KLTZ/Mix-93 December 2000 Glasgow news archive

The Glasgow Police Department quickly responded to and solved a burglary on Friday December 22nd at Treasure Trail Processing in Glasgow.

According to Glasgow Police Chief Lynn Erickson, a break-in was reported at 11pm when someone noticed the glass panel broken out alongside the glass front door of the business. Erickson said a safe and undisclosed amount of cash and some meat was taken.

The responding patrolman were given essential information by an off-duty sherrif's deputy, Russ Copenhaver, who was in a next door building at the time of the burglary. He recalled a certain vehicle leaving the area and described it to the officers.

The Glasgow Police Department quickly found the the vehicle described by Copenhaver and later arrested two men and a juvenile male all of Glasgow. No names have been released pending filing of formal charges. The safe, some of the money and some of the meat has been recovered.

There were several accidents in the Glasgow area due to poor weather conditions on Wednesday.

The Montana Highway Patrol investigated a two-vehicle accident west of Glasgow on Wednesday evening. A driver attempted to pass a pick-up that was pulling a trailer; the passing vehicle clipped the front of the pick-up, went into the ditch and rolled over. There were 3 occupants of the vehicle, with 2 wearing seatbelts. There were no serious injuries to the occupants, and no injuries were sustained by the driver of the pick-up.

Citations were issued to the driver of the first vehicle for seat belt violation and driving too fast for conditions.
Also on Wednesday night, two vehicles slid off roads in the Glasgow area. One was blown off the Cut Across Road between U.S. Highway 2 and Montana Highway 24. The vehicle was blown off the roadway and down approximately 100 feet into a coulee. The driver and occupant were uninjured. The Montana Highway Patrol noted the driver did a good job keeping the vehicle upright as it went into the coulee.

The high winds also tipped over a bale wagon trailer on Highway 24 north. And, a semi-truck was forced off U.S. Highway 2 by an oncoming vehicle that failed to dim its headlights. The semi was pulled from the ditch at 10:15pm. Roads were extremely icy Wednesday night with near zero visibility at times. Wind gusts up to 70mph were recorded on Wednesday night.

The Montana Highway Patrol and Glasgow Police Department responded to a one-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 2 West Saturday evening. The accident closed the highway for about a half hour.

Michael Gunderman was heading west, driving in the right turn only lane that goes onto Skylark Drive. He did not turn, but continued straight to crash head on into the end of the guard rail of the Cherry Creek bridge.
His 1998 Chevrolet pickup rolled at least once ejecting Gunderman out the passenger window. He was not wearing a seat belt.

Two Glasgow Police Officers arrived on the scene at 9:25pm and closed the highway. The road was opened up with one lane after a half hour.

Gunderman was taken to the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital with a broken shoulder blade and a vertabra in his lower back.

Alcohol was the cause of the crash but Gundermans speed was not a factor in causing the crash but contributed to its severity.

The accident is still under investigation.

The winner of the Christmas yard & House Decorating Contest Washington Lucille Smelser, 1204 Jet Drive. Lucille will receive $25 in Chamber Big Bucks. Other homes receiving numerous votes were Art & Becky Johnson at 63 Heather Lane and Beryle DeTienne at 1010 4th Avenue South.

The Chamber would like to thank these people and others in the community for their efforts and cheer in decorating. Everyone is encouraged to drive around one evening and look at all the lights. If you are in the mood for a longer drive, the community of Fort Peck is looking very festive.

The BLM was designated two areas of critical environment concern (ACEC) in Valley County.

The agency released a final environmental assessment on December 26th that analyzes public lands in the Bitter Creek Wilderness Study Area, approximately 25 miles northwest of Glasgow, and the proposed Mountain Plover ACEC, approximately 20 miles west-southwest of Glasgow. Both areas were nominated as ACEC's in order to protect certain values for current and future public land users.

ACEC management requires the BLM to consider specific values, resources or other natural systems in its management decisions. ACEC management plans include public participation and vary from one area to another.

In February 2000, the draft Bitter Creek and Mountain Plover ACEC environmental analysis was sent to organizations, individuals and agencies for review. The public comments received and BLM's responses are included in the final environmental analysis, which will be mailed to those interested in early January. It is available on the internet now at www.mt.blm.gov.

(From Tod Kasten) Valley Public Television, Inc. owns and operates channel K30GH from the Glasgow High School. The channel is now on the air and is rebroadcast in Glasgow and the surrounding Glasgow area on antenna channel 14 UHF. The base programming is from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (National PBS).

We, the entire community of Valley County, are able to control the programming schedule of this television station. We will be able to air public service announcements, local news, information and locally created programming. Only our limit is our imaginations and needs. This station is a non-profit corporation that is supported by all of Valley County. We will always need everyone's input, suggestions, help and support. Once a month we will schedule meetings to determine the next months program schedule.

The volunteers and the channel will always strive to do the best job possible to promote our communities and provide a great educational experience for our students. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.

In the near future we hope to connect the station with the Interactive Television Systems in the schools. This will hopefully allow as many students and schools as possible to participate and learn. We are working to connect the Glasgow Weather Service to this channel to provide to all antenna viewers the local Glasgow time, temperature and weather emergency services. When weather and roads permit, hopefully before spring, we will rebroadcast from the Fort Peck hill on channel 45. This next summer we hope to be rebroadcast in Hinsdale. This wonderful and powerful community tool has had the support and help from many organizations and people. I would like to especially thank Bob Rennick Jr., Brandy Howey, Debbie Donovan, Joe Rennick, Laura Wagner, Bob Farrell, The Glasgow High School staff and School Board Members, The Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, The Valley County TV Tax Board, Jim Rea, Rick Seiler, Evertt Breigenzer, Two Rivers Growth and the Valley County Commissioners. I would also like to thank the founding sponsors of the station. They provided $2,500.00 or more each to help make this possible. They are Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Glasgow, Two Rivers Growth Inc/Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Nemont Telephone Co-op, Inc., Montana Community Foundation and the Latigo Rural Development Fund and MDU Resources Foundation. There were also many other donations from area businesses and individuals.

We ask for your patience during the first months of operations as we get things up and running. We hope to have our first programming meeting at the Glasgow High School in the first couple of weeks of January, 2001. This station belongs to you and we will appreciate your input and support. The mailing address for the station is the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce address. Valley Public Television PO Box 832 in Glasgow 59230. Or contact Brandy Howey in Hinsdale 364-2314: Tod Kasten 228-4144: Bob Rennick Jr. 228-2485

DNRC Announces Completion Of $1.5 Million Loan To Fort Peck Rural Water District (12/23)

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Conservation and Resource Development Division (CARDD), announced today the completion of a $1,520,000 State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan to the Fort Peck Rural Water District for development of a rural community water system.

The loan will fund a project that will include the expansion of the existing Fort Peck water treatment facility and the development of the necessary water distribution system to serve the water users in the District. The project will serve approximately 550 people within south Valley County. The loan will be used in conjunction with other state and federal funds to make the project a reality.
The lack of a municipal water system for the rural areas surrounding the town of Fort Peck forces the residents to haul bulk water. The harsh winter conditions create unsafe and unpractical hauling and delivery conditions, and the required use of individual cisterns forces individual water rationing and results in a less sanitary drinking water delivery system. The lack of a municipal water system has discouraged population growth and economic development with the boundaries of the District.

Approximately 40 miles of 8" and 10" pipe will be laid to provide the water service to residents, residents that have been hauling water to their homes up to this point, according to Ron Miller, Chairman of the Fort Peck Rural County Water District. "This will definitely enhance the quality of life for the residents in the district, in addition to eliminating them having to haul water on a daily basis," he stated. Wells are not a viable water solution in the area due to the depth wells must be drilled to find water and then the likelihood the water would not be drinkable.

Miller, who has been working on this project since its inception in 1990, foresees the new system delivering approximately half a million gallons of water a day to district residents. The new system will provide potable water for residential use only.
Once the new system is up and running district residents will be charged for the water they use. However, it could be a lot worse according to Miller. "Because of the interest rate (4%) of the SRF loan, we will be able to keep rates reasonable for the users in the district."

The CARDD of DNRC has been providing low interest loans to cities, towns and water/sewer districts throughout Montana since 1998. Anna Miller, CARDD Financial Advisor, explained that during fiscal year 2000, CARRD financed 14 projects for a total of $24,418,000 "We help entities facilitate the rehabilitation of their existing water or sewer systems in the most cost effective manner so that the end user has the least cost burden," she stated.

