JORDAN — Five federal firefighters remained hospitalized Sunday in stable condition after sustaining burn injuries when swirling winds blew a lightning-caused wildfire back on them in eastern Montana on Thursday.

The five were building a defensive line at the Devil's Creek Fire in Garfield County when the weather shifted, said Bureau of Land Management spokesman Mark Jacobsen.

Two USDA Forest Service firefighters who are engine crew members based at the Quemado Ranger District at New Mexico's Gila National Forest were in stable condition and recovering at an undisclosed location, said Forest Service spokeswoman Punky Moore.

Three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service crew members also were in stable condition and recovering at an undisclosed burn center, said Forest Service spokeswoman Kari Cobb. The three USFS employees are based at the Eastern North Dakota Wetland Management District Complex, Cobb said.

Neither Cobb nor Moore released any addition details.

Fire crews hoped to keep the wildfire, which had grown to 3,500 acres Sunday, from approaching the nearby Fort Peck Reservoir on the Missouri River, Jacobsen said.

Verizon-Cellular Plus in Glasgow will be giving away free backpacks filled with school supplies on Saturday, July 31 from 10 am to noon.

“We are thrilled to be able to give back to our local community and help students kick off the school year with a brand-new backpack,” stated President, Adam Kimmet. “Our goal is to help make it a little easier for families to get these essential supplies so that students can start off the school year prepared and confident.”

The Verizon-Cellular Plus Backpack to School program incorporates employees, customers, and their vendor partners. They organized an internal employee donation program and are also accepting donations from their guests in the stores to help as many families as possible. Donations stay local so each backpack that is donated at a specific location will be distributed to children in that same area.

No purchase is necessary to receive a backpack and a child must be present with an adult to claim their free backpack. There are a limited number available and will be distributed while supplies last.

Cellular Plus is located at 54147 US-2, next to the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

Cellular Plus is a Verizon authorized retailer, founded in 1998, and headquartered in Billings, MT.

Website: Cellularplus.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CellularPlus/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cellularplus_

Instagram: https://instagram.com/cellular.plus/

Please note the following Street Closures will be occurring over the next two weeks (July 26th - August 6th 2021):

10th Street South from 4th Ave South to 6th Ave South will be under construction and intermittently closed beginning on Tuesday, July 27th through Monday August 2nd. At times the street may completely closed to thru traffic (not residents) as the street surface is milled and repaved, however at the end of each day, access will be provided to residents along those sections of streets. Additionally during that week we ask that no one park on the street from 5:00 AM through 9:00 PM.

Kolstad Drive from Lasar Drive to Parkview Place will also be under construction and intermittently closed from Thursday, July 29th through August 6th. At times the street may completely closed to thru traffic as the street surface is milled and repaved, however at the end of each day, access will be provided to residents accessing the Valada Heights neighborhood.

During the next two weeks, we ask that residents please plan appropriately and utilize alternate travel routes through those two neighborhoods. Work in these areas will be weather dependent and times may shift slightly due to any inclement conditions or conditions that are not conducive to the work. The City apologizes for any inconvenience, and appreciates everyone's patience as we improve the street infrastructure of Glasgow.

Thank you.

-City of Glasgow Department of Public Works

Federal firefighters were injured when a sudden wind shift blew the wildfire back over their position as they were constructing a defensive fire line on the perimeter of the Devils Creek Fire in Garfield County, July 22.

The five injured firefighters were members of federal crews called in to assist Bureau of Land Management, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Garfield County and local resources already on scene.

The firefighters were evacuated and are currently undergoing further medical evaluation to determine the extent of their injuries.

Numerous wind shifts and rapid rates of spread resulted in erratic fire behavior as thunderstorms and associated cells were passing over the area when the incident occurred.
The lightning-caused wildfire is burning in rough, steep terrain and is located near the Pine Grove School, about 36 miles northwest of Jordan, and east of the Devils Creek Road which accesses the south shore of Fort Peck Reservoir.

Personnel on site continue to fight the blaze, which as of the most recent mapping, has burned roughly 375 acres of BLM and private land.

Additional information and updates on the incident will be made available as safety investigations determine the factual details.

The City of Glasgow is offering free use of the landfill Sat. July 24th from 8a.m. – noon. This is being offered to CITY residents only. Items that will NOT be accepted include roofing materials, asphalt, cement, & tires. Note: trees & metal are always accepted free of charge.

Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson explains the origin of the Free Landfill Day for city residents:
https://soundcloud.com/kltz-glasgow/becky-landfill

The United States on Wednesday renewed its pandemic curbs on nonessential travel at the U.S.-Canada land border for at least a month, marking a split with its northern neighbor and close ally on the restrictions, and fueling rancor on both sides of the frontier.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a tweet that the extension of the measures — which also apply at the U.S.-Mexico land border and are now set to expire Aug. 21 — was motivated in part by a desire to decrease the spread of the highly transmissible delta coronavirus variant.

“DHS is in constant contact with Canadian and Mexican counterparts to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably,” the agency said.

The announcement comes several days after Canada said it would begin to open up its borders to some foreigners for discretionary travel, beginning with fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents living in the United States on Aug. 9; and fully vaccinated people from elsewhere on Sept. 7.

Canada and the United States agreed to impose the curbs on nonessential travel at their 5,500-mile land border at the pandemic’s onset in March 2020, renewing them in one-month increments since.

The measures have had limited effects on trade and the movement of some cross-border workers, but they have kept families apart, battered the tourism industry and altered life in close-knit border communities in ways big and small — and that some analysts fear could be more permanent.

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte Tuesday announced a new process for Montana employers to notify the Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) if an unemployment insurance (UI) claimant fails to appear for a scheduled interview.

“We’ve recently heard from employers across the state with a common complaint: candidates for open positions submit applications and schedule interviews, only to skip out on it,” Governor Gianforte said. “This new process established by Commissioner Esau will cut down on wasted time for Montana small businesses and ensure UI claimants are adhering to program rules.”

Montana law requires UI claimants to make an active, good-faith effort to secure employment every week benefits are claimed. Scheduling an interview to complete a weekly work search requirement, but then failing to appear for that interview, may violate UI program rules.

DLI Commissioner Laurie Esau added, “Some restaurants have said they scheduled half a dozen interviews or more on a given day, and had only a single applicant actually show up – if any at all. To be sure, there are plenty of legitimate reasons why an applicant misses an interview. Many of the individuals who skip out on an interview may not even be UI claimants at all. But if a UI claimant is scheduling an interview to complete his or her work search requirements, and then fails to make a good-faith effort to appear and obtain a job offer, that may impact his or her eligibility for UI benefits going forward.”

Employers who submit information about declined or missed interviews may be contacted by fraud investigators for more information. However, the outcome of the audit will remain between the claimant and the department.

UI claimants are encouraged to consult the Claimant Handbook to ensure they remain in compliance with work search requirements.

If an individual is receiving UI benefits and then refuses an official offer of work, it may impact their ability to continue receiving benefits. In these cases, employers are encouraged to notify UI and complete the Refusal of Work Report form and return it to uieservices@mt.gov or log on to UI eServices for Employers and attach it to a secure web message.

VALLEY COUNTY COVID-19
Active cases: 2 (one male and one female age 20-29)
Recovered cases/no longer infectious: 895
Total cases: 915
Death due to COVID-19 and/or COVID-19 complications:
Valley County: 18
Montana: 1692
US rolling 7-day average death rate from COVID-19 infection: 211 people per day.

COVID-19 vaccine:
Valley County vaccination rate: 38.4% (2422 persons fully vaccinated out of 6313 eligible Valley County residents)
Walk-in vaccine clinic for all vaccines every Wednesday from 4pm until closing at VCHD. COVID-19 vaccine – J&J and Moderna – for age 18+ are available.
Pharm406 will be at the Cottonwood Inn August 8, 3-6pm with Pfizer and Moderna. This is the only local opportunity for persons 12-17 to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine.

Surrounding County COVID Vaccination Percentages:

Phillips County- 39%
Roosevelt County- 36%
Daniels County- 37%
Sheridan County- 52%
Garfield County- 23%
McCone County- 24%

Canada announced Monday it will begin letting fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada on Aug. 9, and those from the rest of the world on Sept. 7.

Officials said the 14-day quarantine requirement will be waived as of Aug. 9 for eligible travelers who are currently residing in the United States and have received a full course of a COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Canada.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, who said he spoke with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday, said the U.S. has not yet indicated any plan to change current restrictions at the land border. Canadians are able to fly into the United States with a negative COVID-19 test.

Asked in Washington if the U.S. would reciprocate, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, "We are continuing to review our travel restrictions. Any decisions about resuming travel will be guided by our public health and medical experts. ... I wouldn’t look at it through a reciprocal intention.”

Montana United States Senator Jon Tester had this statement: “Trade and travel across the U.S. - Canadian border is critical for Montana families and for our economy, and this important milestone puts us one step closer to our economy returning to normal. I’ve pushed both the Biden Administration and Canadian officials to find a way to reinstate nonessential crossings as quickly and safely as possible, and I look forward to the boost Montana’s economy will receive once travel resumes on both sides of the border.”

Canadian officials also announced that children who aren't vaccinated but are travelling with vaccinated parents won't have to quarantine, but will have to avoid group activities including schools and daycare centers.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last week that Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into the country as of mid-August for nonessential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September.

Canada leads G20 countries in vaccination rates, with approximately 80% of eligible Canadians vaccinated with their first dose and over 50% of those eligible fully vaccinated.

“This weekend, we even passed the U,S. in terms of fully vaccinated people,” Trudeau said. “Thanks to the rising vaccination rates and declining COVID-19 cases, we are able to move forward with adjusted border measures.”

Reopening to the U.S first is a “recognition of our unique bond, especially between border communities," Trudeau said.

In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. and Canadian governments closed the more than 5,500-mile border to nonessential traffic. With increasing vaccination rates and dropping infection rates, some were annoyed the two governments hadn’t laid out plans to fully reopen the border.

Canada began easing its restrictions earlier this month, allowing fully vaccinated Canadians or permanent legal residents to return Canada without quarantining. But among the requirements are a negative test for the virus before returning, and another once they get back.

Pressure has been mounting on Canada to continue to ease the restrictions at the border, which have been in effect since March 2020. Providing exemptions for travel into Canada amid the pandemic is politically sensitive and Trudeau is expected to call a federal election next month.

Canadian officials have said they would like 75% of eligible Canadian residents to be fully vaccinated before loosening border restrictions for tourists and business travelers. The Canadian government expects to have enough vaccine delivered for 80% of eligible Canadians to be fully vaccinated by the end of July. The U.S. only allowed for exports of vaccines into Canada in early May.

Commercial traffic has gone back and forth normally between the two countries since the start of the pandemic.

The U.S. Travel Association estimates that each month the border is closed costs $1.5 billion. Canadian officials say Canada had about 22 million foreign visitors in 2019 — about 15 million of them from the United States.

Glasgow set a record of 110 degrees for July 19th breaking the old record of 107 set in 1941.

110 degrees is also the 3rd warmest temperature on record for Glasgow since record keeping began in 1893.

Glasgow was also the warm spot for the entire state of Montana on July 19th.

Lisa Koski was sworn in as the newest member of the Glasgow City Council at the regular meeting of the council on Monday.

Koski will replace Todd Young and will fill the remainder of his term which will expire December 31st of 2023.

She was sworn in by Glasgow City Council President Rod Karst.

Drew Henry was hired as the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 6 regional supervisor in northeast Montana, based out of the regional headquarters in Glasgow. Drew replaced Mark Sullivan, who recently retired after working 35 years with FWP, including six years as regional supervisor.
Drew, who is originally from Glasgow, was the Glasgow-area regional wildlife biologist for the last nine years. He holds both a bachelor’s degree in biology from Minot State University and a master’s degree in animal ecology from Iowa State University.

“My love for the area, the resources, and the people that live here are why I always wanted to live and work where I grew up,” said Henry.

Prior to working in Glasgow, Drew was the upland gamebird biologist and later the wildlife biologist in the Plentywood area for about two years.

As a biologist, Drew strengthened landowner relationships while creating more opportunities for hunting, fishing and recreational access, including finalizing the infrastructure of the Buffalo Coulee conservation easement and the initiation and completion of the Ash Coulee conservation easement in Valley county.

As regional supervisor, Drew oversees regional development of department goals and objectives, long-term plans, and regional priorities. He will also lead FWP staff that manage the diverse resources of Region 6 in northeast Montana.

“In my nearly 12 years as an FWP employee, I’ve witnessed tireless dedication to the conservation of the fish, wildlife and recreation resources that we all love so much,” said Henry. “I’m excited to help inspire and support that dedication to conservation in any way I can, including building the capacity needed to face current and future challenges and meet FWP’s mission on behalf of the public and their resources.”

