KLTZ/MIX-93 NEWS ARCHIVE 11/99



EVENT ARCHIVE


LAST BASH OF THE CENTURY IS SATURDAY (11/30)
The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture is gearing up for a huge day this coming Saturday, with a fashion show, dance, and the arrival of St. Nick. Santa will arrive in Glasgow at about 12:30 on Saturday, and will make several stops downtown. Also, the Christmas Stroll will be held from 2-5:30 through various downtown businesses. There will be merchants' specials, wagon rides and caroling downtown.

The Last Bash of the Century gets underway at 6pm at the Ridgerunners Saddle Club. It's a family event, with era decorations and costumes. The carnival runs until 9pm, with admission $1 for those age 12 and under. A dance will be held from 8-midnight, with a fashion parade at 9:30, featuring music of the century. Admission to the dance is $5 for those age 13 and over. The Chamber and Valley County Ridgerunners Saddle Club invite everyone out to relive the last century with family, friends and neighbors.

HIGHWAY FATALITY IN MALTA (11/29)

(AP) Twenty-two-year-old Duane Thomas Webb of Malta was killed about 7:45 a-m. when his pickup truck ran off U-S two and crashed into the Malta Tire Company at the intersection with U-S 191 in Malta.

The patrol says the truck jumped the concrete median, sideswiped a parked truck and crashed into another. The impact threw the pickup into reverse, and the truck crashed backward into a storage building.

The patrol says Webb apparently had fallen asleep at the wheel.

(Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


MALTA GUN FIGHT CONTINUES (11/29)
(AP) A Malta man wants the state to return an ivory-handled revolver, that belonged to an infamous Montana cattle rustler. Seventy-eight-year-old Jim Watkins says his father, Alfred Watkins, got the pistol as a gift from rustler Dutch Henry in 1905.

In 1962, Alfred Watkins loaned the gun to the Montana Historical Society so it could be publicly displayed. But a few months ago, Jim Watkins decided to get the gun back, so it could be displayed at the Phillips County Museum in Malta.

But the state says the gun was a permanent gift, and won't give it back. They suggest that Watkins take his case to the meeting of the society's board of trustees, on January 13th in Helena.

(Copyright 1999 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)


DNCR FIRE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (11/29)
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) has cost share money available to defray up to one-half of the cost of improving local fire protection. Applications for matching funds through the federally funded, Title IV, Volunteer Fire Assistance program are due Feb. 18, 2000.

According to Paul May of the DNRC Forestry Division, eligible applicants may include: Fire departments, rural fire districts, fire service areas, volunteer fire companies or other fire service organizations in communities with populations of 10,000 or less. Also, a group of communities totaling over 10,000 population (such as a county-wide fire organization) may submit a single application.
Projects for the 2000 Volunteer Fire Assistance program are limited to the purchase of Safety Equipment such as "personal protective equipment" (fire shirts, fire pants, Nomex jumpsuits, gloves, helmets, fire shelters) and Structural firefighting equipment such as turnouts, helmets, boots, gloves, and radios.

According to May, fire trucks, buildings, pumps or other large and costly items not related to safety equipment are not eligible for funding. This is due to reduced funding levels for this program in the last several years, and the need to get the maximum benefit for the dollars spent, he explained.

May said that DNRC encourages county-wide fire organizations to submit a single application. Each year 80 to 100 applications are received by DNRC. Of those 40 to 50 are approved for funding, he said.

Money available to DNRC for distribution in the year 2000 is anticipated to be the same as last year; $39,000. Applications should be sent to the DNRC Forestry Division, ATTN: Volunteer Fire Assistance Program, 2705 Spurgin Road, Missoula, MT 59804-3199.
Details are also available on the Internet at: <http://www.dnrc.state.mt.us/forestry/fireb.htm> http://www.dnrc.state.mt.us/forestry/fireb.htm
RIVER SYSTEM ON WEB (11/29)
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, are pleased to announce the availability of FWP's Montana Rivers Information System on the internet.

The new system allows custom query, reporting, and mapping of information on over 4,500 Montana streams and rivers.

The Montana Rivers Information System (MRIS) is a database containing information on fish species distribution, supporting data for distribution and stream level information. Data sets supporting fish distribution include population trend data, spawning survey data, and genetics results. Other stream or reach level data include angling use, fisheries resource classification, protected designation, instream flow reservations, stream channel conditions and other data for over 4,500 streams and rivers in the State of Montana. The database is managed and maintained by the Information Services Unit (ISU) of the Fisheries Division of the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and is annually updated through interviews with MFWP, USFS, USFWS and BLM fisheries biologists and information provided in documents.

