An alleged voter fraud case out of Phillips County was vacated earlier this month, with the matter “being referred to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement for further action,” according to a press release from County Attorney Dan O’Brien.

In January, Philippine citizens Grace O. Albia and Jannet Benitez Zeta, who were living and working in Montana, were referred by the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office for misdemeanor Deceptive Election Practices charges.

The two women allegedly falsified voter registration forms on Oct. 21, 2021, by saying they were U.S. citizens. They earlier pleaded not guilty, according to the clerk.

They no longer work or live in Montana, according to the release.

As outlined in the release published in the Phillips County News, a plea agreement recommended that they each pay the maximum fine and surcharges of $585 and receive a five-month suspended jail sentence. Albia and Zeta were scheduled to enter no contest pleas in court in September.

The court held a change of plea hearing Sept. 13 where counsel for the two women, Attorney Thane Johnson, was present, but both Albia and Zeta were absent, not appearing in person or by phone. County Attorney O’Brien then “asked the court to forfeit their bond for failure to appear as required by the plea agreement.”

“The court granted Mr. Johnson additional time to locate his clients before the court issues an arrest warrant,” O’Brien wrote.

O’Brien’s said the matter is also being referred to U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement for further action.” A search of the ICE Detainee Locator did not yield results for Albia or Zeta.

The case drew widespread attention but two political scientists earlier said the allegations weren’t indicative of election insecurity.

The case out of Phillips County was cited during the trial on Montana’s recently passed voting laws that took place in August in Yellowstone County. The three bills in question involved voter ID, same-day registration and prohibiting ballot collectors from being paid.

Election Day voting and using university identification to vote currently stand in Montana, as the Montana Supreme Court narrowly upheld a Yellowstone County District Court judge’s temporary injunction on two of the laws from the trial.

Planned release reductions from Fort Peck Dam will begin the end of this week.

The release schedule for Sept. 28 is 8,000 cubic feet per second and will be stepped down to 4,000 cfs by Oct. 2.

“We delayed release reductions until the end of September. This provided more irrigation reliability at the end of the growing season. The action had minimal impacts in the upper basin, no impacts on the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System’s overall ability to meet its authorized purposes and no impacts to total system storage,” said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers understands the important role of the Missouri River in providing water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial uses throughout the basin. Operating the System to meet all the water supply needs of the basin to the extent reasonably possible is the USACE goal. However, the USACE does not provide and cannot guarantee access to the water. Maintaining access to the water is the individual facility owner/operator’s responsibility.

NorthWestern Energy's request for a rate increase is going through but at lower numbers than the company pitched.

The Montana Public Service Commission authorized an interim increase of $90.5 million in electric rates and $1.7 million in natural gas rates.

The monthly increase for customers would be $11.19 for electric and $0.48 for natural gas users.

The company's original ask came in at $114.7 million for electric and $5.7 million for natural gas. If approved, the monthly increase would've been $14 for the average electric user and $1.60 for gas.

The Montana Public Service Commission sent out the following information:

The Montana Public Service Commission unanimously agreed to allow a reduced interim rate increase for NorthWestern Energy on Tuesday. In its application for an interim increase in electric and natural gas utility rates pursuant to Montana law, NorthWestern Energy had asked for an increase in electric utility rates of $114.7 million and natural gas utility rates of $5.7 million. The average residential customer bill would have increased by $14 and $1.60 respectively. The Public Service Commission authorized increases in the electric and natural gas rates at $90.5 and $1.7 million respectively which results in a lower than requested average monthly increase of $11.19 and $.48.

These adjustments based on electric and gas revenue requirements as well as the Power Cost and Credits Adjustment Mechanism (PCCAM) are required by Montana law and utility regulatory principles. Gary Duncan, regulatory analyst at the PSC, stated “principals of rate regulation require that we balance fair return opportunities vs just and reasonable rates. Wholesale prices of electricity have gone up 140% since 2020 and NorthWestern Energy is entitled to these pass-through costs to its customers who have already used the power. Continued under collections will likely lead to credit rating downgrades.”

The largest portion of this increase, the PCCAM, allows utilities to recover prudently incurred costs such as power purchases and fuel used in the generation of electricity for its customers. NorthWestern Energy’s historical electricity supply cost is a known and clearly identifiable cost to the utility. While NorthWestern Energy’s costs for natural gas are updated monthly, electric supply under-collections have been significant and may lead to credit downgrades if not recovered. NorthWestern filed its updated PCCAM rates on September 1, 2022 reflecting a $58 million under collection for the 2022 tracker year.

However, the purpose of increasing the PCCAM Base Costs is to attempt to eliminate the annual large under collections such as the $58 million for the 2022 tracker year. If, after implementing the new PCCAM Base Costs, there are no under or over collections for the 2023 tracker year, then on October 1, 2023, there would be an anticipated reduction in required PCCAM revenues of $52.8 million reflecting the full recovery by NorthWestern of the 2022 tracker year underrun. This reduction would equal a monthly decrease to the average residential monthly bill of $7.18 or 8%.

Additionally, Commission rules require interim revenue requirement requests to utilize the last approved return on equity using the methodologies and adjustments used by the Commission in the last general rate order. NorthWestern Energy’s interim filing meets these requirements. The revenue requirement includes the operating expenses, taxes, and depreciation associated with NorthWestern’s transmission and distribution network, plus the required return on infrastructure investment.

The Commission disallowed an increase in estimated property tax increases. NorthWestern Energy files its proposed property tax increases in mid-December every year to be effective January 1, per statute. The legislature, not the PSC, has authorized this pass through to customers.

“No one wanted to see this motion today, neither the Commission nor the utility. We are allowing NorthWestern Energy to recover costs they are entitled to under statute. Simply put, a failure to act could lead to severe consequences” stated Vice-President Brad Johnson. The Commission is expected to issue a final order on NorthWestern Energy's request for a rate increase in early 2023.

The Commission regulates private investor-owned natural gas, electric, telephone, water, and sewer companies, certain motor carriers, and oversees natural gas pipeline safety and intrastate railroad safety. The Commission works to ensure that Montanans receive safe and reliable service from regulated public utilities while paying reasonable rates. For more information, visit psc.mt.gov or contact the Commission at 1-800-646-6150.

Congratulations to the 2022 Scottie Homecoming Royalty!

King Candidates:
Mason Donaldson
Mo Fast
Lane Thompson

Queen Candidates:
Daley Aune
Carly Nelson
Aspen Stulc

According to AAA, gas prices rose a seven cents over the past week, as the national average pump price hit $3.74. The main reason is higher regional prices on the West Coast and the Midwest due to refinery issues ranging from planned maintenance to a fire. But low domestic demand as fewer drivers fuel up and much lower oil prices have helped to blunt some of the impact. On Friday, the price of oil slipped below $80 a barrel for the first time since January, primarily due to fears of a recession-led global economic slowdown.

“Slack demand and lower oil prices should take some pressure off rising gas prices,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But Hurricane Ian could cause problems, depending on the storm’s track, by disrupting oil production in the Gulf of Mexico and impacting large coastal refineries.”

Meanwhile, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand decreased from 8.49 million b/d to 8.32 million b/d last week. Moreover, according to the EIA, total domestic gasoline stocks increased by 1.6 million bbl to 214.6 million bbl. Although gasoline demand has decreased, tight supply and fluctuating oil prices have increased the national average price. However, if gas demand remains low pump price increases will likely be minimal.

Today’s national average of $3.74 is 12 cents less than a month ago but 56 cents more than a year ago.

The average price per gallon in Montana is $3.94 per gallon and the average price in Glasgow according to AAA is $3.93 per gallon.

“Agriculture is more productive than we have ever been. However, on average our farms and ranches are no more profitable than they have ever been,” Dallas Mount wrote in a recent blog titled, “Productive But Not Profitable.”

Perhaps this is due to the strong and successful message that agriculture must become more productive to meet the demands of the population, but Mount suggested the focus has been placed on the wrong aspect. In fact, as agriculture has increased its productivity, the reality is that “most farms and ranches operate at a loss more often than they make a profit,” Mount wrote.

“Let’s change the business conversation in agriculture away from the largely meaningless metrics of productivity and towards the important metrics of profitability,” he concluded.

And that’s exactly what Mount, owner and CEO of Ranch Management Consultants and instructor at the internationally acclaimed Ranching for Profit School, aims to do as he travels and hosts schools and workshops across the country.

His upcoming workshop schedule includes Ranchers Stewardship Alliance’s (RSA) “Banking on your Business – a Ranching for Profit Economics Workshop” in Malta, Montana on September 29-30, 2022. The two-day workshop features a condensed and higher-level overview of the topics covered in the full Ranching for Profit School and participants will leave with a better understanding of how to evaluate ranch decisions from an economic perspective. Some of the topics covered will include economics versus finance; understanding overheads and direct costs; ranch enterprise analysis; understanding gross margin and applying it to decisions; developing an economic plan; and testing the plan for financial feasibility.

The workshop also includes a special evening session geared specifically toward young and beginning ranchers in which participants can further dissect the day’s information in a roundtable discussion with Mount. The 2-hour session will help participants apply the workshop concepts to the scenario of starting an ag operation.

“Cliff and I attended the Ranching for Profit workshop a few years ago with the hopes of gaining some knowledge and clarity on how we should proceed with our business, as well as our personal relationships with family and succession,” Malta rancher and RSA Operations Administrator Anna Merriman said. “We learned valuable tools on the economics of ranching, communication and looking at our business and relationships with a different perspective. Even as farmers only, at the time, no livestock, we found value in the information and teachings Dallas had to offer. We are really looking forward to this workshop as a refresher course and getting a fresh perspective again.”
Registration is now open for “Banking on your Business” and can be completed at https://tinyurl.com/RSABankingonYourBusiness. The $75 registration fee includes a full workshop workbook to guide participants through the information and reference back home on the ranch; lunch on Thursday; appetizers during an evening social; the optional young and beginning rancher session; and an overall better understanding of ranch economics on your own operation. There are also scholarships available for attendees which cover the full registration. Scholarship applications can be filled out at https://tinyurl.com/ranchprofitscholarship.