Drew lives in Glasgow with his wife and three children and enjoys taking his family on many hunting, fishing, boating and camping adventures.

FWP is currently advertising Drew’s former position of Glasgow-area wildlife biologist. Information for this position can be found at statecareers.mt.gov.

To contact Drew, email dhenry@mt.gov or call his office in Glasgow at 406-228-3723.

Press Release From Valley County Long Run Fire Department 7/17

Members had a very long Friday night fighting fires around the county. The first call came in at 10:09pm for a grass fire northwest of Frazer. Roosevelt County and BIA responded for mutual aid. Fortunately we had some rain come through and put most of the fire out, it was 130 acres.

The next fire was reported at 1:23am for another grass fire northeast of Nashua. It was a large fire and several pieces of farm equipment were consumed by fire. Richland and Opheim responded for mutual aid along with several area farmers. The size of this fire has not been determined yet.

The last fire was reported at 1:47am for yet again, another grass fire southeast of Saint Marie. Long Run and Saint responded. The terrain was very rough so it was hard to get to. Once again we had some much needed rain come through the area to help knock down the fire, it was 447 acres. MARCO and Boeing Fire staged a 4,000 gallon water tender for us to use if needed. Our crews got back to town around 4:30am.

It’s very dry out there but we’ve been very fortunate to have such great response from firefighters and farmers. We’ve been able to keep these fires from growing much larger than we’re capable of handling without state resources. We’re very appreciative of everyone willing to help.

All of these firefighters volunteer their time, many of them didn’t get any sleep last night and had to go to their full time jobs this morning. If you see a firefighter out in public please thank them for selflessly volunteering their time for the safety of Valley County.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September.

Trudeau spoke with leaders of Canada’s provinces and his office released a readout of the call. He noted that if Canada’s current positive path of vaccination rate and public health conditions continue the border can open.

“Canada would be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September,” the readout said. “He noted the ongoing discussions with the United States on reopening plans, and indicated that we could expect to start allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents into Canada as of mid-August for non-essential travel.”

Trudeau noted Canada continues to lead G20 countries in vaccination rates with approximately 80% of eligible Canadians vaccinated with their first dose and over 50% of eligible Canadians fully vaccinated. He said case numbers and severe illness continue to decline across the country as vaccination rates continue to increase.

In the early days of the pandemic, the U.S. and Canadian governments closed the more than 5,500-mile (8,800-kilometer) border to nonessential traffic. With increasing vaccination rates and dropping infection rates, some were annoyed the two governments hadn’t laid out detailed plans to fully reopen the border.

Canada began easing its restrictions earlier this month, allowing fully vaccinated Canadians or permanent legal residents to return Canada without quarantining. But among the requirements are a negative test for the virus before returning, and another once they get back.

Pressure has been mounting on Canada to continue to ease the restrictions at the border, which have been in effect since March of last year.

Providing exemptions for travel into Canada amid the pandemic is politically sensitive and Trudeau is expected to call a federal election next month.

Trudeau said his ministers would share more details on the border early next week.

Commercial traffic has gone back and forth normally between the two countries since the start of the pandemic. Canadians are able to fly into the United States with a negative COVID-19 test.

The U.S. Travel Association estimates that each month the border is closed costs $1.5 billion. Canadian officials say Canada had about 22 million foreign visitors in 2019 — about 15 million of them from the United States.

New aquatic invasive species detection units were installed this week during a cooperative effort between US Corps of Engineers, Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

These layered substrate samplers will be inspected by divers in September for invasive mussels. Buoys near most Fort Peck boat ramps mark the locations; please do not disturb.

These areas were selected because Quagga and Zebra mussels are mostly likely to arrive via boat. Please remember all boats coming from outside Montana must be inspected before launching.

The Glasgow City Council will recommend Lisa Koski for an appointment to the council at a meeting on Monday. If approved by the council, Koski will replace Todd Young as a member of the council representing Ward #1.

The council interviewed 3 candidates on Wednesday, ultimately choosing to vote to recommend Koski at the regular meeting on Monday.

Pending approval, Koski would serve the remainder of Young's term which ends December 31st of 2023.

With continuing hot and dry weather condition, the following counties have entered Stage I fire restrictions: Fergus and Sheridan Counties.

These restrictions will begin on Friday, July 16, at 12:01 a.m. and apply to all state, private and federal lands within these counties.

All private, state and BLM lands within Chouteau, Golden Valley, Petroleum, Phillips and Valley counties remain in Stage I restrictions, which went into effect on July 2.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lands on the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge and the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge within Fergus, Petroleum, Phillips and Valley counties will remain in Stage I restrictions.

The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest implemented fire restrictions across most of the forest on Friday, July 9.

Burn bans are in effect for the Fort Belknap Reservation, Fort Peck Reservation and Blaine, Daniels, Hill and Roosevelt counties.

These restrictions will remain in effect until rescinded.

Under Stage I, the following acts are prohibited:
• Building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire, except within an established metal fire ring within designated, developed campground or recreation site.
• Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed campground/recreation site or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.

Exemptions for Stage I restrictions:
• Persons with written permits that specifically authorize the otherwise act.
• Persons using a device solely fueled by liquid petroleum or LPG fuels that can be turned on and off. Such devices can only be used in an area that is barren or cleared of all overhead and surrounding flammable materials within 3 feet of the device.
• Person conducting activities in those designated area where the activity is specifically authorized by written posted notice.
• Any federal, state or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting force in the performance of an official duty.
• All land within a city boundary is exempted.
• Other exemptions unique to each agency/tribe.

Remember to recreate responsibly – don’t drive or park on dry grass, know the restrictions, use existing fire rings, always keep any eye on your fire, bring the right tools and put it out completely before you leave. Have fun outdoors, be respectful and stay safe.

Because restrictions can vary across the region, it is important that you know before you go. For fire restrictions information, please go to: https://www.mtfireinfo.org/

The Energy and Natural Resources Committee today advanced more than $300 million in Montana-specific water projects secured by U.S. Senator Jon Tester as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework he recently negotiated with a group of his Republican and Democratic colleagues and the White House. Tester is a member of the core negotiation group along with Republican Senators Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rob Portman, and Mitt Romney, and Democratic Senators Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Jeanne Shaheen, and Mark Warner.

The $311 million Tester spearheaded will help secure water supplies for more than 65,000 people, support agricultural producers and economic development with better water availability, respond to increasingly scarce water with better efficiency and storage systems, and honor the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities to Indian Country. Up to $100 million of that funding will go towards rehabilitating the Milk River Project, which will directly rehabilitate the St. Mary’s Diversion Dam and avert more failures like the drop structures last summer, while improving efficiency and reliability of the overall system.

“When it comes to Montana’s water infrastructure, we’ve been running on our grandparents’ infrastructure for decades—and Congress finally has a shot to do something about it,” Tester said. “Today is the first major step in advancing critical Montana water infrastructure priorities like the Milk River Project that will have an enormous impact on our state’s economy for decades to come. I’m proud to have led negotiations on the framework for this once-in-a-century infrastructure package that has brought together Republicans and Democrats alike to invest in our workers, businesses, and communities. It’s great news that water infrastructure is the first of our priorities to advance out of committee, as we continue working on needed investments in our roads and bridges, airports and railways, broadband and more, to ensure we maintain America's competitive edge over China."

Tester’s provisions that were approved by the Committee and head to the full Senate today include:

$211 million for Montana’s authorized rural water projects:
• This would complete the Fort Peck/Dry Prairie, Rocky Boys/North Central, and Musselshell-Judith rural water projects.
• This would secure water supplies for over 65,000 people, supporting agricultural producers and economic development with better water availability, responding to increasingly scarce water with better efficiency and storage systems, and honoring our trust and treaty responsibilities to Indian Country.
Up to $100 million in dedicated funding to rehabilitate the Milk River Project.
• This would directly help rehabilitate the St. Mary’s Diversion Dam and avert more failures like the drop structures last summer, while improving efficiency and reliability of the overall system.
• This funding would be available without needing a 3:1 nonfederal match, which is normally required for rehabilitation work on the Milk River Project.
• The Milk River Project irrigates over 120,000 acres and provides water to four municipalities, two rural water systems, and two Tribes.
Allow American Rescue Plan (ARP) money secured by Tester to be spent on the local costshare requirements for Reclamation infrastructure.
• This provides a legislative fix clarifying that states can spend their State and Local Recovery Funds on the local costshare for Bureau of Reclamation infrastructure (critical for infrastructure like the Milk River Project, which has a 74 percent nonfederal costshare requirement).
• This builds on a call from Tester to Treasury calling for them to include this in their Final Rule for how ARP funds can be used.

After a meeting at the White House with President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of 10 Senators, Tester announced the group struck a deal on a once-in-a-century infrastructure package that will make critical investments in Montana's aging infrastructure. Over the last few weeks, Tester led the negotiations between Republicans, Democrats, and the Biden Administration that resulted in the agreement.

Now that the landmark bipartisan framework has been agreed to, Senator Tester will continue leading his colleagues as they negotiate the details of the package and work with relevant Senate committees like Energy and Natural Resources to assemble the legislation. Once a bill has been formally drafted, it will be put on the floor for a vote, and congressional leaders have expressed hope that a Senate floor vote will take place before the August recess. After Senate passage, the legislation must be passed by the House before being signed into law by the President.

Story from www.billingsgazette.com

More than 100,000 Montana families with children could begin receiving monthly child tax credit payments as early as Thursday under a broad plan to support all but America’s richest families.

It’s estimated that the monthly payments, $300 for each child younger than age 6 and $250 for children ages 6 to 17, will reduce American child poverty by half. From July through December, there will be monthly payments. Come tax season next spring, parents can file for a lump sum payment covering the first six months of 2021.

“If parents are responsible, and they use the money in the right way, it means they’re going to get that breakfast in the morning that maybe they weren’t getting before,” said U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, who supported the tax credit in the American Rescue Plan. “It means parents are going to have a little more flexibility to be with their kids and maybe not have to work that overtime shift.”

There should be about 110,000 Montana tax filers who qualify. That’s based on the number of individuals and couples who claimed the “child and other dependent” tax credit on their federal tax return for tax year 2018. The Montana Department of Revenue provided the data at June’s end.

However, not everyone is set up to receive direct electronic payments from the IRS. Only 56% of the Montanans file taxes electronically, reports DOR’s Czelsi Gómez.

Even a family that didn’t pay income tax in 2020 qualifies for the credit, though they will have to get on the IRS radar, which means filing a 2020 tax return even if they have no income to claim. For parents who weren’t required to file a 2020 tax return but want to receive the child tax credit, there is an online IRS tool at: www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/child-tax-credit-non-filer-sign-up-tool.

It will take some work for some people to fully participate. That’s one of the things the nonprofit Montana group Zero to Five is focused on. Parents can sign up and begin thinking about ways the tax credit can benefit families, perhaps by the working with other child-specific programs being rolled out this year.

“The tax credit is universal. So, it will help a lot of children get out of poverty, but it will also help a lot of families who are just on that edge of not being able to qualify for public assistance, but are also not really making a lot. It’s such a fragile point. So, hopefully this adds a little stability to family financials,” said Caitlin Jensen of Zero to Five.

The group’s name refers to its focus on improving a child’s life from healthy pregnancies to school readiness. A big part of that focus is affordable child care, which is also a focus of Congress and the president in the first six months of President Joe Biden's administration.

The American Rescue Plan included credits to pay for child care for children younger than 13 whenever parents are working or looking for work. Babysitters, center-based child care, even child care services offered by relatives living outside the tax household are covered. A family that keeps receipts to show what it’s paid for should qualify. Earlier in the year, most families also received a direct payment of $1,400 per child.

Montana may spend as much as $31 million on grants to expand child care services using federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan. There will likely be more child care investment in the second phase of the Biden infrastructure plan, which would include money for pre-kindergarten, something Montana has struggled with. The state is woefully short on child care providers. A problem before the pandemic, the shortage in child care workers has only become worse.

“The pandemic really highlighted the importance of this sector. It was hard for first responders and healthcare workers to go to work because it’s hard to have a child care arrangement. It really highlighted the important backbone the industry plays” said Rob Grunewald, an economist with the U.S. Federal Reserve of Minneapolis, which covers a portions of six states, including Montana.

The Minneapolis Fed started studying child care in the early 2000s after it realized the extent to which child care influenced the economy. child care did so it two ways. First by affecting a parent’s ability to work and amount of family income. Secondly, quality child care that put children on a learning path before they reached public school, also resulted in children getting better jobs with better income as adults, which improved the region’s economy.

U.S. Senator Jon Tester says that Head Start programs across Montana will receive a total of over $5 million in grant funding through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to help support in-person, comprehensive services this fall.

