Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Glasgow Police Department's victim witness specialists Margaret Henry and Jewel Etherington have been the shoulder to lean on, the ear to listen and the rock in northeast Montana this year for victims and witnesses of crime. Etherington, who has been in the position since July, and Henry, who has been in the position since October, currently serve Phillips, Valley, Daniels, Sheridan and until recently Roosevelt County, in helping those who have been affected by crime, whether it's providing reso...
Every year health providers around the state are nominated for the Dr. Frank Newman Rural Health Award and this year, amidst a global pandemic that has asked a lot of healthcare providers, was no different. In honor of National Rural Health Day, held Nov. 19, the Montana Office of Rural Health/AHEC and Montana Rural Health Association requested nominations for the award and this year, Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital’s very own Dr. Anne Millard and Dr. Gordon Bell were recognized for their commitment to rural health. Dr. Millard was one of t...
On Dec. 8 major news outlets reported that President-elect Joe Biden had selected former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to return to that role, leading the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Earlier rumors and speculation on the position favored former N.D. Senator Heidi Heitkamp and Congresswoman Marcia Fudge. Fudge has since been selected to lead Housing and Urban Development. Reporting had said that Vilsack was backing Heitkamp for the position and Politico Pro reports that Vilsack was reluctant to return to his former role, which he held...
Senator Jon Tester (D) introduced a bill last month with Senator Deb Fischer, Neb., that seeks to improve safety at rural train crossings. As of right now, railroad crossing arms are only installed at locations where a road is wide enough for two vehicles. A second bill to address the dangers of parked trains on highway-railroad crossings was also introduced by the same two senators. Valley County has reported two cases of vehicle-train collisions this year at rural crossings. The first occurred on July 18 in Hinsdale at the crossing with...
Ex-Valley County undersheriff Luke Strommen was sentenced to 40 years in the Montana State Prison on Dec. 8 for the crime of repeatedly raping a 14-year-old girl. Missoula District Judge John Larson handed down the sentence while allowing for the possibility of parole after ten years served. Strommen was found guilty after a jury trial found that he had initiated a non-consensual sexual relationship with the victim when she was 14 and that he continued raping her for years while as a Valley...
The Valley CARE (Coordination, Accessibility, Resources and Education) Coalition hosted a free QPR Suicide Prevention training by Frederick Lee on Dec. 4, at the Glasgow Evangelical Church. The event was attended by members of Youth Dynamics, Hi-Line Homes and First Lutheran Church, personnel from Glasgow Schools in addition to individual community members. QPR, which stands for question, persuade, refer, trains individuals to become gatekeepers, individuals who know how to recognize the warning sides of suicide, know how to offer open...
The number of deaths in Valley County caused by COVID-19 rose to eight last week as cases climbed to nearly 600 confirmed infected with the coronavirus. According to the Valley County Health Departmen.t there were 41 active cases in the area as of Dec. 7. Of the 599 total cases reported, 550 had recovered and eight had passed away as of Dec. 1. Accompanying the Dec. 1 weekly report on countywide COVID cases, the Health Department added, “A man in his 50s and a man in his 70s have died from COVID-19 and its complications. These two men are l...
New Year’s Day is right around the corner and 2021 cannot arrive soon enough. One of the reasons many are looking forward to ringing in the new year is the legalization of recreational marijuana. At 12:01 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2021, Montana adults over 21 will be able to send 2020 up in smoke, legally. Montana voters in November approved Initiative 190, which legalized recreational marijuana, and Constitutional Initiative 118, which amends the state constitution to set the legal age of cannabis consumption at 21. Approximately 60 percent of M...
Montana’s COVID-19 numbers dropped last week with the long holiday weekend, with one day of reporting showing fewer than 400 cases. Health experts across the nation, however, are predicting a surge of new cases in the upcoming weeks as people return to normal routines from travel and holiday get-togethers without quarantining. If persons do not quarantine, it is highly recommended that they stay home if exhibiting any signs of illness. The most recent update for Valley County from the Health Department was posted on Nov. 27. That update s... Full story
The fantasy of the holiday season leans toward the illusion of perfection. Picture gatherings in a home decorated with an artistic flair; the table with food prepared using the techniques of a world-renowned chef; or turbulent family gatherings with never a harsh word uttered. However, reality is that while this season is meant to bring feelings of love and cheer, it also means holiday stress for many. Some look forward to the holiday season with enthusiasm while others dread the last months of the year. There are dreams, hopes, emotions and...
