Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913
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Dear Editor, What could be more important than how we care for our children? Pragmatists recognize that how we treat our children today in their dependency will shape how they treat us tomorrow in our old age. People of faith recognize all God's children are just that – created in the Creator's image. High-minded folks appreciate our most worthy charge as a society is to care well for all our children. Followers of Christ, observe, Jesus fed the hungry and taught us to do the same. While we m...
Dear Editor, It doesn't seem possible that 2020 is just around the corner. "What is the problem with that?," you might ask. Well just when you thought the sage grouse would follow the spotted owl into oblivion, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) plans to review the sage grouse status in 2020 to determine whether it should be listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I just heard on the Montana radio news the Montana Sage Grouse group will shortly present an update on the status of...
Do you remember the plans to have a “Dome on the Range”? This suggestion came about after the Glasgow Air Force base was abandoned. As some of you remember, this was a major blow to our area. Many suggestions and investors came up with varied plans, however I think the most short-lived plan was to cover the existing housing site with a massive dome, turning the area into a retirement village which would have included a nine-hole golf course and swimming pool. Maybe it never came about because many of us just could not imagine life under a dom...
Dear Editor, Dealing with loved ones can be difficult sometimes and that only gets harder when they have a problem with drugs and alcohol. A big part of dealing with a loved one's addiction is getting them into treatment. But what if they are unwilling to go? Intervention is the next logical step, however what is an intervention and how do you pull one off? Contrary to popular belief, successful interventions usually aren't like the ones you see on TV. Interventions that are successful usually...
Dear Editor, The President has frequently repeated the NRA talking point that more extensive background checks on gun sales would not have prevented the recent rash of mass murders. Maybe so. It's hard to accurately see what lurks in a murderer's mind. The NRA, and therefore Trump, are skeptical about "red flag" laws, arguing that such laws are based on supposition and hearsay, and could result in the government wrongfully confiscating someone's property. Probably true. Both Trump and the NRA ar...
Dear Editor, Arlie Gordon, on Aug. 20, put this article on Facebook and ask [sic] that people pass it on. "I may upset a few of you by posting this. We can handle it one of two ways. Discuss it like adults or you can unfriend me – your choice. You have your opinions and I have mine. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad, I add that my ancestors came here from other countries and they learned the language and worked and never once did I hear any of them trash America. They became citizens, w...
Dear Editor, Montana's children are off to a new school year and the excitement of learning. Children need and deserve to learn in a safe environment. When children are bullied in schools, they feel unsafe and learning (and life) is harder. This is why I'm leading the fight to stop bullying in our schools. In 2015, I was the lead sponsor of the Bully-Free Montana Act. Because I carried this legislation, I am frequently contacted by citizens regarding bullying situations and what schools are...
Dear Editor, Whether or not you use tobacco, you are paying for it. Every year, each household in Montana spends $791 in taxes due to smoking. What's more, Montanans spend a total of $440 million annually in health care costs directly caused by smoking. Did you know that raising taxes on tobacco products is one of the most effective ways to reduce use and improve the health of Valley County's residents? The last time Montana raised the tax on tobacco was in 2005. According to the U.S. Surgeon...
Dear Editor, Climate change and global warming are important issues for Montanans. Coming changes will broadly impact our economic sectors and put inevitable strain on state resources. Challenges need to be addressed, especially in agricultural, business and tourism sectors where impacts are already being felt. The unpredictable weather patterns of a changing climate continue to have drastic consequences and Montana needs to be prepared. Along with planning for the future, we need to address...
Dear Editor, Every week after I talk to my daughter Alexandria, who is currently at the Montana Youth Challenge Academy (MYCA) in Dillon, Mont., I post to let family and friends from near and far know how she is doing. Last week I talked about a Cadet at the MYCA that does not have any family or friends support and how it absolutely breaks my heart. My daughter had explained to me that this Cadet hasn't been able to reach her family. They only get one phone call once a week, ours is on Sundays a...
Dear Editor, As United States Senators representing the Big Sky state and Hawkeye country, older Montanans and Iowans keep a watchful eye on spending. Like millions of Americans across the country, they are mindful that they need to stretch their savings in order to pay the bills and uphold their quality of life in retirement. Whenever we hear from folks in Iowa or Montana, we hear widespread concern about the rising costs of prescription drugs. It's particularly upsetting to find out some...
Dear Editor, "We need to talk about suicide," teachers said choking back tears, or letting them flow, as they interviewed recently for Montana's Teacher of the Year award. They shared with us on the selection committee that student suicides hurt their hearts and devastate schools, and we need to bring the problem out in the open to solve it. That's what September's National Suicide Prevention Month aims to do – create suicide prevention awareness and reduce stigma of mental illness. It's a t...
Do you remember when shopping for groceries was much easier? I don’t remember that we were label conscious at all, unless we were shopping for salt or sugar-free diets. Present day shopping requires much more effort. Do I want to buy household vinegar, or pickling vinegar? What about baking soda; do I want this for laundry purposes or cooking? What about the choice in canned tomatoes? Those almost takes up half of an aisle in the grocery store. We used to just buy canned tomatoes, not chunked or cans of many different flavors, just tomatoes, an...