Nearly two dozen programs in Montana are receiving funding, including several in North-Central Montana:

District 4 Human Resources Development Council in Havre ($190,244)
Central Montana Head Start in Lewistown ($114,864)
Action for Eastern Montana in Glendive, Malta, Glasgow and Miles City ($178,279)
Opportunities Inc. in Great Falls ($555,176)
Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes in Poplar ($253,658)
Rocky Boy Schools in Box Elder ($285,964)
Fort Belknap Community Council in Harlem ($224,942)
Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Reservation in Browning ($484,583)
This funding is being distributed through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

MALTA, Mont.) – The public now has a total of 90 days to submit comments on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for a bison grazing proposal on BLM-administered lands in Phillips County, Montana.

In response to concerns regarding the original 60-day comment period potentially conflicting with summertime farming commitments, John Mehlhoff, BLM Montana-Dakotas state director, extended the public review and comment period for the American Prairie Reserve (APR) bison grazing proposal draft EA & FONSI through Sept. 28.

“While 60 days already far exceeds any requirements for this type of NEPA activity, we recognize this proposal has generated greater public interest than similar grazing permit applications,” said Mehlhoff. “This public comment period is an important stage of the decision-making process, and we encourage those who choose to participate to submit substantive comments.”

No decision has been made at this stage in the process, he added.

“The NEPA process is designed to solicit public comment regarding the analysis we have conducted on APR’s proposal,” said Mehlhoff. “After careful consideration of the public input we receive, only then will a decision be made.”

The BLM encourages public review and comment on the draft EA and FONSI by visiting the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-L010-2018-0007-EA. Public comments may also be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service addressed to: BLM Malta Field Office; Re: APR Grazing Proposal; 501 South 2nd Street East; Malta, MT 59538.

A virtual public meeting remains set for Wednesday, July 21, 1-4 p.m., via Zoom to provide the public an opportunity to comment about the draft EA and FONSI. Pre-registration is required. See the e-Planning project website for more details -- https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/103543/510.

Public comments submitted may be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Please, do not include in your draft EA/FONSI comments personally identifiable information you do not want to be made public.

After the draft EA and FONSI comments are received and reviewed, a Final Environmental Assessment and FONSI will be produced and released. BLM will then issue a grazing decision. All grazing decisions are subject to a 15-day protest and 30-day appeal period.

This information provided by Garfield County DES:

The Norville Fire on Haxby Point has been fully contained with crews mopping up all day. Local and agency resources will be rotated off by this evening

UPDATE: Crews are doing ok and working to shut down several major hot spots. The fire is active on the SW and NE sides. Fuels include dried tall grass and creeping cedars. No additional resources are needed at this time per IC Hageman.
11:46pm 7/11/21 ALM

Garfield County crews are headed back to the location of Haxby area’s Norville Fire to re-establish fire lines due to high winds. Dry lightning has also been occurring in this area. A page will be used if more resources are needed beyond those on-scene already once assessment is complete. We will provide updates as available. 10:24pm 7/11/21 ALM

Saturday: At 3:09 pm today, crews were paged to what is now called the Norville Fire at Haxby Point. This is on the King Edwards place with locals now estimating it to be 600-700 acres. Federal and County resources are on-scene.

COUNTY PROPOSED BUDGETS

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN in accordance with Sections 7-6-4020 through 4024, MCA, that all budgets for Valley County Officers and Institutions have been filed in this office and that such budgets including the employee medical insurance permissive levy, have been tabulated and considered and declared to constitute the County proposed budgets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. All of said budgets are now on file in the office of the Clerk and Recorder and are open for inspection by the public.

NOTICE IS FURTHER GIVEN that the Commissioners will hear any taxpayer relative to budget requirements and increases, and above stated monies, thereto during their session on July 28, 2021, at 10:00 am. and will continue from day to day until the final budget is approved and adopted.

Days after Canada dropped its quarantine requirement for fully vaccinated Canadians entering the country, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected the idea that non-essential unvaccinated visitors will soon be allowed in.

"I can tell you right now that's not going to happen for quite a while," Trudeau said during a campaign-style stop in British Columbia on Thursday. Trudeau did not say when vaccinated travelers would be permitted.

The Canada-US border remains closed to non-essential travel until at least July 21 and only Canadian citizens and residents are currently allowed to enter the country, unless they are exempted in order to carry out essential work.

"We need to continue to ensure that the safety of Canadians," Trudeau said, adding the government needed to make sure that the sacrifices people have been making for months "are not for nothing."
On July 5, the government eased mandatory quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated nationals and residents arriving from abroad. Federal officials called this a "first phase" of reopening given the pace of vaccination in Canada.

In order to avoid going into quarantine, travelers must provide proof of full vaccination at least 14 days prior to travel and a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering Canada.
Unvaccinated travelers will be required to self-isolate at home until the results of their Covid-19 test comes back negative.

Canada's Covid-19 case count has been dropping steadily and vaccinations have been ramping up, with nearly 70% of Canadians having received at least one dose.
There have been more than 1.4 million coronavirus cases and 26,356 deaths in Canada since the start of the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins University.

TC Energy, the company that was trying to build the Keystone XL pipeline, has filed a NAFTA complaint that seeks $15 billion in damages from the U.S. government.

In its claim, TC Energy accuses the United States of breaching free trade obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement when newly elected President Joe Biden summarily pulled the plug on Keystone’s border crossing permit.

Biden was following through on a campaign promise he had made to cancel U.S. authorization for the pipeline, which was to carry up to 830 barrels of crude oil from Alberta to refineries on the Gulf Coast, as well as potentially up to 100,000 barrels per day of crude oil from the Bakken.

TC Energy announced in June that it would cancel the 1,897-mile pipeline in light of Biden’s cancellation, warning it would lead to the laying off thousands of union workers. It also leaves Alberta taxpayers on the hook for $1.3 billion in loans, as well as billions more in loan guarantees for the project, which had already been under construction for several months on both the Canada and U.S. side.

Keystone XL has been a lightning rod for environmentalists over the last decade or so, who criticize the pipeline from the standpoint of climate change.

Advocates for the pipeline, meanwhile, have said that oil Keystone would have carried will still get taken to market, but it will travel via truck or rail, either of which will cause more emissions than moving oil by pipeline.

The pipeline project was important to the Bakken mainly due to the possibility of adding an on-ramp at Baker, Montana, which would give Bakken crude oil yet another large-scale option to get to efficiently get taken to market.

The pipeline also would have generated tens of millions in taxes in each of the states it traveled through, as well as providing thousands of short-term construction jobs and ultimately some long-term jobs related to operations.

Studies undertaken by the Obama administration had estimated the pipeline would generate 42,100 jobs with $2 billion in associated earnings throughout the U.S. That figure included 3,700 construction jobs earning about $127 million collectively.

Montana and Texas, meanwhile are pursuing a lawsuit against Biden’s cancellation of Keystone XL. Florida and Alaska recently joined the suit, bringing the total number of states involved to 23, and the Saskatchewan government said it will file an amicus brief inn support.

“The fallout from the Colonial pipeline cyberattack made it very clear that we need more energy infrastructure, not less. The Keystone XL would get more oil – including Montana oil – to American refineries to be sold to American consumers,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “The Constitution is clear that presidents do not have the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce or to unilaterally undo an act of Congress. We will continue to fight to this federal overreach – along with the 22 other states – so that Montanans can benefit from the jobs, tax revenue, and enhanced energy independence the Keystone XL will bring to our communities.”

Story from https://dailymontanan.com

WASHINGTON—The White House will unveil an executive order in the coming days that directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to clarify that meat can only receive a “Product of USA” label if that livestock is raised in the U.S. rather than abroad, press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

“The EO directs USDA to develop a plan to increase opportunities for farmers to access markets and receive a fair return, including supporting alternative food distribution systems like farmers markets and developing standards and labels so that consumers can choose to buy products that treat farmers and agriculture workers fairly,” Psaki said.

Psaki said that the executive order will make it easier for farmers to economically compete against international meat industries.

Under current labeling rules, most grass-fed beef labeled “Product of USA” is actually raised and slaughtered abroad, but imported to the U.S. for processing.

“The president and the USDA believe it is unfair for domestic farmers and ranchers to have to compete with foreign companies that are misleading consumers,” she said.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement last week that the agency would initiate a “top-to-bottom” review of the “Product of USA” label that will help determine what the label means to consumers. The announcement followed a Federal Trade Commission move on strengthening the labeling.

“We have taken note of the many comments submitted to USDA and the FTC regarding meat labeling and understand that the current ‘Product of USA’ label on meat products may no longer effectively serve either of those purposes, to the detriment of consumers, producers, and fair and competitive markets,” said Vilsack.

Psaki said the order also aims to make it easier for farmers to bring claims against corporate agriculture companies under the Packers and Stockyards Act to prevent chicken processors from underpaying farmers, and would protect from retaliation those farmers who report companies that are not following the rules.

Yard of the Week for the week of July 5th

Ed and Shirley Buechler
23 Heather Lane

Montana FFA Foundation Executive Director, Gwynn Simeniuk, was named Montana Young Professional Woman of the Year on June 11 at the Montana Young Professionals Summit in Sidney, Montana.

The goal of Montana Young Professionals is to bring young professionals from across the state together to foster relationships and grow from personal and professional development opportunities.

Fostering relationships and growing both personally and professionally is no stranger to Simeniuk. Her time at the Montana FFA Foundation began in May 2017 as the Program & Events Manager after she graduated from Montana State University with degrees in Agricultural Education and Animal Science.

During her second year at the Foundation, she simultaneously earned her Master’s in Science Education – Biology from Western Governors University. Then, in January 2019, she was promoted to Executive Director. An Opheim native, Simeniuk has demonstrated a strong, dedicated work ethic and embodies a progress-oriented, difference-making individual.

Personal and professional growth isn’t the only thing Simeniuk has helped sprout while at the Montana FFA Foundation. Using her talent and instinct for fundraising and development, she facilitated a 43% revenue increase in 2019 through an in-kind land donation and maintained the increase in 2020 by procuring a strategic multi-year grant to hire a Director of Development at the FFA Foundation.

As Executive Director, Simeniuk started the Foundation’s Emerge Education program, a special project designed to benefit all Montana FFA chapters and members. From 2019 to date, she secured $65,000 in Emerge Education funding which local FFA programs can apply to use for leadership development and increasing community impact by updating or enhancing agricultural education classroom STEM equipment and curriculum. From serving as an FFA State Officer in 2013-2014 to leading the FFA Foundation, Simeniuk is consistently driven to create opportunities for young Montanans in agricultural education.

During the pandemic, Simeniuk’s vision led the Foundation in coordinating a unique version of the John Deere Ag Expo, an annual leadership conference held in Bozeman that usually brings over 1,500 FFA members to Montana State University. Despite restrictions, she had the idea to host in-person FFA contests in twelve different communities by working with individual county health departments and securing PPE (masks, surface disinfectants, infrared thermometers, etc).

“Montana Young Professionals is committed to providing career development opportunities, networking, and community engagement opportunities for young individuals across the state. Gwynn exhibits the same commitment to agricultural education students in Montana. She takes on any challenge with remarkable resourcefulness and tact to find unique solutions. With her professional demeanor and steadfast ambition to grow the next generation of leaders in Montana, Gwynn shines as a young professional in our state,” said Jacob Martin, Marketing and Development Coordinator for the Montana FFA Foundation.

The signature program for MTYP is an annual summit, but the group supports young professional programs across many different communities in the state throughout the year.

The Montana FFA Foundation supports 99 FFA chapters across the state of Montana, representing over 5,000 members.?The Montana FFA Foundation’s mission is to cultivate partnerships, promote awareness and secure resources to enhance Agricultural Education and the Montana FFA Association.

The Glasgow City Council approved the appointment of Tasha Morehouse-Mix as City Judge for Glasgow and she was immediately sworn in to the job by Glasgow Mayor Becky Erickson

Morehouse-Mix is a long time employee of the Glasgow Police Department and will replace Judge Lynn Gilbert who is retiring.

In other news from the Glasgow City Council meeting on Tuesday:

The council will interview 3 applicants for a vacant position on the Glasgow City Council from Ward #1. The applicants are Lisa Koski, Dustin Brunelle and Adam Hooper.

There have been 9 applicants for the Glasgow Police Chief position which is open until July 28th. The person chosen will replace former Chief Brien Gault.

Kristi Brabeck and Lorrie Sampson addressed the council regarding the Glasgow All-School Reunion set for June 16-19 of 2022. The reunion committee is asking for guidance from the city for closure of city streets for entertainment during the reunion and the possibility of using the civic center.

The City of Glasgow will receive $75,480 from the State of Montana in gas tax revenue. The city will need to provide a match of $3,646 to receive this money.

The council voted to have another free landfill day on July 24th from 8am to 11am. This period will allow city residents to bring non-household garbage free of charge to the landfill.

The Glasgow City Council will vote on a resolution determining the salaries and compensation of elected and appointed city officers and all city employees for fiscal year 2021-2022.