"This is a good example of the cooperation between the Fort Peck Rural Water District and the town of Fort Peck. The project provides a new water source for the water district residents while providing an upgraded water treatment facility for the town of Fort Peck that will extend its useful life span for the next 20 to 30 years, " stated Gary Wiens, Department of Environmental Quality Project Engineer. "The SRF loan is an important piece of the funding puzzle for this project. It provides local matching funds and it gives the community an improved water system that wasn't affordable in the past." The DNRC works cooperatively with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to ensure that projects meet state requirements for water infrastructure.
The Fort Peck Rural County Water District is a newly formed district. It began its work in 1992 with the help of a CARDD Renewable Resource Grant.

For more information regarding the Conservation and Resource Development Division, the State Revolving Fund Program or the Renewable Resource Grant Program, contact Anna Miller at (406) 444-6689.

Statewide "Bed Tax" Collections Hold Even July -September; Missouri River Country Up 5% (12/23)

Montana's statewide "bed tax" collections held even for the third quarter of 2000. This third quarter report includes the months of July, August and September. Overall statewide "bed tax" collections for the first nine months of 2000 were up 3%. The nine month collections amounted to $9.3 million compared to $9 million collected during the same time period in 1999.
Among the tourism regions, Russell and Missouri River Country reported 5% collection increases for the third quarter, while Gold West and Custer Country reported 2% growth, Glacier Country increased 1% and Yellowstone Country was down 6%.

"We are pleased to see that the "bed tax" figures were not nearly as impacted as they could have been during the fires," said Travel Montana Director Matthew Cohn. "We believe our promotional efforts to inform visitors about alternative travel itineraries throughout the state paid off, especially in Russell and Missouri River Country."

However, Cohn explained, "we cannot forget that there are still pockets of the state and individual Montana businesses that were hit hard financially by the fires. We will do whatever we can to ease their burdens. We will continue to actively market Montana so visitors know that our state is open for business in 2001."

In addition to the region's third quarter reports, the communities of Helena, Great Falls and Whitefish reported increases with 13%, 9% and 4% respectively. Kalispell and Missoula grew 3%. Billings and Butte held even, while West Yellowstone declined 2% and Bozeman was down 5%.

Twenty-eight of the state's 56 counties experienced "bed tax" collection growth for the months of July - September of 2000 with 2 counties holding even.

Montana's 4% "bed tax" is assessed on the room price of all accommodations around the state, including campgrounds. The "bed tax" generates about $11 million a year. These revenues are used primarily for the development and promotion of Montana's tourism and film industry as well as the state's tourism infrastructure. Since 1995, $1.3 million of "bed tax" funds have been invested in 28 tourism-related infrastructure projects in 22 Montana communities.

The distribution formula for bed tax revenues is as follows:
* Montana Heritage Commission (Virginia City) $400,000/yr until 2001
* Department of Revenue $283,724
* State Parks Operations/Maintenance 6.5%
* University System (Tourism Research) 2.5%
* Historical Society (Historic sites and Signage) 1.0%
* Regions/CVBs 22.5%* * Travel Montana 67.5%
*Montana's six tourism regions are: Glacier Country (northwest Montana), Gold West Country (southwest Montana), Russell Country (north central and central Montana), Yellowstone Country (south central Montana), Missouri River Country (northeast Montana), and Custer Country (southeast Montana). Montana's Convention and Visitor Bureaus (CVBs) are located in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, Missoula, West Yellowstone and Whitefish.

Forty certified communities have been awarded $331,000 for fiscal year 2001 by the Department of Commerce to support efforts of local communities to be better prepared to react to new business and job formation opportunities. The funds were appropriated during the 56th Legislative Session. Awards ranged from $5,000 to $25,000. Glasgow, Wolf Point and the Fort Peck Tribes were among those receiving funds.

"Building a strong and more diverse economy relies on local involvement, preparedness and proficiency", said Peter Blouke, Director, Montana Department of Commerce. "These awards mark the first time that the state has financially aided local organizations who have the means to plan for, promote, and react to local changes and local business and job prospects."

The certified communities who received funds are:
Anaconda Local Development Corp City of Anaconda/Deer Lodge Co. $5,000
Bear Paw Development Corp. City of Havre $5,213
Beartooth RC&D City of Bridger $5,000
Beartooth RC&D City Columbus $5,000
Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce City of Dillon/Beaverhead Co. $5,000
Belgrade Chamber of Commerce City of Belgrade $5,000
Billings Chamber of Commerce City of Billings $25,000
Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce Ravalli Co. $17,906
Broadwater County Development Corp City of Townsend $5,000
Butte Local Development Corp City of Butte/Silver Bow Co. $16,977
City of Hardin City of Hardin $5,000
Conrad Area Chamber of Commerce City of Conrad $5,000
Forsyth Chamber of Commerce City of Forsyth $5,000
Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board Fort Peck Reservation $5,000
Gallatin Development Corp Gallatin Co. $25,000
Gateway Economic Development Corp ity of Helena $14,541
Glacier Action & Involvement Now City of Cut Bank $5,000
Glasgow Area Chamber of Commerce Valley Co. $5,000
Glendive Chamber of Commerce City of Glendive $5,000
Great Northern Development Corp City of Wolf Point $5,000
Harlowton Chamber of Commerce City of Harlowton $5,000
High Plains Development City of Great Falls/Cascade Co. $25,000
Kalispell Chamber of Commerce City of Kalispell $8,575
Lake County Community Development Lake Co. $10,426
Lewistown Chamber of Commerce Fergus Co. $6,090
Lincoln County Economic Development Lincoln Co. $8,857
Miles City Area Chamber of Commerce City of Miles City $5,000
Mineral County: MSU Extension Office Mineral Co. $5,000
Missoula Economic Development Corp. City of Missoula $25,000
Park County Economic Development Corp Park Co. $7,991
PhillCo Economic Growth Council Phillips Co. $5,000
Polson Community Development Agency City of Polson $5,000
Port of Northern Montana City of Shelby $5,000
Powell County Progress City of Deer Lodge/Powell Co. $5,000
Richland Economic Development Corp Richland Co. $5,027
Sanders County Economic Development Sanders Co. $5,117
Teton County Development Corp. City of Choteau $5,000
Three Forks Development Council City of Three Forks $5,000
Tobacco Valley Economic Development City of Eureka $5,000
Whitehall Chamber of Commerce City of Whitehall $5,000

The Montana Economic Development Association (MEDA) and Montana Rural Development Partners, Inc. (MRDP) in Anaconda, under a contract with the Montana Department of Commerce's Economic Development Division administer the statewide program. The remainder of the $425,000 appropriation less $38,000 for administrative expenses will be allocated as more communities are certified.

The Program awards one to one matching grant funds to local economic development organizations authorized by local governments including cities, counties and tribal reservations. The local economic development organization can be a public, private or non-profit entity. Local economic development organizations interested in becoming a certified community can contact the Montana Rural Development Partners, Inc. (MRDP) at 406-563-5259.

The Valley County Commissioners have established a fire season for 2001, beginning on the first day of the year and running all year long. During 2001, no person shall set any forest fire, slash-burning fire, debris-burning fire, or open fire withing the county protection area without having obtained an official permit to ignite or set fire from the Valley County Sheriff or Dispatch Office at 228-4333.

Glasgow Police Officer Bruce Barstad will be attending the National FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia for nine weeks next year according to Glasgow Police Chief Lynn Erickson.

The Glasgow City Council gave final approval to the appointment last night and Barstad will begin his training on January 7th.

Barstad told KLTZ/MIX-93 news that the training will consist of specialized training in law enforcement plus administrative training.

He has applied for the training every year since 1997 and finally received notice of his acceptance in November. Only 200 students are accepted for the academy and they come from throughout the world for the specialized training.

Barstad had to sign an agreement that he will continue his employment with the Glasgow Police Department. for at least three years after completing his training.

The City of Glasgow will continue to pay his salary while undergoing the training but all expenses including his travel will be paid for by the FBI.

Barstad started with the Glasgow Police Department in 1989 and currently has the rank of Sergeant.

Data obtained for this year's big game season at the Havre check station has suggested a quality year for Region 6. With cooler temperatures and some early snow cover, hunter success and harvest was up from last year.

The total number of mule deer passing through suggested a 22% increase from last year. Hunter numbers were relatively the same as 1999, but hunter success increased 60%. Hunters out looking for a trophy buck were more successful this year and most reported seeing more total mule deer as well as a larger number of bucks throughout most of Region 6. Negative comments were expressed in hunting district 652 as they felt they had seen very few trophy deer.

