent Night.” An offering was taken that was divided between Beacon Bible Camp and the Awana Program. The offertory, “In The Bleak Mid-Winter” was played beautifully by Troy Toavs, LCHS grad who is a N...
If you’re a business owner, you’re always thinking about the days ahead. What can I do to boost sales in the next year? What trends should I be watching? What’s the forecast for my industry? But there’s one element of the future you might be overlooking: your retirement plan. Consider these advantages of establishing a retirement plan for your business: • You’ll build resources for your retirement. You might sell your business one day, but can you count on that to fund your retirement? By investing in a retirement plan for many years, you...
Christmas break is here, beginning Friday, Dec, 20, to Jan. 5. Classes in both schools resumes Jan. 6. The EMB Church program was Dec 22, at 6 p.m. The LCHS basketball teams put on a powerful show for their first home game of the season on Thursday evening against Nashua. Highlights were Lauren Holzrichter's bucket at the buzzer, Kayden Charette's three, after the starters were taken out, three pointers by both teams, with good defense as well as offense. We got to see some of the younger...
Dec. 13 We have had some spectacular starlight nights, and a challenging blizzard on Sunday night, Dec 8. Those who braved the storm to get to the MB Church were in for a very good program. Sarah Brown played “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” in prelude, and Superintendent of the Sunday School, Tom Brown welcomed people. An Offering was taken for the benefit of Beacon Bible Camp. The two-four year olds (Blakely Garner, Jace Garner, Lake Neufeld, Marcus Nell, Alistair Olfert, Annabelle Olfert, Chloe Pancratz, Kash Pankratz, Calvin Ortmann, Zach Ste...
You may spend many decades contributing to your IRA and 401(k), but eventually you will likely need to take the money out — in fact, you must take the money out or face penalties. What should you know about these mandatory withdrawals? Here are some of the basics: • What are they called? Mandatory withdrawals are technically called required minimum distributions, or RMDs. • When must I take RMDs? If you were born before 1951, you’ve probably already begun taking RMDs. If you were born between 1951 and 1959, your RMD age is 73. And if you were b...
I’ve always loved eating pomegranates, and look forward to the fall when I can buy them again. Years ago, around this time of year, our youngest was still in college a few states away. She phoned home and excitedly asked, “Guess what I found in the grocery store?” It being prime pomegranate season, I answered, just as excitedly, “Pomegranates!” Dawn responded that my answer was totally random as well as wrong. I don’t remember what she’d found that was so exciting, but defended my response with the observation that “Screwdrivers...
As we enter the holiday season, your life may well become busier. Still, you might want to take the time to consider some financial moves before we turn the calendar to 2025. Here are a few suggestions: • Review your investment portfolio. As you look at your portfolio, ask these questions: Has its performance met my expectations this year? Does it still reflect my goals, risk tolerance and time horizon? Do I need to rebalance? You might find that working with a financial professional can help you answer these and other questions you may have a...
We have reached the age where our children have taken over the reins of hosting the Thanksgiving feast. (It actually happened a few years ago, I just hadn’t really remarked on it.) It’s great. The past few years we’ve joined our Glasgow daughter and enjoyed non-traditional meals. Gwendolyne is a great hunter, and so we’ve enjoyed duck and venison (Dennis had cow-meat). Other guests have provided other dishes. I’m remembering flan as well as biscuits made using cottage cheese, as well as fresh bread. The year we travelled to Plano, Ill., whi...
Monday evening 35-40 ladies enjoyed a night of inspiration at the MB Ladies Christmas party, complete with a meal and gift exchange. Lisa Neufeld began the evening with games and “seeing Jesus in little things.” Melissa Cumpio sang “Bethlehem Morning” including the words “Jerusalem, He prays for you. He did not come to you in vain. His moving arms are open wide for you and He will come again. Bethlehem Morning is more than just a memory, for the Child that was born has come to set us free.” Jeanne Matthyser shared her story, beginning in Pretor...
At different times, inflation may be high or low, but, except in those rare periods of deflation, it’s always with us. During your working years, when you may receive boosts in your salary, you at least have the potential to keep up with inflation — but what happens when you retire? As a retiree, what can you do to cope with the rising cost of living? Here are a few suggestions: • Keep some growth potential in your investment portfolio. During your retirement years, you may want to move your portfolio toward a somewhat more conservative appro...