The council will vote Tuesday on the resolution.

TORONTO (AP) — Pandemic restrictions on travel between Canada and the U.S. began to loosen Monday for some Canadians, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said plans to totally reopen the border would be announced over the next few weeks.

Canadian citizens and permanent residents who have had a full dose of a coronavirus vaccine approved for use in Canada can skip a 14-day quarantine that has been a requirement since March 2020. Eligible air travelers also no longer have to spend their first three days in the country at a government-approved hotel.

Restrictions barring all non-essential trips between Canada and the United States, including tourism, will remain in place until at least July 21.

Trudeau said the easing of the rules marks a ``big step? toward re-opening the border.

“We’re very hopeful that we’re going to see new steps on reopening announced in the coming weeks,” he said at a news conference in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. “We’re going to make sure that we’re not seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases because nobody wants to go back to further restrictions, after having done so much and sacrificed so much to get to this point.”

Julia Dunn, who landed at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport from the United States while on her way to Halifax, said she was glad the restrictions had eased.

``It’s very freeing being able to get home to family without having to spend those two weeks alone,? she said.

Dunn, who is originally from Cape Breton but now lives in Houston, said she booked her trip to Canada after learning about the planned easing of quarantine rules a few weeks ago.

Trudeau said he understands how eager people are to see the border reopen but noted that the pandemic continues and ``things aren’t normal yet.?

``Nobody wants us to move too fast and have to reimpose restrictions as case numbers rise like we’re seeing elsewhere in the world,? he said. ``We need to do this right.”

GLASGOW- In response to dry, warm weather that could increase the danger of human-caused wildfires, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fishing access sites and wildlife management areas will be under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Valley, Phillips, and Richland Counties in Region 6, beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday morning, July 2. This follows several other counties/areas in eastern Montana, including the CMR National Wildlife Refuge and Custer, Carter, Dawson, Rosebud, Treasure, and Bighorn counties in Region 7. The restrictions will be in effect until further notice.

Region 6 FWP followed the lead of Valley, Phillips, and Richland County officials who announced this week that they are entering Stage 1 Fire Restrictions. These restrictions ban campfires except where specifically exempted. Landowners and agencies in those counties may or may not exempt specific sites. Stage 1 Fire Restrictions also prohibit smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, and in areas at least three feet in diameter that are cleared of all flammable materials. People still may cook on an LP gas or propane stove that can be turned on and off.

Per FWP policy, no fires will be allowed, even in steel grates, at any fishing access site (FAS) or wildlife management areas (WMA) in Valley, Phillips, or Richland counties in Region 6.
Campfires, normally allowed, are prohibited at the following sites:
• Glasgow Base Pond FAS, Valley Co.
• Fort Peck Dredge Cut Pond (Trout Pond) FAS, Valley Co.
• Cole Ponds FAS, Phillips Co.
• Bjornberg Bridge FAS, Phillips Co.
• Snowden Bridge FAS, Richland Co.
• (For other sites in Richland County or other counties in southeast MT, please refer to FWP Region 7)

Open fires are already prohibited year-round at the following sites:
• Duck Creek and School Trust FASs, Valley Co.
• Hinsdale and Vandalia WMAs, Valley Co.
• Alkali Creek FAS, Phillips Co.
• Cree Crossing, Sleeping Buffalo, and Dodson Dam WMAs, Phillips Co.
• Culbertson Bridge, Richland Co.
• (For other sites in Richland County or other counties in southeast MT, please refer to FWP Region 7)

Water consumption in the City of Glasgow has increased during the record breaking heat wave in northeast Montana but no water restrictions are in place according to Robert Kompel who is the Public Works Director in Glasgow.

The City of Glasgow water system originates from the Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Dam and is transported by pipeline to the water plant in Glasgow. The city has several storage facilities that hold the water after it is treated at the water plant.

Kompel said water plant employees are working diligently treating the water and getting it to the city storage tanks.

Water users in the city have been using about 1.5 million gallons of water for the past several days which is higher then normal. Kompel said normally in the month of June the city produces about 750 thousand gallons of water per day.

Typically in the month of July, the city produces about 1.2 million gallons per day and in August the number jumps to 1.5 million to 1.8 million gallons per day.

Updated 10:30am July 1st

Fireworks Show at Northeast Montana Fairgrounds has been cancelled.

Fireworks Prohibited in Valley County:

Press Release from Valley County

After further review of the weather forecast, discussions with local fire officials and input from Valley County citizens, the Fairgrounds firework display scheduled for July 4th will be cancelled. As was announced on June 30th, Valley County implemented Stage 1 Fire restrictions starting at 12:00 am on July 1st, 2021, until further notice. In addition, lighting fireworks are prohibited throughout the county until further notice.

While Valley County is in stage 1 fire restrictions, we ask all community members and visitors to use extreme caution while celebrating this holiday weekend. We urge you help keep our firefighters and community members safe by strictly adhering to fire restrictions and taking extra precautions to avoid sparking a fire. We also encourage everyone to support the local fireworks businesses but wait to light them off until conditions allow.

The Hinsdale Fire works display has been cancelled by the Milk River Days committee.

Fireworks are prohibited in the City of Glasgow, Town of Nashua and the Town of Fort Peck.

LEWISTOWN, Mont. — The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invites the public to comment on its Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for a bison grazing proposal on BLM-administered lands located in Phillips County, Montana.

BACKGROUND: On Sept. 24, 2019, the American Prairie Reserve (APR) submitted a proposal (an update to their earlier proposal submitted on Nov. 20, 2017) to modify certain terms and conditions of seven BLM-administered grazing permits held by the APR. American Prairie Reserve’s original proposal, sought permit changes for 18 BLM grazing allotments located in four counties. BLM conducted public scoping April 9 through June 11, 2018, including public meetings held in those four counties. The BLM received 2,497 submissions which were reviewed and considered in determining the final set of issues to be included in the NEPA analysis. Documents associated with the EA’s completed public scoping period are available on the BLM’s ePlanning website https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/103543/510. The APR’s updated proposal significantly reduced the number of BLM allotments involved and requested a more conventional grazing regime, including pasture rotation in alignment with current range management practices.

Based on APR’s amended proposal and public input received during the scoping period, the BLM prepared a draft EA and FONSI for the following seven BLM allotments managed by its Malta Field Office: Telegraph Creek, Box Elder, Flat Creek, White Rock, East Dry Fork, French Coulee and Garey Coulee.

APR requested from BLM a change in class of livestock for cattle and/or indigenous animals (bison), changes to the authorized seasons-of-use, construction, reconstruction and/or removal of some fences and adjustments to allotments (such as combining pastures).

The public comment period will run from July 1 through Aug. 29, 2021. The BLM encourages public review and comment on the Draft EA and FONSI by visiting the BLM’s ePlanning website at https://eplanning.blm.gov. Search using the NEPA number: DOI-BLM-MT-L010-2018-0007-EA. Public comments may also be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service addressed to: BLM Malta Field Office; Re: APR Grazing Proposal; 501 South 2nd Street East; Malta, MT 59538.

A virtual public meeting is planned for Wednesday, July 21, 1-4 p.m., via Zoom to provide the public an opportunity to comment about the Draft EA and FONSI. Pre-registration is required. See the e-Planning project website for more details.

“Even if people can’t attend the virtual meeting, we still hope they’ll visit the ePlanning website to read the Draft EA and FONSI, and provide thoughtful, substantive comments,” said BLM Malta Field Manager Tom Darrington. “All comments received will be reviewed and considered by our interdisciplinary team.”

“Public input is an important and valued part of the Environmental Assessment process,” BLM North Central Montana District Manager Mark Albers added. “We know everyone has busy lives, and we’re grateful to everyone who makes the time to get involved and contribute substantive comments addressing BLM’s proposed actions. That input is essential to helping us make decisions that are good for the land and the people, while complying with BLM policies.”

Public comments submitted may be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests. Please, do not include in your Draft EA/FOSI comments personally identifiable information you do not want to be made public.

After the Draft EA and FONSI comments are received and reviewed, a Final Environmental Assessment and FONSI will be produced and released. BLM will then issue a grazing decision. All grazing decisions are subject to a 15-day protest and 30-day appeal period.

City of Glastgow Yard of the Week this week:
Selected by Council Member Stan Ozark:

Byron and Lynn Stulc
760 8th St North

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order declaring a statewide drought emergency in Montana.

“Every region of the state faces severe to extreme drought conditions, and the situation is getting worse. These alarming drought conditions are devastating our ag producers, challenging our tourism industry, and could bring a severe wildfire season,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This emergency order makes available all necessary state government resources to mitigate the impacts of this drought and protect Montanans.”

Executive Order 11-2021 directs the Departments of Agriculture, Livestock, and Natural Resources and Conservation to provide maximum assistance to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on drought-related activities to secure timely economic assistance from the federal government.

It also suspends regulations for motor carriers and persons operating commercial vehicles while they provide direct drought-related support.

According to data in the Summer 2021 Montana Drought Forecast Report released yesterday, the U.S. Drought Monitor indicates approximately 91 percent of Montana faces abnormally dry to extreme drought conditions as of June 22.

Drought conditions at this point in 2021 are substantially worse than at the same time last year when approximately 52 percent of the state confronted similar conditions.

The July forecast projects below-normal precipitation throughout the state and a 40 to 50 percent chance of above-normal temperatures across much of Montana

If you have ever been interested in serving on the Glasgow City Council and reside in Ward #1, the Glasgow City Council is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the council.

Earlier this month, Todd Young resigned his seat on the council, creating an opening to fill the remainder of his term through the end of 2022.

There have been two applications turned in to city office. Lisa Koski and Adam Hooper have both applied for consideration for the vacancy.

The council will continue to accept applications through July 6th at 5pm. Applications may be picked up at the city office in the Glasgow Civic Center.

HELENA — The Montana Department of Revenue is mailing property classification and appraisal notices to all owners of residential, commercial, industrial, and agricultural land properties, showing their market and taxable values for the 2021-2022 two-year valuation cycle.

These notices are not tax bills. They include the department’s determination of market or productivity value for your property and will be used by your county treasurer to determine the property taxes owed.

“It’s important that Montana property owners review this information thoroughly,” said Brendan Beatty, Director of the Montana Department of Revenue. “If property owners wait until property tax bills are sent in November, it will be too late for the department to make corrections or adjustments that could impact the value of the property for the 2021 tax year. So please review the notice as soon as possible and contact us if you have questions.”

Forest land notices mailed are for years 2021-2026, as forest land is valued every six years.

If property owners disagree with the department’s determination of value for their property, they may submit a Request for Informal Classification and Appraisal Review (called Form AB-26) within 30 days of the date on their notice. Owners can electronically submit the form, download it, and find more information at MTRevenue.gov .

VALLEY COUNTY COVID-19

Vaccine Uptake for Eligible Montanans by Age Group as of 6/25/2021

Age Group Vaccinated
12-17- 9%
18-29- 21%
30-39- 28%
40-49- 34%
50-59- 38%
60-69- 55%
70-79- 70%
80 and over -59%

2344 Valley County residents out of 6313 eligible persons have been vaccinated giving us a rate of 37.1%

Vaccines for age 18+ are available at the Health Department every Wednesday at 4pm until closing.

FORT PECK, Mont. -- As the Fourth of July holiday approaches, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District asks visitors to use extreme caution when recreating around Fort Peck due to the unusually dry conditions. The ignition of explosives or explosive devices, including fireworks or other pyrotechnics, on USACE lands or waters is prohibited. Campfires must be within designated metal fire rings. USACE strongly encourages everyone to check county and public lands burning and fire restrictions frequently as conditions may change.

Fireworks are an explicit danger to the surrounding public, wildlife, and habitat. Visitors utilizing fireworks are subject to fines and other penalties. Individuals inadvertently starting wildfires are subject to restitution for all expenses related to controlling the wildfire.

Copies of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Rules and Regulations (Title 36) are available at the Fort Peck Administration building, or Interpretive Center. Questions regarding camping or other recreation opportunities may be directed to the natural resources staff at (406) 526-3411.

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — More than $30 million of federal funding could be directed toward expanding child care capacity in Montana under recommendations approved by a state health advisory commission.

The commission approved up to $31 million for the state health department to administer grants to expand child care in the state, the Montana State News Bureau reported Thursday. The commission, which is made up of three members of the executive branch and seven lawmakers, is tasked with directing coronavirus relief dollars.

The grants will be used to increase worker pay and benefits and help with the cost of rent for facilities, among other uses.

The commission also approved $6.8 million in administrative spending to help people apply for grants and learn how to better run their businesses.

The recommendations next go to Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte for final approval.

A lack of access to child care in Montana was already hurting parents in the workforce before the pandemic, according to a 2019 report by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The report found licensed child care providers in the state met less than half the estimated demand.