The Glasgow High School Student Council members hosted the Remembrance Tree Lighting Ceremony which honors passed loved ones and those serving in the United States Military. Keevan Sibley welcomed guests and introduced Pastor Todd Wright who addressed the crowd. Students then read through the list of names of those remembered and honored by community members who purchased light bulbs for the trees in front of the museum. Refreshments were served after everyone joined in singing "Silent Night."...
Less than 24 hours after the Valley County Board of Health issued an updated health order tightening COVID-mitigating measures in the county, Governor Bullock further tightened his own health measures limiting business capacities and decreasing crowd sizes at almost all events and venues. The governor’s order issued on Nov. 17, will limit capacity in bars, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, and casinos, limits public gatherings to 25 individuals where social distancing is not possible, and requires face coverings in all counties r... Full story
The Valley County Community Pool Campaign blew past the $1,000,000 mark in the middle of November thanks to a generous grain donation through our bushel drive program! This comes a month after the committee had another successful fundraising event. The Wine & Charcuterie drive-by event at the fairgrounds raised $20,670 between selling raffle tickets, an online mini-auction, and matching funds received. Interstate Engineering completed the preliminary site survey and base map over the summer. They are now working on the preliminary design...
Many people browse the Black Friday sales and decide the holidays are a good time to upgrade their televisions, computers, laptops, cell phones, etc. These new purchases replace older versions, which are then either thrown away or placed out of sight, out of mind in the house. Glasgow resident and owner/operator of Glasgow Montana Recycling Adam Hooper has teamed up with the Valley County Landfill to help recycle those outdated and unwanted electronics not only for the holiday season but beyond. At the Valley County Landfill there is a new,...
The walls of Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital will have a new addition in the near future due to a generous donation from a local artist. At the end of October, St. Marie resident and artist Leith DeWeese donated nine pieces in honor of her late husband, Jerry DeWeese, who passed away last December. The artwork will be displayed throughout the building including patient rooms, waiting rooms and hallways. The pieces will also be rotated with the existing artwork already on display in order to ens...
The Valley County Health Board passed an updated health order on Nov. 16 expanding on orders issued by the governor of Montana and tightening COVID-19-prevention restrictions on crowd sizes regardless of setting, ability to social distance and whether the venue is outdoors. The order came after four public meetings spanning more than a month. In each meeting public comments, updates from local health care institutions, government and businesses dragged out a debate about what the county could do to curb what, in October, appeared to be a... Full story
There have been over 700 opioid overdose fatalities in Montana since 2000. Many of those deaths were not the result of illicit drugs, but rather due to the use of prescription drugs for pain. In response, the state has sought to field overdose-reversing drugs and put them in the hands of EMTs, law enforcement and care providers to prevent those deaths. One way Valley County is doing this is through a grant administered by the Valley County Care Coalition that funds training and prescriptions...
The Valley County Sheriff is reporting part-time Valley County resident Carl Mann drowned the morning of Nov. 20 after falling through the ice covering the Trout Pond near Fort Peck, Mont. He was 71 years old. Sheriff Tom Boyer told the Courier, Mann was out hunting when his dog traveled out onto the ice and fell through. After the dog was unable to self-rescue, Mann attempted to retrieve the dog and fell through the ice as well. After several failed attempts to rescue the dog and himself, Mann eventually succumbed to the cold and slipped...
The Valley County Board of Health was planning to release a local public health order in response to continued upticks in positive coronavirus cases in the county. The mandate was set to be released Monday, Nov. 9 (as of press time the draft had not been published), for public comment ahead of the BOH meeting, which will be held at 5:15 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, via Zoom. KLTZ should also be broadcasting the meeting for their listeners, per an email from Executive Director Clay Berger. The public health order seeks to limit social gatherings to...
A pair of lawsuits filed in Federal Court in Great Falls in early November allege Valley County failed to act in protecting the then-underage victims of ex-Undersheriff and convicted sex offender Luke Strommen when he sexually abused and raped them while on duty as a Valley County Sheriff’s Deputy. The two women, now adults, filed separate lawsuits through the same attorneys last week seeking to hold Valley County responsible for what they see as a failure to protect them. The complaints stated that the county should have been aware that Stromm...
Sherri Turner's decades-long career at the Valley County Sheriff's Office is coming to a close this November after Turner announced her retirement earlier in the year. When she leaves her job as the VCSO administrative assistant this month she will have worked a total of 37 years for the county and served a total of seven different sheriffs-starting with Dan Taylor and ending with current Sheriff Tom Boyer. Turner had never intended to end up in Valley County. She was originally from Omaha,...