The system is available through NRIS's Water Information Home Page (http://nris.state.mt.us/wis/wis1.html) or directly at http://web1.nris.state.mt.us/scripts/esrimap.dll?name=MRIS2&Cmd=INST.
HIGHWAY CONTRACTS RELEASED (11/29)
The Montana Transportation Commission awarded 17 contracts for road improvements and bridge replacements November 16th. The contracts are worth about $37 million.
The projects are:
* Lolo South, a project to expand 5.6 miles of US 93 south of Missoula
to four lanes and install signing, lighting, landscaping and a new concrete
bridge over Lolo Creek. JTL Group, Inc. of Billings offered the low bid and
was awarded the contract for approximately $7 million. Work on the bridge
will likely start after the first of the year and most of the work on the
project will be completed by next winter.
* Red Rock-Dillon, a project to smooth and resurface 25.5 miles of
Interstate 15. It was awarded to Riverside Contracting, Inc. of Missoula.
Work on the $6.1 million project is expected to begin next spring and be
completed by winter.
* Five Bridges SE of Ennis, a project to replace outdated bridges over
the Madison River and O'Dell Creek and rebuild the approaches just south of
Ennis. Cop Construction Co. of Billings was awarded the contract for
approximately $4.2 million.
* Riverside Contracting was awarded the Euclid Avenue-Helena and East
Helena-East contract for $3.2 million. The project involves resurfacing 2.3
miles of Euclid Avenue (US 12) between Williams Street and Dearborn Avenue,
and widening and resurfacing US 12/US 287 from East Helena (Junction
Secondary 518) east 7.3 miles.
* Reconstruction of 1.4 miles of US 12/US 287 through Townsend and
constructing the Townsend-Bikepath. Riverside Construction had the low bid
at approximately $2.6 million.
* Resurfacing highways in the Wolf Point area, including 5 miles of MT
25 east of Wolf Point and about 16 miles of MT 13 north from the junction
with MT 25. In addition, about 13 miles of US 2, beginning at the west end
of Wolf Point and extending east will be chip-sealed. Prince Inc. of Forsyth
received the contract for $2.6 million.

* A new concrete bridge over the Jefferson River on MT 2/US 287 about
13 miles south of Three Forks. Morgen & Oswood Construction Company of Great
Falls won the contract for about $1.85 million.
* A new concrete bridge just east of Thompson Falls on MT 200 over the
Montana Rail Link rail line. Riverside Contracting had the low bid at $1.7
million.
Other contracts awarded in November include:
* a project to resurface several road segments in northwestern
Montana:
* Columbus Falls-East & West -- 2.5 miles of US 2,
* Rexford-North & South -- 35 miles of MT 37 southwest
of Eureka,
* Polson East -- 14.5 miles of MT 35, and
* Swan Lake-North -- resurfacing 4.5 miles of MT 83.
* Resurfacing of about 3.2 miles of US 2 (Glasgow-West) and 8.7 miles
of MT 24 (St. Marie-North).

* Repaving MT 200 from the Bonner Interchange east through Bonner and
into the Potomac area.
* A new steel girder bridge over the Judith River about 10 miles west
of Winifred in Fergus County.
* A new bridge over the Boulder River about 2.5 miles southeast of
Boulder on a county road.
* Paving and sidewalk upgrades on 27th Street in Billings between
State Avenue and 1st Avenue South.
* Safety improvements in the Billings area, including widening and
turn lanes on Secondary 416 between the south end of the Yellowstone River
Bridge and the Blue Creek Bridge, safety improvements at Hilltop road and US
87, and signing on Secondary 302 west of the Billings city limits.
* Kalispell signal upgrades as part of the signal project already
begun there. The contract includes eleven signal upgrades on Idaho Street
and LaSalle Road, and seven signal upgrades on US 93 in and around
Kalispell.
* Safety improvements on the East Shore of Flathead Lake. The project,
Polson-Big Fork Safety Improvements, involves updated signing, striping and
guardrail.
VALLEY COUNTY DINNER A SUCCESS (11/25)

The 9th Annual Valley County Thanksgiving Day Dinner was held on November 25th from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Glasgow Senior Citizen Center, 428 4th Street South.  The free dinner was open to people of all ages. Many people feasted with the volunteers in a state of good fellowship and self giving, and everyone had a great time. Here are a few pictures from the dinner:

two.jpg (64565 bytes) one.jpg (60631 bytes) three.jpg (78731 bytes)

VALLEY COUNTY COMBINED CAMPAIGN SELECTS ORGANIZATIONS (11/25)

Organizations applying for membership to the Valley County Combined Campaign were overwhelming.  Ten organizations interested in the three vacancies and one guest spot for the year 2000 gave presentations to the VCCC board on Monday Nov. 15th.

Special Olympics, the Woman's Resource Center, and Scottie Day Care have been selected as full-time members of VCCC.  They will share membership in the organization with American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts, and Valley Respice. Valley County Food Bank will be the guest organization for the 2000 fund drive.


FIRE IN GLASGOW EARLY WEDNESDAY (11/24)
The Glasgow Fire Department responded to trailer house fire Wednesday morning at 2:39 am.

According to Glasgow Fire Chief Neil Chouinard a trailer house at #7 Turning Wheel Trailer Court in Glasgow started burning Wednesday morning but the fire was put out by neighbors before the fire department arrived. The Fire Chief said that the probable cause of the fire was an electric weedblower that set a plastic garbage sack on fire which then started the outside wall of the trailer started burning. A resident of the home was awake and noticed the fire. He then woke his wife up and had to go to a neighbor's home to call the fire department because the fire had burned the telephone wire.

The Glasgow Fire Department responded to the fire call with 2 trucks and 17 firefighters. No injuries were reported but one side of the trailer was burned and there was smoke damage.

The Glasgow Fire Department also reminds everyone as the holiday season approaches to test your smoke detector.


FORT PECK LAKE #1 WITH FISHERMEN (11/24)

The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks have listed Fort Peck Reservoir as the hottest fishing spot in Montana.

According to a recently released report on Montana Statewide Angling Pressure, Fort Peck now ranks number one in the state for the number of anglers who take to its waters. Canyon Ferry Reservoir is ranked number two and the portion of the Bighorn River between Afterbay Dam and the Bighorn Fishing access site is ranked third.

The Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks-for the time period from March 1997 to February 1998 shows that Montana fisherman put in 2.88 million angler days on Montana waters during that time period. That figure is up from 2.5 million in 1995. Fort Peck recorded 108,562 angler days in 1997. That is up from 64,046 in 1994-a 70 percent increase. It is also a 158 percent increase over 1993, when 41,999 fisherman used the lake.

