Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Sorted by date Results 2029 - 2053 of 2351
Dear Editor: I brought two of my grandkids to Glasgow for two weeks and knew the fair was going to be there while we were there. I told the kids we would go to that fair instead of going to the Helena fair. THERE WERE NO PARK BENCHES FOR US TO SIT AT WHILE OUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS WERE ON RIDES. I am a three-time cancer patient and am still suffering from that night. Why do they NOT supply benches for the elderly? I was appalled that no one cares about making sure their citizens can go with their kids and grandkids to have a good time while the...
Many times I've heard, "What difference can I make? I'm just one person." Dr. Gordy Klatt was just one person. Because of him and his determination to help as many people diagnosed with cancer as he could, and hopes of eventually finding a cure, Relay for Life was born. A friend of mine in Canada has a son who is riding his bicycle across Canada to raise funds for research on phenylketonuria (PKU) – a type of amino acid disorder in which a person's body cannot break down phenylalanine from the food they eat. PKU can cause a host of medical p...
If you are fretting about how much time it takes to keep a lovely yard, remember when: • Lawn mowers were push reel mowers and those really got uptown with the addition of a grass catcher. • Rototillers for the flower bed or garden. • All of the hoses and sprinklers you got to move from spot to spot. No underground sprinklers with automatic timers. And when did Miracle-Gro become available? Fertilizing the lovely yard was a chore, plus you needed a farmer/rancher friend. Then there was the plus side. Remember kids running through the sprin...
Dear Editor: I am writing this letter to express my concerns in regard to what is happening at the Highland Cemetery. In July 2013, I visited my father’s gravesite at the cemetery and was appalled at what I saw. A large headstone had been placed within inches of my father’s footstone. This headstone is so close to my father’s footstone that it obstructs the view of half of it. It robs the dignity and respect of my father’s resting place. There is an existing ordinance governing the placement of markers that has been in effect since before...
Dear Editor: I have been following the discussion of the cemetery issue regarding monuments in the news but I have never heard what they intend to do about a problem with flat stones. And yes, they can be a large problem. I understand that for maintenance purposes on the part of those who care for our Highland Cemetery, it may make their job easier. But as nice as it is to mow right over the sites of these graves, there is debris left behind by the mowing – grass clippings - and then dirt blows in and the rain and snow will plaster them r...
Oh my gosh, what is happening to our Northeast Montana Fair? Do you remember attending the fair just to look at exhibits? There were all of the farm equipment and camper trailers on display, the games of horseshoes, and that background music that made you know you were at the fair. There was the gathering of neighbors and friends sitting on a bench discussing events. A tip of the hat to all who made the effort to bring exhibits to the fair. Remember when the number of entries you took to the fair was a bragging point, and livestock and the...
It is reported that the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) is planning to lay another line of tracks through Valley County to enhance their oil transportation capabilities. In my opinion, there is a better option than having another set of tracks. I recognize that the BNSF plays a major role in Valley County transporting grain, oil and freight. Most of us tolerate the noise and smell of the trains and accept the resulting disruption of agricultural operations, impact on local flooding, fragmentation of wildlife habitat, etc. However,...
Hinsdale, like many other small villages and towns throughout Montana, is in a pickle. The infamous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has warranted that the water being dumped into the Milk River from Hinsdale's sewage treatment facility is unfit to be dumped into the sanitary and sterile Milk River. The wastewater from sewage plants like Hinsdale's has been proven to be 10 times cleaner than the river it is being infused into. A person could drink the wastewater (if you didn't know from whence it came) without suffering any ill effects....
I read a quote last week that said "Heroes are remembered, legends never die." Last Friday night I saw a lot of heroes. Some of them were bald, some had very short hair, some walked with canes but they were all heroes. They were the people who wore purple T-shirts with "I am Strength, I am hope, I am a survivor" printed on the back. They were cancer survivors walking the first two laps for Relay for Life. They walked with heads held high and grateful hearts and a quiet courage. An inner strength and strong determination to win their fight...
As the summer is slowly creeping up to a close, I say goodbye to my three step-children as they prepare for a new school year. It's one of the hardest things to be separated by time and distance. It seems that every time they leave I reflect on all the lessons we were able to teach them while they were here. I'm not talking about school lessons, although we did work on reading and vocabulary this summer. I'm talking about the important life lessons. As our oldest is coming up on his teen years I tried to spend a lot of time with him,...
Do you remember the Listo pen? I had to think to remember the name of these pens, but they were the forerunner to our current permanent marker pens, such as Sharpies. All of your canned goods on the grocery shelf had the price marked on the top with a Listo pen, or maybe they were just called “marking pencils.” This price marking method was not just used for groceries. I assume that one of the drawbacks to this method of price marking would have been the fact that the mark could be easily removed. Just rub it energetically and it was gone! The...
An open letter to city of Glasgow residents from the desk of Mayor Becky Erickson. In 1938, the Glasgow levee was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Once completed, the levee was given to the city of Glasgow, which took over ownership, or “public sponsor” of the system for operations and maintenance. The levee is 12,040 feet in length, or 2.28 miles, stretching from near the Valley County Museum at Hwy. 2 southward around the south side of town, and northeastward behind the hospital to meet at the Fort Peck Highway. The pur...