The number of hunters searching for white-tailed deer increased 17% from 1999. But the total number of white-tailed deer harvested increased 77%, probably from the large numbers of antlerless licenses available. The harvest of antlerless white-tailed deer more than doubled from last year. Most hunters reported observing large numbers of whitetails with good numbers of large bucks.

Antelope harvest for 2000 increased by only 8% from the previous year. Antelope hunters increased 16% from increased permits issued this year. An overall success rate of 77% was reported on the harvest of antelope for 2000.

On December 11th a meeting was held with the North Valley Elk Working Group. Discussed was the Hunting District 670 Elk Management Plan. The goal for this hunting district is for Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, area landowners and hunters to cooperatively manage the elk herd in this hunting district to minimize negative impacts to private property.

Of the 25 hunters receiving permits for elk this season, 15 harvested elk were recorded. Thirteen of the 15 hunters successfully harvested bulls. Hunters in the area reported no problems with obtaining access or conflicts with other hunters. In the meeting it was decided that the one-year experimental season would be continued next season. Also, the number of either sex tags will increase from 25 to 35 for the upcoming 2001 season.

Region 6 has an active private lands habitat program. In the past FWP has worked on a variety of projects including constructing and repairing reservoirs, restoring drained wetlands, establishing rest-rotation grazing systems, and purchasing conservation easements. The common goal of all these projects is to enhance or protect wildlife habitat while also benefiting the landowner. For instance, our grazing systems are developed using funds from the Upland Game Bird Habitat Enhancement program.

This program pays for water developments, fencing, and many other improvements necessary for establishing rest rotation grazing. A variety of wildlife benefits by improving range condition and productivity, improving nesting and winter cover, and keeping the grasslands intact. The landowners also benefit by receiving improvements on their property, and improved range management that can eventually result in increased stocking rates and higher shipping weights. This program can be especially helpful to those interested in converting their expired CRP acres into grazing land. If you are interested in improving your range or any other habitat development projects, please call the Glasgow FWP office and they can direct who to call in your area.

Trapping of swift fox began in mid November north of Havre. The operation is moving east, trapping selected townships between the Canadian border and the Milk River. Six live traps are set per township and checked for three nights. To date, twelve townships have been completed. Traps were set at five additional townships for two nights before the weather became too cold. If the temperature drops below 0 F, trapping ceases as the fox will begin take cover. So far twelve different swift fox have been trapped. One adult male had been previously marked and its history is unknown. The rest of the trapped fox were born in the wild. The foxes were all trapped north of Chinook. The purpose of the trapping is to get a handle on the population of swift fox in our area. The swift fox was believed to be very limited until new populations were introduced in Canada and have since moved back into the area. The swift fox is a furbear, but has no open season. If anyone accidentally possesses a swift fox, you are asked to call or bring it into the nearest Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks office.

The Fort Peck Fisheries Management Plan is currently being revised. Public scoping meetings were held in Wolf Point, Havre, Glasgow, Glendive, Miles City and Billings. The purpose of the open meetings is to get input from the public on issues covered by the management plan on Fort Peck Lake.

The turnout for most of the meetings was small, except for the Billings and Glasgow meetings. Interested fishermen provided numerous comments that were thoroughly discussed and recorded. The main concern seems to be the format of tournaments held on the lake. The advisory committee will review all comments in January and decide how they will be addressed in the new management plan. The goal is to have a new management plan adopted by September of next year. If you were unable to attend any of the meetings and would like to comment, it's not too late. Address your concern by written letter to: Bill Wiedenheft, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Rt. 1-4210, Glasgow, Montana, 59230 or e-mailed to anjohnson@state.mt.us.

FWP and the BLM teamed up this winter on a cooperative project to "resurrect" nine marginal fish reservoirs and develop sustainable fisheries previously limited by low dissolved winter oxygen levels. The project involved the installation of wind powered aeration pumps. The windmills were purchased and installed using cost share funds from the BLM and Future Fisheries Improvement Program dollars from FWP. The reservoirs are located in Blaine and Phillips Counties and will be stocked with fish in the spring of 2001. Oxygen levels and fish survival will be monitored over the next few years to evaluate the success of this endeavor. Updates will be available in a year.

Now that the traditional final day of big game season has come and gone, hunters in the region are cleaning rifles and storing them for the winter. Not so fast! Put down those Christmas lights and head for the northeast corner of the region. On December 6th, a late season damage hunt for antlerless white-tailed deer in hunting districts 640 and 641 began. This special hunt will continue until January 14th. Region Six wardens will no doubt be busy in the area assisting hunters as well as landowners with the problems associated with game damage.

We experienced some problems near the end of the season with a few "people" I refuse to call sportsmen. These "people" were shooting deer from the road and leaving them to rot. Anyone who has information concerning this behavior is encouraged to call out TIP-MONT hot line. You are eligible for a cash reward and may remain anonymous. Just think, turn in a poacher, get Christmas cash, buy yourself a new rifle, and help us remove an undesirable element from our sport.

Ice fishing is getting off to a great start this year, with some excellent fish being taken locally. Be careful with the ice conditions! Colder weather creates good ice, but there is no replacement for good judgement.

Applications for floating the Smith River have arrived and are available at either the Glasgow or Harve Area Office.

Check at R6 Headquarters in Glasgow for availability of Surplus Tundra Swan permits - season goes through Jan 4, 2001.

Other items of interest available over our counter are county fishing maps, which include reservoir locations and fish species planted or status, for Valley, Hill, Blaine, Phillips, Sheridan, Daniels, Roosevelt and Richland Counties. Just in time for ice fishing season!

Items for sale over our counter includes: Greeting cards - Sun River Challenge greeting cards by Larry Zabel, 10 for $10, these would work to send as Christmas cards both to or from elk enthusiasts; and the just published, Montana Big Game Trophy Book, 12th edition, priced at only $5.00.

We invite you to stop out for a browse in our lobby and check out the numerous brochures about Montana and its recreational opportunities. Also check out our various mounted wildlife and fish displays!

Interviewing will begin at the end of this month for a parks manager and a pallid sturgeon biologist position. The parks manager position is a new position for Region 6. This new employee will began exploring locations for state parks in the region, be involved in pending fishing access sites, and assume duties for other operations that Region 4 and 7 were contributing to our region.

The pallid sturgeon biologist position is open due to the retirement of Jim Liebelt. The biologist position will be stationed at Fort Peck and will continue research on the pallid sturgeon below the dam. New employees will be on staff by late January or early February.

The emergency game damage hunt in the hunting districts 640 and 641 could cause a redirection of effort from all divisions if the weather in the area does not provide any relief. Problems still exist with wildlife and landowners in the area. Hunting districts 640 and 641 are located in the north east corner of Montana.

The proposed youth fishing pond to be located at Sullivan Park in Glasgow is progressing. The approximately ¾ acre pond has been tentatively staked east of Bill Connors Field. A group of community members applied for a $10,000 CTAP grant in December to help with projects to be built in coordination with the pond. The pond will provide an excellent opportunity for youth to catch fish and the MFWP to conduct fishing clinics. Volunteer angler education instructors will be needed to conduct the educational clinics. Please consider becoming a volunteer instructor as it will be necessary for the success of the program. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer angler education instructor, please contact the Glasgow office at 228-3700.

Students from Opheim, Hinsdale, and Glasgow are learning about prairie mule deer. Fifty mule deer in the Bitter Creek Area have been collared and are being tracked during the four-year study by wildlife biologist Pat Gunderson. A curriculum was drawn up to involve the students in coordinating locations of the deer in that area. The Bitter Creek area is flown twice a month during the winter months and once during the summer months. Deer are located by GPS coordinates and recorded. Each student has the responsibility of one deer and its location during the school year. Students learned of mule deer biology this month and continued to track it deer on their maps. The program will visit each school approximately every month to educate students on mule deer in our area. January's visit will focus on how the trapping of the deer took place and their summer habitat. We would like to thank the BLM for donating maps for the school project that are being used by all the students.

Don't forget about the Eastern Montana Sportsman Report airing on Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. on KLTZ. Stan Ozark presents a variety of programs relative to activities in the region. Previous programs included: Fort Peck Fish Hatchery, Big Game Season, 2000 Walleye Fingerling and Fry Plants, Tip-Mont, and Black-Footed Ferret Recovery. Upcoming shows include: Game Damage, Nelson Reservoir, Fresno Reservoir, Status of the Cisco on Fort Peck, Forage Fish on Fort Peck, and Region 6 Park Manager.