The ranking of Fort Peck as number one in the state marks the first time that a warm-water fishery has been the top lake and the top overall water in Montana. In the past, it was always trout fisheries.

The report also shows that although Fort Peck may now be number one in the state, Montana is still solidly dominated by trout fisherman. About 86 percent of the fishing pressure in the state is aimed at streams, rivers and lakes with trout, while warm water fisheries account for 11.1 percent of the pressure.

Other findings in the survey show that state residents account for 80 percent of fishing pressure in the state and August was the busiest month for anglers with 480,529 angler days, or 16.7 percent of the years total. November was the slowest month for anglers accounting for just 2.6 of the year's total. More than 85,000 surveys were compiled during the year and both resident and non-resident anglers are involved in the random sampling. The first such survey was done in 1957 and it has been compiled every two years since 1989.


HATCHERY STILL MOVING FORWARD (11/24)

The proposed warm water fish hatchery at Fort Peck continues to become closer to a reality as the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks are close to signing an agreement that will have the Corps of Engineers complete a planning study for the hatchery.

The study will cost $250,000, with the Corps of Engineers picking up half of that cost. They are now awaiting an agreement with the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks that will spell out that the plan that formulate will meet the obligations of what the department wants constructed at the hatchery. The other $125,000 that is needed for the study will come from an agreement between Two Rivers Growth Inc. and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.


The department is allowing Two Rivers to borrow money against the expected revenues from the warm water fish stamp to pay for half of the planning study.


According to Chuck Lawson, one of the main organizers of the hatchery project, several private entities have come together to loan the $125,000 for the planning study.


Last week representatives of the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks met last Tuesday in Glasgow for preliminary discussions on the plan for the hatchery. As soon as all the agreements are signed, the Corps will begin their planning study, which could take from 6 months to a year to complete. It is hoped though that the study will be finished as soon as soon as possible so the Montana Congressional delegation can begin the appropriation process to find federal money to fund the Fort Peck Warm Water Hatchery.


GAMBLING FIGURES RELEASED (11/24)

The city of Glasgow received $71,700 in revenue from taxes paid on gambling machine income.

This tax revenue accounts for over six percent of the city's general fund budget in fiscal year 1999. The money is Glasgow's share of over $25.3 million in gambling machine income taxes distributed to local governments statewide. Glasgow's total for 1999 is $3000 less than 1998's earnings.

Other towns in Valley County receiving gambling tax funds are Nashua $4100; Opheim, $5300; and Fort Peck, $400. Valley County itself received $61,800. Figures released by the Department of Justices' Gambling Control Division show video gambling during the recent fiscal year grew 3.6 percent over 1998. The growth rate is similar to the previous five years, with the exception of a spike in 1998 when revenues grew 8.5 percent. Video gambling operators have paid about $291 million in taxes since 1989, the year the state authorized its current gambling-taxation policy.


STOCKMAN BANK ACQUIRES SIX BRANCHES (11/23) 

Stockman Bank of Montana has reached an agreement with Western Security Bank to acquire six Western Security branch locations. The branches, with assets of $57.0 million, are in Glasgow, Hardin, Malta, Miles City, Plentywood, and Sidney. 

R. C. Lucas, Stockman Bank CEO, said, "Stockman Bank will be selling the Glasgow and Malta locations to the First Security Bank of Havre. First Security has existing locations in Poplar and Scobey and can effectively service the Glasgow and Malta Markets due to their close proximity."


CHAMBER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR RESIGNS (11/22)
Glasgow Chamber executive director Kim Lacey resigned her position on November 15th.

The Chamber is currently undergoing a restructuring of staff and they have made a decision to hire a full time executive director to handle the business of the Chamber of Commerce.

According to members of the Chamber executive board the current chamber staff lack continuity and because of the reason, they have asked all three members of the staff to resign and re-apply for the job as executive director. The chamber staff consisted of an executive director and two support staff positions and all three of those positions are part time.

Lacey made a decision to resign effective immediately and not to apply for the one full time position. The other two support persons, Roberta Barstad and Toy Olsen will be staying on until the end of the year.

The Chamber board is currently advertising for the position of full time executive director and after filling that position will evaluate whether support personnel need to be hired to compliment the executive director. 


FORT PECK MAN IDENTIFIED (11/21)
(AP) Authorities have identified a 41-year-old man, who died after his truck rolled near Frazer.

Michael Robert Johnson, of Fort Peck, died in a Billings hospital Tuesday morning, after being thrown out of his truck Monday afternoon.

The Highway Patrol says Johnson was driving on U-S 2 near Frazer, when his truck blew a tire, rolled, and crashed in a ditch.

He was treated at hospitals in Wolf Point and Glasgow, before being flown to Billings, where he died.

That brings the state's highway death toll to 186 this year, compared to 210 at this time last year.
SCHOOL BOARD (11/21)
Dennis Idler, principal at Irle School, informed the board about schools plans for an Irle School yearbook that will be made for grades K-3 this year. Idler said that if everything goes well that this could be done every year at the school.

South Side school principal Charlie Plant said that his school is also considering a yearbook for grades 4-6.

Members of the Glasgow City Council appeared before the school board and discussed the status of 8th and 9th street, which run behind the school administration building and behind Pamida. The council and school board agreed to leave those two streets open for traffic. In the past, the school district has blocked off access on 9th street but the school board told the council that they would keep it open for traffic.

School board member Dennis Dawson gave a report on the status of a possible pay raise for assistant coaches in the Glasgow athletic programs. Dawson reported that the assistant coaches have not received a pay raise since 1988 and the salaries for those coaches are below the state average. A committee comprised of Dawson, Ted McIntyre and coaches has worked out a proposal that would increase the pay for assistant coaches by $1500 a year for four years. This increase would raise assistant salaries by $6000 over four years and the money would be spread among all assistant coaches in the system.