This workshop is being brought to the community from the Rancher’s Stewardship Alliance Beginning Rancher and Education committees. For more information visit the registration page or follow Ranchers Stewardship Alliance on Facebook and Instagram for updates.

POTENTIAL SIDEBAR:

Learn from Ranching for Profit Instructor Dallas Mount

BANKING ON YOUR BUSINESS
A Ranching for Profit Economics Workshop
Malta Readiness Center | 509 South 10th Ave East

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Thursday, September 29, 2022
10am – 5 p.m. | Workshop (lunch included)
5 – 6:30 p.m. | No host social hour with appetizers sponsored by First State Bank at Marian Hills Golf Course
6:30 – 8:30 p.m. | Young & Beginning Rancher Business Session
Friday, September 30, 2022
8 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Workshop

GULFPORT, Miss. - Since 1942, sailors assigned to the U.S. Navy’s Construction Force have been building and fighting around the world. Senior Chief Petty Officer Vangie Beston, a Frazer, Montana, native is one of those sailors.

“I joined the Navy because everyone I know went into the service,” said Beston. “My dad's side are veterans, but they served with different branches, so I decided to join the Navy.”

Eighty years ago, members of Navy Construction Battalions were fittingly nicknamed, “Seabees,” a play on the C and B initials. They are responsible for building military bases and airfields, supporting humanitarian efforts and conducting underwater construction projects.

Beston, a 1997 Frazer High School graduate and a 2007 graduate of University of Phoenix currently serves with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion One at the headquarters for naval construction forces in Gulfport, Mississippi.

“I would like to thank my mother, Marlene, Uncle Dougal, my shipmate, Henry Willians, and last but not least my grandmother, Florence Buck, because they pushed me to call the recruiter and join the Navy,” said Beston.

In addition to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 1, Beston has served at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74, Naval Special Warfare Logistics and Support Unit Two, Naval School Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Naval Special Warfare Group 10.

According to Beston, the values required to succeed in the Navy are similar to those found in Frazer .

“Frazer taught me to be thankful for all I have," said Beston. "I learned to be humble and to work hard."

Serving in the Navy means Beston is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on strengthening alliances, modernizing capabilities, increasing capacities and maintaining military readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“We contribute to national defense by being a forward deployed show of force which helps our allies and deters our enemies,” said Beston.

With more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize the importance of accelerating America’s advantage at sea.

“Maintaining the world’s best Navy is an investment in the security and prosperity of the United States, as well as the stability of our world,” said Adm. Mike Gilday, Chief of Naval Operations. “The U.S. Navy—forward deployed and integrated with all elements of national power—deters conflict, strengthens our alliances and partnerships, and guarantees free and open access to the world’s oceans. As the United States responds to the security environment through integrated deterrence, our Navy must continue to deploy forward and campaign with a ready, capable, combat-credible fleet.”

Beston and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service. Beston has earned the Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, six Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, an Army Commendation Medal and various unit and campaign awards. However, these awards are not what makes Beston most proud.

“I am most proud of watching all my mentees promote, advance and be selected for Sailor of the Quarter and Sailor of the Year,” said Beston. “Their accomplishments are my proudest moments.”

As Beston and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in continuing an 80-year legacy and serving their country in the United States Navy.

“Serving in the Navy allows me to defend our country and all aspects we stand for,” added Beston. “I am protecting those who may not be able to protect themselves. We serve so that others can be home every night and not think about war.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has signed off on Canada dropping the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for people entering the country at the end of September, an official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Canada, like the United States, requires foreign nationals to be vaccinated when entering the country. No change in the mandate is expected in the U.S. in the near term.

Unvaccinated foreign travelers who are allowed to enter Canada are currently subject to mandatory arrival tests and a 14-day quarantine.

The official said that Trudeau has agreed to let a cabinet order enforcing mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements at the border expire Sept. 30. The official said earlier this week the prime minister need to give final sign off. The official spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Trudeau’s Liberal government is still deciding whether to maintain the requirement for passengers to wear face masks on trains and airplanes.

Unvaccinated professional athletes like major league baseball players would be allowed to play in Toronto in the playoffs should the Blue Jays make the postseason. They currently are not allowed to cross the border into Canada.

U.S. Senator Jon Tester continued his push to fully reopen the northern border this week by urging the Biden Administration to end the vaccination mandate for truck drivers from Canada and other travelers entering into the United States after reports indicated that Canada is planning to terminate its vaccination requirements for foreign travelers entering its borders as early as this month.

“Truck drivers and the goods they transport are the lifeblood of our economy. This is especially true in northern border states, like Montana, that have a special trading relationship with Canada,” wrote Tester to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Fertilizer, hay, and other agricultural products from Canada are critical for farmers and ranchers in Montana and across America. Vaccine mandates for truck drivers, along with reduced hours at ports of entry, longer drive times, and a shortage of truck drivers are making it harder and more expensive for American farmers and ranchers to get the products they need.

Tester concluded: “I urge [the Department of Homeland Security] to end the vaccine mandate for truck drivers and other travelers entering the United States, and to work with Canadian officials to end all mandates in a coordinated fashion.”

Glasgow Schools Activities Director Brenner Flaten was on Live Under The Big Sky on Thursday morning, discussing the need to upgrade Glasgow's football field and track, and the addition of a softball field to GHS.

The track was built more than 40 years ago, and despite many repairs over the years, is showing its age. Normal lifetime for a pavement track is expected to be between 20-25 years. The Scottie football field has sunk in many spots and has become a less than ideal place to play.

To keep athletes safe, and to rejuvenate Scottie Field and modernize the Glasgow High School athletic facilities, a grass roots group has begun an effort called Scottie Field Recharged.

Possible upgrades include:

--NEW All-Weather Post-Tension Concrete Track
--Artificial Turf Football and Softball Fields
--Weight Room Expansion

Scottie Field Recharged Facebook Group

You also may e-mail Scottie Activities Director Brenner Flaten at flaten@mail.glasgow.k12.mt.us

Listen to interview: https://on.soundcloud.com/F8a35

A free youth pheasant and waterfowl weekend kick-off event is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 5:00-7:30 p.m. at the Glasgow Trap Club for any youth aged 10 and older. Parents or other mentors planning to hunt with the youth are expected to attend as well.

This event is ahead of the youth pheasant and waterfowl weekend of Sept. 24-25, which is open for properly licensed youth ages 10-15.

The kick-off will include a barbeque “open house” for youth and their adult-hunting partners to learn about the youth bird-hunting weekend, ask questions, and get advice on where to go. In addition, the Glasgow Trap Club will be offering trap shooting, where youth will rotate through a round of trap. Shotgun shells (both 12 and 20 gauge) and trap will be provided free of cost. FWP staff and others will offer a variety of topics in an open house setting, such as:

• Information on Block Management and other access programs
• Information on upland gamebird opportunities
• Information on Wildlife Management Areas and Fishing Access Sites
• How to properly ask permission to hunt
• Waterfowl and upland gamebird ID, and recommended shot size to use
• Using decoys, calls, and blinds for waterfowl
• Information on hunter and bowhunter education
• Hunter apprentice information and sing-up for those interested
Would need $5 and last four digits of youth’s social security number
• Maps, GPS, and location apps to help hunters get to where they need to go
• Wardens and other staff will be available to answer questions on hunting regulations
• Bear awareness

The event is organized and funded by donations and volunteers from FWP, Hi-Line Sportsmen, Ducks Unlimited, the Glasgow Trap Club, Hi-Line Precision Shooters, and Badger Creek Shooting Sports.

There will be giveaways and door prizes (including an over-under 20-guage shotgun sponsored by the Hi-Line Sportsmen), rifle scopes, headlamps, bird vests, knives, hats, duck calls, bear spray, and more, donated by sponsors. Drawing for door prizes will be at the conclusion of the event. Note: only youth with an eligible adult present will be able to win the shotgun.

Safety is the number one priority, and several qualified instructors will be helping with the trap shooting component. Hearing protection for shooters will be used at all times. Participants are encouraged to bring their own shotgun. Organizers ask that personal firearms are unloaded and in safe, operating condition before bringing them to the event. All firearms will be inspected by organizers to ensure field-worthiness. Lastly, FWP 20-guage pump shotguns will also be available for the event if participants choose to use them.

Note: Shotgun shooting may not take place due to inclement weather. The BBQ and other activities will still take place even in inclement weather. Please check the Region 6 FWP Facebook page for updates.

The Glasgow Trap Club is located off Skylark Road, north of Glasgow. After turning onto Skylark Road from Highway 2, veer right after a tenth of a mile, and then veer left. Follow the gravel road another two-tenths of a mile until arriving at the Trap Club on the right. Parents are asked to stay, especially with the younger kids. Please contact Marc Kloker at FWP with any questions at 406-228-3704 or mkloker@mt.gov.

The Glasgow City Council is set to meet tonight at 5:30pm. This is a time change as the council has made a decision to move the meetings from 4:30pm to 5:30pm.

The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board has set Saturday, Oct. 15, as the date for a special tribal election.

The need for a special election was created when long-time tribal board member Grant Stafne resigned in a letter dated Aug. 29.

Because Dana “Sam” Buckles and Kaci Wallette tied for 13th place with 449 votes in last year’s tribal executive board election, a new election involving the two candidates is needed to determine Stafne’s replacement.

In just 12 years, 26 students have received help with college expenses thanks to the Clarence and Charlotte Fuhrman Memorial Scholarship Fund. The couple farmed near Opheim and provided the scholarship to benefit graduates from all Valley County high schools. They entrusted the Valley County Community Foundation to administer the fund.

VCCF Chair Doris Leader of Nashua announced this year’s three recipients:

Madison Knodel recently began her studies in clinical nutrition at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her 15-month graduate program follows her studies at Montana State University where she graduated with highest honors in food and nutrition. A 2018 GHS graduate, she played volleyball, and was involved in many school organizations including Key club and National Honor Society.