Many hunter education and bow hunter education classes were offered this fall with great success. Volunteer instructors throughout the region teach the classes. Their time and commitment is very appreciated. A regional hunter education workshop is set for March 24, 2000. Current hunter education instructors will be contacted when the specifics are finalized. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer instructor, please call the Glasgow office at 228-3700.

A survey to license agents in the region was distributed to see if improvements could be made to help them with license sales and communication with the department. The results of the survey suggested a good overall evaluation of the department with areas that need improvement. The department will address the areas of concern and work to improve them. Also, bulletin boards will be distributed to agents within the region that suggested a need for them. The bulletin boards, made of oak with the MFWP symbol, will provide a location to post news releases for customers to review.

Severe winter weather in portions of eastern Montana prompted the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Commission to establish special game damage hunts in portions of Hunting Districts 703 and 705.

Hunting for the special season is open for :
- antlerless mule deer by holders of special antlerless mule deer damage hunt license, unused "A" deer license or unused antlerless mule deer "B" license valid in Montana during the 2000 general season.
- antlerless white-tailed deer by holders of special antlerless white-tailed deer damage hunt license, unused "A" deer license or unused antlerless white-tailed "B" license valid in Montana during the 2000 general season.

The hunts are scheduled to begin ½ hour before sunrise December 20, 2000 to ½ hour after sunset January 28, 2001 according to procedures listed herein.

The additional licenses for this hunt will be issued until 250 antlerless 'B' mule deer damage licenses have been sold. Any resident or non-resident may purchase two and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Special game damage licenses will go on sale beginning December 19, 2000 at FWP Region 7 headquarters Miles City (232-0900), Baker Trading Post in Baker (778-2411), and Wibaux General Store in Wibaux (795-2575).

Also, 500 antlerless 'B' white-tailed deer damage licenses will be issued until sold. Any resident or non-resident may purchase two and will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Special game damage licenses will go on sale beginning December 19, 2000 at FWP Region 7 headquarters Miles City (232-0900), The Beer Jug in Glendive (377-9986), Baker Trading Post in Baker (778-2411), Wibaux General Store in Wibaux (795-2575).

All hunters must possess a 2000 Conservation License. Deer licenses are valid only on those properties designated by FWP. All laws and rules applicable to the 2000 general big game season apply to this special damage hunt.

Resident licenses cost $8.00 per license. Non-resident hunters please contact FWP in Miles City at 232-0900 for addition information on the cost of a license.

(Billings-AP) -- A federal judge in Billings is considering a lawsuit that challenges the presence of a Cable News Network crew while government agents raided a Montana ranch.

On March 24th, 1994, federal agents raided a Garfield County ranch in search of evidence that owner Paul Berger poisoned eagles. The agents were accompanied by a C-N-N news team.

Berger was acquitted of all charges but a misdemeanor. He now contends that the news crew trespassed with government permission and violated their privacy.

The case reached the U-S Supreme Court, which found government agents immune to litigation. The court did not extend immunity to the government or C-N-N, so the case returned to U-S District Court.

Kitzenberg Not Planning To Introduce Further Legislation On Hatchery (12/18)

State Senator-Elect Sam Kitzenberg told KLTZ/MIX-93 news last week that he will not be introducing any legislation dealing with the Warm Water Fish Hatchery at Fort Peck when the Montana Legislature convenes in January. Kitzenberg said the main work is yet to be done at the federal level as Congress will now have to appropriate the $20 million to build the hatchery.

Just last week President Clinton signed the legislation that authorizes the money to build the hatchery.

Work is expected to begin in January on the appropriation of the money.

Kitzenberg said that some people have asked him to introduce legislation in the Montana Senate to add some species of fish to be spawned at the hatchey but he believes that it's best to leave the current legislation alone at this time.

Kitzenberg was the main sponsor of the fish hatchery legislation when it passed the Montana Legislature in 1999.

Kitzenberg To Pursue Four-lane Highway (12/17)

State Senator-Elect Sam Kitzenberg told KLTZ/MIX-93 news this week that he will aggresively pursue a four lane highway in Montana from the North Dakota Line all the way to Troy, Montana.

Kitzenberg has already introduced a bill in the Montana Legislature which would direct the State of Montana to study the possibility of making U.S. Highway #2 a four lane highway across Montana. Kitzenberg pointed out that North Dakota already has made Highway #2 a four lane highway from Minot to Grand Forks and they are in the process of doing the same between Minot and Williston.

His bill has been introduced in the State Senate and State Representative Karl Waitchies will introduce a bill in the State House.

Kitzenberg said this a project that will take several years to complete but with the introduction of his bill at least the State of Montana will take notice and possibly could start planning a project that would make Highway #2 a four lane highway.

Kiwanis Update (12/17)

Arnold Hill, Division Mechanical Specialist for Northern Border Pipeline, shared his extensive spoon collection, including the history of the hobby itself as well as a humorous narration of many of his individual spoon treasures, at a recent Glasgow Kiwanis noon luncheon. Hill is Chairman of the Spiritual Aims Committee for the active community service organization which meets Wednesdays at noon at the Elks. For membership information please call Bill at 228-9225 or Lila at 228-4346. (Click on the above picture for a larger view.)

Storm Aid Will Be A Blessing (12/17)

By TOM HOWARD (Billings Gazette online)

Federal disaster assistance is on the way for six Eastern Montana counties hit hard by a series of winter storms last month.
President Clinton authorized the federal assistance Dec. 6 by issuing a major disaster declaration for Carter, Fallon, Richland, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Wibaux counties.

Jim Greene, administrator for the Montana Disaster and Emergency Services Division, said Friday that most of the damage occurred from Oct. 31 through Nov. 2. An unusual ice storm snapped more than 1,000 power poles and stretched or downed 70 miles of power line.

“You had to be there to believe it,” Westby area rancher Geri Andersen said of the storm’s damage to power poles, trees and structures. “It looked like a bomb had dropped.”

Rick Knick, manager of member services for Sheridan Electric Co-op in Medicine Lake, said the storm damage was the worst in the co-op’s 53-year history. Rain followed by freezing temperatures caused ice buildup on power lines as big around as a grapefruit, he said.

“We were trying to bang ice off the lines, but it was too thick,” he said.

With ice weighing about 35 pounds per foot of wire, power poles splintered under tons of additional weight. “Some of the poles looked like they had been split by an ax,” Knick said.

The federal disaster assistance will pay up to 75 percent of the cost of replacing power poles and power lines, said Steve Emory of Denver, federal coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Knick said it would be nearly impossible for the co-op’s 1,860 members to pick up the cost of the repair, estimated at more than $2 million.

He said about 1,200 of the co-op’s members were affected by the power outage.

Knick said the co-op’s line crew mushroomed from eight workers to 74 during the three-week repair. Neighboring electrical co-ops sent repair crews to help out. Electrical construction companies pitched in, and several temporary workers were hired, Knick said.

The crews worked from 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. seven days a week until Nov. 21 in order to restore the power, Knick said.
Andersen and her husband, Gene, were without power at their ranch 18 miles south of Westby for 20 days and they relied on a propane heater. They used a Coleman camp stove to cook their meals and melted snow to flush the toilet.

“It makes you appreciate how many gallons of water it takes to flush the toilet,” she said.

They purchased a generator, which broke down after only two days. After purchasing a second tractor-powered generator for about $1,000, the couple then had to work round the clock to keep the tractor running.

“We figured we spent $6,000 that we didn’t expect to spend,” Andersen said.
Neighbor Marlowe Onstead was the last residential customer Sheridan Electric Co-op hooked up. That was on Nov. 22, 21 days after the power was knocked out.

“We didn’t think we were ever going to get to him,” said Bill Schell, general manager of the co-op.

The co-op concentrated 30 linemen and construction workers on rebuilding the last 3 1/2 miles of electrical line to Onstead’s home.

“It was pretty amazing how everyone pulled together,” Schell said.

Onstead was also hard hit financially. In addition to the cost of a new generator, he figured he spent about $65 a day on fuel to run two tractors for almost 350 hours to power his generator, which he purchased in Minot, N.D., 150 miles away.
State Sen. Linda Nelson, D-Medicine Lake, said she was lucky her power was out only a few hours, so she shared the wealth by letting friends bathe and do their laundry at her home.

