Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, This is not an abortion issue. This is a humanity issue. I am a family medicine doctor from a rural community in eastern Montana. From the time I started my undergraduate degree in pre-medicine, I have been committed to returning to practice full-scope family medicine in a rural and underserved community. Delivering babies has been a primary goal of mine. I love watching families grow and helping mothers bring new life into this world. The majority of the...
Dear Editor, Last spring our commissioners decided to terminate the Refuse Board, thinking they could do a better job. Yet in the months since, they still have not acted on a $3,000 engineering study or a new rate structure. The topic turned out to be "more complicated." Also, this spring at a public meeting, our commissioners saw fit to give $500,000 of the $1.3 million in federal funds, meant for Valley County, to Valley View Home as a band aid to the Home's Budget. The comment in the meeting...
Dear Editor, We write this letter with the hope of reaching as many Montana Veterans and their family members as possible regarding the recent passage of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act sponsored by Senator Jon Tester. The PACT Act is a historic new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans – and their survivors. It recognizes toxic exposure as a “cost of war” by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed Veterans. Native American Veterans serve their country at a higher rate per capit...
Do you remember when you took a bath once a week, and maybe in a tin wash tub? What about how often did you wash your hair? Or do you remember wearing curlers or pin curls to school? I must admit that I do not remember ever going to school with curlers or bobby pins in my hair, but I do remember starting eighth grade and having a new teacher that laid out her rules to us on the first day. One was NO curlers or pin curls worn to school! There were several rules we thought were tough, so you can imagine our surprise when we got to listen to the...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, If government ran more like the private sector, government would be better. Having spent most of my 30-year career in the private sector, I agree. I earned a role as the Senior Director of Operations for a company that employed 8,000 trade workers whose skill and experience determined whether we succeeded. We worked on Military assets, so failure was not an option. The private sector posts job openings including the required skills/experience and applicants...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, After having the pleasure of serving in rural communities as a healthcare administrator for over 37 years, 25 of which were spent in Glasgow, MT, I have a keen interest in the health of rural communities and the organizations that serve to meet the healthcare needs of those communities. Nationally, access to health care in rural communities faces a crisis situation as rural hospital closures increase. According to the Center for Quality and Payment Reform...
To Valley County Tax Payers, I write in response to the letter printed in the most recent edition of the Courier, signed by "The former members of the Valley County Refuse Board." The letter was framed in terms of politics, with a call to Valley County constituents to be mindful of the information contained therein when voting in this year's general election. I offer this response apolitically, and only to express caution to readers about relying on the assertions of the letter, as many of them...
If you or your family has had the opportunity to pack a meal for a branding crew or other livestock gatherings, you may remember the days that coffee was not made and packed to the site in thermos bottles, rather the coffee was most often made over the branding fire or such. I remember my first exposure to made on site coffee when branding. I must admit it was rather strong but then that may have been the way that the crew at the time really liked it. One thing I will admit—it was fresh coffee....
Dear Editor, While teaching international physicians about leadership concepts at Stanford University, one of the most difficult growing and mind-expansive efforts was in the realm of critical thinking. Some physicians from different cultures/countries stated an amazing epiphany/insight as they forced themselves toward more personal critical thinking objectivity. In contrast, other physicians had more difficulty moving from their subjective biases in their thought processes. However, the...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, Justice Ingrid Gustafson is the right choice to remain on the Montana Supreme Court. She is fair, impartial, and an independent jurist. She upholds the rule of law and the independence of the Montana judiciary. She has tremendous experience as a judge and as an attorney. She does not allow personal views or bias to interfere with her work as a Montana Supreme Court justice. Since being sworn in as a Montana Supreme Court justice on Jan. 1, 2018, she has...
Dear Editor, October is Fire Prevention Month. This is a good time to check your fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, and to make sure your family has a plan for leaving your home in case of a fire. Another way to stay safe year-round is to eliminate smoking from your home. Not only will this help prevent accidental fire, it also will protect your family members, visitors, and pets from secondhand smoke. Montana statistics from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) show...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, Recently, certain individuals have urged Montanans to vote against LR 131 in the November ballot. If passed, LR 131 would ensure medical care to infants born alive after failed abortion, cesarean section, or induced labor. Some argue that this law is unnecessary. However, infants sometimes survive abortion, and when they do it is not uncommon for a nurse to avoid resuscitation or to leave them without medical care. Unlike the United States, Canada tracks the...
Do you remember the days of one, or maybe two room school houses? My memories are of the Tampico School, which began with no running water nor indoor plumbing. Of course, our rural area can bring to mind many one or maybe two room schools. Since my husband and many of his family, as well as our two daughters, had the honor of calling themselves students of Tampico or Tampico Tech as some like to call it. I am certainly not an authority on any of these schools, but I understand the Tampico school house was at one time located in the Billingsley...