School board member Jenny Reinhardt disagreed with the proposal saying that the school can't afford to give assistant coaches a salary increase when the school district has been continually cutting the budget. She cited the fact that the board recently just signed a contract with Glasgow teachers that included no raise for the next two years for educators. During negotiations on a new contract with Glasgow teachers, the board continually said there was no money in the budget for a pay raise. Dawson and McIntyre countered that if more money were not given to the assistant coaches the athletic programs and the athletes in the system would suffer because qualified coaches can not be found for the various sports.

After heated discussion, the board agreed to add $1500 to the assistant coach's salaries for this year only and then address the issue again next year. The board voted 3-1 for the proposal with Dawson, McIntyre, and Dr. Charles Wilson voting for the proposal and Reinhardt voting against.

The board heard a report from school principals regarding parent teacher conferences, which were held last week. High school principal Bob Farrell said that his attendance rate was a little less than last year and was 45 percent. Middle school principal Gary Stidman said the middle school attendance rate was the same as last year at 64 percent. Charlie Plant said the south side school had 100 percent attendance for four classes, 95 percent for 1 class and 80 percent for the other class. Dennis Idler said the Irle School parent teacher conference rate was close to 100 percent.
FORT PECK MAN DIES (11/16)
A 41 year old Fort Peck man was killed Monday afternoon near Frazer when a tire blew out on a 1994 Chevy pickup he was driving and the pickup lost control and crashed in the barrow pit of U.S. Highway 2. According To Montana Highway Patrol Officer Mitch Willett, the one vehicle accident occurred 4 miles east of Frazer on highway #2 at approximately 1pm Monday afternoon. Willett told KLTZ/Mix-93 news that the vehicle was headed eastward when the right rear tire blew out and the pickup skidded into the south barrow pit and rolled once ejecting the driver of the vehicle.

The driver, a 41 year old Fort Peck man, was taken to the Wolf Point Hospital then flown to the hospital in Glasgow before finally being flown to Billings where he died Tuesday morning from injuries suffered in the traffic accident. A passenger in the vehicle was taken to the Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital in Glasgow. The Highway Patrol has not yet released the name of the traffic fatality and the accident is still under investigation.
CITY COUNCIL NOTES (11/16)
The Glasgow City Council met in regular session Monday evening in the council chambers of the Glasgow Civic Center.

The council heard a report from city attorney Dave Gorton regarding the status of the City County planning board. The planning board has been in limbo recently as the council has wrestled with a decision on what to do with the planning board. In the past, the city has used the services of the county planner, Cam Shipp, when needed for city planning purposes.

However, the Valley County Commissioners have said that the county planner is too busy with his other duties to work with the city on their planning. Since that time the Glasgow city council has hired the planner from Malta to help the planning board with one project. At Monday's meeting Dave Gorton told the council that the council basically has three choices, keep the city-county planning board, eliminate the board completely or make the board just a city planning board. Gorton said that if the board decided to eliminate the planning board they would not have anyone to enforce subdivision laws in the city of Glasgow. In addition, if they wanted to form a city only planning board they would first have to receive permission from the county commissioners. After much discussion, the council decided to keep the city-county planning board and continue to hire an outside planner when needed. The council is searching for a member to represent the city on planning board. If you are interested in serving on this board, you are asked to call the city office at 228-2476.

The council made a decision regarding final payment to the general contractor for the north side sewer separation project. The project should have been 100 percent completed earlier this month but the installation of two head gates in the retention pond remain. The council discussed whether to hold a portion of the final payment due to Don Kelly Construction until the project is 100 percent complete and by law the council can hold up to 5 percent of the remaining payment until the job is complete. The council voted to hold $25,000 of the final payment until the headgates are installed.
FIRST VCCF GRANTS AWARDED (11/16)
Projects in Hinsdale and Lustre are recipients of the first grants from the Valley County Community Foundation, announced Sam Waters of Glasgow, who chairs the group’s grant committee. Earnings from the Foundation’s endowment will be divided equally between the two, with each receiving $550.00. The funds will be awarded on Jan. 11, 2000 during the VCCF’s annual meeting. The Hinsdale project involves improvements to the town’s park by repairing playground equipment, rebuilding the boat docks on the Milk River, painting and refinishing restrooms, landscaping, and general cleanup.

In Lustre, volunteers will either build or purchase tables that will be available for community use during large social functions, such as the Lustre Schmeckfest and REA dinners.

The Community Foundation is steward of the community’s savings account through which donations are invested to meet the challenges of contemporary life. Income from the permanent endowment is used to help fund high quality projects in Valley County. The Foundation, which is affiliated with the statewide Montana Community Foundation, reported a balance of $96,804.39 as of Oct. 12. Grants are considered in the fall of each year, with grant applications available in late summer. Projects in the following areas may apply: arts and culture, basic human needs, education, economic development, and natural resources and conservation.
For more information, contact Waters at 228-8231.
GORDON HAHN WINS DISNEY'S TEACHER AWARD (11/16)

Gordon Hahn won Disney's American Teachers Award in the High School Math and Science category. (Click Here for more on that story)  The ceremony was taped on Sunday night, November 14th and aired on Monday night, November 15th at 8:00 pm on the Disney Channel.  Gordon Hahn received $2,500 with a matching fund going to the school district.


