Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Editor’s Note: This is part two of a four-part series regarding nicotine use and stress. The first part was printed in the April 13, 2022, edition of the Glasgow Courier. When a smoker puffs on a cigarette, nicotine is carried into the lungs via smoke particles where it is absorbed into blood and makes its way quickly to the brain. Once [it hits] the brain, nicotine increases the release of dopamine, a chemical that signals pleasure, which keeps them addicted to nicotine. Why Do So Many Tobacco Users Think That Nicotine Alleviates Stress? N...
JUUL vape products made headlines in 2019 as sales of sweet and fruity flavors were cancelled in the U.S., but the 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey reports that Puff Bar has overtaken the e-cigarette giant. Puff Bars and competitors like FLUM demonstrate the tobacco industry’s aggressive efforts to skirt regulations that dethroned JUUL. Their goal is to get more people addicted to nicotine. The 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Survey reports 80 percent of Montana high school students that vape use fruity, sweet, or even alcohol flavored nicotine p...
Dear Editor, Constitutional Initiative 121 or CI-121 is a proposed initiative petition currently circulating to gather enough signatures to qualify for the ballot this November. If asked, decline to sign the petition for CI-121! We must keep this misleading ballot initiative off the ballot. CI -121 is not in the best interests of Montanan communities, businesses, or schools. We need to protect new homeowners and keep families in their homes. Small businesses are already struggling. We need to...
Dear Editor, In March of 2020 the USDA made a statement that the present definition of the Product in USA label was confusing consumers. The admission came in response to a petition filed by the United States Cattlemen's Association about accurate labeling. At present, simply repackaging imported beef once it enters the USA allows this product to carry the Product of USA label. There is proposed legislation in Congress that seeks to redefine this voluntary label to be used only on products from...
Dear Editor, Unfortunately, the stars are lining up for the World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) grandiose plan to rewild the Northern Great Plains. Their pilot project in northeastern Montana, being coordinated by their spin-off, the American Prairie Reserve (APR), has recently received a shot in the arm. Emails, via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), detailed the cozy relationship between the Bullock administration and the APR. Now two former members of the Bullock administration are heading the...
Dear Editor, In the next few weeks, it is believed that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be releasing its Record of Decision (ROD) on the American Prairie Reserve's (APR) application for bison grazing in south Phillips County. Based on the language in the draft Environmental Assessment BLM released last year, it is likely that BLM will approve some form of APR's application for bison grazing on its federal allotments. BLM's anticipated decision comes as no surprise given the multiple...
Dear Editor, For over a century, passenger rail has been part of Montana's heritage, culture, and economy. It's currently a lifeline for Hi-Line communities. And, without a doubt, it is part of Montana's future. In the fall of 2020, 12 Montana counties, stretching from Sanders to Wibaux, came together to establish the first regional passenger rail authority in the history of Montana-the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority. Over the course of the past year, we've added five additional counties to...
Dear Editor, As the son of a United States Marine, I know the sacrifices that our Montana veterans have made and the dedication they have to our great state and our great nation. Montana veterans risked their lives to protect our freedoms and make America and the world a better, safer place to live. When they return home, it is our duty to ensure they have reliable and accessible health care no matter where they live. Several weeks ago, it was reported that the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affai...
Dear Editor, It's no secret that Montana is seeing an uptick in tourism, and more Valley County residents are offering vacation rentals through services like Airbnb and Vrbo. To be the best host, be sure your rental is smoke free. Not only does tobacco smoke stain and stink up carpets and drapes but smoking inside can result in burn marks on counters and tabletops and increased fire risk. Worse yet, secondhand smoke is a health hazard for your renters, putting them at risk for cancer, heart...
Dear Editor, We are five of the youngest lawmakers in the Montana Legislature. At 20, 21, 24, 29, and 31 years old, we are in various stages of renting and home ownership, and all of us are concerned about the housing crisis facing Montana. In every one of our communities-Billings, Belgrade, Columbia Falls, and even Malta-housing is rapidly becoming more expensive and harder to find. Many of the factors causing the housing crisis, such as migration, supply costs, and the labor shortage, are...
Dear Editor, From a young age, I learned that Montanans are no strangers to service or sacrifice. It was in the spring of 1969, when my grade school bus driver-a World War II veteran and devoted member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in my hometown of Big Sandy-first asked me to play Taps on my trumpet at a funeral for a veteran who had passed in our town. Throughout junior high and high school, I continued playing Taps at the funerals of dozens of veterans. During this time, I came to...
Dear Editor, Let's resolve to keep our air clean in 2022! Doing so will help all of us stay healthy. Do your part by observing Montana's Clean Indoor Air Act, which prohibits the use of all smoking products, including cigarettes, cigars, hookah, pipe tobacco and marijuana in all workplaces and indoor spaces. Montanans voted overwhelmingly to approve the Clean Indoor Air Act in 2005, and it's helped protect adults and children alike from dangerous exposure to secondhand smoke, which contributes...