“We were counting our blessings,” she said. “The area has been really hard hit.”
Schell agreed. “It was pretty devastating. It will be next fall before we get everything back in shape.”
Donna Hilyard, executive director of the Farm Service Agency office in Sheridan County, said reports of livestock losses are still coming in. “We have heard of a few here and there,” she said.

Hilyard said a livestock indemnity program, for people who have lost livestock because of the storms, is available in areas that have received a presidential disaster declaration. The program will begin taking applications in January, she said.
Don Prevost, general manager of the Lower Yellowstone Electric Co-op in Sidney, said the 2,000-member co-op lost about 300 power poles in the storm.

“We must have had 5 inches of ice on the wires,” he said. Power was restored within two weeks, but some work needs to be done.
“We have a lot of cleanup and repairs of stretched wires to do next summer,” Prevost said.

Tourneys hot topic at meeting on Fort Peck's future (12/17)

By MARK HENCKEL, Gazette Outdoors Editor (Billings Gazette online)

Tournaments were the hot topic at a public scoping meeting Thursday night in Billings on a new management plan for fisheries on Fort Peck Reservoir.

About 50 fishermen showed up at the meeting, representing a broad range of fishing interests – from walleye to smallmouth bass to chinook salmon to northern pike anglers, tournament and non-tournament fishermen, even an outfitter and a marina operator.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks' Bill Wiedenheft and Mike Ruggles told the group that fish populations on the sprawling lake were basically healthy.

Smallmouth bass, for example, had expanded their numbers and range since the last management plan was adopted in 1992. The fate of chinook salmon rose and fell with the ability of FWP to obtain eggs and plant fish. Sauger numbers had dropped, reflecting an aging river-turnedreservoir. Walleye numbers were holding their own, being supplemented well by stocking and appeared to be largely unaffected by fishing pressure. Northern pike and perch numbers rose when reservoir levels rose and dropped during the dry years.

Tournament use on the lake was one thing that that had changed a great deal since the last management plan was adopted almost a decade ago.

In 1990, there were just three walleye tourneys and one bass tourney on the lake. In 2000, there were eight walleye tournaments, three bass events, a northern pike tournament, a salmon derby and an ice fishing derby. At least three additional events have been talked about for 2001.

Some of the walleye events were so-called "paper tournaments" where fish caught were taken to boats out on the lake where they were measured for length, their length was converted to pounds and the fish were immediately released. Other events were "weigh-in tournaments" where fish were brought back to a central location and actually weighed on stage and then released.

A variety of fishermen in attendance at the meeting spoke out that there was a need for some additional restrictions on tournaments – particularly on the weigh-in tournaments, especially in the wake of last summer's Professional Walleye Trail event where there was 87 percent mortality on fish that were weighed in.

Comments ranged from a ban on all weigh-in tournaments to restricting these events to just early in the summer – no later than mid-June – when water temperatures were colder and fish stood a better chance of surviving the weighing process than they do when water temps are higher.

Other anglers wanted a socalled slot limit put in place on the lake, both for tournaments and for non-tournament fishermen, where the limit would be put at five walleyes, just one of which could be over a certain length – 22 inches was the length mentioned.

One angler also spoke out that there was a need to limit the number of tournaments on the lake, so that they didn't conflict with recreational fishermen. His suggestion was to hold no more than two tournaments per month during the ice-free portion of the year.

Wiedenheft and Ruggles said that there was no biological information that led them to believe that tournaments were adversely affecting the fishery. They did say, however, that they had received numerous comments in the wake of the PWT event that killing fish in tournaments wasn't what other anglers wanted to see take place on the lake.

Other suggestions included more and more-visible measure boats in the paper tournaments, reducing the fishing areas in individual tournaments so walleyes don't have to be transported so far and holding tournament sponsors accountable that the majority of fish will survive in so-called catch-and-release tournaments.

Some northern pike fishermen asked for a smaller daily limit on pike – reducing the number from 10 per day to five per day – and placing a slot limit on them so that only one trophysize fish can be kept per day.

Chinook salmon fishermen simply wanted more stability in the number of salmon stocked each year.

Comments from the Billings meeting and other meetings in Eastern Montana will be considered by the Fort Peck Advisory Committee when it meets in January to decide how they will be addressed in the new management plan.

A draft plan will be written in February and March, go to the public for comments, then a final draft will be prepared through
the summer months. It will go to the FWP commission for final adoption in September.

Written comments are also being accepted on the plan. They can be mailed to: Bill Wiedenheft, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Rt. 1-4210, Glasgow, Mont., 59230 or emailed to: anjohnson@state.mt.us

BLOCK OF BUCKS (12/15)



Through the afternoon blizzard conditions, the Glasgow National Guard held their Block Of Bucks collection. The Guard collected $13,563.79 and they wish to thank the community for their support. They also wish thank The Glasgow Courier, Insty Prints, Students For The Remembrance Tree, Subway, The Soroptomists, KLTZ / KLAN, Independence Bank of Glasgow, Radio Shack, The Glasgow Elks Lodge, The Glasgow Bakery, Jody's Conoco, Steve Greybull, Nemont Telephone and VTI, and the brave men that spent the day dodging traffic and fighting the blizzard.

Five Projects Receive Valley County Community Foundation Funds (12/15)

Five Valley County projects will receive funding from the Valley County Community Foundation, according to Sam Waters, chair of the grants committee for the Foundation.

Waters explained the purpose for the Community Foundation as the steward of a community savings account, through which private assets are invested to meet the challenges of contemporary life. Funding for the grants comes from the endowment's earnings. Grants are awarded annually, and applications for next year's awards will be available in the fall.

Waters also noted that everyone is welcome to help the Community Foundation grow. For more information, contact him at 228-8271.

Phillips County May Be Site Of Montana Air National Guard Bomb Range (12/13)

Reacting to news that the Montana Air National Guard may build a practice-bomb training range in Phillips County, townsfolk and ranchers in the Malta area said they'd love to have something-anything-to provide a few jobs on the Hi-Line.

As it shops the region for land for a 15-square-mile training range for jet bomber training, the military has indicated it will employ as many as a dozen civilians to manage the range and pay property owners for the use of their land.

The Great Falls Tribune reported on Wednesday that officials announced earlier this week they were condsidering three new sites in addition to two already identified near the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in neighboring Blaine County. The Montana Air National Guard wants to develop a training range where F-16 fighter pilots based in Great Falls will drop 25-pound shells to hone their air-to-ground target skills.

The Montana Air National Guard held a public meeting in Malta Tuesday evening and while some concerns have surfaced that the noisy jets will scare cattle and annoy people, the 35 people at the meeting were largely supportive.

Jobs at the range would include office clerks, maintenance personel and monitors. Officials declined to speculate on wages.

The government will decide on a location by the end of next year and begin construction as early at 2003.

The military currently sends pilots to training ranges in Utah or Idaho because there are no sites in Montana. A range in Blaine or Phillips county would cut the commute time from the Great Falls International Airport from nearly an hour to about 20 minutes, allowing pilots more practice time.

The military is launching a comprehensive study of the environmental, social ,cultural and economic aspects of each of the potential sites and will release a draft next spring.

New Officer Starts; Patrol Car To Arrive In January; Halloween Vandalism (12/12)

In news from the Glasgow Police Department...the first woman police officer started her duties on Monday as a full fledged patrollman with the department. Laura Lamb was officially hired by the Glasgow City Council on December 4th and according to Police Chief Lynn Erickson will make an excellent addition to the staff and makes the department well rounded.
Lamb is 33 years old and is a Glasgow resident...she has a background in parole and probation and before taking the patrollman job helped her husband manage R&G Quality Feeds in Glasgow. Her husband Travis is a deputy with the Phillips County Sheriffs Department. She is tentavily set to attend the Montana Law Enforcement Academy in September of 2001.

Chief Erickson also told Kltz/Mix-93 news that the police department will receive a new patrol car sometime in the middle of January. The car will be purchased from the Weber County, Utah Sheriffs Department. The 1999 Ford Crown Victoria will replace the patrol car that was damaged in a November traffic accident. The Glasgow Police Department is currently using 3 patrol cars and with the addition of Laura Lamb is fully staffed for the first time since patrollman Wade Khromer resigned two months ago.

Chief Erickson is also looking for help in solving a rash of vandalism that occured on Halloween of this year. Erickson told Kltz/Mix-93 news that the department has had a few leads but nothing has turned up as of yet. The vandalism occured Halloween night and over $1000 in damage was reported which makes it a felony. Erickson said he believes that all of the incidents are related. If anyone has any information they are urged to call the Glasgow Police Department at 228-4333.

