Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Jay Witkowski was sentenced to 40 years in the Montana State Prison for his role in an attempted escape from the Valley County Detention Center on Feb. 20, 2017. Witkowski pleaded guilty to felony aggravated kidnapping as part of a plea deal arrangement. Witkowski was on trial for murder at the time of his attempted escape involving one other inmate at the jail. According to Sheriff Vernon Buerkle the two were never free from the jail complex but were in control of a jail employee for 19 minutes during the attempt. Witkowski was sentenced to... Full story
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Hunter Education course dates have been set for many areas across Region 6. All hunter education classes are free of charge. Many classes are being held prior to the March 15 application deadline for special permits for deer and elk. Future application deadlines include May 1 for moose, sheep and goat, and June 1 for deer B, elk B and antelope. In the next month, classroom courses (for youth) are being held in Hinsdale (March 5), Glasgow (March 8), Saco (March 12), and Scobey (March 12. All students must registe... Full story
In a Feb. 5 decision in Valley County District Court, Judge Yvonne Laird ordered Patrick Kelly, formerly of St Marie and President of the Saint Marie Development Corporation (SMDC), to pay to New St. Marie, LLC, owner Michael Mitchell a total of $12,518,734.60 for damages, interests and payments made for being found liable of fraud and breach of contract. Kelly had countersued Mitchell, but the Judge denied each of Kelly’s claims. According to Court papers Kelly had served on SMDC’s board of directors since its inception in 2002, following ban... Full story
The Valley County Commissioners approved Hinsdale’s Crystal Alvarado as the new director of Valley County Public Health. She replaces Connie Boreson. The commissioners also took bids on area projects at a Feb. 20 public meeting. These include bids for equipment for the road department, specifically eight motor graders. Valley County Refuse District 1 also seeks a wheel loader. The commissioners will announce their selections by the Feb. 28 discussion and decision meeting.... Full story
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle confirms the arrest of Robert Micheal Grimm in Nashua on Feb. 17. Grimm has been charged with assault on a partner or family member, and destruction of a communication device used to obstruct, prevent, or interfere with the reporting of a criminal offense. Sheriff Buerkle also confirms the hiring of two new deputies. The names of the new hires will be released in coming weeks, following official notifications. One deputy has been hired to replace former Chief Deputy Matt Remmich. The second deputy was hired... Full story
The Missouri/Milk River Chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be hosting its 32nd Annual Fundraising banquet in support of Ducks Unlimited’s 81st birthday on March 10 at the Cottonwood Inn. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The Cottonwood will be serving their prime rib dinner until 6:30 p.m. Ducks Unlimited has provided the local chapter with an outstanding lineup of guns and other Ducks Unlimited memorabilia. There is also an awesome lineup of prizes and services provided by the local community. Some of the prizes to be taken home will be given away via l... Full story
The Montana Highway Patrol arrested Duy Thanh Nguyen, of Portland, Ore, on multiple charges on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation Feb. 15. The arrest was made with the assistance of the Tri-Agency Drug Task Force. Charges are pending at press time, but include driving while suspended, driving under the influence of alcohol, and criminal possession of dangerous drugs. Thanh is currently being held at the Valley County Detention Center.... Full story
Otto Osen is the Wheatgrass Arts & Gallery Artist of the Month for March. He describes his work as made up mainly of nonrepresentational or abstract drawing and paintings. The shy artist didn't go on much when prompted at press time, but did mention that most of the works on display will be from a recent period of time spent living in Missoula. Osen's show follows works by Terry-based photographer Mary Kate Teske, who was Artist of the Month for February. There is a reception for Osen scheduled... Full story
Recently, you may have read the article about Tim Newton’s gift to the Francis Mahon Deaconess Hospital foundation. When asked if I could write about it, Newton said “if this donation can inspire more donations to the Foundation then it’s all worth it.” I had another wonderful surprise this week, as a donor stopped in to visit with me. We talked for quite a while, when they handed me a check for $10,000. While they chose to remain anonymous, I feel their story is still important to share. I always say small town life has character; big ones ha... Full story
Speaker of the Montana State House, Austin Knudsen, will be unable to run for his current seat in 2018 do to eight year term limits. In his place, Rhonda Knudsen, his mother, has become Montana House District 34’s next Republican hopeful. At press time, Knudsen was the only candidate filed to run in the district. The Courier reached Rhonda Knudsen to talk about her motivation for running, her policy priorities, and her experiences. A lifelong resident of Roosevelt County, Knudsen graduated from Culbertson High School, became a civil e... Full story
