Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Editor's Note: Mary submitted this column on Aug. 25. It has been many years since I planted zucchini, and so I forgot how prolific they can be. Luckily, a small section of my brain flashed a warning so I only put in one plant. That single plant is doing its best to out-produce every other plant in my garden. I haven't foisted any onto friends (yet!), nor have I dropped any onto neighbors doorsteps or into unlocked cars on Front Street. I'm not saying that couldn't happen... This past week I mad...
It’s probably not on your calendar, but September is Life Insurance Awareness Month. And it’s indeed a pretty good idea to be aware of what life insurance can do for you. Life insurance can help you in two main ways. First, life insurance policies offer a death benefit that can assist your family if you’re no longer around. And second, some types of life insurance offer the chance to build cash value, which can work for you during your lifetime. Let’s look at the death benefit first. If something were to happen to you, your life insuran...
Aug. 30 We want to thank the families who have hosted the dorm students from before school began until the dorm parents, Mr. & Mrs. Jones Cumpios, are able to come from the Philippines. They have their papers and have been able to make the travel arrangements now. Principal Bob Burkhart welcomed the parents and community to the Aug. 25 at the opening program of LCHS. He introduced this year's theme "Walk Worthy," based on Colossians 1:10. It says, "That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully ple...
Aug. 24, 2024 High winds and sudden rains impeded harvest efforts this week. We got 4/10 of an inch on Tuesday, in time for busses to go on muddy roads for their first day of school. The temps were in the 90s. Wednesday, Aug. 21,, the schools began with a good enrollment, 42 students in Lustre Grade School and 36 in LCHS. I doubt that many of the grade school students were too excited to start school, and the kindergaten-grade two gave a hearty "NO" to my question if they were glad to be at...
During your working years, you know where your income is coming from because you’re working. But once you retire, you’ll have to identify your income sources, know how much you can expect from them and know how to manage them to help support a retirement that could last two or three decades. So, where will your retirement income come from? And what decisions will you need to make about these income sources? Consider the following: • Retirement accounts – If you’ve regularly contributed to an IRA and a 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retire...
Aug. 16, 2024 Smoke from the forest fires in western Montana and Wyoming came in behind the cool breeze on Wednesday evening so that the smoke was evident Thursday morning. Our skies have remained hazy. Wheat Harvest has begun. We can begin planning school clothes and Harvest Festivals. We extend many thanks to Ken Zerbe for coming to the aid of our area farmers needing combine repairs. Lustre Repair has been a blessing to our community for years, and we are so thankful. School for both LGS and LCHS begins Wednesday, Aug. 21. The teachers are...
It always seems like it’s the end of summer when all the young people head back to school. All of a sudden, the lazy care-free days of summer indolence turn into the fall frenzy, even though it isn’t really fall yet. There are still many weeks of outdoor-worthy weather to come. While I am looking forward to enjoying to cooler mornings and evenings, I’m definitely not looking forward to less sunlight/more darkness. Nor am I excited about actual cold weather. There’s so much that needs doing before that time arrives. We’ve had the fun of lots o...
As we transition from summer to autumn, change is all around us — leaves are taking on new colors, temperatures are dropping, and the days are getting shorter. But you can also experience different seasons in various aspects of your life — including when you invest. What are the seasons of an investor’s life? And how should you respond to them? The first such season may happen when you are in your 20s and just starting out in the working world. At this stage in your life, it’s especially important to prioritize your financial goals. At the top...
The school year will soon be here. And if you have young children, you’re one year closer to the day when they may be headed off to college. When that day arrives, will you be financially prepared? College isn’t cheap. For the 2023–24 academic year, the average cost — including tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transportation and other expenses — was nearly $29,000 for in-state students at four-year public colleges and universities, and about $60,000 for private schools, according to the College Board. Most students do get some type of f...
It's that time of year again when farmers are trying to harvest their crops. (Well, this has been going on for a while now, which is why I say my warning is tardy.) This means that there will be huge slow-moving pieces of equipment and machinery sharing the highways and roads with you. And when I say slow, I mean anywhere from 10 to 25 miles per hour. When you're driving 70 mph, you can come up on that combine/grain cart/hay baler very quickly. If you see the flashing hazard lights ahead of...
The harvest in Lustre is going full swing, and folks are enjoying the last two weeks of summer holidays for their students. The immediate family of the late Albert Wall travelled to Jordan Valley, Idaho, to attend the last Sunday service of their brother Roger's Pastorate of two very rural churches on Aug 4. Forty eight years ago, the Lustre E.M.B. commissioned Roger and Terry Wall, with American Sunday School Union as missionaries after he completed studies at Multnomah School of the Bible, in...
Temperatures were 103-106 degrees in Lustre on July 22, and hit 100 or more every day, coming down to 90 degrees on Thursday evening, and 75 degrees by Friday. What a welcome relief! July 31, it is 95 degrees and fields are ripe as the pea harvest is in progress. We extend our condolences to the Bill Johnson family of Circle, and the Haber families in the passing of Marian (Haber) Johnson on July 9, 2024. Marian was one of 12 students to graduate from LCHS in the class of 1965. Lustre Christian High School was a beehive of activity on July 29...