Farmers, shippers decry Missouri River proposals (12/12)

Farmers and barge companies oppose an Army Corps of Engineers plan to protect wildlife species by altering seasonal water levels on the Missouri River.

U-S Fish and Wildlife Service officials want to raise spring levels and lower summer levels of the Missouri River. They say the changes would protect the pallid sturgeon, and two bird species: least tern and piping plover.

But farmers insist the changes will threaten their crops, and barge companies say the changes will inflate shipping costs.

Darrell Sargent farms one-thousand acres along the Missouri. He says tinkering with the water level will wipe out his crops.

Kevin Knepper is general manager of the Big Soo Terminal in Sioux City, Iowa. He says low water levels in summer would make the river unnavigable.

The flow changes will be debated in the next few months, and a plan is due in February. Corps officials say early releases could begin in Montana, at Fort Peck, next spring. (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

2000 Block of Bucks This Friday

The Montana Army National Guard will be collecting donations for the "2000 Block of Bucks" Friday, December 15th in the Glasgow's downtown intersections. The Soroptomist Club members, and volunteers will assist Valley County children in need with their shopping trips Saturday, December 16th. More volunteer shoppers are needed, please call 228-4814 or 228-8460 for more information. To register your children for the Block of Bucks, contact Pat Hallet at Family Services, 228-8221.

Clinton Signs Water Resources Bill, Including Hatchery and Fort Peck Cabin Ownership (12/11)

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Monday said President Clinton signed a bill that will create a new warm-water fish hatchery at Fort Peck lake, swap a series of cabin sites at Fort Peck Lake for lands important to hunting and fishing, and help clean up polluted streams in Montana.

"We've been working for long time to get this bill signed into law because it's so important to our hunting and fishing heritage and jobs in our state, Baucus said. "Now that the ink from the President's signature is dry, we can get moving on these projects that will improve our quality of life and boost our economy."
Baucus steered the provisions through the Senate as part of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). The lead Democrat on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Baucus helped write the bill that approves U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects across the country.

Baucus noted that Fort Peck fish hatchery and cabin sites bills were not included as part of the original House-passed version of WRDA on October 19. As a member of the Senate-House negotiating committee charged with resolving differences between the two versions, Baucus inserted in the final version of the measure the Fort Peck Fish Hatchery and cabin sites provisions, as well as $5 million to help clean up rivers polluted with mining waste. Baucus said the agreement that he helped broker combined those projects with the hugely popular restoration of the Florida Everglades, providing the momentum to move the bill through the Senate and House. Included in the Water Resources Development Act that passed the Senate and the House are the following provisions for Montana:
Fort Peck Fish Hatchery The $20-million Fort Peck Fish Hatchery will support native fish recovery and warm-water fish such as walleye and small-mouth bass, as well as other species that have been hurt by heavy fishing pressure in recent years. The hatchery will be located on 100 acres of federal land south of the Dredge Cuts area in Fort Peck and will be staffed by two to three employees, Baucus said.

"The fish hatchery will be a tremendous shot in the arm for the economies of the folks in Sidney, Malta, Lewistown, Billings and of course, Glasgow, Baucus said. "Fort Peck Lake is one of the greatest resources that exists in our state. It is an increasingly important center for recreation and a big part of the local economies."

Baucus said the hatchery proposal has the support of local community leaders, economic development groups, and sportsmen associations, and will be a partnership between the Army Corp of Engineers and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

In July, Baucus toured Fort Peck Lake with the top official for the Army Corp of Engineers -- Joseph Westphal to garner his support for the fish hatchery and the Fort Peck Cabin Site bill.

"People from around the world come to Fort Peck for our annual walleye tournaments," Baucus said. "Hundreds of boats, and probably a thousand or more anglers participate in these events. I was at the Governor's Cup tournament this summer and it is truly a sight to behold. The local community puts its heart and soul into the tournaments. That's why this bill is so important.

Fort Peck Cabin Sites Under the cabin site bill, families that lease the 392 cabin sites at Fort Peck Lake will be given an option to purchase their cabin site at fair-market value. The proceeds from these purchases will then be placed in the Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust and be available to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to purchase land at the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge with higher values to the public. The cabin sites are currently owned and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

"This bill is a common sense win-win solution," Baucus said. "We let cabin owners buy their cabin sites, and then use the money to purchase wildlife habitat for the refuge. This will reduce the cost to the government of managing these cabin sites, and will provide us with new hunting and fishing opportunities in northeastern Montana."

The Montana Fish and Wildlife Conservation Trust was established by Baucus as part of similar legislation at Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Under that bill, passed in 1998, cabin owners at Canyon Ferry were given an option to purchase the 265 cabin sites at that U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reservoir. Proceeds from the Canyon Ferry bill are being deposited in the trust for use across Montana to improve access to public lands and for land important for hunting and fishing.

"This is a model that worked well at Canyon Ferry," Baucus said. "The proceeds from these transactions can create new hunting, fishing and recreational opportunities for all Montanans on new public lands acquired under these bills."

The Fort Peck Cabin Site bill is estimated to generate between $5 and $8 million in revenue for purchasing land important for hunting and fishing. When fully implemented, the Canyon Ferry bill is expected to generate between $12 and $18 million to improve access to public lands and to benefit fish and wildlife.

Stream Restoration from Mine tailings Baucus established a new $5-million program under which the Army Corps of Engineers will assist in cleaning up three Montana rivers polluted by hard-rock mine tailings near Cooke City, Marysville, and Helena. The streams have been contaminated with acidic waste and precious metals, including lead, mercury, arsenic, and cadmium by defunct mining operations in those areas. The corps will use these funds to help clean up mine waste on the following Montana streams: Soda Butte Creek, near Cooke City, flows into Yellowstone National Park. Silver Creek, near Marysville, is contaminated with mercury. Elkhorn Mountains near Helena. This clean-up includes a number of streams near historic mine sites in the Elkhorns.

(AP) American ranchers are great at producing cattle, but the new president of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association says the industry could do a better job of marketing.

Lynn Cornwell is a Glasgow-area rancher, and takes over as the president of the national association in early February.

He says while ranchers have made great strides in producing cattle, marketing that beef hasn't changed much in 25 years. Cornwell says the group's challenge for the future will be invest in marketing tools that bring more money back to the rancher.

Cornwell as served as president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association and chairman of the Montana Public Lands Council.

Storm dumps snow, brings cold temperatures (12/11)
(AP) Montanans were digging out Saturday after a blustery snowstorm swept across most of the state. The National Weather Service says some areas of Montana -- including Glasgow -- received as much as six-and-a-half inches of snow by midnight. And Glasgow was suffering through bitter temperatures, including a record -24 reading on Sunday.

Matt Jackson with the weather service says it's going to stay quite cold across the state for the next several days. Highs are expected to reach only the single digits, with overnight lows below zero -- through Thursday. Temperatures in the northeastern part of the state are expected to drop to 25 below zero tonight. (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

HELENA - Forty-two law enforcement officers graduated Friday from a basic training class at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy.

During the 12-week basic training course, new law enforcement officers received training in legal issues, criminal investigation, firearms, police vehicle operations, emergency medical techniques and defensive tactics that do not involve the use of weapons. They also studied police ethics, community relations, crisis intervention and new investigative tools, such as DNA evidence collection and testing.

Most of the students already have been hired by Montana law enforcement agencies and were attending the basic training as a part of the conditions of their employment. Others take the course in advance of being hired.
Once they have completed the basic course, new officers receive additional on-the-job training from their respective agencies under the supervision of a field training officer.

The class was the last to graduate while Attorney General Joe Mazurekis in office. Mazurek, who oversees the Academy as part of his duties as head of the Department of Justice, gave the graduation speech and encouraged class members to adhere strictly to professional and ethical standards of conduct.

Noting that Montana courts consistently hold law enforcement officers to high standards in their work, he added: "the challenge to you becomes this: as you set out to enforce the law, do it right, do it by the book, don't take short cuts"

"The work that you will do is tremendously worthwhile and extremely important," he added. "The quality of life we enjoy in Montana depends in a large part on the services you - our law enforcement officers - provide. Aspire to it and do it in the highest and best tradition of a proud profession."

LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY BASIC TRAINING GRADUATES
Dec. 8, 2000

First Lutheran Preschool & Scottie Daycare are again sponsoring their annual Festival of Trees. The trees are purchased from the Boy Scouts & area businesses provide the decorations. The trees are located at Markle's Hardware & are available to be purchased by silent auction held between Friday December 1st & Saturday December 9th. On Sunday Dec. 10th the highest bidders will be notified & their trees will be delivered. You can click on the pictures below for a larger view.

