Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 1904 - 1928 of 2351
I have been rather interested in the various political stands regarding a measles vaccination. It made me remember how parents in earlier days used to intentionally expose their young children to the measles, mumps and chickenpox. I think the theory was to have them get the measles, etc., at a young age. That was so they would not be missing school at an important time, or maybe parents didn’t want the children sick when they should be helping with harvest or other numerous chores. If you were lucky enough to be exposed to any one of those c...
Since I don't have access to cable television, and refuse to pay $60 a month or more for a satellite dish, I decided to sign up for a company that offers a person the ability to choose not only movies but television programs to watch on their television via the Internet. Once I received the equipment and it was set up, I was excited to see what was available to watch. Scrolling through a listing of some movies, I chose one that sounded like it would be interesting. Within the first seven minutes of the movie, the "F" bomb was used at least a...
Things aren't all rainbows and butterflies at Valley View Home (VVH), despite what the current administration would want the community to believe. I started working at VVH in 1987. I was 16 years old. I continued to work there for 27 years. During the time that I was employed, the facility cycled through many changes – some for the better, others for the worse. I worked with three different administrators, four directors of nursing, four social service directors, four maintenance supervisors, four housekeeping supervisors, five consultant dieti...
I read with interest, Virgil Vaupel's column on gay marriage and the media, in the Jan. 14, 2015, Glasgow Courier, and then the response by Susan Watterson, and Bonnie Davidson, two weeks later. As Bonnie said, she urges people to send in a letter to the editor, and that there should be no gag order on opposing opinions. So here goes. Much has been said and written about the love and goodness of our God ... all of which is very true. But there is another side of God that many do not want to even know about and that is the justice side of God,...
Hello again from Helena. This is the last week before transmittal, (when all general bills going from one House to the other must be acted upon) and then we will be halfway through the session. The Legislature will have a few days off before we start on the second half where all the tough decisions will be made. My SB248 passed the Senate last week and now will go to the House. It just merely states that when someone comments to the legislature they must give their name, town/city and state. This no different than when someone writes a letter...
Hello to the Hi-Line from your Capitol in Helena. The 64th Montana Legislature is at the halfway point. The easy work has been done and the hard decisions are before us. The House and Senate leadership are working together and await the Executive branch to join in. There any many pieces to the puzzle, we would like them all to fit, but reality is, they will not. We have proposed, through a series of healthcare bills, that will take care of the needy by “getting the right services to the right people.” We are trying to fill the poverty hole cre...
I will get a check on Friday for $400," a young man told his mother, "and I won't get to keep one penny of it because my car insurance is $400. It just isn't fair." My answer would be, "There's a lot in life people think isn't fair. But there's a positive note to what you are saying. You have a job and can pay that $400. What about the person who has that bill and can't pay it?" It isn't only the people in their 20s who struggle. There are people in their 30s, 40s, 50s, even 60s, who wonder how they are going to meet their obligations. They...
Dear Editor: I used to think that Glasgow was a pretty nice city, but lately I’m beginning to question that statement. Now it seems the city has become way too money hungry. My water and sewer bill has way more than doubled since 10 years ago when I moved back here. In fact, it has gone up every month for the last three months and I’m using less water. With the current rates, I’ll be paying about $500 more per year than before. How do people on a fixed income survive? I think they are using our money for luxury. Have you seen the fancy walls...
The sage grouse ‘listing’ saga continues unabated in Montana. To date the many working groups, advisory boards, committees, etc. have spent hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars on this issue. Why? Because the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is threatening to list the bird as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The ESA defines a ‘threatened species’ as, “any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future...” and an ‘endangered species’ as, “any species which is...
Hello Valley County, As we have a very unusual winter taking place this year, I take this time to write a letter regarding a matter of great concern to me and many others in Valley County. In a day when many of our rights are being redefined and sometimes even taken away, I thought it best to inform you of the upcoming water trial in Malta on Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. at the Phillips County Courthouse. Over the past 10 years, Ron and Maxine Korman have tried every avenue available to them to claim the water rights on their ranch in South Valley...
Greetings from Helena. The 64th Montana Legislature is in full swing, it now being the fifth week of the session. As Speaker of the House, I have been very busy managing and administering the Montana House of Representatives by assigning bills to appropriate committees, scheduling bills for floor debate, and meeting with various interest groups on legislation. There are several big issues that are currently before the Legislature, and several more to come. First and foremost is tax relief. I am thrilled to announce that the Republican House...
I read with great interest in The Glasgow Courier the article on, “Big Changes at Valley View Home” and with the statement “Over two decades with only small changes led to bigger change taking place locally.” Having worked there as the administrator from 1992 to 2012, there were many changes that affected the services we provided to the people of Glasgow and the surrounding area. Many of them were not small and were beneficial as well. In 1993, a $900,000 addition and remodel was completed which expanded the dining room, administration and act...
My heartfelt desire is for people to know the truth. “Jesus told him, 'I am the Way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) “So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them.” (Genesis 1:27) 'This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two are united into one.” (Genesis 2:24) “But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.” (Romans 1:14) From there God's W...
