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 was, by all accounts, a beautiful day on May 20. Temps had soared into the 80s, the dew point was high and the wind was low. So, Joe Simmons decided to take his dogs for some exercise. He had just returned at about 9:15 p.m., put the dogs in the kennel and went to go inside. Just about the time he was putting his hand on the garage doorknob to open the door, he heard a roaring sound and turned to look out the carport opening to see his boat blow by in the wind. Just about that same time he...
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced details of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) on May 19. Up to $16 billion will be available to be distributed in direct payments to farmers and ranchers impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. Farmers and ranchers have been hit hard as COVID-19 has disrupted America’s food supply chain. USDA announced that farmers and ranchers were able to begin applying for funds beginning May 26. Perdue said he expects that checks will be disbursed a week to 10 days after application. The money i...
In the first in-person board meeting since COVID-19 hit, Glasgow school board members, principals, Superintendent Sundby and members of the public sat six feet apart in the high school library on May 20 to discuss principal wages, following meetings earlier this month which brought a wage increase and one-time payments to teachers, classified staff and classified supervisors. Before the board presented their proposal to the four principals, retired teacher and community member Kim Girard utilized the public comment period to inquire why the tra...
How now, indeed. Ranchers are feeling the effects of the closures and reduced capacity of meatpacking plants. The bottleneck occurring is forcing feedlots and ranchers to hold on to cattle at a time when they need to sell, before the cattle weigh more than the maximum allowed at a processing plant or when ranchers need to sell to feedlots. Prices for producers have nosedived in recent months, while at the same time, grocery stores and consumers are seeing a shortage in available meat and... Full story
The Glasgow School Board had a busy week of meetings last week following the support of the Glasgow community voting in favor of the general fund levy on May 5, after voters had denied the request the past five years. Due to the support, teachers, classified staff and classified supervisors will be earning a raise starting next school year in addition to two one-time payments due to unfilled positions and savings the district has incurred as a result of in-person instruction being suspended because of the coronavirus. The first round of...
“I don’t like going around asking for free publicity,” explained Casey Knudsen, speaking to the Courier about why it had taken so long to do the interview. “It’s hard right now to go around asking for money from people and asking for free publicity is like asking you for money.” Knudsen is currently the sitting representative for Montana House District 33 which spans from Havre to Glasgow mostly north of Highway 2 until it hits the Glasgow area where it encompasses a large portion of Glasgow’s westside to Highland Drive. Knudsen was elected i...
Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson teamed up with the Montana Aviation Research Company and TC Energy to fund an essential item giveaway on May 14. The event stuffed 400 plastic totes with items like laundry detergent, bleach, disinfectants, dish soap, Dial soap bars, toilet bowl cleaner, a cloth, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, paper towels, facial tissues and first aid kits. All 400 totes were given away in just about an hour. According to Erickson, cars had started lining up for the...
The Glasgow School Board met on May 13 for their regular meeting after spending time the previous two evenings presenting proposals and negotiating wages for teachers, classified staff and classified supervisors. This meeting allowed the ability for the school board to canvass and approve the school election results, swear in new board members, Angie Page and Blaine White, while also addressing new business as plans are being made for the 2020-2021 school year. The evening started with the annual organizational meeting, where School Board...
While Valley County has not a single confirmed case of COVID-19, the local community is still feeling the effects of the global pandemic in other ways. The county went through the state-wide shelter-in-place directive ordered by Governor Steve Bullock and many local businesses shuttered their doors temporarily. Even before the directive, local grocery stores saw a surge of stockpiling, struggling to get and keep some items, such as toilet paper, on the shelves. Now another shortage is happening...
The residents of the Glasgow School District delivered a decisive victory to its students, teachers, staff and administration in the vote for the school’s general operating levy on May 5. With a vote margin of 214 votes, the district’s levy passed with 1,049 voting yes and 835 voting no. Seventeen ballots were turned in where the voter did not vote one way or the other for the levy making the total number of ballots cast 1,901. It is the first time since 2015 that the voters in the district approved a general levy. Also on the ballot were two...
Children and families in Glasgow saw a new addition to their neighborhood last week, the Jump N Buck Ice Cream Truck driven by Kevin Taylor. Over 30 years since Taylor first had an ice cream truck with his brother, Shayne, Taylor is making a comeback to provide treats and smiles to the Glasgow community. "Most people remember the ice cream truck from when they were a kid, not realizing that it was also me then," laughed Taylor. Even though the previous ice cream truck still exists, there is a...
Heather Henry, victim specialist for Glasgow and Valley County, performed community outreach May 2, along with some Glasgow police department officers. The crew teamed up with Valley Cinemas to give away small bags of popcorn to raise awareness of the services the Victim Services division offers. Henry, who also serves Sheridan, Daniels and Phillips counties, has been in her current position for eight months now, bringing to the position a history of behavioral health and a passion for the criminal justice and law enforcement field....