Poverty stats find Montana with some of nation's poorest counties (12/7)
(Helena-AP) New poverty statistics from the Census Bureau are out, and of the nation's 100 counties with the worst poverty rates, three are in Montana.

Glacier County ranks 35th, with about 33 percent of its residents living in poverty. Roosevelt County is 67th with a rate of 31 percent, and Big Horn County ranks 88th, with a rate of 29 and a half percent.

The Rev. Dan Powers is a clergyman in Heart Butte, and he says Glacier County's ranking comes as no surprise. Powers says he sees few people with jobs or money. Most of Glacier County is on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Fort Peck fish hatchery legislation has finally arrived at President Bill Clinton's desk and he is expected to sign the bill sometime in the next ten days.

The U.S. Congress passed the legislation on November 4th but it has been awaiting the signature of the Speaker of the House and the Senate Pro Tempre.

This week Speaker Denny Hastert and Speaker Pro Tempre Strom Thurmond finally signed on and the bill was sent to the President. Clinton will now have until December 15th to sign the bill and make it into law.

The legislation contains language that authorizes $20 million dollars to construct a fish hatchery at Fort Peck and also language that allows cabin owners on Fort Peck Lake to purchase the land their cabins currently are located on.

(Billings-AP) Despite some snow during November, it was not enough to match normal amounts for early winter, and that means drought is retaining its grip on Montana.

Through the first eleven months of this year, Billings had ten-point-36 inches of moisture. That's nearly four inches less than normal. Lewistown is four inches below normal; Cut Bank and Kalispell are five inches low; and Miles City is three-point-nine inches below normal. And November snow did not produce any impressive snowfall in the mountains, that feed the state's major river basins.

The latest snowpack report shows all of the major river basins well below normal.

Only the northeast corner of Montana escaped drought this year. Glasgow has three inches more than where it normally would be at the end of November. (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture is sponosring the annual Christmas yard & house decorating contest.

You are asked to vote for your favorite decorated house or yard by e-mailing the Chamber office at chamber@nemontel.net There will not ballot boxes in stores this year. If you don't have access to e-mail you may call your votes in at 228-2222. You may only vote once so you will need to leave your name. First place will receive $25 in Chamber Big Bucks. The contest will end Thursday, December 21st.

The Valley County Transit bus invites everyone for a tour of the lights & decorations. YouÕll meet at the east end of the courthouse. Cost is $1 per person and will take approximately 90 minutes. 228-8747 to sign up for the tour. If youÕre new to town, this is a great way to see Glasgow via the transit bus.

Winter is here and has brought with it a substantial amount of snow to many areas in Northeast Montana. The harsh conditions has created problems for wildlife as they are finding little cover and unable to get to food. Under such circumstances, it is not uncommon for the wildlife to begin moving into town looking to find shelter and satisfy their hunger. A common human desire is to prevent the suffering of animals and begin feeding those animals that enter urban areas. Although it seems like the right thing to do, supplemental feeding often leads to more problems. Some key points to keep in mind are:

· Many animals, such as deer and gamebirds, employ various strategies to cope with winter weather. They may hunker down, move less, move somewhere out of bad weather, move to the best and most abundant food sources, or various combinations of those behaviors. Most of the time their strategies do work.
· Most supplemental feeding is not a natural process and can disrupt existing natural processes by the animals.
· Most supplemental feeding efforts by private citizens focus on individual animals, not populations.
· Wildlife abundance reflects weather patterns. Severe weather lowers numbers, whereas favorable conditions allow for population growth. Such fluctuations are natural and a constant influence on the abundance of wildlife.

Evidence indicates supplemental feeding is not a practice the public should take on. State and federal wildlife managers rarely participate in supplemental feedings. Those who choose to feed animals put neighboring adults and children in danger. Roaming animals in town cause traffic problems as well. Wildlife are instinctive creatures that will adapt to the best of their abilities under extreme conditions. Although difficult, it is best to allow nature's unpredictable pattern to run its course.
If you have wildlife in or around your house in an urban area, please contact your local enforcement office or Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks office.

Enron is talking with producers to see if there is interest in building a three-hundred-and-twenty-four-mile line from southwestern Campbell County to an area near McCabe, Montana.

In Montana, the line would connect to the Northern Border Pipeline in extreme northeastern Montana on a route that extends all the way to Chicago.

Funds made available to fight abuse of Indian women (12/5)
(AP) The Justice Department has awarded 6-point-35 million dollars nationwide to 82 Indian tribal governments in 23 states, including nearly 350-thousand dollars in Montana.

Federal officials say the money is to help respond to Indian women who are victims of domestic and sexual abuse. The money also will assist lawmen and prosecutors investigating and prosecuting cases involving violence against Indian women.

The tribes and amounts in Montana are 49-thousand-135 dollars to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes; 75-thousand-976 dollars to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on the Flathead Reservation; 113-thousand-216 dollars to the Fort Belknap Reservation; and 108-thousand-236 dollars to the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

The Valley County Commissioners have been preparing for the improvement of county roads by stockpiling gravel in certain areas of the county.

The Commissioners told KLTZ/MIX-93 News that since Valley County voters approved a special mill levy to gravel county roads, the Commissioners have been stockpiling the gravel.

The special levy will raise an estimated $210,000 for the gravelling of county roads. The commissioners have decided that each commissioner will select 10 to 14 miles of road in their respective district and those roads will then be gravelled. The gravelling will be done by both contracting the work out and also by the Valley County Road Department. This program was approved by the voters in June of this year and will last for two years. Valley County has approximately 2000 miles of county roads.

In other county news, the commissioners have announced that former radar base property located near Opheim has been sold to an out of state family that plans to build a home on the property. The county sold the estimated 40 acres for $7000. The property reverted to the county in 1998 and has been put up for tax deed auction 4 times.

Angeline Nieskens, 62, died on Sunday, December 24th of cancer at Valley View Nursing Home in Glasgow. A vigil service will be held on Friday, December 29th, at 7pm at Bell Chapel, and funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 30th at 9am at the Fort Peck Chapel in Fort Peck. Reverend Thad Kozikowski will officiate and burial will be in Bowman, North Dakota. Bell Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.

Angeline was born in 1938 in Belfield, North Dakota. She was raised in North Dakota and in 1957 married Francis McGee at Worland, Wyoming. She has lived at Fort Peck since 1978. She married Ken Nieskens in 1979 in Glasgow. She enjoyed reading, crocheting, sewing, painting and crossword puzzles. Angeline was an avid gardener and enjoyed socializing. She worked at the Glasgow Credit Bureau for 10 years.

Survivors include her husband Ken of Fort Peck, 1 daughter: Wanda Paisano of Elko, Nevada; 9 sisters, 2 brothers, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by one son, Lowell, in 1998.

Harold Schultz, age 69, of Fort Peck died of natural causes at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow. Vigil services will be Tuesday, Dec. 26, 7:00 PM, at St. Raphael's Catholic Church in Glasgow. Rev. Thad Kozikowski will officiate. Services are scheduled Thursday, Dec. 28, 10:00 AM at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Mandan, ND with Rev. Patric Schumacher officiating. Burial will take place at North Dakota Veterans Cemetery in Mandan, ND. Bell Mortuary in Glasgow is in charge of arrangements.

Harold Schultz was born in Bismarch, ND March 27, 1931 to Ted and Anna (Bacher) Schultz. Harold was raised in Fort Rice, ND. He served in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1955, serving in Korea. Harold married Marlene Rebenitsch June 14, 1956 in Huff, ND. They lived in Mandan, ND until 1971 when they moved to Fort Peck, MT where they owned and operated the Fort Peck Marina from 1971 until 1993 when Harold retired. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, baseball, western movies and spending time with his family and grandchildren.

Survivors include his wife, Marlene of Fort Peck; a son, Charles Schultz and his wife, Heidi, of Flaxville; a daughter, Joan Taylor and her husband, Roy, of Glasgow; 8 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren; sisters, Vivian Helfrich and Betty Dillon of Mandan, ND; a brother, James Schultz of Mandan, ND. Harold Schultz was preceded in death by 2 brothers, Alvin Schultz and Fred Schultz.

Evelyn Landeraaen Age: 78 died in Glasgow, Montana Wednesday, December 13, 2000 of Natural Causes at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow, Montana. Services will be held on Saturday December 16, 2000 at 2:00 P.M. at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow, MT. Officiating will be Pastor Mark Koonz with the interment taking place at a later date.