Valley County Transit has been awarded federal funds to purchase dispatching software. That is a huge step toward giving you, our customers, better service. The dispatching staff just went through a week of intensive training and is ready to begin using the new system on Tuesday, July 29. There are many positive aspects to this new system, but that means there is the needed information gathering that must be accomplished first. So when you call for a ride, we will be asking every customer/rider for their name, address, phone number, birthdate,...
Every once in a while – and especially when a person is celebrating a birthday – the subject of age always draws comments. Such as “I remember when I was 21 ... or 30 ... or 40 ...” As a child, I thought if someone was 30 or 40 they were old. But once I was 21, no age looked old to me anymore. With the exception of one time, age has been nothing more than a number to me. That exception was my 21st birthday. Finally I was 21! That meant I could cast my vote in political elections! It also meant I could sign a contract to make a major purchas...
The library is back in business! While we still have a lot of work to do and children’s books spread throughout the library, we have made a lot of progress in the short time we were closed. Our children’s area is painted and carpeted. Construction of the new shelves is underway. While we are not yet operating at 100 percent, we are open and have resumed all our programs. Please plan to join us for Tuesday Tech Nite on July 29. Our host, Brian Gregory, will be here to answer your “how do I?” to “what should I do when?” questions. We start at 5...
On Aug. 10, 2029, a very large herd of free roaming bison invaded the small town of Jordan, causing considerable damage to property as well as sending three people to the emergency room with life threatening injuries when they tried to rope a buffalo grazing on their lawn. The escapees were in a confinement area south of the Missouri River, but with the drought factor in North Central Montana this year, natural forage is in short supply as is the water in some of the local reservoirs, and the herd went looking for food and water. This is part...
A few years back I was in an old working class neighborhood of Great Falls, walking down tree-lined avenues that must have been something a few years back. But now the houses needed paint and lots of other things besides. Most of the residents seemed to have lived there for some time, and as I walked along I realized that once upon a time this had been the realization of the Great American Dream for these folks: a secure job, their own house, a pretty yard, maybe even a flower garden. Not a lot to ask out of life. Not then, anyway, and now it...
Not long ago I saw an ad that asked the question, "What's your story?" That question brought back memories of "old" people I knew when I was a child. Living next door to my family was a couple who told my parents my brother and I should call them Grandpa and Grandma. At the time, I guessed them to be in their late 70s. Grandpa told me he had immigrated to the United States from Sweden when he was three years old. He said he came from a large family and when his aunt said she and her husband were going to America to have a better life, his...
Shave and a haircut, two bits. Do you remember that saying, or better yet does anyone remember the time it might have been true? Then there was the standby cheerleading cheer: 2 bits, 4 bits, 6 bits, a dollar. All for (your team) stand up and holler. Can you imagine the look you might get from a person you were doing business with today if you told them an item was 2 bits? Oh, gosh, I missed my chance when the greenhouse was selling plants! I would be willing to bet that young people have never heard of a quarter referred to as “2 bits.” Thi...
Dear Editor: In mid-June, over 300 visitors ascended into Valley County for the annual meeting of the P.E.O. State Convention. P.E.O. is a philanthropic organization where women celebrate the advancement of women, educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College. P.E.O also motivates women to achieve their highest aspirations. P.E.O. chapters from Glasgow, Malta, Havre and Cut Bank were responsible in the organization of this year’s event. We, as members of those chapters, are grateful that the commun...
I'll say it again, if we can't pay attention to the details and understand the fundamentals of government at the lowest levels, how can we ever hope to get a grasp on the national level and understand the real problems we're facing? Last week I talked a little about the responsibility to pay attention to the government and exercise your rights to know what's going on. The easiest way to get involved in government is to go to the meetings. I know what most people think: How will you ever find time to squeeze a meeting in? I've got kids to feed,...
I always look forward to the Fourth of July festivities in Hinsdale. It's a day that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. The parade is one of the better small town parades one can find anywhere, and it had more than 50 entries this year. It's sometime a little disappointing when there is a lack of horses in any Western parade, but Tom and Joy See always take care of that when they bring their team of Fjord horses and stylish carriage to town. The Hinsdale FFA won the grand prize for all...
Like everyone else, I constantly have choices to make. Some choices are easy because the right and wrong are clear. But some are shadowed in doubt. There are choices that can be made in an instant and then there are others that take hours or days or weeks. Make the right choice and the results are awesome. Make the wrong choice and the consequences have the potential to be major. The right choice can lead me to a better life and bring joy to more people than I know, but most definitely to the ones I love the most. A wrong choice will bring hear...
You've probably heard someone complain about the government in your lifetime. If you're reading this paper, it also probably means you try to pay at least some attention to what's going on around you. What you might not know, is that you, yes you, the person reading this column, has the power to make a difference and make a change. People have the power. When the nation was in it's early turmoil, much of the complaints of the British government were spread through pamphlets and newsletters. It was the power of opinion and the power of the...
Let's take a closer look at the federal budget and where your tax dollars end up. Please keep reading. It's important for you to know this stuff as it affects your very lives. Folks think that what happens in Washington, D.C. (District of Corruption) won't affect us here in Glasgow, Hinsdale, Valley County or the state of Montana. Buffalo Bagels to that! As Colonel Potter had a penchant for saying. Every tax dollar that leaves Valley County affects us in some way or other. How much of it comes back here? All or none? And if it all doesn't come...