A desire to provide comprehensive oral health care to people in rural, underserved areas is one of the goals JoLynn Reyling has set for herself as she continues her studies in dentistry.
In her second year at Roseman University of Health Sciences in South Jordan, UT, she plans to graduate with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2025. A graduate from both Glasgow High School and Purdue University she is a licensed dental hygienist in Montana and Utah.

A career as an engineer for the military or for one of its contractors is a goal for Isaac “Ike” Braaten of Glasgow. He is in his fourth semester at South Dakota School of Mines and Tech in Rapid City, studying mechanical engineering. Prior to that, he completed an engineering internship with Bobcat in Bismarck, ND, earning three college credits. He was active at GHS where, among other activities, he was president of National Honor Society and vice president of student council.

The Fuhrman Scholarships are awarded annually. Among the requirements are a three-year residence in Valley County, graduation from a Valley County high school, home school or GED, participation in school and civic organizations, completion of at least one year of study beyond high school and a 2.8 scholastic average. Applicants must also establish a monetary need for the scholarship.

More information is available through the VCCF website, www.valleycountycf.net. Application deadlines for the 2023 Fuhrman scholarships will be announced after the first of the year.

The Valley County Commissioners are appointing two people to the five-member St. Marie Rural Fire District (SMRFD) Board through election day, May 2023.

Qualified applicants must be a registered voter and a resident or property owner within in the SMRFD Board District.

If interested in serving on the SMRFD Board, email or mail your letter of interest including name, address, email, and phone number to: vccomm@valleycountymt.gov or Valley County Commissioners, 501 Court Square, Box #1, Glasgow, MT 59230. For any questions, please call 406-228-6219.

Planned release reductions from Fort Peck Dam will be delayed until the end of September, due to the ongoing drought and recent extremely dry weather in eastern Montana.

Farmers in the area will be able to continue irrigating crops until harvest begins later in September.

“We have assessed the potential impacts of this action and determined that this would have minimal impacts in the upper basin, and no impacts on the Missouri River Mainstem Reservoir System’s overall ability to meet its authorized purposes given the change will not impact total system storage, said John Remus, Chief of the Missouri River Basin Water Management Division.

“The primary impacts to be expected include slightly less power generation capacity through the upcoming winter and a slightly lower Fort Peck Lake pool at the beginning of the 2023 runoff season.”

Maintaining the higher releases from Fort Peck Dam through the end of the month will not impact System releases from Gavins Point dam through the remainder of 2022, and will not impact the forecast operations in 2023.

The USACE understands the important role of the Missouri River in providing water for irrigation, municipal, and industrial uses throughout the basin. Operating the System to meet all the water supply needs of the basin to the extent reasonably possible is the USACE goal. However, the USACE does not provide and cannot guarantee access to the water. Maintaining access to the water is the individual facility owner/operator’s responsibility.

Press Release From Glasgow Police Department:

The Glasgow Police Department has arrested Zackery Eugene Greene, 34, for attempted negligent arson and an unrelated theft that has occurred within our community.

Some concerned citizens observed a small, uncontrolled fire located behind a business and called 911.

Once the fire was put out by the citizens, officers worked collaboratively through the night and early morning hours to retrieve and compile evidence that was not only left at the scene but also all around town.

Officers were assisted by numerous businesses and citizens during this process. “This was a true example of the community and the police department working together hand and hand. A police department without the aid of its citizens simply doesn't work. Thank you to everyone involved.” -

Assistant Chief Tyler Edwards

Unions and management reached a tentative deal early Thursday that averts a freight railroad strike that had threatened to cripple US supply chains and push prices higher for many goods.

The deal with unions representing more than 50,000 engineers and conductors was announced just after 5 a.m. ET in a statement from the White House, which called it "an important win for our economy and the American people."

It came after 20 hours of talks between the unions' leadership and the railroads' labor negotiators hosted by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. They began their meeting Wednesday morning with the clock ticking down to a strike that had been set to start at 12:01 am ET on Friday.

The agreement does not mean the threat of a strike has gone away entirely. The deal needs to be ratified by union members. But it's good news for a wide range of businesses that depend upon the freight railroads to continue to operate, and for the wider US economy. About 30% of the nation's freight moves by rail.

Few details of the deal have so far been made public. But the statement from President Joe Biden indicated that the major issue that had brought the country within a day of its first national rail strike in 30 years had been addressed in the unions' favor.

"It is a win for tens of thousands of rail workers who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to ensure that America's families and communities got deliveries of what have kept us going during these difficult years," said Biden's statement. "These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned."

The dispute was about staffing shortages and scheduling rules that union leaders said had brought their membership to a breaking point. The unions say the railroads have been requiring their members to be "on call" and ready to report to work on short notice as often as seven days a week. Leadership of the two unions had said their members would not accept a contract without changes to those work rules.

Biden described the deal as "also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come."

It is an important victory for Biden, who faced nothing but bad choices if a deal had not been reached. Backing Congressional action sought by the business community to impose a contract on workers would have angered his supporters among the unions. Letting the work stoppage play out risked massive economic consequences just ahead of the midterm elections.

Railroad workers are governed by a different labor law than most workers, one that limits their freedom to strike and allows for more governmental intervention. In July, Biden issued an order that prevented a strike at that time and created a panel, known as a Presidential Emergency Board, to try to find a solution to the dispute.

It also imposed a 60-day cooling off period during which the unions could not strike and management could not lock out workers. That cooling off period was due to end early Friday.

Amtrak is preemptively canceling the Empire Builder service that runs through Montana starting Tuesday because of concerns over a possible strike by freight rail workers.

While those negotiations affect freight rail labor contract negotiations and not Amtrak or their employees, the passenger train service said in a statement emailed Tuesday that "such an interruption could significantly impact intercity passenger rail service, as Amtrak operates almost all of our 21,000 route miles outside the Northeast Corridor (NEC) on track owned, maintained, and dispatched by freight railroads."

The Empire Builder runs from Chicago to Portland, with stops along the Hi-Line in Montana. It returned to daily service in May following a route reduction tied to the pandemic and staffing challenges.

"While we are hopeful that parties will reach a resolution, Amtrak has now begun phased adjustments to our service in preparation for a possible freight rail service interruption later this week," the statement read.

Amtrak's initial changes included canceling several long-distance routes and "could be followed by impacts to all long-distance and most state-supported routes," according to the statement. "These adjustments are necessary to ensure trains can reach their terminals before freight railroad service interruption if a resolution in negotiations is not reached."

The suspended services include the Empire Builder, Southwest Chief, California Zephyr and Train #421 portion of the Texas Eagle (Los Angeles-San Antonio).

The statement said Amtrak will notify people about any possible upcoming changes to routes.

In a statement emailed Tuesday, a spokesperson for Montana Sen. Steve Daines said, "The senator believes both sides need to come to an agreement which would allow Amtrak to resume canceled services as soon as possible. He believes we must prevent prolonged disruptions of the movement of goods and ensure Montanans’ access to reliable services and transportation is restored.”

Montana Sen. Jon Tester said in a statement Tuesday that “the Empire Builder is critically important for families and small businesses along the Hi-Line, which I why I successfully fought to pass legislation that restored full daily service. I am hopeful folks will reach a resolution this week that takes care of workers and keeps trains moving.”

In the coming weeks, anglers will have several opportunities to comment on fishing regulation proposals for the 2023/24 regulation booklet.

FWP Region 6 will host a public meeting in Glasgow on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the FWP Headquarters Quonset conference room beginning at 5 p.m.

These proposed changes to fishing regulations were developed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff after working with the public on identifying what changes were needed in the current regulations. In all, 42 proposals from across the state will be out for public comment through Sept. 22. The proposals can be reviewed online at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities.
Final Fish & Wildlife Commission action on the upcoming fishing regulations will occur at the Oct. 20 meeting. Comments can be submitted online at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities, emailed to fwpfishcomments@mt.gov, or sent to FWP Fishing Regulations, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620.

FWP recently adopted a new fishing regulation process, moving from a four-year cycle to a two-year cycle. As part of the new process, FWP solicited ideas from the public on what regulation changes to consider.

The 42 proposals cover a broad range of regulations. A few proposals that would affect eastern Montana include:
• Open snagging for paddlefish on the Missouri River from Fort Peck Dam to the North Dakota state line seven days a week, from May 15-June 30 unless closed earlier by FWP. Currently, the lower Missouri follows the same regulations as the Yellowstone.
• The addition of a bowfishing season for Chinook salmon on Fort Peck Reservoir from Oct. 1-15.
• Allowing Home Run Pond in Glasgow to be open to all anglers. Currently it is only open for youth ages 14 and younger.
• Prohibit paddlefish angling in the new Yellowstone River Intake bypass channel to avoid impacting pallid sturgeon movement around the dam.

All of the 42 proposals are available at https://fwp.mt.gov/aboutfwp/public-comment-opportunities in detail along with the rational for each proposal.

As part of the two-year cycle, fishing regulation booklets will be printed every other year. A photo and art contest continues for the front and back covers of the 2023/2024 booklets. Submissions can be emailed to fwpphotocontest@mt.gov; the deadline is Oct. 15. For more information, click here.
FWP ensures that its meetings are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. To request special accommodations for this meeting, or if there are any questions, please contact 406-228-3700.

https://montanafreepress.org/2022/09/12/why-freight-trains-in-montana-nationwide-could-stop-this-week/

Freight trains across the United States could come to a halt this week if six of the seven largest railroads in North America — including BNSF Railway and Union Pacific, which both operate in Montana — cannot secure new labor contracts by 12:01 a.m. Friday, following more than two years of contentious negotiations.

At that hour, either the railroads can lock out employees, or unions representing tens of thousands of railroaders can go on strike. On Monday, a shutdown of the network appeared so likely that some railroads began to secure hazardous material shipments should a strike or lockout occur, though the unions dismissed that action as a ploy to get shippers to complain to Congress to force a solution. The Washington Post reported that White House officials are holding emergency meetings this week in hopes of preventing a strike.