CHAMBER CONTINUES LOOKING FOR MORE DEVELOPMENT (11/14)
Kim Lacey, Executive Director of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture, told area residents this week not to be too disappointed in losing out to Great Falls in the Venture Star project. She noted that there are several other interests for the area that the Chamber is working on. Lacey stated that at last Thursday's board meeting, there were several presentations on economic development in the area. Skip Erickson and Marv Bethea reported on the progress at St. Marie, there was a speaker regarding an Air Force Mentoring Program, and discussion on the Rotary Rocket, with the possibility of getting some contracts in the area.

Also, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture has contacted UPS to see if the company is interested in relocating its distribution buildings in Glasgow since the fire in Wolf Point destroyed the building there. She said that Glasgow has 3 buildings that could fit the needs of the company.


LATEST ON OUTLOOK FIRE (11/14)

(AP) The huge heap that was Outlook's only active grain elevator still smolders, but the little town is bustling with efforts to recover from the Halloween-night fire that swept through town.
Construction workers poured footings Friday for a new post office, a cleaning company scrubbed Outlook School, Cenex gas station owners discussed whether to rebuild, and homeowners continued to clean up and haul away the charred remains of houses, cars, barns and tool sheds.
A prebuilt post office reportedly is en route from Spokane to be installed this week. "I don't know what normal's going to be now. Our town is a little skimpy," said School Superintendent Jim Riedlinger. The fire destroyed 20 buildings, including three homes, and forced evacuation of the town's 150 residents and causing an estimated $2.5 million in damage.
It began some eight miles west of town, apparently by sparks from a passing locomotive on the Dakota Missouri and Western Railroad. Winds near 60 mph drove it through Outlook and two or three miles beyond.
Of several northeast Montana communities hit hard by wildfires that night, Outlook suffered the most. Wolf Point, Poplar and Sidney also were damaged, and the state fire marshal is investigating all four incidents.
Firefighters saved Outlook School from the flames, but smoke damage is estimated at $200,000. The 43 students are going to classes in Flaxville, 10 miles away. Riedlinger says the school could reopen Nov. 29.
Local officials and DMVW executives haven't heard whether the Columbia Grain Corp. plans to replace its grain elevator, the only one of three that wasn't abandoned. All were destroyed.
And despite a loss of a locomotive, two rail bridges and thousands of wooden railroad ties, the DMVW could resume its weekly service in the area by Dec. 1, Vice President Dennis Ming said.
Officials of the North Dakota-based railroad have said it appears one of their locomotives sparked the fire, although a state investigator has not made that official. The railroad has set up a temporary office in Outlook to assist recovery efforts.
The railroad has hauled scrap concrete and iron to impromptu landfills near town, and employees have used company equipment to help property owners clear rubble.
"Whether or not we started the fire, we would be doing the same thing," Ming said. "We do not have the official cause of the fire, but we're going to do as much in this interim period to help out as we can. We just think it's the neighborly and right thing to do."
DMVW is tallying claims from people who lost uninsured property and will decide this week if it will reimburse residents for their uninsured damages, Ming said.
If the state determines the train caused the fire, property owners' insurance companies most likely will seek reimbursement from the railroad's insurance company, he said.

Copyright 1999 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


TRIBAL REPS TO MEET IN FORT PECK (11/14)
Representatives from tribal planning, tourism, culture, college and extension programs on Montana's seven Indian reservations will gather Nov. 19 and 20 at the Fort Peck Hotel in Fort Peck to discuss the formation of a Montana Indian Tourism Alliance. This meeting is a followup to an initial planning session in Billings Oct. 7 to 9.
The agenda includes reviewing issues identified at the initial planning session, discussing organizational structure options for tourism alliance, discussing tribes and the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial and presentations on project/program funding opportunities.
For more information about the Nov. 19-20 meeting, call Curley Youpee, Cultural Program Department, Fort Peck Tribes at 768-5155, ext. 392.
Montana's 11 federally recognized tribes and seven reservations include: Blackfeet Nation, Blackfeet Reservation, Browning; Crow Nation, Crow Reservation, Crow Agency; Salish, Pend d'Oreilles, and Kootenai tribes, Flathead Reservation, Pablo; Assiniboine and Gros Ventres tribes, Fort Belknap Reservation, Harlem; Assiniboine and Sioux tribes, Fort Peck Reservation, Poplar; Northern Cheyenne tribe, Northern Cheyenne Reservation, Lame Deer; Chippewa and Cree tribes, Rocky Boy Reservation, Box Elder. The Little Shell Band of Chippewa is a state recognized tribe currently seeking federal recognition.

GORDON HAHN IS SELECTED FOR DISNEY'S TEACHER AWARD (11/12)

Glasgow's high school teacher Gordon Hahn leaves for Disney's American Teacher Awards this week in California.  Hahn is one of three "honorees" in the high school math and science category.  There are 11 other categories and each has three honorees.  

Once in California, each honoree will present a three minute speech to the selection committee.  The committee will ask one question to each honoree and they will have one minute to answer.  The winner in each category will receive $2,500 with a matching fund going to their school district.

The ceremony will be taped on Sunday night and will air on Monday night, November 15th at 8:00 pm on the Disney Channel.  The video segments they shot while here in Glasgow will be shown during the announcement of the honors.  A final grand winner will be chosen from the 12 categories to receive $25,000.


GLASGOW'S CRIME RATE DROPS (11/12)

The city of Glasgow's crime rate fell last year according to figures released by the Montana Board of Crime Control.
Glasgow's crime rate for 1998 was 37.79 crimes per 1000 residents. This compared to the numbers from 1997 which showed Glasgow at 43.50 crimes per 1000 residents. The crime numbers from 1998 put Glasgow in 22nd place among cities and towns in the state of
Montana.