We, the former members of the Valley County Refuse Board, take exception to how we have been portrayed by the County Commissioners, and most recently by Commissioner Fahlgren in his campaigning. When we were removed from the board, the commissioners used a 1985/86 statute that required board structure to be outlined in a resolution. Rather than making such a resolution, they decided to let all of the board members go. To our knowledge, we were not the only county board that didn’t meet this requirement, but we were the only board disbanded. A...
Dear Editor, As election day approaches, members of the newly formed Montana Public Trust Coalition would like to remind you of the reckless efforts of some of our political leaders in the last Montana Legislature. You may not be aware of this, but our 1972 Constitution codified much of Montana's historical success directly into our Constitution. These include our right to privacy, our right to a clean and healthful environment, our right to know what our elected officials are doing, and our...
Dear Editor, I’ve written before about range stockwater rights. The federal government has decided (wrongly!) that the existence of ruminant animals is destroying the climate, and they want to have a clear path to removing cattle from the United States. Big city enviros resent people living in non-urban areas, because they believe that all non-urban areas should be playgrounds for the wealthy, and they resent the presence of locals in their playgrounds. Historically, stockwater rights have p...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, This fall, Montanans have a chance to turn over our Supreme Court to big business and billionaires. All we have to do is vote for their candidate, James Brown. Mr. Brown's record shows why corporations like him. He is not an accomplished lawyer nor legal scholar, but he is a well-known corporate lobbyist, political operative and advocate for "dark money." His support for dark money was exposed in the PBS Frontline documentary, "Big Sky, Big Money," which you...
PAID POLITICAL CONTENT Dear Editor, This spring a good friend and I decided to see some of the places in eastern Montana that we never had the time to stop and visit. Along the way, we stopped at Great Falls, Fort Benton, Virgelle, Big Sandy, Havre, Malta, Scobey, Plentywood, Westby, Writing Rock, Glendive, Jordan, Lewistown, Harlowton, Martinsdale, and Townsend to see their museums and sites. June welcomed us with green fields and hills that reminded me of growing up in Billings. Everyone shoul...
This is not a remember, rather a shout out to my friends and neighbors. It is so heart warming for me to drive down some of our rural roads, or west on Highway #2 and see fields of round bales wrapped with Flag design net wrap. If you have not been fortunate enough to see any, you might want to take an evening drive before these bales are all picked up and moved. Thank you to my Rancher friends....
Dear Editor, In reference to the recent opinion piece by Dr. Carolyn Taylor, the Valley County Commissioners, including the current commissioners, have long worked to support the St. Marie community. We meet with community residents and board members on issues on nearly a weekly basis. As issues or questions arise, St. Marie folks are regulars in our meetings. During our annual community meetings, the St. Marie meeting is always the best attended. We are looked to by St. Marie residents for...
Dear Editor, Once upon a time-(as the old saying goes)---many times in your past and hopefully many times in your future, Valley County's choices of governmental leadership are chosen. Hopefully, the options are driven by knowing what a Valley County Commissioner is expected to do: 1. Intellectually willing to know about your/our community's needs and feelings of despair 2. Efforts of kindness to personally learn how to perform the commissioner role 3. Possesses the positive attitude to be activ...
Editor's Note: This Letter to the Editor has been updated from what was printed in the Sept. 28 issue, in order to include language in the fourth paragraph to better reflect the historical presence of Native American legislators in Montana, as submitted by the author. Dear Editor, Every two years, Montanans who are elected from their communities travel from all over Montana to gather at the State Capitol to convene the Montana Legislature. During our time together, we work to deliver...
Dear Editor, 1. Federal approval to graze public lands was established many years ago, but was limited to production of domestic cattle, not bison. 2. Why is the Federal Government allowing grazing privileges for your bison? The return of bison to eastern Montana is American Prairie's vision. Your vision is not shared by many who live and work in the area you seek to change. 3. I don't know what laws you claim support your vision. (see comment number 1) 4. Finally, you specifically call your...
Dear Editor, Stockwater is one of Montana's oldest water uses and is critical to the continued survival of a Montana livestock industry. Before the Montana Water Use Act of July 1, 1973, livestock water rights belonged to whomever owned and watered livestock on a customary range. The person did not need to own the land or file a claim. The right became private property as soon as the livestock drank water. The right was for exactly as much as the herd needed to drink and no more. Livestock...
Dear Editor, Now that school is back in session again it is time to caution drivers at all intersections! Watch for yield signs and follow right-of-way rules!! Last Wednesday early evening I was traveling from my house down on 5th Avenue North. I go through-several yield signs, a stop sign and then down to the 8th Street intersection which has no cautions marked! Travelers on 8th Street come up from Highway 2 and go towards the Irle School! The speed of drivers traveling across 5th Avenue is an...