The health department estimated that 171 child care programs closed in Montana at the height of the pandemic. In a survey conducted by the department, about 42% of parents said they could not afford child care services.

Child care providers attributed demand challenges to high staff turnover because of low compensation.

Providers said increasing pay for child care workers would begin to address some of the issues. The health department reported that child care workers earn an annual median income of $22,860.

All federal coronavirus relief funding must be spent by September 2023.

“There’s a lot of opportunity to utilize this funding for the best in terms of trying to build capacity so that when this funding goes away, we’ve left an infrastructure much better than we’ve found it,” health department Director Adam Meier said during Thursday’s commission meeting.

Montana is set to receive a total of more than $68 million in coronavirus relief funds for child care stabilization. Future grants could go toward establishing new child care facilities.

According to FWP, a suspect has been identified in this case!

FORT PECK- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 game wardens are seeking any information regarding vandalism that occurred to a dock near the boat ramp on the Dredge Cut (Trout Pond) Fishing Access Site north of Fort Peck.

On the morning of Saturday, June 26, warden John Huberty responded to a 1-800-TIP-MONT call regarding the vandalism. It appears that someone drove out on the dock and broke through, ultimately retrieving their vehicle.

Warden Huberty estimates the incident occurred sometime between 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 26. Warden Huberty is reaching out to the public for any information about the person or persons responsible.

Anyone with information about this is encouraged to call warden directly at 406-263-0068 or call FWP’s 24-hour wildlife tip line at 1-800-TIP-MONT (1-800-847-6668). The 1-800-TIP-MONT program is a toll-free number where one can report violations of fish, wildlife or park regulations. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 for providing information that leads to a conviction.

GLASGOW, Mont. – Governor Gianforte Thursday toured Scottie Daycare Center in Glasgow where he visited with providers, parents, and children.

“High-quality child care centers like Scottie Daycare serve hardworking Montana families, but for too long, we haven’t had enough of them. Before the pandemic, there weren’t enough providers, and waitlists were long. As a result of the pandemic, many providers were forced to close their doors, and waitlists grew even longer,” Gov. Gianforte said. “As Montanans get back to work, we’re focused on increasing access to quality child care services and addressing child care deserts throughout our state.”

Opening its doors in Glasgow in 1983, Scottie Daycare Center provides care to more than 30 children between the ages 2 and 12.

During his visit, the governor read a book to children and sought input from providers and parents, while asking about the challenges they face.

Last month, Gov. Gianforte announced the formation of the ARPA Health Advisory Commission which will recommend the spending of $112.5 million in federal funds to stabilize child care programs and supplement an existing federal block grant.

“The commission is focused on making sustainable investments in Montana’s child care system, ensuring providers recover from the pandemic and laying the groundwork for a meaningful solution to address child care issues that Montana families have faced for too long,” Gov. Gianforte said.

Thursday, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced more than 1,900 local governments around the country will receive $529.3 million in Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding for 2021. Since local governments cannot tax federal lands, annual PILT payments help to defray costs associated with maintaining important community services.

PILT payments are made annually for tax-exempt federal lands administered by Department of the Interior agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Reclamation. Additionally, PILT payments cover federal lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission. These payments are calculated based on the number of acres of federal land within each county or jurisdiction, and the population of that county or jurisdiction.

“This year’s distribution of $529.3 million to more than 1,900 counties will help local governments carry out vital services, such as firefighting and police protection, construction of public schools and roads, and search-and-rescue operations,” said Secretary Haaland. “Our mission relies on partnerships with U.S. states and territories. These disbursements are a great example of our commitment to be a good neighbor to the communities we serve.”

Since PILT payments began in 1977, the Department has distributed more than $10.2 billion to states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Valley County has over 1.1 million acres of federal land which are all tax-exempt. Valley County will recieve $1,153,808 in PILT payments for 2021. In 2020, Valley County received $1,116,033. There are no restrictions on how Valley County may spend the federal money.

The Department collects more than $10.3 billion in revenue annually from commercial activities on public lands, such as oil and gas leasing, livestock grazing, and timber harvesting. A portion of these revenues is shared with states and counties. The balance is deposited in the U.S. Treasury, which in turn pays for a broad array of federal activities, including PILT funding.

Individual county payments may vary from year to year as a result of changes in acreage data, which is updated annually by the federal agency administering the land; prior-year federal revenue-sharing payments reported annually by the governor of each state; inflationary adjustments using the Consumer Price Index; and population data, which is updated using information from the U.S. Census Bureau.

MONTANA – The Montana Department of Commerce today announced $86,500 in funding to support the growth of 14 Native American-owned small businesses through the Tribal Tourism Digital Business Development Grant at the Montana Department of Commerce.

“Native-owned and tourism-related businesses were hit especially hard by COVID-19,” Commerce Director Scott Osterman said. “As these businesses look ahead to a brighter future, they will be more prepared with the digital resources and tools they need to reach and serve the modern-day traveler.”
The Tribal Tourism Digital Business Development Grant is a competitive grant program to help Native American-owned businesses related to the tourism industry emerge from COVID-19 restrictions better positioned to generate revenue by establishing or strengthening digital distribution or promotion of their products and services. Eligible project categories include professional content development, website development and virtual experiences.

Each business will receive between $5,500 and $6,250 and must provide matching funds.
The following 14 entrepreneurs and small businesses owners will share $86,500 in Tribal Tourism Digital Business Development grants:

Blackfeet Tribe
• Leaning Tree Café (Babb)
• Sunshine Woman Creations (East Glacier)
• DeBoo’s Ranch Adventures (Valier)

Chippewa Cree Tribe
• Mel’s Diner dba Krusty Krab Fireworks (Box Elder)

Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes
• Flathead Raft Company (Polson)
• Hardup Land (Hot Springs)
• Keepers of the Seasons (Arlee)
• Water People Tours & Kapapa (Elmo)

Crow Tribe
• Indian Battle Tours (Crow Agency)
• Wellknown Buffalo Café (Garryowen)

Fort Belknap Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes
• Bishop Guide Service (Malta)

Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes
• Redbyrd Designs (Glasgow)

Northern Cheyenne Tribe
• Sage & Oats Trading Post (Helena)
• Native Country Tourism (Ashland)

The Tribal Tourism Digital Business Development grant is a limited-time pilot program; however, the Department of Commerce will open the application cycle for another program, the Indian Equity Fund Small Business Grant, on July 1, 2021.

FORT PECK – Anglers and boaters recreating on Fort Peck Reservoir this year have noticed that water levels are lower than they have been the last several years. More shoreline is exposed, boat ramps are longer (all ramps are currently usable), and islands and shallow points are “popping up” where they haven’t been seen for years. Besides making boating on the reservoir a little more challenging, how do these lower water levels affect the fishery of Fort Peck?

Changing water levels are nothing new to Fort Peck. Since Fort Peck Dam was constructed in 1937, water levels have fluctuated annually. In drought years like in the late 1980s and mid-2000s, levels were very low for several years. As of June 21, 2021, the water level is at 2,233 ft above sea level, which is about 17 ft below the full pool of 2250 ft and six feet lower than on this date in 2020.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks fisheries sampling has shown that declining reservoir elevations beginning in the late 1990s and persisting into the early 2000s led to reduced habitat and shoreline forage fish production. This loss of habitat led to poor survival and growth of walleyes and other game fish species.
Decreasing reservoir levels influence walleye, pike, and other game fish primarily through the food chain. If shoreline prey fish like yellow perch, crappie, and shiner species are in low abundance, top predators will compete and consume these forage species and then move on, looking for other forage.

“In the current case on Fort Peck, that could mean that walleye and other game fish will head to deeper water in search of cisco,” said Heath Headley, FWP Fort Peck Reservoir biologist. “As we get into the summer angling season, anglers may need to adjust their tactics accordingly.”

The 2020-2021 winter and spring provided less snowpack and runoff, resulting in lower water levels than the last several years. Additionally, current high elevation snowpack estimates for headwater drainages are extremely low, resulting in runoff projections that could drop Fort Peck another 1.5 to 5 ft.

Is there a potential silver lining to the declining water levels? Maybe, according to Headley.

“If the reservoir levels are held lower for several consecutive years, new vegetation will start to grow around the shoreline again,” adds Headley. “When water levels improve and these areas are flooded, this not only provides temporary habitat for forage species, but nutrients from these plants will break down and enter the water starting a positive food chain production.”

In 2007, just 14 years ago, Fort Peck reached its lowest level at 2,196 ft…54 ft below full pool and 37 ft lower than the reservoir’s current level. Since 2008, the upper Missouri River drainage above Fort Peck, including the prairie watershed, has generally seen good snowpack and runoff into the reservoir. After the big snowfall winter and wet spring of 2010-11, the reservoir reached full pool. In that huge water year, the reservoir picked up an additional 30,000 surface acres…roughly the size of Canyon Ferry Reservoir!

“The increasing reservoir elevations, beginning in 2008 and continuing past 2011, are one of the main reasons the walleye fishery is very healthy today,” continues Headley.

As we get into the boating season, anglers and water recreationists are encouraged to be on the lookout for new sunken islands and shallow bays. Be safe, have fun, and go catch some fish!

Perfect for the entire family, all the iconic Peanuts characters we adore, including Snoopy, Lucy and lovable Charlie Brown, come to life in this highly entertaining, Tony Award winning musical!

From June 25 – August 15, Fort Peck Summer Theatre initiates a repertory schedule, meaning rotating shows performing on a rotating schedule, kicking off with You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
There are also special added 2:00pm Saturday matiness of Charlie Brown on July 3, July 10, July 24 and August 7.

The cast features Mathias Oliver as Linus, who was last seen at FPST as Sebastian in Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as well as Sydney Hayward as Lucy, Andy Meyers as Charlie, Calvin Pierce as Snoopy, Jay Michael Roberts as Schroeder and Taylor Noll as Sally.

Rob Watson serves as director of the production, alongside Choreographer Megan Wiltshire and Musical Director Alicia Bullock-Muth.

Regular FPST performances are Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 4:00pm, but You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown also features special 2:00pm Saturday matinees: please visit www.fortpecktheatre.org for rotating performance schedule. For tickets and more information XXXX

The 2021 continues with:
• Soon joining You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown in rotation will be The Spitfire Grill (opening July 9) and Baskerville (opening July 16).

• Godspell: July 28 – 31
• Terms of Endearment: August 20 – September 5

The Valley County Health Department is offering a free Walk-In vaccination clinic for all vaccines Wed. June 23rd from 4-7p.m. All vaccines will be available whether it is for kindergarten, middle school or 18 & over Covid vaccines.

It is being held at the Health Department office, 500 4th Avenue South in the Courthouse Annex. Both the Johnson & Johnson as well as the Moderna vaccines are available for Covid. If you would like further information, please call 228-6261.

BOZEMAN, Montana, June 22, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) began accepting nominations for county committee members on June 15. Elections will occur in certain Local Administrative Areas (LAA) for these members who make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. All nomination forms for the 2021 election must be postmarked or received in the local FSA office by Aug. 2, 2021.

“We need enthusiastic, diverse leaders to serve other agricultural producers locally on FSA County Committees,” said Les J. Rispens, Acting State Executive Director for FSA in Montana. “Now’s your time to step up and truly make an impact on how federal programs are administered at the local level to reach all producers fairly and equitably.”

Rispens said agricultural producers who participate or cooperate in a USDA program, and reside in the LAA that is up for election this year, may be nominated for candidacy for the county committee. A cooperating producer is someone who has provided information about their farming or ranching operation to FSA, even if they have not applied or received program benefits. Individuals may nominate themselves or others and qualifying organizations may also nominate candidates. USDA encourages minority producers, women and beginning farmers or ranchers to nominate, vote, and hold office.

Nationwide, more than 7,700 dedicated members of the agricultural community serving on FSA county committees. The committees are made up of three to 11 members who serve three-year terms. Producers serving on FSA county committees play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of the agency. Committee members are vital to how FSA carries out disaster programs, as well as conservation, commodity and price support programs, county office employment and other agricultural issues.

LAAs are elective areas for FSA committees in a single county or multi-county jurisdiction. This may include LAAs that are focused on an urban or suburban area.

More Information

Producers should contact their local FSA office today to register and find out how to get involved in their county’s election. They should check with their local USDA Service Center to see if their LAA is up for election this year. To be considered, a producer must be registered and sign an FSA-669A nomination form. The form and other information about FSA county committee elections are available at fsa.usda.gov/elections.

Election ballots will be mailed to eligible voters beginning Nov. 1, 2021. To find your local USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-locator.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

The deadline to file for City offices in Valley County passed at 5:00 p.m. yesterday, but not without some last minute filings. Marie Pippin, Valley County Clerk and Recorder announced the following filings:

Joseph J French filed to run for Alderman in Fort Peck

Kevin Vogel filed to run for Alderman in Fort Peck

Doug Nistler filed to run for Glasgow City Council Ward #2

Darwin Johnson filed to run for Alderman for the Town of Nashua

In the City of Glasgow:

For Mayor: Current City Council Member Rod Karst is running as is former Council Member Todd Young.