Evelyn was born on February 6th, 1922 in Plymouth, Iowa to parents Albin Hoydar and Clara Kuntz Hoydar. She was born on the family farm where she spent her early years enjoying life, working hard, and fostering friendships that lasted well into her adult life.

After the sale of the farm, she and her parents and her two younger sisters moved westward, eventually settling in Oakland, Calif. She worked many years at a downtown department store, enjoyed trips to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Hawaii with close girlfriends. Her single days ended when she met Andor Landeraaen on a blind date and they were later married on September 7th, 1956 at St. John's Lutheran Church in Oakland, Calif. Her life's desire had always been to be a wife and mother and she fulfilled that for 44 years. During some of those years, she worked as an administrative assistant for a nursing home in Hayward, Calif. The rest of the time she was devoted to her family and friends, enjoyed gardening, loved baking, camping, trips to Reno, and being grandma to her grandchildren as well as to her friends children.

She is survived by her husband, Andor Landeraan, daughter-in-law Valerie, two grandchildren, Morgan and Hannah of Scobey, Mt. Two sisters, Shirley Washam, of Brookings, Oregon and Claral Kellogg and family of Auburn, Calif. Four nephews in Oregon and Calif., and many friends.

Dick Wagenhals Age: 74 died in Glasgow, Montana Thursday, December 14, 2000 of Cancer at Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow, Montana. Services will be held on Monday December 18, 2000 at 1:00 P.M. at the First Methodist Church in Glasgow, MT. Officiating will be Rev. Dave Hodsdon with the burial taking place at the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow.

Dick was born on February 1, 1926 in Glasgow, Montana to parents Joseph Wagenhals and Mary (Schutz) Wagenhals. He was raised and lived in Glasgow his entire life. Dick enlisted in the US Navy in 1943 at the age of 17. He served from 1943 to 1946. He worked at North East Auto and as an automobile salesman, and at Wagenhals Electric. On June 3, 1951 he married Mary Lou Alley in Glasgow. He worked at Swift and Co., a meat packing company, for 17 years. Dick then worked for Peyton Terry at Terry's Chevrolet for 7 years, and then worked 10 years for the Montana Employment Office, retiring in 1990. He also worked as a shop floor man at Tire-Rama in Glasgow. He was a member of North Star Lodge #46, Glasgow York Rite Bodies, and Al Bedoo Shrine. He was a charter member of the Glasgow Elks, and a member of the Glasgow Chamber, Kiwanis, and the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Foundation for 9 years.

He enjoyed gardening, especially growing large pumpkins. He was the #1 fan of his children and 4 grandchildren. He loved watching the Glasgow Scotties and the Kansas City Chiefs. Dick loved visiting with friends and had a "route" every morning to visit them. He always had a joke.

SURVIVORS: Wife: Mary Lou Wagenhals of Glasgow, MT. Son: Dana Wagenhals of Glasgow, MT. and his wife Cathy. Daughter: Gayle Sage and her husband David. Brothers: John Wagenhals of Sanger, California, and Pete Wagenhals of Brownsville, California. 4 grandchildren: Britt Beeghly, Marissa Sage, Chad Wagenhals, and Jenni Wagenhals.

PALLBEARERS: Kevin Miller, Peyton Terry, Roy Hagen, Mike Maas, Everett Breigenzer, John Jakanoski

HONORARY PALLBEARERS: "Everyone on his daily route", the "Tire Rama Crew", Udell Miller, Evelyn Kemp.

Elmer "Al" Charette

Funeral services for Elmer "Al" Charette, age 63 will be held Monday, December 11th, 2000 at the Bell Chapel at 11:00AM. Burial will follow at the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow with Rev. Jim Holter officiating. He died on Wednesday, December 6th, 2000 of heart failure at his home in Glasgow, Montana.

Al was born December 14th, 1936 in Ashland, Maine to Alphonse Charette and Mary (Carney) Charette. He was raised and attended schools in Unionville, Connecticut. After High School, he served in th eUS Air Force in Korea during the Korean War. He then was transferred to the Opheim Radar Base. On September 28th, 1958, Al married Marlene Sailer in Glasgow. Al lived in Iran and Saudi Arabia where he worked with Desalination Plants. In Glasgow, he has worked on construction and has raised cattle. Al was a member of the American Legion, the Masonic Blue Lodge, York Rite, Scottish Rite, AlBedoo and Algeria Shrine Temples, OES, Milk River Shrine Club, and Glasgow Elks Club. He loved to read, take care of his cattle, and was a collector of foreign artifacts.

Survivors include his wife, Marlene Charette of Glasgow mother, Mary Charette of Unionville, Conn. brother in law, Robert Sailer and (Debbie) of Phoenix, Az. brothers Wilbur and Rodger Charette of Farmington, Conn. sister, Patricia Weber of Unionville, Conn. and mother in law, Freda Sailer of Glasgow.

Funeral services for Maybelle A. Christinson age 91 will be held Thursday December 7, 2000 at 11:00 A.M. At the Bell Chapel in Glasgow with the Rev. Michael Fay officiating. Burial will follow at the Highland Cemetery in Glasgow. Maybelle was born August 13, 1909 to Nelson Cotton and Abbie (Moses) Cotton in Glasgow, MT. Maybelle attended schools in Glasgow and graduated from Glasgow High School in 1927. On October 15, 1935 she married James O. Christinson in Glasgow. She worked at the Red Cross, Servisoft, and at the Bell Mortuary. She was a member of the Order of Eastern Star, Rainbow Girls, White Shrine, and Daughters of the Nile. She was also active in the Pioneer Museum and the Ridgerunners. Maybelle enjoyed flowers, being outdoors, sewing, yard work, traveling, and their cabin at the Pines. Survivors include her daughter Isabelle Broxson and her husband Donald of Great Falls, MT. 2 grandchildren, Michele Broxson of Great Falls, MT and Kevin Broxson of Walla Walla, WA and his wife Shirley. Sister-in laws Aileen Rusher, Marvel Cotton Of Glasgow, and Marvelle Stoos of Clinton, MT. She was preceded in death by a sister Annette Stensland, and brothers Howard, Sidney, Bob, Charles, and Alvin Cotton.

Russel Jay Tippets

Funeral services for Russel Jay Tippets, age 79, will be held Monday December 4, 2000 at 10:00 A.M. at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow. Rev. Chris Flohr will officiate with burial to follow at the Nashua City Cemetery in Nashua, MT.

Russel Tippets was born November 12, 1921 to Robert and Irene Hochstrasser Tippets in Arco, Idaho.

Russel Jay Tippets passed away peacefully on November 30, 2000 surrounded by his wife and three daughters. He joins all the angels in heaven, making glorious music forevermore.

Russ proudly served in the Navy aboard the USS West Virginia, and was a member of the United States Navy Band. Russ was a Pearl Harbor Survivor and shared his diary of this experience with many.

Russ devoted his life to making music, after graduating from the University of Chicago with a Masters Degree. He touched and influenced thousands, while teaching music for 28 years 27 of them in Nashua, Montana. Russ was also the Choir Director at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow, for 24 years and was honored at an open house on November 5, 2000.

Russ is survived by his wife of 52 years Jonnie (Gladys) of Nashua, and three daughters and sons-in-law: Maridene Johnson of Fort Peck, MT. Dena Tippets and Frank Ryan of Havre, MT. Lois Cassan and Dave of Anaconda, MT. Surviving grandchildren: Loren and Joel Baker, Lisa and Sara Johnson, Josh and Elisha Cassan, and great granddaughter Alexis Chantel Baker

Santa Cash Pack Winners (12/20)

Tim, reading the winning names	$100 winner Katie McCloy gets her Big Bucks

$300 winner Chantelle Amundson	$600 Big Bucks winner Tim Hyde


Family Style Hair Salon	First Lutheran Pre-school	Hanson Paint & Body	Headquarters

Looking Good	Plaid Square	Sagebrush Cellur/NCI Internet	Sinclair Distributors

GHS Student Council Prepares Annual Turkey Dinner (12/23)

The Glasgow High School student council stayed up all night Thursday night to prepare the school's annual turkey dinner, held each year on the last school day before Christmas vacation. The past few years Rod Karst has brought the crew up to the radio station for awhile to be on our show. Click on the picture for a larger view.

KLTZ/MIX-93 DECEMBER 2000 NEWS