Strommen Talks Priorities A.J. Etherington FOR The Courier Luke Strommen, the current Undersheriff and nine-year veteran of the Valley County Sheriff's Office, has filed to run for Valley County Sheriff in the Spring election. So far, he is running uncontested. Strommen sat down for an interview with the Courier last week to talk about his vision, priorities and motivations for seeking Valley County's top law enforcement post. A native of the area Strommen's ties to the county run deep.. As a... Full story
Valley County Commissioner Paul Tweten told the Courier at press time that the commission expects to pick a replacement for Connie Boreson as head of the Valley County Health Department at the Feb. 14 meeting. Valley County Planner Rene Clampitt explained that local permits are in place for Keystone XL Pipeline work camps planned for Burns Road near Hinsdale and Highway 117 near Park Grove. According to Clampitt, TransCanada must still apply to meet Department of Environmental Quality stipulations. New additions to the list of candidates for... Full story
Glasgow's Tess Fahlgren brought the Art Mobile of Montana to Valley County students recently, beginning with a stop at the Frazer School on Feb. 8. Fahlgren spoke to more than a dozen children, sharing works of art from around the state with a presentation that is part show-and-tell, part how-to, part art appreciation. The kids were clearly engaged as Fahlgren invited them to guess at the materials used to make different artworks and told them a bit about the processes used to create them. They... Full story
Representatives from Valley County schools, Roosevelt County schools, Daniels County schools, FMDH, Glasgow Police Department, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Youth Dynamics and the Glasgow Clinic attended the Northeast Montana Suicide Prevention presentation on Jan. 29, at the Cottonwood Inn. The presentation featured guest speaker Karl Rosston, the suicide prevention coordinator from the Montana Department of Public Health and Services and MaryAnn Benz, the student assistance coordinator for the Bozeman School District. Rosston discussed fact... Full story
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle told the Courier that his office will be testing prospects for two open deputy positions this week from a pool of nine applicants. Once the list has been reduced to two names, they will have to pass additional background and mental health checks. Sheriff Buerkle expects to put his picks before the county commissioners for approval by early March of this year.... Full story
Valley County Sheriff Vernon Buerkle told the Courier that area residents and businesses have reported that a telephone scam related to tax season is making the rounds. Please don’t share personal information without confirming the identity of any caller claiming to represent the IRS or any out-of-state tax preparation organizations. Sheriff Buerkle also confirmed one DUI arrest over the weekend. Jay Witkowski’s sentencing hearing for aggravated kidnapping charges has been moved to Feb. 20, in Valley County District Court. Todd Young has added... Full story
Save the date and plan to attend the second annual conservation fundraising dinner hosted by the Hi-Line Sportsmen on Saturday evening, Feb. 24, at Glasgow’s St. Raphael’s Parish Center gymnasium. Tickets for the banquet are limited in number and are available from more than a dozen members of the local chapter committee. Deadline to purchase early-bird tickets—which include a chance to win two tickets to the John Michael Montgomery concert at this summer’s NE Montana Fair—is Monday, Feb. 12. Doors open on Feb. 24 at 4:30 p.m. for drinks and ga... Full story
Pam L. Veis and Andy Meyers are re-teaming for a reading theatre production of The Duck Variations on Friday, Feb. 9, at the Valley County Pioneer Museum and on Saturday, Feb. 10, at the Cottonwood Inn. The show will start at 7 p.m. both nights. Tickets for Friday’s show are $15 while tickets for Saturday’s show are $25, which also includes light hors d’oeuvres. Written by American playwright David Mamet, The Duck Variations examines the relationship between two elderly friends who meet on a lakeside bench to observe and discuss ducks. That... Full story
The Glasgow City-County Library hosted their first story time of the month at Valley View Home on Feb. 1. Residents and children alike had a great time interacting with one another through songs and dances, led by children's librarian Karen Anderson, and listened to two stories by librarian Trish Collins that had a balloon theme. Special guest to story time was Dillion Godwin, who made balloon flowers, dogs, hats and swords for those in attendance. Children had a great time seeing loose... Full story
The impression I want to relay about candidate for Valley County Clerk and Recorder Ruth Dowell is one of competency and attention to detail. Weekly, I find myself speaking to our sitting county commissioners about county business and meeting agendas, always with Dowell present in her current role as the commissioners' administrative assistant. The conversations, always collegial, can cause a crook in my neck as I glance back repeatedly to Dowell's desk in council chambers for confirmation on... Full story
Valley County Montana State University (MSU) Extension agent Shelly Mills was awarded the Anne Wiprud Memorial Award during the MSU annual conference in Bozeman, Oct. 23-27. The Anne Wiprud Memorial Award recognizes a MSU Extension professional with fewer than 10 years of experience for their outstanding achievement. In order to receive the award, colleagues need to nominate a peer and then all applications go through a review process. All agents in Montana from all program areas were eligible... Full story