There are 3 positions open on the Glasgow City Council:

Ward 1: Incumbent Stan Ozark has filed for re-election and faces opposition from Adam Hooper.

Ward 2: Incumbent Doug Nistler has filed for reelection

Ward 3: Incumbent Dan Carr has filed for reelection.

For Peck Town Council:

Burt Johnston, Glenn Guenther, Joseph J. French and Kevin Vogel have filed for Alderman
Mitch Willett has filed for the position on the council that is an unexpired term.

Opheim:

Doug Bailey has filed for Mayor.

Virgil Nelson has filed to run for Alderman in Ward 2.

Scott St. John has filed to run for Alderman in Ward 1.

Nashua:

JoAnna Turner and Larry Potter have filed to run for Mayor.

Mike Merideth and Darwin Johnson have filed for Nashua Town Council. (two spots open)

The filing deadline to run for city and town offices in Valley County is Monday at 5pm. There are shaping up to be some competitive races in Valley County.

In the City of Glasgow, there are two candidates for Mayor. Current City Council Member Rod Karst is running as is former Council Member Todd Young. Current Mayor Becky Erickson has withdrawn and will retire when her term ends January 31st.

There are 3 positions open on the Glasgow City Council:

Ward 1: Incumbent Stan Ozark has filed for re-election and faces opposition from Adam Hooper.

Ward 2: No candidates have filed as of Friday.

Ward 3: Incumbent Dan Carr has filed for reelection.

For Peck Town Council:

Burt Johnston and Glenn Guenther have filed to fill two 4-year positions on the council. Mitch Willett has filed for the position on the council that is an unexpired term.

Opheim:

Doug Bailey has filed for Mayor.

Virgil Nelson has filed to run for Alderman in Ward 2.

Scott St. John has filed to run for Alderman in Ward 1.

Nashua:

JoAnna Turner and Larry Potter have filed to run for Mayor.

Mike Merideth has filed to run for one of the two positions available on the Nashua Town Council.

The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed by President Biden will bring millions of dollars to local governments and schools in Montana.

Montana Cities and Towns will receive $86,377,829 in direct financial payments while counties in Montana will receive$207,597,597.

There are strict regulations on how the money can be spent with a emphasis on public health and infrastructure.

Here are the payments for each local government entity in Valley County:

Valley County: $1,436,586
City of Glasgow: $848,569.43
Town of Nashua: $73,311.09
Town of Opheim: $21,201.46
Town of Fort Peck: $61,050.00

At a work session on Wednesday, the Glasgow City Council agreed to advertise for a new Chief of Police outside the personnel currently employed by the Glasgow Police Department.

All current personnel with the GPD are welcome to apply for the job but the council agreed during the work session to see what interest there is outside the department.

The council will officially vote on the plan for seeking a new police chief at the regular monthly meeting on June 21st.

The person selected as Chief of Police will replace former chief Brien Gault.

Tyler Edwards is the Acting Chief of Police.

Active cases: 0
Number of persons recovered/no longer infectious: 895
Total cases: 913
Death due to COVID-19 and/or COVID-19 complications: 18

0 positive persons since our last report on 6/8/2021

With our 913 cases, we have had 64 persons hospitalized.

COVID-19 Vaccination rate for Valley County:
The eligible population to be vaccinated in Valley County is 6,313 persons. We have 2,280 persons fully vaccinated for COVID-19, which gives Valley County a vaccination rate of 36.1% fully vaccinated.
Our Montana map shows 1,643 deaths from COVID-19 to date. Nine (9) Montanans have died from COVID-19 since 6/8/2021.

DPHHS released key findings from March 2020 through March 2021:
From March 2020 through March 2021- nearly one-third (30%) of reported COVID-19 cases were among persons aged 30–49 years, 25% were among persons aged 50–69 years and 22% were among persons aged 18–29 years.

Beginning in July 2020, the monthly incidence of COVID-19 was consistently higher among persons aged 18–29 and 30–49 years compared to other age groups.

For every 1,000 reported cases of COVID-19 there were 46 persons hospitalized and 14 deaths in Montana.

Valley County had 18 deaths from 902 cases of COVID-19, so we are above the state death rate. We have achieved zero cases for the first time since July 2020 due to the people who have been vaccinated. Please get vaccinated at our walk-in clinics every Wednesday in June and July starting at 4pm.

At Valley County Health Department, our efforts at COVID-19 prevention are to accomplish these three equally important goals:
PROTECT THE VULNERABLE (elderly/compromised immune system/other underlying health conditions).
KEEP THE STUDENTS IN SCHOOL (fall 2021)
*KEEP THE ADULTS AT WORK

Lynn Miller, RN
Director, Valley County Health Department
Direct phone # (406) 228-6206
lmiller@valleycountymt.gov

In coordination with another clean-up day in Glasgow, from 8 a.m. until noon this Saturday, the City of Glasgow will cover landfill fees for household garbage such as appliances, furniture, yard debris and metals. This is for Glasgow residents only.

This will not cover tires, roofing materials, cement or asphalt.

Attention Ducks Unlimited Supporters:

Your Missouri/Milk River Chapter of Ducks Unlimited is pleased to announce that they will be conducting a fundraising event on June 19, 2021 beginning at 5 P.M. at the Kiwanis Park Downstream Shelter #1.

This event is being held in lieu of last Fall’s Firearm Frenzy and our March Sponsor event. The Chapter Committee felt that by moving to Shelter #1, people could better social distance at their discretion. This Event is open to the public!! There will be no attendance restrictions, but RSVP will be appreciated!!

There will be plenty of guns to be won at this event. The Committee will be offering: 1. Sponsors only gun raffle. 2. Unlimited Guns and Gear raffle opportunities. 3. Live Auction with Guns and 4. Silent Auction with Guns. Ducks Unlimited will also be providing a great line-up of merchandise to be taken home via Live and Silent auctions as well as raffles.

The committee is pleased to announce that the Cottonwood Inn will be providing full catering services for this event. For Dinner, they will be serving their famous fish fry and providing a cash bar for those who wish to enjoy. Please bring your favorite outdoor chair to relax in!!

Ticket prices are $30 Single, $50 Couple, $275 Single Sponsor and $300 Couple Sponsor. If you are unable to attend, you may still contribute to the Great Cause of Ducks Unlimited. Please go to glasgowdu.org to buy your tickets or donate online.

For Questions, please contact Ken Jansa at 228-2031 or 263-8030 OR Evan Guenther at 406-690-6782.

The Valley County Health Department is offering a free Walk-In vaccination clinic for all vaccines on Wednesday, June 16, 4-7pm.

All vaccines will be available whether it is for kindergarten, middle school or 18 and over Covid vaccines. It is being held at the Health Department office at 500 4th Avenue South in the Courthouse Annex.

Both the Johnson and Johnson as well as the Moderna vaccines are available for Covid. If you would like further information please call 228-6261.

The Glasgow Downtown Association is teaming up with area businesses again this summer for a four-part, family-friendly “Alive at Five” series. All are welcome to join them from 5-8 this Wednesday.

The event is being co-hosted by Robyn’s Nest and First Community Bank and will take place in their shared parking lots just south of the underpass. Drop down for live music from the “Sideways” band out of Plentywood, drinks, games, sidewalk sales, raffles, and a no-host meal featuring Sam Waters’ pulled pork sandwiches. The Jump-N-Buck Ice Cream Truck is also making it to the scene.

Contact Haylie Shipp with questions at 228-9336 and don’t forget to check out the “Hump Day Deals” at several businesses throughout the day leading up to the event.

A federal judge today halted the Biden administration's moratorium on federal oil and gas leasing and drilling permits that threatened the livelihoods of rural Montana families and would have cost the state millions in lost tax revenue.

United States District Judge for the Western District of Louisiana Terry Doughty issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the provisions of President Biden's Executive Order 14008 that blocked oil and gas leasing operations on federal lands. The order came days after the U.S. Department of the Interior halted development and exploration of existing leases.

The Court enjoined and restrained the Bureau of Land Management and others from implementing the pause of new oil and natural gas leases on eligible lands.

An ongoing lease moratorium would lower employment by 210 jobs, reduce personal income by $13 million, and cost $4 million in oil and gas taxes in Montana this year, according to a University of Wyoming study published in December 2020. The cumulative effect to the state would be 702 fewer jobs, $170 million reduced person income, and $199 million in foregone oil and gas tax revenue by 2025.

HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today issued an executive order declaring a disaster in five Eastern Montana counties: Dawson, Garfield, McCone, Richland, and Roosevelt.

“Recent severe thunderstorms downed power poles and lines in Eastern Montana, leaving too many residents without power. I appreciate the robust efforts the region’s electric coops made to restore power to affected communities. Today’s disaster declaration is a first step to help residents and electric coops in the area recover,” Gov. Gianforte said. “The State of Montana is requesting federal disaster assistance on behalf of the impacted communities and the electric coops that serve them.”

On June 10, 2021, a series of severe thunderstorms – with hail as large as three inches in diameter, recorded wind speeds of 70-90 mph, and winds up to 115 mph – caused damages to over 800 power poles and lines across the East Central portion of Montana.

With the disaster declaration issued, the State of Montana will proceed with requesting federal disaster assistance on behalf of the affected counties and electric cooperatives.

Applications are now available for the Theo and Alyce Beck Foundation Trust Scholarship. These scholarships are for Valley County graduates who are past their first year of education with a GPA of at least 2.5 on a scale of 4.0 and considered full-time status in a college, university or vocational-technical institution.

Applications can be picked up from Ruth Ann Hutcheson, 12 1st Avenue North or from Edward Jones, 317 Klein Avenue. An electronic version can be requested at hannah.barras@edwardjones.com. Applications musts be mailed and postmarked no later than July 15, 2021. Incomplete applications will not be considered for the scholarship.

Theo and Alyce Beck were northeast Montana people who cared about the communities they lived in, whether it was Baylor where they farmed, or Glasgow where Alyce spent her retired year after Theo passed away.

Alyce was active in 4-H and Homemakers Club, as well as entering plants, sewing projects and homemade baked goods in the Northeast Montana Fair, all most every year. Shortly before Alyce passed away, she generously decided to set up the Theo and Alyce Foundation Trust for the benefit of people in Valley County.

The official high temperature recorded in Glasgow yesterday by the National Weather Service was 103 degrees. That beat the 102 degree mark set for the date in 1933.

Also, the low temperature of 73 was the warmest June low since June 24, 1900. June 23-24 of 1900 both had lows of 73 degrees. The warmest low was earlier that month: 76 degrees on June 15, 1900.

Students Named to MSU-Northern’s Spring 2021 Semester Dean’s List

The Montana State University-Northern’s Spring semester Dean’s List contains 318 students. To be included in the Dean’s List, students must carry a minimum of 12 credits and earn a grade point average of 3.25 or better. Students that received an incomplete or “F” during this semester are not included on the honor roll listing.

Local area students on the list:

Glasgow MT
Bailee A. Holstein
Micah A. Tweten
Cordell J. Younkin

Hinsdale MT
Dalton W. Kaasa

Saco MT
Brady A. Albus
Jada E. Sudbrack

Rebecca Erickson filed a Withdrawal of Candidacy so she will no longer be on the ballot for Mayor of Glasgow.

Todd Young has filed to run for Mayor of Glasgow.

Glenn R Guenther has filed to run for one of the 4-year terms for the town of Fort Peck Alderman.

Virgil L Nelson has also filed to run for Alderman in Opheim’s Ward 2.

JoAnna Turner has filed to run for Mayor of Nashua

Filings list:
Glasgow Mayor- Rod Karst
Glasgow Mayor- Todd Young
Glasgow City Council Ward #1- Stan Ozark
Glasgow City Council Ward #3- Danny Carr
Town of Fort Peck 4-year term- Burt Johnston
Town of Fort Peck 4-year term- Glenn R Guenther
Town of Fort Peck Unexpired term- Mitch Willett
Town of Nashua Mayor- Larry Potter
Town of Nashua Mayor- JoAnna Turner
Town of Nashua Alderman- Mike Merideth
Town of Opheim Mayor- Doug Bailey
Opheim Ward #2- Virgil L Nelson

The Primary Election, if needed, will be held September 14th and the General Election will be held November 2nd.

Lee and Penny Murch were selected as the first Yard of the Week as recognized by the Glasgow City Council.

The Murch's live at 99 Heather Lane and received Chamber Big Bucks for their efforts.

Severe Thunderstorm Event Review for NE Montana- June 8, 9 and 10, 2021

A large upper level low pressure system off the west coast created a series of events for three days across eastern Montana that led to severe weather with large hail and damaging winds as well as flash flooding.