A shutdown of a vast majority of the freight rail network could cost the American economy more than $2 billion a day, according to an economic analysis by the Association of American Railroads, as well as impact agricultural and manufacturing shippers in Montana and elsewhere. A shutdown of the rail network, which moves 1.7 billion tons of goods and products annually, would also have a major impact on a national supply chain still reeling from the impacts of the pandemic and labor shortages.

Railroad-labor relations are complex and are generally governed by a nearly century-old law called the Railway Labor Act of 1926. Under that law, railroads and unions have conducted collective bargaining negotiations on a multi-employer and multi-union basis for more than 90 years. Nearly all the major freight railroads in the United States partake in the national talks. Typically, the national bargaining method has been successful at avoiding strikes or lockouts that could cripple the American economy, and there have been only two days of service disruptions resulting from contract talks in the last 30 years. The last national railroad work stoppage was in 1992.

But the latest round of contract talks has been more contentious than most. In addition to standard issues like compensation and benefits, the talks have also focused on various work rules regarding employee attendance policies and crew sizes. Currently, most freight trains run with two employees on board, but some freight railroads have said it can be done with just one. The unions say that is unsafe, and the federal government is currently considering implementing a rule to make two-person crews the national standard. The unions also want new policies guaranteeing railroaders — who navigate hectic and unpredictable work schedules — a better work-life balance.

In June, after more than two years of talks and help from federal mediators, the National Mediation Board announced that talks between the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (which represents the unions) and the National Carriers Conference Committee (which represents the railroads) had failed and that third-party arbitrators should step in. However, either side can reject binding arbitration, which the unions did. That set the stage for the Biden administration to establish a Presidential Emergency Board to review the conflict and make recommendations.

On Aug. 17, that board issued its report and recommended that the railroads give their employees a 22% pay increase — less than the 28% the unions wanted, but more than the 16% the railroads had offered. On the more contentious issues like attendance policies and crew size, the emergency board punted and said the railroads and unions should resolve those questions through local negotiations or arbitration. The railroads called the emergency board’s recommendations a “useful basis” to continue talks. But union officials said those recommendations had “fallen short” and did “not go far enough to provide our members with the quality of life that they have earned, and that both they and their families deserve.”

Railroaders were also frustrated with comments made by negotiators stating that they did not believe the railroads’ record profits were the result of contributions by labor. Rather, the railroads said the profits were the result of “capital investment and [financial] risk” by the companies.

The release of the Presidential Emergency Board report set off another round of talks and a 30-day “cooling off” period during which the railroads couldn’t lock employees out and the unions couldn’t strike. During that time, the railroads have forged agreements with eight smaller unions representing maintenance workers, dispatchers and more. However, agreements with the two largest unions — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen and SMART Transportation Division, which together represent tens of thousands of locomotive engineers and conductors — have remained elusive.

Late last week, a number of railroads announced that they would begin to secure hazardous material shipments ahead of the 12:01 a.m. Sept. 16 deadline in case of a strike. Some even warned customers that trains carrying non-hazardous materials might come to a halt up to 72 hours ahead of the deadline to ensure an orderly shutdown of the network.

In a message to customers, BNSF Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Steve Bobb urged rail shippers to contact their congressional representatives to intervene and prevent a strike by unilaterally imposing the Presidential Emergency Board recommendations.

“It is critical that Congress hear from freight rail customers as soon as possible,” Bobb wrote. “If there is a labor strike on September 16, Congress can intervene to prevent or quickly resolve the service disruption.”

But the unions have said any move to stop freight before the Sept. 16 deadline is the railroad industry trying to scare customers into action. In a joint statement on Sunday, Jeremy Ferguson, president of SMART Transportation Division, and Dennis Pierce, president of Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen, called the preemptive freight embargoes an “unnecessary attack” on rail shippers.

“The railroads are using shippers, consumers, and the supply chain of our nation as pawns in an effort to get our unions to cave into their contract demands knowing that our members would never accept them,” the union bosses wrote. “Our unions will not cave into these scare tactics, and Congress must not cave into what can only be described as corporate terrorism.”

A Wolf Point woman who admitted to assaulting a toddler on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced on Thursday to 34 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said last week.

Shelby Loves Him, 23, pleaded guilty in May to an indictment charging her with assault resulting in serious bodily injury and felony child abuse.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Loves Him had been caring for the victim, a toddler, identified as John Doe, when on Dec. 8, 2021, law enforcement officers were contacted about John Doe being unresponsive at the Poplar Community Hospital. The officers observed bruising and scratches on John Doe’s head, arms and legs. When questioned about events prior to John Doe arriving at the hospital, Loves Him told officers that she had struck John Doe multiple times in the week leading up to an incident on Dec. 8, 2021, when she assaulted him.

John Doe was flown to Salt Lake City, Utah, for emergency life-saving surgery and continues to suffer significant impairment.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy A. Johnson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Montana Highway Patrol and Fort Peck Tribes Police Department.

Official Results of the 4th Annual Glasgow Elks “Middle of Nowhere” BBQ Cook-Off.

Wild Card
1. Roadkill Cafe- Ryan Feezell

Chicken
1. Smoke on the Waters
2. Hawgnutz BBQ
3. Team Kastet
4. Roadkill Cafe
5. Baby Got Back BBQ

Ribs
1. Smoke on the Waters
2. Team Kastet
3. Baby Got Back BBQ
4. Team Swanson
5. Hard Meat to Eat!

Pork
1. Smoke on the Waters
2. Baby Got Back BBQ
3. Roadkill Cafe
4. Team Kastet
5. Hard Meat to Eat!

Brisket
1. Baby Got Back BBQ
2. Smoke on the Waters
3. Hawgnutz BBQ
4. Team Kastet
5. Hard Meat to Eat!

Overall
1. Grand Champion- Smoke on the Waters
2. Reserve Grand Champion- Baby Got Back BBQ
3. Team Kastet
4. Hawgnutz BBQ
5. Roadkill Cafe

Monday Sept. 12th -- JV Football vs. Sidney 5:00 PM

Tuesday Sept. 13th -- GHS College Fair in Scottie Gymnasium

Wednesday Sept. 14th -- Aim Higher Student Workshop @ Sidney

Thursday Sept. 15th -- HS VB vs. Fairview (JV/V) 5:00 PM

Friday Sept. 16th -- HS VB @ Plentywood (C/JV/V)

Friday Sept. 16th -- HS FB vs. Roundup 7:00 PM

Saturday Sept. 17th -- HS VB @ Poplar (C/JC/V)

Saturday Sept. 17th -- HS/MS XC at Glasgow Invitational in Ft. Peck 10:00 AM

Saturday Sept. 17th -- MS FB @ Lewistown Jamboree

Saturday Sept. 17th -- MS VB @ Scobey Jamboree

Bruce William Ferguson, 65, of Fort Peck, was indicted last week on charges of mail fraud in U.S Federal Court. If convicted of the most serious crime, Ferguson faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

Ferguson pleaded not guilty and was released pending further proceeding. The Bureau of Land Management investigated the case.

According to the Grand Jury Charges, Ferguson along with Gene John Klamert, devised and intended to devise a scheme to defraud and obtain money and property by avoiding the payment of monetary fees owed to the United States by means of materially false and fraudulent pretenses, representations and promises.

Klamert and Ferguson allegedly made false reports and representations to the BLM regarding sales of cattle grazed on property titled the Two Crow allotment near Winnett, MT.

Allegedly, Ferguson signed bills of sale. purporting to sell cattle that he owned to Klamert, when in truth and in fact, as the defendants well knew, no true sale or ownership transfer had taken place. Klamert received the bills of sale in the mail and submitted them to the BLM and American Prairie Reserve.

The BLM relied on these bills of sale to assess the annual fees he owed to the United States under his grazing permit.

The United States in its filing documents in Federal Court, alleged that by submitting the fraudulent bills of sale, Klamert claimed to own cattle that he did not own, thereby avoiding surcharges owed to the United States. During this time, Klamert avoided additional fees by failing to report cattle owned by third parties that he grazed on the allotment.

According to court documents, the alleged mail fraud occurred in 2018 and 2019 and the entire alleged scheme occurred from May of 2018 through May of 2020.

A trial has been sent for October 17th in Billings.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

At a recent meeting, the trustees of the Glasgow High School Educational Trust made a significant change in one aspect of its eligibility requirements, effective immediately. Previously, Glasgow High School graduates must have completed one-fourth of the course requirements for a two-year degree or certificate or one year of a four-year degree, either online or on campus, through an accredited college or trade school following their graduation from GHS to be eligible for financial aid from the trust. Dual enrollment courses students may have taken while attending GHS did not count toward that minimum.

Dual enrollment classes are offered at GHS under the auspices of the Montana University System. In certain qualifying classes, students may concurrently receive both high school credit toward a diploma and college credit toward a degree at participating colleges and universities, if those schools have executed an interlocal agreement with GHS. There are numerous other eligibility requirements that must be met to allow students to take advantage of this opportunity. They are all clearly identified in the Glasgow High School 2022-2023 Student-Parent Handbook available at GHS or online on the GHS webpage.

Now, the Glasgow High School Educational Trust allows GHS graduates who have earned 24 or more college-level credits through the dual enrollment credit program offered by Glasgow High School and who have been accepted to a four-year program at an accredited college, trade school, or university to apply to the trust for financial aid if they include with their applications a certified transcript from the specific school they will be attending that proves the school’s acceptance of those credits and sophomore level standing, or through a letter from the school’s registrar that proves acceptance of those credits and sophomore level standing. GHS graduates who will be attending an accredited two-year program, may, likewise, apply to the trust for financial aid if they have completed 12 dual enrollment credits and provide the same verification as that required for four-year programs. The trustees hope this policy change will encourage more GHS students to take advantage of the dual enrollment opportunities available to them, and, thereby, realize significant savings in time and money.