West Yellowstone had the highest crime rate at 101.20 crimes per 1000 residents with Ronan in second place and Havre in third. Billings was ranked 4th, Great Falls fifth and Missoula in sixth place.

Among area cities Plentywood was ranked 23rd , Harlem 25th and Wolf Point ranked at 29.

As a state, Montana's crime rate declined slightly last year, but the incidence of violent crimes rose sharply. The annual survey of law enforcement agencies found four-thousand-799 crimes committed for every 100,000 Montanans during 1998. At the same time, the rate of violent crime defined as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault jumped by 25 percent. Murders in Montana dropped by nearly half, rapes were up slightly and aggravated assaults were up by 32 percent.


9TH ANNUAL THANKSGIVING DINNER (11/11)

The 9th Annual Valley County Thanksgiving Day Dinner will be held on November 25th from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Glasgow Senior Citizen Center, 428 4th Street South.  The dinner is open to people of all ages.  For more information or if you wish to volunteer your time or money, please call Ruth at 228-8392.


CUB SCOUT SPOOK HOUSE A CHILLY SUCCESS (11/11)

The Cub Scouts had a frightful good time with the Spook House that was held on October 30th. The price of admission was $1.00 and a can of food or $2.00. With admission, they collected 290 cans of food that were donated to the food bank. The Cub Scout pack 898 would like to thank all who dared to enter the Spook House and making it a big success.

The scouts would also like to thank those who donated their time and efforts to make the Spook House run. A special thanks goes out to the following: Dale Garvey; Dennis and Sue Baadsgaard; Carol, Leroy, and Melinda Dixon; Deb and Lonnie Stratton; Valley Electric-Co-op; Allison Neumiller; Patricia O' Grady; to all those who donated their time; and the community.

(For pictures of the Scout Spook House click here)


Museum Update (11-10-99)

Work continues on the Pioneer Museum in Glasgow. Plains Construction Service of Glasgow is set up with their crane today moving material into position as the contractors work out side and enjoy the nice days.

MVC-009F.JPG (39008 bytes)


 Frazer Fire(11/10)

The Frazer Fire Dept. responded to a house fire in Frazer on Tuesday November 9th 1999 at around 1:00 PM at 1:30 they requested the Long Run Fire Dept. to assist them. Long Run responded with 3 trucks and 6 firemen. The House was a total loss.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. There were no injuries reported.

MVC-001F.JPG (48740 bytes) MVC-007F.JPG (78283 bytes) MVC-004F.JPG (82447 bytes) MVC-002F.JPG (92834 bytes)

GLASGOW LOSES TO GREAT FALLS IN VENTURESTAR BID (11/5)
Glasgow once again lost the fight to develop the former Air Force Base as Great Falls got the nod as the top Montana contender for a Venture Star Spaceport. Here is the press release from the Montana Department of Commerce:

Great Falls' Malmstrom Air Force Base has emerged as the top Montana contender for a Venture Star Spaceport, according to the Lockheed Corporation. In a July meeting in Helena, Lockheed advised the Department of Commerce and representatives of Great Falls, Glasgow, Manchester and Billings that they would come back with a first-choice selection by the first of the year. All four communities had submitted proposals.

Lockheed called Malmstrom best suited for a Venture Star spaceport. Altitude, access to essential services and in-place infrastructure gave Malmstrom the nod over second-ranked Glasgow. Malmstrom's higher altitude means a less costly launch, an important consideration in future launches that will be privately rather than publicly funded. Similarly, accessibility to essential services, transportation, a labor force and existing infrastructure weighed in the site's favor. Lockheed based its evaluation ranking on launch safety, market service, systems operations and existing spaceport-useable facilities.

"All the communities played an important part in demonstrating to Lockheed and the other fourteen states competing for one of the Spaceports, that Montana is a state of desirable choices," said Commerce Director Peter Blouke. "They have done Montana proud as we vie for a spaceport designation and the subsequent long-term quality jobs that would come with it. We will be calling on them to aid in our efforts to attract other aerospace opportunities to the state.

"Commerce, the state and our congressional delegation are ready to begin the process of helping Great Falls secure a spaceport license from the Federal Aviation Administration, " Blouke added. "This is an essential piece of the next proposal."

During the last legislative session two pieces of legislation were enacted to support Montana's bid to land a spaceport. Senate Bill 220 authorized the sale of up to $20 million in general obligation bonds to support Venture Star spaceport infrastructure development. House Bill 260 includes $300,000 to help offset the cost of preparing a final proposal. The four communities had previously agreed that in the final bidding process they would all support one proposal.

A lawsuit has been filed with the Montana Supreme Court challenging the funding mechanism used in HB260. The Court is expected to render its opinion by late November - early December.

Under the current Lockheed timeline, final proposals are due during the third quarter 2000. Site(s) selection is anticipated to occur by the fall of 2001. Lockheed anticipates operating two spaceports in the United States.


FIRE PICTURES ONLINE
Thanks to the National Weather Service Office in Glasgow, we now have pictures of the Wolf Point and Outlook fires. You can head to the NWS site by clicking here or go directly to the picture pages by clicking here.
3 WOLF POINT GIRLS ARRESTED (11/3)
The Glasgow Police Department yesterday put a halt to a spending spree by three juvenile females in downtown Glasgow.

According to the police department, yesterday afternoon the police were alerted to a bad check that had been written to a downtown business by a young female. After a short investigation, the police arrested three juveniles in a downtown hair salon.
The police department said that the three girls arrived in Glasgow Monday evening and started their spending spree that night, continuing until Monday afternoon when they were picked up by Glasgow police.

An estimated $4,000 in bad checks were written over that period by a 16 year old female from Wolf Point. It appears that most of the merchandise has been recovered by the police department and most of the merchandise was clothing.