Dear Editor, Since its formation in 2020, the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA) has been successful in touting its mission to re-establish rail passenger service through southern Montana. Enthusiasm for the project was heightened in November 2021 with the passage of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which – for the first time in its 51-year history – has designated significant funding for Amtrak, America's intercity rail passenger service. But often lost in press rel...
Dear Editor, The local women's group known as Soroptimist will be changing in name only. In May of 2021, we received notice the the guidelines of Soroptimist International of the America (SIA) would be changing, over concern for managing the risk of COVID 19 and to preserve the trademark name "Soroptimist." This meant we could no longer have an affiliated business (our beloved thrift store) under the name Soroptimist nor could the store be associated with SIA. After almost a year of trying to...
Originally ran in the Billings Gazette Feb. 25, 2022 Reprinted with permission from the author by DARYL TOEWS The older people in our nursing homes have a problem. The state puts people on Medicaid and promises them services and then doesn't pay those who provide these services at a rate that is commensurate to the actual costs. Seventy-five percent of those in our nursing homes are on Medicaid and down to their last $2,000. Valley View, a non-profit nursing home in Glasgow, did pretty well in...
I am so happy to be back at the Glasgow Courier and have the ability to tell stories of amazing people doing great things for their community. When I first moved to Glasgow, almost seven years ago with a two-week old, I will admit, I did not give this town or county a chance. In these seven years however, I have learned that community means more than I ever thought. Community means getting together to help raise funds to improve the pool. Community means looking out for one another. Community means being there for each other during tragedy and...
Dear Editor, Outdoor recreation comprises $7.1 billion of Montana's economy and generates $286 million in tax revenue. Additionally, the outdoor recreation economy provides 71,000 jobs to Montanans. By expanding the Bob Marshall, these numbers will only continue to grow. The Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA) seeks to designate an additional 80,000 acres of public land as wilderness. Doing so will result in sustainable timber management and forest restoration, protect the headwaters of...
Last spring I, Lowell Young, was watching Operation Outdoor Freedom on the Discovery Channel. It is a great show that honors our Veterans. At the end of the show it said that if you wanted to nominate someone, to send an email with their name and story. I nominated Darin Dimas from Poplar, MT. Darin served a tour in Afghanistan with the Montana National Guard. He also has two sons that were Army Rangers. Three weeks after I submitted his name I received a call from the producers of Operation...
A few weeks back, I wrote about a new initiative announced by the Internal Revenue Service to begin requiring visitors to its website to register with third party app, ID.me — providing their email address, Social Security number, photo ID and take a “selfie” so their face can be scanned to ensure they are who they say they are. Because many red flags were swirling, in my opinion, over this issue, I promised to bring up the matter with our Senators at the next available opportunity. I got that opportunity last Thursday during a monthly press...
The national teacher shortage is certainly felt in districts across Montana. When I entered the teaching profession eighteen years ago, it seemed that most teaching jobs were competitive with several qualified applicants seeking the same position. Today, hundreds of vacancies remain across the state according to “Montana Jobs for Teachers,” found at the Office of Public Instruction website. Montana students need and deserve a quality education, yet many districts cannot fill positions to provide in-person instruction by certified teachers. In H...
The United Nations designates February 6 of each year as an "International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation." This year, in remarks accompanying his Angelus prayer before a crowd at St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis denounced the practice of involuntary female circumcision, saying that it "demeans the dignity of women and gravely undermines their physical integrity." For some reason, though, the UN doesn't designate an "International Day of Zero Tolerance for Male Genital Mutilation," nor to my knowledge has the Holy Father...
Canadian truckers on Saturday answered a big 10-4 to gathering in Ottawa, Ontario to protest against cross-border vaccine mandates. As of Jan. 22, the Biden administration has required all truck drivers who cross US borders to be fully vaccinated. The mandate applies to all essential, nonresident travelers crossing US land borders, including government and emergency response officials, according to Insider. As of Jan. 15, the Canadian government has planned to mandate all Canadian truckers seeking to cross the border from the United States to...
In an age where people are falling all over themselves to divulge their most personal information to the world at large through social media and where people willingly give their permission to internet search engines like Google to gather and sell their personal data it seems almost absurd to worry about the right to privacy. But the difference in giving up your privacy and having your privacy taken away is significant, and that is why it is frightening to me to see elected officials in Montana and elsewhere belittle its importance and plot to...
At their meeting on Friday, January 21, members of the St. Mary/Milk River Working Group expressed great appreciation for Senator Jon Tester’s success in securing $100 million in the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Bill, which he helped negotiate, to jump-start the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the St. Mary/Milk River conveyance system, primarily the St. Mary Diversion Dam. Ever since the St. Mary/Milk River Working Group was first convened in 2001 by Lieutenant Governor Karl Ohs, little progress had been made to secure funding for the n...
• Melvin LeRoy Vegge, 82, of Glasgow, Montana passed away January 28, 2022 at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow, Montana. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Friday, February 4, 2022 at First Lutheran Church with Pastor Scott Kiehn officiating. Burial will follow at Highland Cemetery. Condolences may be left for the family at bellmortuarymontana.com....