Do you worry about running out of money during your retirement years? If so, how can you help prevent this from happening? In the first place, if you have this type of fear, you’re far from alone. Consider this: 58 percent of retirement savers from all age groups, including current retirees, say that outliving their assets is their greatest retirement fear, according to a study by Cerulli Associates, a financial services research organization. This type of fear can certainly affect your quality of life when you retire. Still, there’s no nee...
We’ve enjoyed a brief respite from the heat this past week. In fact, some of us were feeling chilled at a balmy 70°, with that slight breeze and a few sprinkles Sunday. (I’m some people.) But having a high below 107° for fair entry day was unexpectedly nice. (I’m projecting here, as this column was penned last Sunday. I was contemplating actually entering a few items after many years of not getting to town on entry day. I’ll be in town all of that day, so I might gather enough items to make filling out entry forms worthwhile.) The garden is com...
All the visiting family members have gone home, so I’m trying to catch up with all the garden and yard chores that were ignored these past couple of weeks. Of course, there’s extra bedding and towels to be washed, dried, folded and put away. The last load of sheets are in the dryer as I write this. They’ll be ready for the next onslaught of family, who arrive early in August. These past few days of cooler weather are greatly appreciated. It’s easier to work outside for longer periods of time. The netting I’d planned to use to protect my peas f...
The movement of the financial markets can seem mysterious — and yet, if we look back over long periods, we can see definite patterns that consistently repeat themselves. As an investor, how should you respond to these market cycles? To begin with, it’s useful to know something about the nature of a market cycle and its connection to the business or economic cycle, which describes the fluctuations of the economy between periods of growth and contraction. Issues such as employment, consumer spending, interest rates and inflation can determine the...
Submitted July 24, 2024 Tornado warnings were issued at 6:47 p.m. on Friday July 12, for the northeast Montana, including Lustre, Larslan, Opheim, Richland and points east. Several of our Lustre Grade School children live up in those areas. The tornado path centered near a farm located around five miles southeast of Baylor where smaller sections of roofs came off the smaller out buildings. According to the Iowa Environmental Mesonet of Iowa, an EF Tornado with peak winds of 80-85 miles per...
I’ll confess to being in a slight state of the doldrums. What does that mean? According to the Oxford Languages, it is “a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression.” If you go to NOAA, it’s a nautical term for the equatorial belt where the winds don’t blow and so sailing ships get “stuck.” Merriam Webster says the meaning is “a spell of listlessness or despondency.” I’m at the stage of inactivity or listlessness, at least as far as it pertains to getting a column written! I’m sure, if you regularly read my scribblings, you’ve n...
Like most Americans, you will probably take on debt at some point in your life. And by managing debt wisely, you can potentially improve your saving and spending habits – and even your ability to invest for the future. Let’s look at some of the common options available for borrowing and using credit: • Credit card – When used carefully – and not over-used – a credit card can be a valuable tool, especially if you travel frequently. Many people tend to stick with the same credit card without exploring what else is out there. Try to find a card...
When drawing up your estate plans, you might find it useful to create a revocable or irrevocable trust, either of which can help your estate avoid probate court and give you significant control over how and when your assets are distributed. But who should oversee your trust? As the person who established the trust — known as the “grantor” or “settlor” — you can also namea yourself as trustee. However, this may not be the best move, particularly if the trust is irrevocable. An irrevocable trust protects the assets in the trust from creditors a...
Temperatures at Lustre were in the upper 90’s this week, and thankfully cooled down in the evening somewhat. Sunsets were beautiful. A farewell service was held by the Lustre Community Bible on Sunday morning, July 7, for Dan and Melissa Marasco and their family. They have been part of Lustre for 14 years and Dan served as chairman of the board for Beacon Bible Camp, was a Bible teacher the past 14 years and music teacher for both schools this past year. His Bible teaching was akin to being able to attend Bible College, and very much a...
Vacation Bible School was held at the Opheim Community Church on July 10-12. The theme for the Bible School was "I Am A Friend of God." The children have learned about ordinary men who were friends with the King of the Universe! This was an Inspiration for their "everyday" lives. An "ice cream social" climaxed the event on Friday afternoon....
You can’t predict financial emergencies — but you can prepare for them. To do that, you can build an emergency fund to pay for unexpected expenses, some of which may be sizable. Without one, you might be forced to dip into your investments, possibly including your retirement accounts, such as your IRA or 401(k). If this happens, you might have to pay taxes and penalties, and you’d be withdrawing dollars that could otherwise be growing over time to help pay for your retirement. In thinking about such a fund, consider these questions: • How muc...
Beacon Bible Camp had 70 students (45 girls and 25 guys) for Junior High Camp July 23-28. Speakers were Brad Spalding and Dan Hovestal of Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, Minn. Their messages were on "seeing the world clearly, judging the world accurately and retaking areas as needed. Brad Spalding works with the camp program at Oak Hills Christian College and Dan Hovestal and his wife are parents of eight, including five foster children. Melissa Marasco led the girls' Bible Studies and...
It doesn’t pay to leave your garden for two weeks at the end of June. The weeds thought to act like mice do when the cat’s away. They’ve run riot out there. I’m sorry to see the plants I wanted to grow seem to not have that same desire to thrive. Don’t get me wrong: they’re all still growing, but… There’s a reason we have the saying “growing like a weed.” I missed out on seeing all my purple iris in full bloom. The Shasta daisies on the north side of the house are vigorously blooming, but the ones to the east of the yard (mostly volunteers)...