The police department has arrested the 16 year old Wolf Point girl and she is currently residing in the Valley County Jail and charges are pending. If charges are filed she could possibly face 2 felony counts of theft in state district court. Two of the females were released from custody on Tuesday afternoon.

ELECTION DAY RESULTS (11/2)

CITY OF GLASGOW

VOTE FOR ONE ALDERMAN IN EACH WARD
WARD 1- DAN CARNEY 45 votes
WARD 2- DAN DURELL 27 votes
WARD 3- MYRON MALNAA 45 votes

TOWN OF NASHUA

VOTE FOR ONE ALDERMAN IN EACH WARD
WARD 1- ALLEN BUNK 15 votes
               JACK HILL 21 votes
WARD 2- JOHN EGOSQUE 27 votes

TOWN OF OPHEIM

MAYOR- JOHN MARVIN 25 votes
VOTE FOR ONE ALDERMAN IN EACH WARD
WARD 1- DARLENE DOLNY 8 votes
WARD 2- EVAN GRANRUD 15 votes

TOWN OF FORT PECK

MAYOR- PAULETTE BLACK 29 votes
VOTE FOR TWO ALDERMAN
CHARLES CARLSON 40 votes
STEVE KLESSENS 36 votes

NORTH VALLEY COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT
VOTE FOR TWO FOUR YEAR TERMS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
JAKE CROUNSE 31 votes
BILL SILVER 29 votes
DARROL DETRICK 59 votes
BARBARA TYMOFICHUK 26 votes

PROPOSITION TO ORGANIZE THE HINSDALE COUNTY WATER AND SEWER DISTRICT.
FOR ADOPTING THE PROPOSITION 39 votes
AGAINST ADOPTING THE PROPOSITION 54 votes


ELECTION DAY (11/2)
Today is election day, and there are a few races in Valley County:

In Glasgow, 3 incumbents have filed for re-election, all unopposed: Dan Carney in Ward 1, Dan Durell in Ward 2, and Myron Malnaa in Ward 3.

In Nashua, for one 4 year term, Alan Bunk opposes Jack Hill in Ward 

1; John Egosque is unopposed in Ward 2.

In Opheim, Mayor John Marvin is running unopposed. Darlene Dolney and Evin Grandrud are unopposed for 2 city positions.

In the town of Fort Peck, Paulette Black is unopposed for mayor.Charles Carlson and Steve Klessens are each running unopposed for 2 council seats.

Also, in the North Valley County Water & Sewer District there are four people running for two seats: Darrol Detrick, Bill Silver, Jake Crounse, Barbara Tymofichuk,

Also on the ballot was a vote whether or not to recall Jack Sigman as North Valley County Water & Sewer District Director. Sigman, however, has recently resigned.

Also in Hinsdale, there is a vote on whether or not to organize Hinsdale County Water & Sewer District.


FORT PECK RESERVATION NIXES PROHIBITION (11/2)
(AP) Voters on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation have defeated a proposal, to ban the sale of alcohol on the reservation. Voters had three choices in the election held Saturday: make no changes in liquor laws; support more regulation of alcohol; or prohibit alcohol on the reservation. Forty-six percent voted for "no change." Twenty-six percent supported more regulation; and 28 percent supported prohibition. Arlyn Headdress was elected tribal chairman, and says he believes the victory was due -- in part -- to his opposing the anti-liquor laws. Tribal Health Director James Melbourne favored prohibition. He declared the vote a "moral victory," saying it got people thinking about the problem.
WOLF POINT FIRE (11/2)
(AP) A Wolf Point area man lost 14 classic cars; and an 80-year-old woman was evacuated just in the nick of time, as a wind-driven fire burned through Roosevelt County. Doctor Bill Treviranus and his wife, Sally, called the Halloween fire "one heck of a trick or treat." Their house survived, but Treviranus says he was pushed back by smoke and flames when he tried to get to the barn -- 50 feet away -- to remove a motor home. Inside the barn, the motor home, a 35-foot boat and the classic cars were lost. A neighbor, Avis Toavs , was evacuated by the Wolf Point Fire Department, just ahead of the fire. Her grandson says the 80-year-old woman lost everything, including her eyeglasses and her purse. The fire in Roosevelt County blackened about 18 square miles. It burned nine houses, 18 barns and other out-buildings.
OUTLOOK FIRE FINAL (11/2)
(AP) Outlook's Main Street is gone, along with the grain elevators, several houses and the gas station. But the town bar and two churches were untouched by a wind-driven fire that ran through the northeastern Montana town Sunday evening. And Colleen Smith of Plentywood was able to save the mail before the post office burned down. The fire apparently was started by a passing freight train, and burned almost 18 square miles of eastern Montana prairie, including at least 19 buildings, which were still smoldering on Monday. Bob Beckers farms north of town. He says it was just a wall of flame, and it went through town in a matter of minutes. It was one of eight fires that burned in eastern Montana Sunday.
FIRE UPDATE (11/1) 8AM

The Valley County Long Run Fire Department was called in to assist the Hinsdale Fire Department with a fire north of Hinsdale on Sunday afternoon. However, on the way to the fire, Long Run Fire Department received word that the fire was controlled, so they ended up sending 3 trucks to assist with a fire south of U.S. Highway 2 near Wolf Point. The Roosevelt County fire destroyed 6 homes southeast of Wolf Point and also reportedly destroyed a UPS distribution building and a law enforcement vehicle.

The Long Run Fire Department returned to Glasgow about 1am, only to be called out to assist with a fire that threatened two homes southeast of Frazer High School.