June 8 2021:

The event started with thunderstorms kicking off north of I-94 in Dawson and Wibaux Counties with storms moving in a northerly direction. The largest reports of hail were four inches in diameter, 9 miles east of Glendive, and baseball size hail (2.75”) 15 miles north of Wibaux. Numerous reports of quarter to golf ball size hail were received in Wibaux, Dawson, Richland and Roosevelt Counties. As the storm moved north, downburst winds caused minor to moderate damage to buildings in the Fairview, MT area, and uprooted some large pine trees, and damaged large branches on other trees. Strong to severe thunderstorm winds of 55 to nearly 80 mph were reported.

Additional storms started forming in Garfield, Valley and Phillips Counties, eventually extending into Western Roosevelt County. Winds were in the 40 to 60 mph range with a report of golf ball size hail at the Hell Creek Marina in northern Garfield County.

Storms trained (followed the same path over and over) in western Roosevelt County, leading to flash flooding as water came up and over US Highway 2 about 5 miles west of Wolf Point as well as Highway 13 North of Wolf Point. Some stated they had never seen water that high in over 50-85 years of being in the region. Rainfall estimates and spotter reports indicated the totals were 3 to 6 inches in under 90 minutes.

Although the area is in a D2/D3 moderate to extreme drought, the soils could not handle that much water in a short time. Reports also indicated that low water crossing in sparsely populated areas of northern McCone County also had excessive rainfall.

The two biggest impacts on this day was the hail in Dawson/Wibaux Counties and the flash flooding in western Roosevelt County over highways.

June 9, 2021:
A supercell thunderstorm formed in central Montana and built over the Little Rocky Mountains along Blaine/Phillips County and a portion of the Fort Belknap Reservation. This was one storm, and was the only storm in the region, so it was well documented by storm chasers. The hail was anywhere from quarter size (1”) up to 3” in diameter in the Zortman area. Impacts were minimal due to the rural nature of this storm.

June 10, 2021:
This event was the most significant of the three days. Warm, moist air had been building in eastern Montana and a cold front was coming in from the west. Thunderstorms started forming in the Yellowstone River Valley from Wibaux to Sidney and then moving in a NNE direction into North Dakota. The storms had rotation in them, triggering tornado warnings along the Montana and North Dakota border numerous times.

As far as could be ascertained from reports from storm chasers, weather spotters, the public and DES Coordinators, the first actual tornado most likely actually occurred in North Dakota, but could easily be seen from Montana. No reports of damage were received from tornadoes in Montana or North Dakota.

Further north, storms moved into northern Roosevelt/Daniels and Sheridan County. Some isolated damage occurred from what on video looks to be a gustnado. In reviewing the radar data, there were no storms in the Flaxville area when this damage occurred.

To the west, thunderstorms starting in south-central and central Montana drifted northward. While they initially weren’t very significant, as they moved northeastward, they moved into more unstable air, and a cold front coming in from the west helped cause them to increase in intensity by early evening. These storms moved across northwest Prairie County all the way through the Sidney/Fairview and Bainville areas several hours later. They had hail as large as three inches in diameter and winds from 70 to 90 mph measured, with a damage survey showing support for up to 115 mph in the area about 6 miles northwest of Sidney. This caused damage to homes and buildings, took down 75 year old spruce trees, and snapped approximately 1000 power poles in Terry, McCone, Dawson, Prairie and Williams Counties. These poles were owned by either McCone Electric, Lower Yellowstone Rural Electric or DOE/Western Area Power Administration.

(Pictured: Cole Taylor, Kyler Hallock, Dalton Sand and counselor Joe Yeoman) American Legion Boys State was held June 6 through June 11, 2021 in Helena. Dalton Sand and Kyler Hallock from Glasgow High School and Cole Taylor from Opheim High School attended.

Dalton ran for Mayor, City Council, County Commissioner, Party Chairman, Lt. Governor, Senator and Senate Whip. He was elected to the City Council, County Commissioner, Party Chairman, Senator and Senate Whip.

Kyler Hallock ran for Municipal Judge and lost. He then ran for Chief of Police and won. Then he ran for State Public Service Commissioner and won.

Cole ran for City Mayor, County Auditor, Governor, Senator and President of the Senate. He won City Mayor, County Auditor, Senator and President of the Senate.

Dalton and Cole were also elected to attend Boys Nation in July. Cole also won the Samsun Scholarship.

The trustees of the Grobel Scholarship Trust are pleased to announce this year’s scholarship recipients. They are:

Teagan Fossum of Glasgow, nursing student at the University of Mary;

Sophia Koessl of Nashua, nursing student at MSU-Bozeman;

Brooke Westby of Opheim, nursing student at Carroll College.

Each student will receive a scholarship in the amount of $2,750 to be applied to the costs of their professional education.

The swimming pool WILL be open on Monday, June 14th. The mechanical issue has been taken care of, and it will open at 6:00 a.m. for lap swim and for the rest of the day’s activities, including swimming lessons.

There remains much truth today in the old adage: “Children learn what they live.” As evidence of this truth, the Glasgow High School Educational Trust recently received a bequest from the estate of Phyllis E. (Moen) Sanguine, Glasgow native and graduate of the GHS Class of 1954. Her gift follows the path her mother, Eunice (Burrus) Moen, set forth when she made a gift to the trust in 2013 in honor of Phyllis and in memory of Phyllis’ sister Lila (Moen) Sanders.

They also shared a commitment to education and professional excellence. After receiving her two-year teaching certificate from Northern Montana College (now MSU-Northern) in 1956, Phyllis began her career in education in Kalispell, Montana, serving as a second-grade teacher. She later worked as an elementary school librarian in Eureka, Montana, and eventually as a librarian in the Acquisitions Department of Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. In between those positions, she transcribed depositions and court testimony for a court reporter in Walla Walla, working from home.

In 1957, Phyllis married Bill Sanguine, a young man she had met at NMC. They shared 63 years of marriage, three children, and exciting careers. Bill was an engineer with the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. His assignments took him from Great Falls to Glasgow Air Force Base to Walla Walla to overseas postings in Oman, Bahrain, and Egypt. Everywhere Bill went, Phyllis went, too, and she became a highly skilled executive secretary with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Walla Walla, and with the Office of Military Cooperation, American Embassy, Manama, Bahrain, positions in which she received numerous commendations for her outstanding performance.

Phyllis and Bill Sanguine retired in the Kalispell area in 1994 and continued their adventures together via pickup and fifth wheeler until her passing in November of 2020 from a fourth round of cancer. She kept detailed daily journals of those travels everywhere they went, each entry reflecting her curiosity, astute observations, insight, and joy of living.

Phyllis E. Sanguine’s bequest, like all donations to the trust, will be invested. The interest earned on the corpus, which now exceeds $9.5 million dollars, is awarded to eligible GHS alumni pursuing post-secondary education at trade school or college through a semi-annual application process administered by the trustees. Students may apply by July 1st of each year for both semesters of the upcoming year, or by October 15th of each year for the spring semester only. Since its inception in 1964, the trust has given $2,551,000.00 to 756 different students in very diverse disciplines attending schools across the country.

Students may reapply for additional aid for a total of eight semesters if they continue to meet all of the eligibility requirements. Many students have received multiple awards from the trust over their courses of study. The application, eligibility requirements, and additional information about the trust are available at www.ghsedutrust.org.

Whenever the trust receives donations in the name of a particular individual that total $500, a gift is made to a student in honor, memory, or recognition of that person. Donations to the trust in the name of a particular individual that total $10,000 or more entitle the donor to an ongoing naming opportunity on a regular basis. All donations are tax deductible, and no gift is too small.

The Glasgow High School Educational Trust is honored to add Phyllis E. Sanguine’s name to its list of ongoing designees. Her life, work, and generous spirit exemplify the very best of Glasgow’s graduates.

The Glasgow City Council decided at their meeting on Monday, June 7th, to pick up the tab at the Valley County Landfill on Saturday, June 12th and June 19th. What this means is that Glasgow residents can take any of their garbage that does not fit in their normal garbage pickup receptacle to the landfill, run it through the scale, and the City will pick up the tab. Landfill manager Brian Austin said that the scale will be open from 8:00 a.m. to noon on each of those days to accommodate people with their clean up.

Mild weather during the first quarter of 2021 contributed to a record number of visitors for Montana State Parks.

MSP recorded 393,175 park visitors in the first quarter, a 20.2% increase over 2020 and a 78% increase over the same period in 2019. Of the 40 state parks that were seasonally open during this period, 80% experienced an increase in estimated visitation compared with last year.

Day use and camping occupancy are projected to rise across the state during the spring and summer months.

“As our parks prepare to welcome people from across our state, the country and the world, we continue to prioritize unparalleled customer service and public safety for our guests and staff,” said Beth Shumate, parks division administrator with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. “Our 55 parks, including seven National Historic Landmarks, truly tell the story of the Treasure State. We look forward to a successful season and hope that our parks create lasting memories for all our visitors.”

The top five most visited state parks in Q1 2021 were:
1. Giant Springs State Park Great Falls - 81,979 visits (up 7.8%)
2. Spring Meadow Lake State Park, Helena - 33,606 visits (up 18.2%)
3. Flathead Lake State Park (All Units), Flathead Lake - 28,921 visits (down 2.4% )
4. Cooney Reservoir State Park, Roberts - 28,820 visits (up 50.3%)
5. Lake Elmo State Park, Billings - 27,316 visits (up 13.4%)

Visitation snapshot for the first quarter of 2021:

Below is a list of the most highly visited state parks in each of FWP's administrative regions:

Northwest Montana (Kalispell): Flathead Lake State Park (all units) had the highest visitation in the region with an estimated 28,921 visits, a decrease of 2.4% over the same time period last year.

West Montana (Missoula): Milltown State Park had the highest visitation in the region with an estimated 17,358 visits, an increase of 116.1% over the same time period last year.

Southwest Montana (Bozeman): Missouri Headwaters State Park had the highest visitation in the region with an estimated 9,200 visits, a decrease of 11% over the same time period last year.

North-central Montana (Great Falls): Giant Springs State Park had the highest visitation in the region, with an estimated 81,979 visits, an increase of 7.8% over the same time period last year.

South-central Montana (Billings): Cooney Reservoir State Park had the highest visitation in the region with an estimated 28,820 visits, an increase of 50.3% over the same time period last year.

Eastern Montana (Miles City): Makoshika State Park had the highest visitation in the region with an estimated 20,248 visits, an increase of 32.3% over the same time period last year.

SBA Disaster News Release –

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Director Tanya N. Garfield of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West today reminded small nonfarm businesses in six Montana counties and neighboring counties in North Dakota of the July 6, 2021, deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in the following primary counties that began Sept. 15, 2020.

Primary Montana counties: Roosevelt and Sheridan;
Neighboring Montana counties: Daniels, McCone, Richland and Valley;
Neighboring North Dakota counties: Divide, McKenzie and Williams.

According to Garfield, small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may apply for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. “Economic Injury Disaster Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that cannot be paid because of the disaster’s impact,” said Garfield.

“SBA eligibility covers both the economic impacts on businesses dependent on farmers and ranchers that have suffered agricultural production losses caused by the disaster and businesses directly impacted by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the applicant suffered any property damage,” Garfield added.

The interest rate is 3 percent for businesses and 2.75 percent for private nonprofit organizations with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition.

By law, SBA makes Economic Injury Disaster Loans available when the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture designates an agricultural disaster. The Secretary declared this disaster on Nov. 6, 2020.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance in drought disasters.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloanassistance.sba.gov/. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

Below-average precipitation and dry soil conditions persist in the upper Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa (upper Basin).

The updated 2021 upper Basin runoff forecast is 17.9 million acre-feet (MAF), 69% of average. If realized, this runoff amount would be in the 22nd driest year in the upper Basin since 1898. The May upper Basin runoff was 64% of average. May runoff in the Fort Peck and Garrison reaches, where much of the upper Basin runoff from mountain snowmelt originates, was 60% and 68% of average, respectively.

“Per our June 1 upper Basin forecast, we expect runoff to continue to be well-below average through the summer and fall,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

“The June 1 reservoir studies indicate the navigation service level, based on the July 1 System storage check, will be reduced by approximately 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) for the second half of the navigation season. The studies also indicate that the winter release from Gavins Point will be at minimum levels, which is 12,000 cfs.”

System storage is currently 55.2 MAF, 0.9 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Zone. System storage is expected to remain in the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during 2021.

Mountain Snowpack:
Mountain snowpack in the upper Basin was below the June 1 average and is melting rapidly. The mountain snowpack peaked above Fort Peck in late March at 86% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach peaked in late April at 96% of average. Mountain snowpack normally peaks near April 15.