Nov. 22 The Highways had near white out conditions when meeting traffic Friday evening, with the swirling snowfall of 4-5 inches. Welcome to winter, folks! A few schedule changes: The LCHS Christmas concert will be held Dec. 3, at the High School gym at 7 p.m. The Lustre Grade School Christmas program begins at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 5. at the Grade School gym. The Drama Department of the LCHS will present an original play entitled “The Lost Travelor” at 7 p.m. at the LGS gym. The MB Church community Christmas party was at 6:30 Monday, Dec. 2 with t...
The title of this column might as well be my new moniker. I've been guilty of this before, and I'm sure will be again at some point. I struggle with technology: just ask Dennis! I got a new iPhone recently and it took days to get my email accounts back up and running. We haven't yet recovered all my texting history. Dennis will get after me: "Did you update your phone?" Of course, I'm rarely aware there are updates available. Now I'm not sure if it was him or me that allowed automatic updates,...
As we enter the annual season of giving, you might be thinking of charities you wish to support. But you also might be wondering how to gain some tax benefits from your gifts. It used to be pretty straightforward: You wrote a check to a charity and then deducted the amount of the gift, within limits, from your taxes. But a few years ago, as part of tax law changes, the standard deduction was raised significantly, so fewer people were able to itemize deductions. Consequently, there was less financial incentive to make charitable gifts. Of...
Nov. 15 A Meet-and-Greet wedding reception was held at the home of Pastor Frank and Debbie Lenihan on Nov. 9, for their oldest son, First Lieutenant Timothy and Annika Lenihan. A good number of folks came to congratulate them. Timothy is on active duty with the Army National Guards, stationed in Billings. His wife is an RN, beginning to work at Billings Clinic. She was from Bozeman, and they met at a wedding! They were married Oct. 11, on the top of a mountain in Red Lodge. We thank them for...
The individual retirement account (IRA) is celebrating its golden anniversary. Created in 1974, this savings vehicle has helped millions of people build resources for retirement. And in 1997, the Roth IRA was introduced. But which IRA is right for you? Let’s look at the basic differences between the two IRAs. With a traditional IRA, you generally invest pretax dollars, so the more you put in, the lower your taxable income. Your earnings grow tax deferred, meaning you pay no taxes on them until you start taking withdrawals. (If you take withdraw...
Editor's Note: As a result of a technology snafu, Mary Honrud's Green Spaces columns have not been published in the Glasgow Courier for a few weeks even though they were emailed. Below are three of Mary's columns that were not published. Oct. 6 – Temporary Respite While we have had a few frosts up here, north of the Middle of Nowhere, the summer-like afternoons have been most enjoyable. We do know those days are numbered. Dennis and I have taken advantage of a few of those nice days to get in s...
We all hope to enjoy long, healthy lives, retaining the ability to think clearly and make our own decisions. But life doesn’t always work out that way — which is why you need to prepare for a potential incapacity that could affect your independence and possibly create financial problems for your family. So, in thinking about incapacity planning, you may want to consider the following arrangements: • Health care power of attorney – When you establish a health care power of attorney, you name someone, such as a spouse or adult child, to make me...
Nov. 8 Rain turned into snow Tuesday evening, making the highways treacherous most of the way to Wolf Point Wednesday for those who needed to travel. How thankful we can be that people could get in to vote on this most important day in American history, to attend activities and finish fall duties of the farm-work. It is windy, but a clear 56 at bus time. Dhana Olfert, daughter of Ron and Etta Olfert, married Vernon Hayden on Saturday, Oct. 26, in a beautiful outdoor fall wedding near the river of her brother, Caleb (Rebecca) Olfert’s farm ...
Like most of us, you may someday want to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Your ability to achieve this goal will depend on how much you save — but it also matters how much you spend. And saving and spending are certainly related: The more you can reduce your spending, the more money you could have available to save for retirement through your IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. Over many years, even relatively small amounts diverted from spending to saving and investing could add up substantially. How can you go a...