The Glasgow High School Educational Trust was established in 1964 by the GHS Class of 1938 to help GHS alumni achieve their post-secondary educational goals. Since its inception, hundreds of generous donors have built the corpus of the trust to over $10 million dollars. The earnings on these assets are awarded to eligible applicants through a semi-annual process administered by the trustees. Application deadlines are July 1st and October 15th of each year.

The application, which lists all requirements that must be met, is available at www.ghsedutrust.org . Financial need has always been a primary consideration; therefore, the trust has established levels of support to meet students’ diverse needs, and it distributes the funds available accordingly. Trust awards are not traditional scholarships only for those with very high grade-point averages. All students in good academic standing are given equal consideration. This includes students in trade schools and vocational/technical programs.

Students may reapply for additional aid for a total of eight semesters if they meet all of the eligibility requirements. To date, the trust has awarded over $2.7 million dollars in financial aid to 786 different students attending hundreds of different schools across the nation. (This includes awards given, but not accepted, unused, returned, or disqualified due to ineligibility issues.) Many students have received multiple awards.
The application must be completed properly, thoroughly, and submitted on time to be considered. Recently, an increasing number of applicants have failed to do so. For example, the trust received 24 applications for the 2022-2023 academic year by the July 1, 2022 deadline. Only 12 of them had been completed properly, and, therefore, only 12 of them received financial aid. By comparison, for the 2021-2022 academic year, the trust awarded financial aid to 48 different students for a total of $210,000. The lack of applications, and the ineligibility of some applications because they were incomplete or students had not followed directions, disappoints not only the applicants and their families, but also the trustees and the many donors who have given their hard-earned money to the trust to help others. It is sincerely hoped that more students will apply in the future and that those whose applications were ineligible will correct their deficiencies and resubmit them by the October 15, 2022, deadline to receive financial aid for the Spring 2023 semester. If applicants have any questions, they should contact Danielle Anderson at 406-230-0153.

In addition to student gifts, the Glasgow High School Educational Trust also uses the earnings on its corpus to purchase equipment and programs for Glasgow High School that cannot be financed within the school’s regular budget. Over the years, every department has received such gifts, benefitting all students and the public at large when it attends events at the school or uses its facilities. The total dollar value of these awards is $266,519.15.

Whenever the trust receives donations that total $500 in the name of a particular individual, a one-time gift is given to a student or to GHS in the name of that person. Donations of $10,000 or more in the name of a particular individual allow for an ongoing naming opportunity on a regular basis.

The following students received financial aid from the trust for the 2022-2023 academic year in honor, recognition, or memory of the individual(s) whose name(s) is(are) listed.

First-time Recipients: Victoria Pehlke, University of Montana-Western, IMO Deceased Members of the Class of 1971 (fall semester), IMO Donald “Don” J. Baker (spring semester); Kaylee Ross, BYU-Idaho, IHO Charlotte Bruce (fall semester), IHO Sever and Esther Enkerud (spring semester); Amanda Skolrud, Capella University, IHO Everett and Elizabeth Breigenzer (fall semester), IMO Phyllis E. Moen Sanguine (spring semester).

Second-time Recipients: Isaac Braaten, South Dakota School of Mines, IMO Dallas Johnson (fall semester), IMO Leonard H. and Kathryn L. Langen (spring semester); Salomon Hansen, MSU-Bozeman, IHO James and Ailene Dokken Olk Family (fall semester), IMO James “Jim” A. Parke (spring semester);
Tanner Overby, BYU-Idaho, IMO L.J. and Jean Baker (fall semester), IMO Harold H. and Irene W. Smith (spring semester); Paige Schmitt, MSU-Bozeman, IMO Dr. Nancy Lee Etchart (fall semester), IMO Ardis Parke Fuhrman (spring semester); Rachel Sigmundstad, MSU-Bozeman (fall semester), IMO Donna Lee Squires Etchart; Elijah Zeluff, Montana Tech., IHO Dorothy Kolstad (fall semester), IMO O. E. and Lois Wilson Markle (fall semester).

Third-time Recipients: Katherine Kaiser, Colorado State University, IMO Lois Wilson Markle (fall semester), IRO Ione and Phyllis Kleppin (spring semester); Garrett Lloyd, MSU-Bozeman, IMO Mitchel “Mitch” J. Etchart (fall semester) IRO 1966 Scholarship Gift to Karen Swenson (spring semester); Alexandria Pehlke, U of Montana – Western, IMO Karen D. Newton (fall semester), IMO Gloria Robertson (spring semester).

The trust also made the following purchases for Glasgow High School:
10 iPads and Accessories - Art Department, IMO Gary and Idella Mott
3 Computers - Industrial Arts Department, IMO Dean Rusher
30 Chairs – Social Studies Department – IMO Stan Andersen Family.

More information about the trust, including how to donate, how to contact trustees, recipient stories, and historical photographs are available on the website at www.ghsedutrust.org.

NorthWestern Energy is warning customers of aggressive and widespread scam activity.

Scammers are using fake phone numbers with state area codes to call customers and threaten to disconnect service unless immediate payments are made.

Since Sept. 1, customers have reported over 400 attempts by scammers to steal money.

For more information or to report a scam click here.

NorthWestern Energy released the following:

NorthWestern Energy customers have reported more than 400 attempts by scammers to steal their money since Sept. 1.

The criminals are calling from spoofed phone numbers with state area codes and local prefixes. Customers say the scammers threaten to disconnect service in 30 minutes unless an immediate payment is made.

Energy companies will never threaten their customers. Accounts with past-due balances received multiple notices in advance of a service disconnection.

NorthWestern Energy personnel report each phone number to authorities to shut the numbers down, however this amount of scam activity is unusually high. Our customers should be vigilant about protecting themselves, their family members and neighbors from becoming victims of this scam.

For more information about avoiding scams, or to report a scam, go to www.northwesternenergy.com/scamalert.

Drought conditions in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, continued throughout the month of August. Per the Master Manual and the September 1 System storage check, winter releases from Gavins Point Dam will be 12,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), as part of the overall water conservation measures.

While the month of July brought some much-needed moisture to the Missouri River Basin, the month of August showed a return to the warm and dry conditions seen in the basin over the last two seasons. August runoff was 0.9 MAF, 62% of average above Sioux City, and 0.6 MAF or 49% of average above Gavins Point Dam. The portion of the basin that drains into Oahe Reservoir was particularly dry, only experiencing 10% of its average August runoff. The 2022 calendar year forecast for the upper Basin, updated on September 1, is 20.2 million acre-feet (MAF), 78% of average. Average annual runoff for the upper Basin is 25.8 MAF.

“Reservoir inflows in August were much lower than average. We expect below-average inflows into the System through the rest of 2022,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Based on the storage in the system at the September 1 storage check, winter releases from Gavins Point will be 12,000 cfs for a second year in a row,” Remus added.

As of September 2, the total volume of water stored in the System was 50.2 MAF, which is 5.9 MAF below the base of the System’s flood control zone. System storage is expected to continue to decline through the fall. The updated reservoir studies indicate that the System storage is expected to be than 8.4 MAF below the base of flood control at the start of the 2022 runoff season.

According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, drought conditions in the basin have worsened over the past month. Seventy-four percent of the basin is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions, with 7% of that being extreme or exceptional drought. Northern Montana and southwestern Nebraska show exceptionally dry soil conditions. The September and seasonal drought outlooks show existing drought persisting and expanding in the basin through the end of November.

Fall Public Meetings
The Northwestern Division will host a series of public meeting the week of October 24-28. The date and locations of the meetings are shown below.

October 24, Fort Peck, MT @ 11:30am MT – Fort Peck Interpretive Center
October 24, Bismarck, ND @ 5:00pm CT – Bismarck State College
October 25, Ft Pierre, Sd @ 10:00am CT – Casey Tibbs Conference Center
October 25, Sioux City, IA @ 4:00pm CT – Betty Strong Encounter Center
October 26, Smithville, MO @ 11:00am CT – Jerry Litton Visitor Center
October 26, Nebraska City, NE @ 6:00pm CT - Steinhart Lodge
October 27, St. Louis, MO @10:30am CT – VUE17
?
Reservoir Forecast:

Fort Peck Dam
Average releases past month – 7,800 cfs
Current release rate – 7,800 cfs
Forecast average release rate – reduce to 4,000 cfs by mid-September
End-of-August reservoir level – 2221.0 feet
Forecast end-of-September reservoir level – 2220.4 feet
The forecast reservoir releases and elevations discussed above are not definitive. Additional precipitation, lack of precipitation or other circumstances could cause adjustments to the reservoir release rates.

Hydropower:
The six mainstem power plants generated 886 million kWh of electricity in August. Typical energy generation for August is 1,011 million kWh. The power plants are projected to generate 7.3 billion kWh of electricity this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh.

Valley County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Tom Boyer
Press Release

September 9, 2022 09:00 am

I want to address a rumor floating around Glasgow that says arrestees are being released from jail because of COVID and that the public is not being notified.

This rumor is absolutely False!

It is true that we have had a run of Covid in the detention center. We originally escaped the initial thrust of Covid in 2020 and were doing quite well with our procedures for cleaning and disinfecting. However, just like each of us, Covid caught up to us. We are on the tail end of this in the facility now.
To be clear, at no time were arrestees released back into the public because of this illness. At no time will arrestees be released because of Covid or similar illness.

Detention Center Mission Statement:
The Primary mission of the Valley County Detention Center is to protect the community by securely holding persons who are determined by the courts to pose a threat to public safety and to house those persons who have been sentenced to serve time. This will be accomplished in such a way as to insure the ethical and legal obligation to provide secure, safe and humane confinement to all those who enter these walls regardless of class, race, gender or sexual orientation.

As the Sheriff and Administrator of the Detention Center I will continue to uphold the Mission Statement and my sworn duty to protect the citizens of Valley County.

Tom

HELENA — The U.S. Bureau of Land Management says it will reconsider more than 100 oil and gas leases in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, as part of a settlement agreement with environmental groups.