The latest report from Outlook, located just a few miles from the Canadian and North Dakota border, was that at least 15 buildings had burned, including 3 grain elevators and a gas station. The town's nearly 200 residents were evacuated to nearby Plentywood.

Numerous other fires were still burning as of Monday morning in eastern Montana.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT.


DENNIS BAADSGAARD OPEN FOR BUSINESS (11/30)

Have that pain in the neck that just won't go away....Dennis Baadsgaard, certified massage practitioner has his office located at 1009 6th Ave. North, located between Mental Health services and Dr. Reyling's office. For appointments, call 228-4362

Mvc-002f.jpg (34973 bytes)

Mvc-001f.jpg (47140 bytes)

Mvc-003f.jpg (54941 bytes)

KLTZ/MIX-93 would like extend a warm welcome to all the new business in town.


THE PLAID SQUARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS (11/16)

The Plaid Square Quilting Shop, located across the street from BN on Front Street had it's Grand Opening on October 30th.  When asked "Why did you open such a specialized store?" Owner Della Berg simply replied: I felt there was a real need for this type of store in North Eastern Montana.  The Plaid also holds classes on a number of subjects.  The stores hours are 9:30 to 5:30 Monday thru Saturday.

plaidfront.jpg (27517 bytes)

insideone.jpg (80626 bytes)

KLTZ/MIX-93 would like extend a warm welcome to all the new business in town.


AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK (11/16)

Monday, November 15th was the start of the American Education Week.  To kick of the celebration, Gordon Hahn won Disney's American Teachers Award in the High School Math and Science category. (Click Here for more on that story) The ceremony was aired on the Disney Channel Monday night.  

On Tuesday, November 16th, the teachers had an Ice Cream Social in the Irle School library.  Here are some pictures from the event.

ice2.jpg (66129 bytes)

ice3.jpg (80284 bytes)

ice1.jpg (79826 bytes)


HEMINGWAY SPEAKS AT GLASGOW HIGH SCHOOL (11/16)

On Tuesday, November 16th, Patrick Hemingway; son of the writer Ernest Hemingway, spoke at the Glasgow High School auditorium to a fair crowd of adults and youths.  He spoke of growing up in the Hemingway household and about his fathers depression which lead to his death.  Patrick also spoke about a "new book" by his late father that has just been published.  

Most of Patrick's life was spent in the tropics: his boyhood in Key West and his first working years in East Africa; where he qualified as a professional hunter and ran his own safari company for eight years. He was an honorary game warden in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, a forestry officer in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and for his last twelve years in East Africa, he was an instructor at the college of African Wildlife Management, Mweks, Tanzania. His formal education consisted of a B.A. in history and Literature at Harvard.

Since his retirement from the U.N. in 1975, he has lived in Bozeman, Montana with his wife Dr. Carol Hemingway. Mr. Hemingway is currently responsible for the oversight of the management ownership of Earnest Hemingway's copyrighted intellectual property, with ongoing projects in book publishing, electronic media and motion pictures in the U.S. and many foreign countries as well as the upcoming centennial celebration in 1999 of the birth of one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.

hem.jpg (42603 bytes)

From left to right: Dr. Carol Hemingway, Patrick Hemingway, Sam Kitzenberg.


PIONEER MUSEUM HERITAGE WALL PLAQUE (11/9)

For those of you unfamiliar with the Heritage Wall Plaques it is a project set up by the Friends Of The Pioneer Museum to collect and preserve the histories of the people of Valley County from its very beginning. But besides this very important objective the project also is raising funds with which to expand the Pioneer Museum. If you would like to be a part of this program please feel free to contact Doris Franzen through the Friends Of The Pioneer Museum, Box 975, Glasgow, MT 59230 or call her at 406-228-2082. She will be more than happy to help you.  

Frederick Stohl was born on January 21, 1891 in Moorhead, MN. His family homesteaded in North Dakota. Magdaline Schaefer was born December 29, 1897 in the German Community of Bessarabia near Odessa in South Russia. She came with her family to America where they settled in North Dakota. Fred and Maggie met here and were married in 1916 at which time they came to Montana to make their home. They homesteaded until 1932 when they moved into Nashua so their children could attend high school. Besides farming Fred worked on the Fort Peck Dam. Through it all they managed to keep their farm though times were hard. Fred and Maggie had seven children all raised in the Nashua area. Fred passed away October 28, 1960 and Maggie on December 2, 1959.

muse2.jpg (48252 bytes)

Pictured left to right are Elaine Stohl Maas of Nashua, Clifford Stohl of Wolf Point and Arlene Egosque of Nashua displaying the Heritage Wall Plaque they have invested in memory of their parents, Frederick and Magdaline Stohl. Friends Of The Pioneer Museum deeply appreciates their support to the Building Fund and especially to the saving of the history of the people of Valley County.


HEMINGWAY TO SPEAK AT G.H.S. ON NOV. 16th  (11/9)

Patrick Hemingway, son of the writer Ernest Hemingway, will speak at the Glasgow High School Auditorium on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. as part of the upcoming Centennial Celebration of the birth of the greatest American writer of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway. The event is free and is open to the public. Patrick Hemingway is a resident of Bozeman, Montana were he has lived for the past eight years with his wife Carol. For more information on the Hemingway Centennial Celebration, contact Sam Kitzenberg at 228-2485.


KLTZ/KLAN HOME


Questions, comments or problems, e-mail at:

kltz@kltz.com or 2timphil@nemontel.net

KLTZ/KLAN and their sponsors will NOT be held liable for any typography or graphic mistakes. Information used may NOT be used in any other form, written or electronic, without express permission from KLTZ/KLAN radio. All material, unless otherwise noted, copyright KLTZ/KLAN radio.