Fort Peck Dam
Average releases past month – 8,400 cfs
Current release rate – 9,500 cfs
Forecast average release rate – 9,500 cfs
End-of-May reservoir level – 2233.0 feet
Forecast end-of-June reservoir level – 2233.1 feet
Notes: Releases will be maintained at 9,500 cfs through August.

FRIDAY:
4 PM-Auzzy's Cook Shack– on 1st Ave. South
7:00-9:00 PM Auction off Catfish Classic teams on stage in front of Montana Bar on 1st Ave. So.
5-7 PM & 10 PM-1 AM-Live Music and Street Dance by "Plowed Under Band"

SATURDAY:
8 AM-6 PM-Catfish Crazy Days (Contact Haylie Shipp with GDA).
8 AM– 6 PM Vendors/Crafts/Homebased Businesses on 2nd Ave So. (Contact Juanita Morehouse).
All Day-Auzzy's Cook Shack downtown
Jump N Buck Ice Cream Truck downtown
9 AM-Noon- Kid's Fishing Tournament at Home Run Pond sponsored by Glasgow/Fort Peck Chapter Walleyes Unlimited
9 AM (sign ups at 8 AM)- Catfish Crawl-1 mile and 5K Run/Walk starting at Busted Knuckle
9 AM-2 PM- Bloody Mary's & Breakfast Burritos Brunch at the Elks Club
10AM-3 PM-Flatland Cruisers Car Show– on 2nd Ave. South
12 PM-School's Out Carnival and Waterslide-in front of Children's Museum of NE MT
12 PM (signups at 11 AM)- 32 Adult Team Cornhole Tournament with Calcutta in front of Elks
1pm (signups at 12pm)Youth Cornhole Tournament – 5th Street South– sponsored by Glasgow Wrestling Club
3 PM– Montana Bar Dart Tournament
4 PM release—(check in at 3 PM) 22nd Annual Catfish Classic Fishing Tournament Begins
1-3 PM & 5-10 PM– Live Music with "Plowed Under Band"at Elks Parking Lot
Midnight- Weigh ins for Catfish Classic on stage at Elks Parking Lot

From Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer:

Friday, at 1135 hours, a structure fire was reported on Fox Farm Road between Glasgow and Nashua. Long Run Fire department responded to the scene with multiple units and volunteers. Additional properties were compromised from embers including the surrounding fields. The structure was a complete loss. Currently the fire has been extinguished.

It has been confirmed that a single person was found deceased. This case remains under investigation by the Valley County Sheriff’s Office and Long Run Fire Command. The identity of the decedent is pending and will remain confidential pending the notification of family and the continued investigation.

Thank you to the men and women who responded and fought to contain this fire preventing further damage to the area.

More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the biggest economic stories has been the red-hot residential real estate market. Housing inventory is at all-time lows, but low interest rates, government stimulus, increased household savings, and a growing number of first-time millennial homebuyers have led to strong demand nearly everywhere. Stories of fierce competition, bidding wars, and sales that close well above listing price are becoming common in markets all across the country.

When housing supply is low and demand is high, residential construction inevitably picks up as builders and developers try to meet demand. The same is true now. While disruption to global supply chains has driven up the price of building supplies like lumber, residential construction is booming.
Like many other sectors of the economy, residential construction took a sharp dip early on in the pandemic, when lockdowns and the accompanying economic uncertainty paused many activities. Since then, however, spending on residential construction has spiked. The seasonally adjusted annual rate hit a low of $547 billion in May 2020, recovered to pre-lockdown levels around $600 billion by August, and has topped $700 billion in every month since December.

While this trend of growth is evident nationwide, some areas are seeing the effects more so than others. In particular, the Midwest region of the U.S. has experienced the greatest increase in the value of new residential construction. From the first quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021, the value of new residential building permits in the Midwest was up 38.1%.

One reason for this might be the relative value of real estate in different regions. Homes are already more expensive on the coasts, which means fewer people can afford those markets even before factoring in the high demand and low inventory seen over the last year. In cheaper areas like those found in the Midwest, however, current housing market conditions have increased values by greater percentages, including for new builds. And these markets have taken on new appeal, with more people moving to locations where living space is less expensive after months of social distancing restrictions and with more employers transitioning to permanent work-from-home arrangements.
The two states that most strongly exemplify these trends are Wyoming and South Dakota, where the total value of new residential building permits is up 116% and 99%, respectively. At the other end of the spectrum, the list of states with the lowest growth in the value of new residential construction includes California, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts—some of the most expensive states for home values in the U.S.

Similar conditions hold at the metro level, as many lower-cost cities are experiencing increased interest in the housing market and new construction rushes to fill the demand. To find the locations where construction spending has increased the most during the pandemic, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Building Permits Survey to rank the percentage change in value of new residential building permits authorized from Q1 2020 to Q1 2021.

The analysis found that the total value of new residential building permits issued in Montana during Q1 2021 amounted to approximately $240.5M—up 25.6% from $191.5M in Q1 2020. Here is a summary of the data for Montana:
• Percentage change in value of new residential building permits: +25.6%
• Total change in value of new residential building permits: $48,994,000
• Value of units authorized in 2021 Q1: $240,516,000
• Value of units authorized in 2020 Q1: $191,522,000

For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:
• Percentage change in value of new residential building permits: +27.4%
• Total change in value of new residential building permits: $18,831,856,000
• Value of units authorized in 2021 Q1: $87,499,909,000
• Value of units authorized in 2020 Q1: $68,668,053,000

For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Construction Coverage’s website: https://constructioncoverage.com/research/cities-with-biggest-increase-in-construction-spending-2021

The Missouri/Milk River chapter of Ducks Unlimited will be hosting its 35th Annual Fundraising banquet in support of DU’s 84 years of existence on Saturday, June 19 at Shelter #1 at the Downstream
Campground at Kiwanis Park beginning at 5:00 P.M. The Cottonwood Inn will be serving their famous Fish Fry dinner at 6 P.M. Live auction to begin at 7 P.M. with the silent auction closing off by 8:30 P.M.
There will be an outstanding line-up of Guns and other DU memorabilia.

Some of the prizes to be take home by way of Live Auction, Silent Auction and Fun Raffles are: DU’s Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol, Decoy and Knife of the year; a pair of round trip tickets with Cape Air; an AR/15 along with Terry Redlin Merchandise. And Ladies…there are a ton of prizes just waiting just for you!!
The money banquet attendees spend at this event is put to work in the local area. For every $1 raised in Montana, DU sends back $3 for local projects. In Montana in 2019, over 100,037 acres were impacted by DU and over 85,508 acres were provided technical assistance. Phillips and Valley Counties are primary benefactors of DU’s work.

We truly are lucky to be a benefactor of DU’s great conservation work….which benefits over 900 species of wildlife.

Please reserve your tickets by June 11 by going online at glasgowdu.org or by calling Ken Jansa at 228-2031 or 263-8030. For more information about Ducks Unlimited, please go to www.ducks.org

Todd Young will resign from the Glasgow City Council on June 7th according to a letter to members of the city council. Young has represented Ward #1 on the Glasgow City Council since being elected to the position in 2019.

In his letter to members of the city council, Young states he must resign from the council since moving out of the boundaries of Ward #1 after selling his home.

The Glasgow City Council will need to accept the resignation and then will seek applications from residents living in Ward #1 interested in serving on the council. The person selected to take Young's position on the council will served the remainder of the term which will end December 31st of 2023.

The council will next meet on June 7th when they will take up Young's resignation letter.

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Puget Sound Energy announced Wednesday an agreement to buy power from an eastern Montana wind farm as the Washington state utility that co-owns the Colstrip power plant seeks to reduce its carbon emissions.

PSE signed a 20-year agreement with a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary to purchase 350 megawatts of power from the Clearwater Wind Project proposed about 60 miles north of Colstrip, utility officials said.

The agreement allows PSE to use existing transmission lines from the Colstrip plant to deliver electricity to customers in western Washington.

The amount of electricity being purchased by PSE is enough to power about 140,000 households, spokesperson Andrew Padula said.

Clearwater Wind is expected to be completed by the end of 2022 and would generate 750 megawatts from turbines in Rosebud, Garfield and Custer counties.

PSE sought to sell its stake in one of Colstrip's four power-generating in 2019, but the deal fell through last year after utility regulators in Washington recommended the sale be rejected.

Colstrip's two older units, co-owned by PSE and Talen Energy, shut down last year.

The southeastern Montana coal plant has strong political support in the state and in the community of Colstrip, which depends heavily on the plant’s jobs. The plant has been buffeted by changing energy markets as natural gas, wind and solar power generation grow and coal plants across the U.S. close.

The Valley County Health Department is offering a free Walk-In vaccination clinic for the Covid-19 Vaccine, today (June 2) from 8:30a.m. – 12Noon.

It is being held at the Health Department office, 500 4th Ave. South in the Courthouse Annex.

Both the Johnson & Johnson as well as the Moderna vaccines are available.

Anyone 18 or older is invited, this will be the last vaccination date before the FMDH trip for two to Hawaii contest drawing.

If you would like further information, please call 228-6261.

From the National Weather Service office in Glasgow:

Near record heat is expected with highs in the 90s for Thursday and Friday, raising the risk of heat-related stress. Do what you can to keep cool to beat the heat and check on vulnerable groups, as well as pets & livestock.

Thunderstorms with strong winds and very little rain are possible on Friday, and Fire Weather Watch has been issued for Friday afternoon.

MALTA, Montana - The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is conducting a public open house meeting for a proposal to improve approximately 9.5 miles of MT Highway 191 in Phillips County. The project spans from the south end of Malta at the Dodson Canal bridge to approximately S. Alkali Creek Road.

The open house will be held in-person from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on June 15 at the Milk River Pavilion at 47243 US Highway 2, Malta, MT. Project team members will be available to discuss the project. Members of the public are encouraged to come at any time to visit exhibits and discuss the project.

More information may be found at the project web page: http://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/maltasouth .

Proposed work includes widening the roadway to 36 feet, pavement rehabilitation and intermittent reconstruction to address dips and rises in the roadway, bridge end pavement replacement, multi-use path from Secondary 363 to Malta, new guardrail and culverts, and snow slopes.

New right-of-way and relocation of utilities will be required. MDT staff and their consultants will contact all affected landowners as a component of the Public Involvement Plan for this project. Staff will again contact landowners prior to construction regarding property acquisition and temporary construction permits.

An important part of properly planning for future projects is partnering with the community. MDT welcomes the public to provide ideas and comments on the proposed project.

The public is encouraged to contact Nik Griffith at nikg@strategies360.com or 406-868-3602 with questions or comments.

Alternative accessible formats of this document will be provided on request. The Department of Transportation will make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities who wish to participate in this Malta-South Public Meeting or need an alternative accessible format of this notice. If you require an accommodation, contact the Department of Transportation no later than 6/12/21 to advise us of the nature of the accommodation that you need. Please contact the Office of Civil Rights, P.O. Box 201001, Helena, Montana 59620; telephone (406) 444-5416; Montana Relay 711; facsimile (406) 444-7243.

A public hearing will be held by the Board of County Commissioners at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23, 2021, in their office at the Valley County Courthouse, 501 Court Square, Glasgow, Montana.

The purpose of this hearing is to obtain public comments regarding declaring the segment of North River Road from its intersection with Highway 117 east to junction with Ball Road a County road.

For further information, please contact the Valley County Commissioners at 406-228-6219.

Second Avenue South in downtown Glasgow will be barricaded and closed at 7 a.m. on Saturday, June 5th.

Please have all vehicles cleared from this area before this or they will be blocked in for rest of day once barricaded and Catfish Days activities are set up.

The Glasgow Memorial Day Program which was broadcast from the Kltz Studio is now available online:

https://soundcloud.com/kltz-glasgow/memorial-day-2021

The Glasgow Police Department would like the community's assistance to shape and mold the foundation for your department by helping us create a short mission statement or motto. This mission statement will be the building block for your police department’s future.

Community policing is of the utmost importance and we would like your assistance in tailoring our mission statement. Some examples of a possible mission statement are: "Commitment to Community", "We are the Community", "Guardians of the Peace" etc.. Please feel free to speak with officers when you see them out and about to discuss what they believe community policing is or what it means to them.

Please feel free to stop by the Police Department to speak with an officer about any ideas you may have by July 01.2021. The Glasgow Police Department will be moving locations to the old National Guard Armory, located at 80 Airport Road, Glasgow, Montana, on June 06, 2021.

GREAT FALLS – A Wolf Point man who admitted he sexually abused a minor on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison and to seven years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said today.

Christopher George Follette, 33, pleaded guilty on Feb. 18 to sexual abuse of a minor as charged in an indictment.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris ordered Follette detained.

The prosecution said in court documents that in 2019 and 2020, Follette sexually abused a minor, identified as Jane Doe, who was over the age of 12 but had not yet reached 16 years of age, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared C. Cobell prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Fort Peck Law Enforcement Services and Wolf Point Police Department.