Three schools in our area are in a battle over whether or not to merge their sports programs. This scenario is being played out all over the West. Shrinking school enrollments is not a problem for Montana alone, folks. It's happening to rural schools from Texas to Canada and from the Mississippi River to the eastern portions of Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada. Towns that have suffered in our area are Flaxville, Peerless, Opheim, Froid, Medicine Lake, Scobey, Plentywood, Antelope, Reserve, Hinsdale, Saco, Turner, Hoagland and...
Hello again from the Capitol in Helena. Last week we passed SB 188 by Sen. Chas Vincent, R-Libby, out of the Senate, a bill that would limit the insurance liability on property caused by range and forest fires. Examples were given how some awards have been outlandish compared to what the worth of the property was. The electrical co-ops have in the past been very impacted by these high monetary awards as well as other property owners. This bill now goes to the House. My SB 89 passed the Senate without any opposition. This bill simply says that...
This past Sunday was such a delightful day. I had the opportunity to be on the north side of Glasgow in the early afternoon to enjoy the water running down the streets. Can you remember all of the fun that can be had playing in water like that? You could devise a boat out of most anything, from paper to a small chunk of wood. Lots of kids were kept busy floating things down the stream of water, building dams out of debris that always accumulates along the curbs of streets, and even having races with whatever they had that would float. I had to...
Some days my mind is just so filled with the present that I forget about the past. However, today I spent some time looking at the painting of Glasgow, 1914, that is located in the lobby of the courthouse. What really interested me were the buildings that remain standing to this day. I could pick out the spire of the Evangelical Church in the background and of course the cool building on the corner across from the present day Farm Credit Services. (Cool, when you think of those lovely green...
For quite a long time now immigration has been a hot topic in our nation. There are so many facets to this it is extremely difficult to address all of them. In reading article after article concerning immigration, I was reminded of all four of my grandparents who were immigrants. My mother's parents arrived here from Croatia. My father's parents were married when they took the long journey to become American citizens. Grandpa was from Prussia and Grandma was from Germany. What drove my grandparents to leave where they were born and take on the...
As I sit here reading through the amendments to the U.S. Constitution one thing jumps out at me in the First Amendment. Here's how it reads: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. The conundrum here is that I don't see where it is written “unless the speech or the press offends someone.” Seems anymore our freedom of speech has deteriorated from its original purpose. Maybe that's one reason our communication skills have dete...
Hello again from the capital. Now that the Super Bowl is over (much to the dismay of the Seahawk fans), we can get back to business here in Helena. My SB 88 passed the Senate 48-0, and that is the bill that gives the conservation districts the same and equal bidding rights that the cities, towns and counties were granted last session in my SB 77. It will go to the House, and I would think it will pass there as well. We are very fortunate to have in the Senate this year retired District Judge Swandal. His SB90 to revise penalties and eliminate j...
The last few decades in Montana have seen a remarkable recovery in wildlife populations. For example, Montana’s elk population was down to almost 20,000 animals in 1940. By 1970 it had increased somewhat to 55,000. But after that we’ve seen rapid growth to nearly 160,000 animals today. That’s simply an astounding recovery. And other species, like deer and antelope, are at or near all-time highs. The restoration of Montana wildlife is due to a number of factors, but the predominant reason is the efforts of landowners. A great deal of the credi...
I am writing in response to Virgil Vaupel's article “Gay Marriage and the Media,” which was posted in the January 14, 2015, Glasgow Courier. I am concerned about Mr. Vaupel's article because it is important for people among us who are gay or lesbian, or wonder if they are, to know that not everyone thinks they are deviant. Some would say they are created in the image of God just like everyone else. I have been a local church pastor for 35 years. I have been an active member of a church all of my life. I have read and studied my Bible in sev...
If you don’t think Facebook has changed the world, take a look at the letter to the editor section. What used to be one of the more popular sections of the paper is now nearly non-existent. Of course we still have our columns and guest opinions in the opinions page. You just don’t see responses to those opinions anymore. Why? Well I argue the internet has changed it all. Two weeks ago, our Hinsdale sports correspondent and contributing Opinion page columnist wrote a piece on gay marriage. I spoke to him myself and said that I didn’t think...
According to an article in last week's Glasgow Courier, the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribal Council legalized medical marijuana, and tribal members will vote on the legalization of recreational marijuana in October. These decisions are reportedly consistent with the Obama administration's policy of allowing Native American tribes to regulate marijuana use on reservations (sovereign nations). However, the practice of growing and smoking marijuana merits further consideration with regards to Fort Peck's tribal goals and history. Historical...
Last Saturday I attended the basketball games at the Nashua School. When the school band started playing the national anthem, three elementary students – I'm guessing third or fourth grade – began singing the words. How wonderful, I thought, that they not only know the words but sing them with such sincerity. Part way through the girls' game, a girl ... possibly 9 or 10 years old ... was telling the teacher who was selling admission tickets that she is already saving up her money so she can go to college. She said she knew there were a cou...