Dear Editor, Homeowners know that when a leaky roof is spotted, it's important to act quickly to find and fix the leak. If left unattended, that slow drip overhead can turn into a ceiling that collapses – costing far more to repair and threatening the integrity of the entire home. The same should be true for our public buildings such as schools, city halls, police stations, and tribal government buildings. But the reality is that many of Montana's aging public facilities are far behind in k...
Dear Editor, Montana is Big Sky Country. Rangelands, forests, and farmers' fields spread between our towns and cities. Rural life is at the core of our identity as a state and as a people. Yet, as our country expands and moves forward in many ways, too many Montana communities are stuck facing huge hurdles accessing quality healthcare. Fifty-two of the 56 counties in Montana are faced with shortages in primary care, with nine of those counties having no doctors at all. One of the first things...
The following is an open letter sent to President Donald J. Trump from Montana Senator Jon Tester on Aug. 20, 2019, inviting the President to meet with grain producers who have expressed concern over the President’s recent comments minimizing the U.S. trade relationship with Japan. Dear President Trump, I am writing you today relaying concerns I have heard from my fellow Montana wheat farmers regarding your comments that downplayed the importance of this commodity to our economy. My neighbors and I are currently in our fields for harvest e...
In our “Dr. Al Olszewski Campaigns in Glasgow” story that was published on Aug. 14 issue, we incorrectly credited the Missoula Current for indicating Olszewski has received endorsements and donations from the right wing of the state Republican party. The referenced article in this story actually originated from a Montana Free Press story, written by Montana Free Press reporter Eric Dietrich, and was originally published on July 9. The Glasgow Courier regrets this error....
Dear Editor, Don't be fooled by the current Washington, D.C., rhetoric about "reforming" the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently Senator Chuck Grassley has been promoting his bill which would place inflation-based caps on Medicare drug prices. There are also proposals to eliminate "middlemen" and increase transparency in pricing. While these things would be an improvement, they don't address the fundamental problem of a drug industry gone wild. Thanks to our system for granting patents for ne...
Dear Editor, If you happened to have perused the ad taken out by George and Susan Matelich in the Big Timber Pioneer (7-25-19), you got a first-hand tutorial on the scurrilous nature of the American Prairie Reserve (APR) and learned why mega-millionaire donors like the Matelich couple aspire to turn millions of Montana acres into a wildlife park. In case you missed the Matelichs' ad, here is the backdrop that prompted their comments. Initially, the pot was stirred by an excellent article...
School has started and that may trigger some old school day memories for some of you. Some of you will recall heading off to a country school, having the same teacher that you had for the last couple of years (and not because you were repeating grades). Or you may think of the old Southside school (the really old one), or when the Northside school housed all grades, or maybe you attended the Catholic school. Your list of school supplies may have included a new lunch box as country schools did not have the luxury of a “hot lunch room.” Oh, and...
Do you remember driving to Opheim and crossing railroad tracks on that highway, or how about driving the current Billingsley Road and crossing railroad tracks? There may have been many more such rail crossings, but those are the ones I am familiar with. It doesn’t require a lot of thought to connect the railroad with the Glasgow AFB as there must have been a lot of supplies that were transported to that facility. I don’t remember that there were any cross arms at the crossing, but I am going to guess not. However, it was not uncommon to see...
Whenever Dorri and I visit on the phone, we can’t help but reminisce about our childhood days in Malta, Mont. Life was simple yet joy filled – in the Depression Days. There was an abundance of cottonwood trees to be climbed – oh what fun for us. After all, weren’t we tomboys? Dorri was the youngest in her big family, and I was the youngest of four – the two oldest were my brothers, then my sister, Hazel, then I at the tail end. With a six year age difference between Hazel and me, there was no playing together; but luckily, Dorri lived nex...
Do you drive the highways between Glasgow, Nashua, Malta or Opheim and remember them as they used to be? If you are looking at your surroundings you can often pick out remains of the old road beds. I remember driving on gravel for half of the trip to Glasgow from Opheim. And in my memories it seems that a lot of Highway 2 (going either east or west) was extremely narrow. I do remember that we didn’t drive 70-80 mph at that time but our cars were also bigger. Going to wider highway and shoulders you could pull over on was a real asset. Now we w...
Dear Editor, I graduated high school with Mike & Maryann (Burns) O'Connor, the class of 1964. As we planned to gather for our 50th class reunion in May, 2014, Maryann suggested that we release balloons over Fort Peck Lake in memory of those that had passed on. She, like many of my high school classmates, had lived and attended grade school in Fort Peck, so this was a natural suggestion. This inspired me to write a poem as part of the ceremony. We had first gathered around a table at the newly...
The NE MT Fair will be in full swing when this Courier edition comes out. The “behind the scenes” activity and work will be forgotten for another year. We all recognize the work that goes into preparing exhibits and getting them to the fair, but we must recognize all of those that put in hours getting the livestock barns and other animal areas ready for you to exhibit in. The building prep for culinary, floral, art and so many other projects. These things happen because of volunteers. We need to be willing to recognize that it would be very dif...