“Having our events outdoors helps,” Lisa Koski, executive director of the Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, told the Courier about her organization’s plans to proceed this spring and summer as Montana moves toward reopening through stages. After more than a month of the Chamber’s calendar showing “Cancelled” in front of most every event, organizers are looking forward to hosting their annual Milk River Catfish Days Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6, in conjunction with the 21st annual Milk River Catfish Classic, with the fi...
It was May 11, primary ballots had just arrived, and Kevin Taylor was looking forward to voting for his candidate of choice in the Montana HD 33 representative race, but there was a problem. Taylor's preferred candidate was not on his ballot. Figuring he must have gotten a state-wide ballot and would later get the local ballot he filled out his votes and returned it by mail. Then he talked to Valley County Republican Central Committee Chair Sara Swanson about the vote, asking if he would see...
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For GPD Senior Patrolman Josh Nolan it was a simple solution to a complex problem. What do you do when you have to train and evaluate a brand-new officer (Jonas Tommeson), but COVID-19 measures have reduced the overall number of incidents you are responding to? The answer: you create realistic scenarios, stick your trainee in the middle of them and don't tell him it is an exercise. That is what Nolan did on the evening of April 18 on Glasgow's northside. He orchestrated a training exercise that...
The shift from in-person instruction at school to distance learning at home was difficult for some teachers, students and their families who might not have had the necessary tools to succeed in the new environment of learning. As schools scrambled to create distance learning plans and families figured out how they fit into that plan, Nemont recognized the struggles the new normal of learning might bring to members of the community. The Nemont Cooperative Board of Directors approved funds to donate 400 Chromebooks, set up WiFi hot spots in a num...
Jasper is a stone representing physical strength and energy, known as the "supreme nurturer" for sustaining and supporting in times of stress, and bringing tranquility and wholeness. The stone is the namesake for Dyan Carlson's new restaurant in downtown Glasgow, tentatively set to open in September. Housed in the space formerly occupied by Little Campers and the Wheatgrass Arts Gallery, Jasper will be a grab-and-go lunch spot featuring dishes currently served under the auspices of Carlson's...
CEO of First Community Bank in Glasgow Sam Waters wanted to find a way to give back to the community. As a bank in northeast Montana there were a number of opportunities for them to do just that, but Waters was looking for something different. Waters decided to reach out to the Glasgow Stockyards, the Valley County Food Bank, purchase a bull at auction, pay Treasure Trail Meats to butcher and process it and then donate the nearly 1,000 lbs of hamburger to the local food bank. According to FCB's...
The U.S. Census Bureau announced on May 4 that Montana will be one of the few states in the nation to resume update leave operations this week. Update leave is a census operation that delivers census questionnaires directly to you in mainly rural and remote areas of the country. Montana has among the highest percentage of update leave in the country. During this operation, census employees will leave census packets on doors. They will have Census identification and be wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) and practice social distancing...
After weeks of social distancing guidelines, stay-at-home orders, quarantines and business, bar and restaurant closures, Montana Governor Steve Bullock announced on April 14 that the state will begin a phased reopening of the economy. It's a move that has delighted and frightened many at the same time but comes as Montana experiences some of the lowest COVID-19 infection rates in the country. Montana also has experienced few deaths, especially when compared to neighboring midwestern and northwes... Full story
Governor Bullock announced a phased reopening plan on April 22 in order to provide Montanans with the ability to return to a little bit of normalcy. The plan included schools having the option to return to in-classroom teaching beginning May 7 while considering cleaning and sanitation protocols, sick policies and limiting class sizes. As a result of the Governor’s May 7 date, the Montana High School Association announced the spring 2020 sports season has been canceled due to in-person instruction not returning by May 4. Following the a... Full story
During the month of March, Valley County residents started to receive invitations to respond to the 2020 Census. Residents with physical mailing address were sent a paper questionnaire with a unique identification number followed up with an invitation card a few days or weeks later welcoming the resident to complete the Census online if they would prefer. Residents with P.O. boxes however did not receive the invitation as they were part of the Census’ update/leave operation, which was placed on hold as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, l...
Two Rivers Economic Growth's fourth annual Community Clean Up Day was held April 22, and locals took advantage of the chance to get out of their homes to beautify the area. "We had more participation this year than we did last year, which is wonderful and I'm not sure if it was because of the nice weather or quarantine or possibly both," laughed Executive Director Keegan Morehouse. She said TREG had 30 people sign up and take advantage of the clean up supplies provided at the office. The organiz...
Rimrock, located in Billings, and Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center (EMCMHC) have announced an expansion of their services in eastern Montana. The two organizations will be offering Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) as an option for individuals diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). A press release on the service expansion notes that SUD is a chronic illness and needs to be treated as such. MAT involves prescription medications for patients who are facing alcohol and opioid addiction while also using behavioral therapy and...