Earthjustice and the Western Environmental Law Center filed suit in federal court last year, on behalf of WildEarth Guardians, Montana Environmental Information Center, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Sierra Club and Waterkeeper Alliance. The groups challenged five lease sales conducted in 2019 and 2020, arguing the BLM’s environmental analysis didn’t adequately consider the potential impacts.

Glasgow shattered the record high for the date on Wednesday: the previous record high for September 7th is 96 degrees, set in 1994 and tied in 2003. At 3:57 p.m. the temperature reached 106 degrees.

With that mark, it was also the hottest temperature ever recorded in September in Glasgow. Glasgow's previous hottest September temperature was 103 back in 1983.

The VALCO Pool Campaign received a $200,000 donation from the Flora A. Coghlan Family Trust, in memory of Tom Coghlan, bringing the total raised to $2,797,920 as of July 31st, 2022! The Flora A. Coghlan Family Trust donated $50,000 in 2021 and so this brings their total donated to $250,000! The VALCO Pool Campaign is grateful for their family’s donation and commitment to the project all the way from Washington!

Flora and Tom’s children, Annie and Jim, wrote some family history down of how their parents came to Glasgow, their time as a family here, and memories of going to the pool and swimming at the lake!

Our mom (Flora) and dad (Tom) moved to Glasgow in 1948 as newlyweds and raised 4 children here. They were graduates of the U. Of Illinois. Mom had been employed as a radio engineer and helped run the university’s radio station during the war. Dad started out as a salesman, but a back injury stopped that career. He was fortunate to get a job as a clerk at the First National Bank. Our oldest brother, Mike, was born 12/10/1949. It was one of the coldest winters ever, but they stayed in Glasgow. The family lived in a motel room for many months. There was a housing shortage in those days. They got lucky and were able to move into a 700 sq ft house across the street from the old high school. Mom had 3 boys in 4 years. By the time our sister came five years later, we had moved to 11th Ave N.

Both were active members of the community and their church, serving on several boards and volunteering with many organizations throughout their lives. Both were especially supportive of the schools and organizations that built opportunities for kids through education, the arts and sports. After dad’s death and mom’s move to be closer to Annie and Jim, they have continued to support several local organizations that benefit children and youth. The pool is special! It offers lessons and classes to all ages and supports a competitive swim team. It also provides a safe place where kids can socialize and recreate when school is not in session during the summer months.
Annie remembers using the pool quite a bit when she was in grade school. It is where she took swimming lessons for several summers and where she would meet up with friends. Once given permission to ride her bike to the pool, she was a regular customer, happily spending a dime for a couple hours break from the heat of the day.

Jim used the Glasgow pool very little when he was growing up. It was a long walk or a bike ride from the Coghlan family house to the South Side. Jim thought Glasgow was really big then! It was fun going to the pool. There were lots of kids. He wasn’t a good swimmer, so he couldn’t use the diving board. They really put the fear of foot fungus in you back in those days. Jim remembers having to step in antiseptic!

Jim learned to swim at the pool out at Fort Peck. He was never a good swimmer, so he was surprised when both his girls did swim team and lifeguarded at the neighborhood pool in Seattle. Great summer activities. You learn how to get up early in the morning, work hard to improve, and do your part for your team. Even if you aren’t the best, you can note the incremental improvements in your time in your events. He enjoyed the stats as much as the meets.

Swimming lessons built confidence for being on the water which made for so many great memories for the Coghlan family on Fort Peck Lake. Swimming lessons also introduced some first aid training such as how to throw a life ring, how to swim someone to safely to shore, and how to care for someone who had a near drowning. Annie was never a fast swimmer, but she could and can still can happily spend hours in and on the water.

This donation is an extension of gratitude to a supportive community that consistently valued opportunities for children and youth while we were growing up. The pool was one piece of this. Though the Coghlans don’t live near and may not use the pool themselves, they are excited to imagine those that will for many years to come.

A new pool is important for Glasgow and Valley County. Jim spent a lot of time boating and water skiing when he was in high school. Swimming is so important for water safety. A swim team is a social club of its own; and the focus is on the kids. They need that.

Jim can recognize swimming strokes, but he doesn’t know if he can execute them. His oldest daughter was very good in the back stroke. His youngest daughter qualified for districts at a 4A school in WA in the freestyle. Neither was a year-round swimmer. In Glasgow, you don’t do swimming year-round, so his hat’s off to those kids that do summer swim league. It takes hard work and discipline.

As far as donating to the VALCO pool, our parents invested in this town, and the town was good to them. Our dad is buried in Glasgow. Our mom is 98 and ready to be with him. Flora lives out in Seattle to be close to family. She believes in kids, and opportunity for all. She realizes how much she has been blessed with and wants to give back. She spent many summer days on the beaches of Lake Michigan near Grand Haven. It was fun for her, and it will be fun for the kids that get to use the new pool in Valley County.

If you have questions about the VALCO Pool Campaign, they can contact a Board Member or look at the FAQs on the website, www.valcopool.com. If you want to know more about upcoming information, visit their social media pages @valcopool

Wokal Field, Glasgow/Valley County Airport is having an Open House & Car Show this Saturday, September 10th from 10a.m. – 2p.m.

Lunch will be served from 11a.m. – 2p.m. sponsored by Cape Air, featuring Auzzy’s Cook Shack.

There will be the car show & aircraft, vehicles & equipment will be on display. All are welcome to the event.

Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital will be celebrating with four FMDH retirees that have dedicated countless DECADES to serving and bettering the health services in this community:
Randy Holom
Ellen Guttenberg
Dr. Anne Millard
Alice Hopstad

The celebration will run from 5:30 to 7:00 pm at Hoyt Park this Thursday, September 8th

There will be:
Redneck Sundaes from Auzzy's Cook Shack
Beer and Root Beer from Busted Knuckle
Cookies from Mary's Mercantile
Live music from Chisholm Christensen
Bounce houses for the kids
And more!

The Reimagining Rural Virtual Community Gathering is this Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Cottonwood Inn.

This gathering is for those who have a desire for a vibrant future for Montana’s rural communities.

Reimagining Rural brings people together who are eager to learn, connect, and lead change and who want to create vibrant, robust rural places.

Glasgow is expected to break the record high temperature for the day. The current record high for September 7th is 96 degrees, set in 1994 and tied in 2003. The National Weather Service is predicting a high of 104 this afternoon.

If we do reach that mark, it will be the hottest temperature ever recorded in September in Glasgow. Glasgow's hottest September temperature to date was 103 back in 1983.

Senator emphasizes the need for rail expansion in Montana and across the western states

(U.S. Senate) — As part of his continued effort to preserve and expand commuter rail access in Montana, U.S. Senator Jon Tester today highlighted the critical importance of Amtrak passenger rail to Montana’s economy in a Commerce Committee hearing on President Biden’s nominees for the Amtrak Board of Directors. Tester expressed his frustration that none of the nominees to the Board were from the western United States, with four from the East Coast and the fifth from the Midwest. He also expressed his concerns that none of those nominated to the positions had ever visited Montana to gain an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Western states.

“The Empire Builder that serves Montana is so critically important to our state and is under attack almost every single day by somebody who doesn’t want that service to be there…The bottom line is if we lose Amtrak in Montana, it is an incredible hit,” Tester said. “If we can make our train travel as convenient as it is in other countries, I think it can be a tremendous economic developer in our country.”

Tester has been Montana’s leading advocate for passenger rail expansion. He was instrumental in restoring full, daily service to the Empire Builder this past May. And Tester’s bill reinstating furloughed Amtrak employees and rolling back previous service reductions to the Empire Builder route was signed into law as part of the American Rescue Plan in March 2021. Tester was the only member of Montana’s Congressional delegation to vote for the bill.

Tester personally secured a Senate Commerce Committee hearing on the Amtrak cuts in 2020, inviting Havre’s Paul Tuss, Executive Director of Bear Paw Development Corporation, to testify on the importance of long-distance rail to rural and frontier economies in Montana and across the country.

Senator Tester was also the only member of the Montana delegation to vote for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included guidance and funding for the Amtrak Daily Long-Distance Service Study to assess and support the restoration of discontinued essential long-distance routes like the North Coast Hiawatha.

HELENA – The Upland Game Bird Council will meet in Malta on Sept. 12 and 13 to review habitat enhancement activities that occurred during the 2022 field season. The meeting will be at the Great Northern Hotel, located at 2 South 1st Street East in Malta. The council will also tour habitat projects in Phillips County.

For meeting details, including a meeting agenda, visit the Upland Game Bird Council page on the FWP website.

Phillips County is in Stage 1 restrictions, several Block Management Areas currently closed

GLASGOW – With our region of northeast Montana suffering extreme drought with the constant threat of wildfires, hunters and other recreationists taking to the field must be aware of local fire restrictions and closures and take necessary precautions.

Archery antelope started Aug. 15, upland game bird season (and mourning doves) on Sept. 1, and archery-only hunting season for deer, elk, antelope, bighorn sheep, black bear, wolf and mountain lion began on Sept. 3, so plenty of hunters are out in the field.

To help prevent fires, hunters and other recreationists should:
• Drive only on established roads.
• Avoid roads with tall vegetation in the middle track.
• Never park over dry grass and other vegetation (but make sure to pull off the road!)
• Carry a fire extinguisher—or water-filled weed sprayer—bucket, shovel, axe, and a cell phone for emergency calls.
• Restrict camping activities to designated camping areas.
• Build campfires only in established metal fire rings, if allowed (note restrictions).
• Smoke only inside buildings or vehicles.
• Check on any fire restrictions in place.

Block Management Areas in fire restrictions
Private landowners with land enrolled in Block Management Areas (BMAs) or other private land access programs may also have restrictions or closures. Be sure to ask when securing permission on any private land. Currently, there are several BMAs in Region 6 with closures, including:
• Blaine County: #10-Williamson Ranch, #181-Biebinger Ranch, #183- BKB Ranch, and #187-Wine Cup
• Choteau County: #6-Mack Ranch
• Hill County: #3-Phalen Ranch

These closures could change daily. BMAs fire restrictions and closures will be updated as changes occur at https://fwp.mt.gov/hunt/access/blockmanagement/restrictions with changes shown on the Hunt Planner Map on the FWP website as well. The FWP Region 6 Facebook page will be updated daily as changes occur.

County Fire Restrictions
When it comes to site-specific fire restrictions, FWP follows the lead of the county where the site is located.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 6, only Phillips County is in Stage 1 Restrictions in northeast Montana. Blaine, Daniels, Hill, and Roosevelt are currently in a burn ban. Please be aware that these restrictions change weekly.

Stage 1 restrictions ban campfires except where specifically exempted, allow cooking fires on propane devices that can be shut off and allow smoking only in vehicles and areas three feet in diameter that are cleared of flammable materials.

Stage 2 restrictions start with regulations delineated by Stage 1 restrictions. In addition, Stage 2 restrictions ban welding, explosives, driving off established roads, and use of internal-combustion engines, except for vehicles on established roads, between 1 p.m. and 1 a.m. each day. Generators used in enclosed buildings or in an area cleared of vegetation specifically are exempted from Stage 2 restrictions. Currently, there are no counties in Stage 2 in FWP Region 6.
FWP sites that could be impacted by fire restrictions include fishing access sites, wildlife management areas and state parks.

For up-to-date details on state-wide FWP property fire and drought-related restrictions and closures, visit FWP's website at fwp.mt.gov. Click “Restrictions and Closures” at the top of the page. In addition, you can go to www.mtfireinfo.org to see restrictions statewide.

Always be prepared to prevent or extinguish fire starts. Your awareness and assistance during this fire year is appreciated!

Kelvin and Joyce Morehouse
806 5th Ave North

On any given night, there are over 326,000 homeless people in the U.S., according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (This is down from 2020. Part of the reason is that due to Covid-19 they did not survey all unsheltered homeless communities. ) Most people are spending the night either in homeless shelters or in some sort of short-term transitional housing. One quarter of homeless people are children. Tens of thousands are veterans. Domestic violence is a leading cause of homelessness. Many people are homeless because they cannot afford rent.

Homelessness is defined as the condition of not having a permanent place to live; only recently perceived as a societal problem. Estimates of the number of homeless people in the U.S. range from 1.5 to 3 million, and the problem exists in all major cities and a growing number of smaller communities.

The leading causes of homelessness among unaccompanied individuals were (1) lack of affordable housing, (2) unemployment, (3) poverty, (4) mental illness and the lack of needed services, and (5) substance abuse and the lack of needed services.

“Homeless for a Night” is an opportunity for students to take action on the homeless problem. Those who participate will spend a night in front of the Pioneer Museum to discuss, think, and learn about homelessness. Although one night outside can in no way simulate homelessness, this awareness-raising activity can promote advocacy, protest, and education.

Who: GHS Leadership Class students
When: September 17th (10:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.)
Where: Pioneer Museum
What: We will be sleeping in boxes to gain awareness of the life of the homeless.

All participants should:
Bring at least one blanket (new or gently used), which can be donated at the end of the night to the event. Blankets will be donated to the Montana Rescue Mission in Billings (a shelter for homeless people).
Make and bring one cardboard shelter which they may use with their blanket to stay warm.
Find sponsors who would be willing to donate for each hour we are homeless (eight in our case). (The students have decided to collect at least $20 apiece to be donated to the FMDH Oncology department. Their goal is to collect $500.)

Who is homeless and why?
The homeless population includes people from all walks of life:
In the US, more than 2.3 million people experience homelessness each year.
1.36 million are children under the age of 18 years.
30% of homeless have been homeless for more than two years
22% suffer from mental illness.
66% of homeless have problems with alcohol, drug abuse or mental illness
Average monthly income for a homeless individual is $348
Annual number of food stamp recipients who are children is 9.3 million
25% of homeless people are employed
12 million children in the U.S. live below the poverty level20% of the people in a soup kitchen line are children

From the Valley County Sheriff's Office:

On September 1, 2022 at approximately 11:43PM, the Valley County Dispatch Center received a report of an explosion and subsequent fire in the area of the Fort Peck Marina. Deputies and the Fort Peck Fire Department were able to quickly get the fire under control and no one was injured in the blast but a camper and boat did sustain damage.

While investigating the area, deputies found a camper had been broken into as well as the cause of the blast was a propane tank being thrown onto an active fire pit.

The investigation is currently ongoing. If anyone has any information regarding this incident please contact the Valley County Sheriff's Office at 406-228-4333 option #2.

August 2022 was the 2nd warmest August on record with an average temperature of 77.0 degrees. 1971 was the warmest August with an average temperature of 77.1 degrees.

There were 21 days of highs of 90 degrees or higher which tied 1971 and 1983 for the most 90 plus degree highs in an August.

A Wolf Point man suspected of going to the post office and picking up a package he thought contained fentanyl pills admitted to charges this week, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Andre Jean Reum, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Reum faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for Jan. 5, 2023. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Reum was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that the U.S. Postal Service inspector identified a suspicious package mailed from Tacoma, Washington, to a post office box in Wolf Point, on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. On May 23, the inspector served a search warrant on the package and found toys and plastic bags that contained suspected fentanyl. The inspector removed the suspected fentanyl and repackaged the parcel, which was delivered to the Wolf Point post office the next day. Reum went to the post office later in the day, after having checked on the package earlier in the day and on the previous day. Reum retrieved the package, spoke to a bystander and was arrested. The bystander reported that Reum had slapped the parcel and stated he had to take care of business. An analysis determined that 586 pills contained fentanyl.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Postal Service, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice and the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office.

GLASGOW– Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Region 6 game wardens are seeking any information regarding a mule deer buck that was shot, beheaded, and left to waste about 15 miles west of Glasgow on the Bentonite Road, between Paulo Reservoir and the Bentonite plant in Valley County.

On Aug. 29, Glasgow wardens received a call concerning a dead deer observed near the Bentonite Road. After assessing the situation, Warden Wyatt Pickens determined that the deer was shot with a high caliber firearm, likely on Saturday or Sunday, Aug. 27 or 28.

Anyone with possible information about this is encouraged to visit https://myfwp.mt.gov/fwpPub/tipmont to provide details, call the FWP violation reporting hot line at 1-800-TIP-MONT, or call Warden Pickens directly at 406-263-0067. Folks with information may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board member Grant Stafne resigned from the TEB on Monday.

According to The Journal on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, the replacement will either be former TEB members Kaci Wallette or Dana Buckles. Both tied for the 13 spot in the 2021 election recount.

Stafne's resignation letter is attached.

Gov. Greg Gianforte has appealed the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to allow American Prairie to graze bison on 63,500 acres of land in Phillips County, according to a filing submitted Thursday and included in a Monday press release.

State land makes up some of the acreage which is managed by the federal government. The decision, green lit in late July, meant that American Prairie will gradually increase its bison herd from 800 to around 1,000 in the next three years.

“Regardless of whether BLM labels the herd ‘indigenous animals,’ ‘indigenous livestock,’ ‘domestic indigenous animals,’ or ‘domestic indigenous livestock’ the agency’s action exceeds its authority, violating statute and rule. The herd in question is not livestock under federal law and the permit contemplated cannot be authorized,” Gianforte argues.

Additional appellants are other state departments including Agriculture, Livestock, Natural Resources and Conservation, as well as Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

After BLM announced their decision in late July, Gianforte said he shared “Montanans’ frustration with the BLM’s woeful and repeated failures to properly engage Montanans and act within the bounds of its authority on this issue.”

Gianforte reiterated the argument surrounding BLM’s authority in the filing, saying the decision “is premised on deficient National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) analysis” as well as listing it as “unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious and unlawful.”

“BLM’s NEPA analysis is fundamentally flawed because it does not take the requisite ‘hard look’ at APR’s proposal,” Gov. Gianforte argues.

Gianforte has been vocal about a perceived lack of public engagement from the agency in the process.

In the July decision, Malta Field Manager Tom Darrington pushed back against this assertion from the governor, noting a month-long public scoping period in 2018, as well as in-person meetings and extending the public comment period.

“Given the level of public interest in the proposal, BLM initiated an increased effort to engage local and state cooperators and the interested public to the greatest extent possible. Consultation, cooperation and coordination requirements were met, or exceeded prior to (issuing this decision),” Darrington wrote.

Gianforte has been making this argument surrounding the BLM’s authority, public engagement and perceived negative impacts of permitting the grazing since last year, when he joined other state agencies to submit public comment to BLM about these concerns.

“Any action that could threaten the stability of Montana’s livestock industry, its ability to market healthy products, or the strength of its socioeconomic fabric deserves to be fully vetted and analyzed in an honest, thorough manner,” Gianforte said in comments made in 2021.

Environmental assessments of American Prairie’s proposal found that the bison grazing would not impact the land in any significant way. BLM praised the proposal, “Those areas being grazed by bison will experience improvements to vegetative communities, diversified vegetation and an increase in native plant species.”

Gianforte argued in the conclusion of the appeal that if the decision were made effective, it would cause “immediate and irreparable harm to the State and to the public.”

As the Labor Day weekend approaches, Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Glasgow Police Department, and the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) are encouraging Montanans to plan for a sober ride home before celebrating. Labor Day weekend marks the tail end of the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” for traffic safety in Montana, so local law enforcement will be increasing patrols across the state and making DUI arrests to ensure every Montanan gets home safely. Valley County Sheriff’s Office, Glasgow Police Department, MHP, and the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) are committed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on Montana’s roadways during busy holiday weekends.

According to MDT, if drivers have a BAC (blood alcohol content) of .08 or higher, they could receive a DUI charge and other serious consequences, including having their driver’s license revoked, being required to take mandatory classes, and receiving possible jail time and up to $10,000 in fines and legal fees.

“If you’re drinking this holiday weekend, be sure to make a plan for a safe ride home,” said Undersheriff Chris Richter “The important thing to know is how you’re getting home before you even go out. There are lots of ways to plan for a sober ride. Designate one of your friends as a sober driver, arrange public transportation, or call a friend or family member. If you see your friends have had too much to drink, have their back and help them get home safely, too.”

Why are Montana’s state and local law enforcement on high alert during the holiday weekend? These are Montana’s sobering statistics for 2020:

• Impaired driver involved crashes in Montana accounted for 10% of all reported roadway crashes in 2020, but 66% of all roadway crash fatalities.
• In 2020, 99% of impaired driver involved roadway deaths occurred in rural crashes.
• 77% of impaired driver with a BAC above 0.079 involved roadway deaths in 2020 involved a male driver with a BAC above 0.079.

“Do not drive impaired – it’s dangerous for everyone on the road. We’ll have increased patrols out Labor Day weekend to keep Montanans safe as they travel to and from their activities in these final days of summer,” said Montana Highway Patrol Colonel Steve Lavin. “Have fun, but please be responsible as you spend time with your friends and family. Together we can make sure everyone gets home safe.”

The Department of Public Health and Human Services heard public comment on Thursday about a proposed rule change that would loosen vaccination requirements at childcare centers.

Under the new rule, children attending childcare care centers would be able to obtain a religious exemption for vaccinations against diseases like polio and measles. Additionally, the rule would eliminate vaccination requirements for staff and volunteers who work at the centers.

In the hour-long meeting held over Zoom, dozens of individuals spanning from doctors to public health officials to parents testified against the rule, saying it would put children at increased risk for contracting deadly diseases and lower the ability to fight back in the case of an outbreak. No one testified in support of the rule.

Allison Drake, a program specialist for DPHHS, said at the meeting the new rule was necessary to bring childcare centers into compliance with two laws passed during the most recent legislative session that allowed for expanded religious exemptions and prohibited discrimination based on vaccination status.

“The department intends for these changes to provide consistency for parents and guardians as children transition from child care facilities to school,” Drake said. She continued, “Parents and guardians determine the childcare settings that best suit the needs of their children.”

She also said that eliminating vaccination requirements would help ease staffing troubles at childcare centers.

“The department proposes to remove staff vaccination requirements; the department believes this change will reduce workforce challenges,” she said.

Martin Finnegan, a parent who testified on Thursday said in general, he likes it when the government keeps to itself, but said the proposed rule change could put his kids at risk.

“I believe government should keep its nose out of our business. But there’s an important exception to that. And that’s when one person’s exercise of their freedom affects another person’s freedom,” he said. Adding, “My kids could be in that same daycare, and you’re putting them at risk.”

Marian Kummer, a retired pediatrician, testified on behalf of the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and said extending religious exemptions to childcare settings will result in lower immunization rates for children in child care.

“The diseases that are covered by immunizations are more deadly in this population. Therefore, it is imperative that they be protected as much as possible,” she said.

Using measles as an example, she said 95% of the population to be immunized to prevent outbreaks and said, “this will not occur if we allow religious exemptions.”

Pediatrician Kathy Rogers agreed.

“The changes suggested will increase risk of infectious disease and the youngest and the very vulnerable population of infants and children,” she said. “And these changes will become obstructions to parents whose primary aim is to keep their child or children safe in a daycare setting.”

Lisa Casper, executive director of the Association of Montana Public Health Officials, also spoke out against the rule.

“By adding non-medical exemptions and removing staff immunization requirements, the department is posing incredible health risks within child care settings on babies who have not yet completed their vaccine schedule and to children who are immunocompromised,” she said. “Every exemption diminishes herd immunity, which is so critical to our youngest children and therefore the safety of licensed child cares.”

State and local public health officials are reporting the season’s first West Nile virus detections in positive mosquito samples in Dawson and Lewis and Clark counties.

The first horse infected with WNV this season was also confirmed earlier this week in Lewis and Clark County. To date, no human cases of WNV have been identified this season.

Increased risk of the virus infection in humans and horses is expected to continue through at least October.

The detection of West Nile virus in mosquitoes and horses is an early warning that Montanans are at an increased risk of infection. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of avoiding mosquito bites, especially as Montanans enjoy summer and fall days outdoors.

In 2021, two human cases were reported (Rosebud and Lewis and Clark counties), and both were neuroinvasive.

Additionally in 2021, two horses tested positive for WNV (Rosebud and Phillips counties) along with mosquito pools from seven different counties. The number of human cases of West Nile Virus vary from season to season. For example, in 2018 there were 51 human and 50 equine cases reported.

The best way to prevent mosquito-borne diseases, including WNV, is to protect yourself from mosquito bites. While mosquitoes found in Montana are unable to transmit diseases like Zika virus, they can transmit West Nile Virus. The virus can also infect horses and birds, with birds serving as the source of infection for most mosquitoes who then pass the virus along to humans or horses when they bite to take a blood meal.

Most people who become infected with WNV experience no symptoms, but 1 in 5 develop a mild illness, with symptoms such as headache, rash, body aches, joint pains, vomiting or diarrhea. Other individuals, fewer than 1 out of 150, may become severely ill with encephalitis or meningitis (inflammation of the brain or surrounding tissues).

Serious infection in or around the brain is called neuroinvasive disease and is indicated by symptoms such as disorientation, convulsions, vision loss and numbness. If someone develops any of the mild or serious symptoms listed above, they should see their healthcare provider for evaluation and care.

There is no vaccine or targeted medication available for WNV infection other than supportive care. A WNV vaccine is available for horses, and vaccination is highly recommended.

“Mosquito season is West Nile season,” stated DPHHS epidemiologist Devon Cozart. “Detection of West Nile virus in mosquitoes means that it’s currently in Montana, so now is the time to make sure you’re taking precautions against mosquito bites.”

Message from Glasgow School District!

There will be NO SCHOOL at IRLE ELEMENTARY Thursday Aug 25th.

We are experiencing problems with our sewer in the building. We had been working on it all evening in hopes to save the day of school.

Middle School and High School students will have school as scheduled.

We are sorry for this inconvenience to our families!

Release From Glasgow Police Department:

UPDATE
Officers are working diligently investigating the incident from the other day and currently today. We are working to see if the reports have merit. It’s a good reminder to take the time to speak to your kids about:
1. Taking rides from strangers.
2. Talking to strangers.
3. Who their trusted adults are.
Please remain vigilant to things going on, in and around your neighborhood.
If you see anything that looks suspicious or off, please report it to law enforcement right away.
- Chief Weber

POSSIBLE ATTEMPTED CHILD ABDUCTION.
Please be on the lookout for a muddy white cargo van. Driver was an older male with grey hair and a white beard wearing a camouflage tank top. The male offered her a ride home and a stuffed animal. The girl rode off on her bike and told her mom.

The suspect may be from around Glasgow and own a black dog. Please call Valley County Dispatch with any information and don't attempt to make contact with any suspects.

Help keep our kids safe and remember everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks director, deputy director and members of their staff will be visiting regional offices during a tour of the state in August and September.

Director Hank Worsech and deputy director Dustin Temple invite the public to participate in the tour and ask questions during evening open houses.

All meetings begin at 6 p.m. The location and dates are:

Aug. 31: Region 6, at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow, 54250 U.S. Highway 2;

Sept. 6: Region 1 Headquarters in Kalispell, 490 N. Meridian Road;

Sept. 7: Region 2 Headquarters in Missoula, 3201 Spurgin Road;

Sept. 8: Region 4 Headquarters in Great Falls, 4600 Giant Springs Road;

Sept. 14: Region 5 Headquarters in Billings, 2300 Lake Elmo Drive;

While there are still 2 weekends to enjoy Wait Until Dark, the production audiences are calling “totally unique”, “a suspenseful plot, but such fun show“, “amazing visuals”, and “the best design we have ever seen”, FPST has announced their 2023 season. Artistic Director Andy Meyers will return for his 13th summer, and is very excited to announce the diverse show line up for the 54th season. All 5 titles are making their FPST debut!

Hank Williams: Lost Highway: May 26 – June 11
A spectacular musical biography of the legendary singer-songwriter, one of the great innovators of American popular music. The play follows Hank Williams’ rise from his beginnings on the Louisiana Hayride to his triumphs on the Grand Ole Opry. Along the way, audiences are treated to indelible songs like I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry, Move It on Over and Hey, Good Lookin’, which are given fresh and profound resonance set in the context of Williams’ life.

Murder on the Orient Express: June 16 – July 2
Tony Award winner Ken Ludwig’s (Lend Me a Tenor) madcap stage comedy of Agatha Christie’s classic suspense novel. Recently a major motion picture, this stylish murder mystery involves an unlikely cast of suspects trapped aboard the luxurious Orient Express, and one of the most iconic fictional detectives of all time – Hercule Poirot.

Matilda: July 7 – July 23
Winner of nearly 50 international awards and based on the beloved novel by fantastical genius Roald Dahl (Willy Wonka), this captivating modern masterpiece follows young Matilda. Surrounded by larger-than-life characters, her powerful imagination transforms into magical powers and inspirational dreams as she searches for a better life. A new film adaptation of the musical, starring Emma Thompson, is being released in December 2022

White Christmas: July 28 – August 13
Christmas in July! Based on the beloved film starring Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney, this heartwarming, tap-dancing musical extravaganza features Irving Berlin’s beloved songs. Following their service in WWII, veterans Bob and Phil have a successful song-and-dance act. With romance in mind, they follow a duo of beautiful singing sisters to their Christmas show at a Vermont lodge, which just happens to be owned by their former army commander.

Misery: August 18 – September 3
Pam L. Veis and Andy Meyers star in this brand-new stage adaptation of the Academy Award winning Stephen King classic! A thrilling and tense plot unfolds, as a famous novelist finds himself trapped in the secluded home of his “biggest fan”. Following fan favorites The Woman in Black and Wait Until Dark, the famous story will keep audience on the edge of their seats!

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana’s economy continued its strong growth in July, reaching a new record high for the number of Montanans employed. Job creation in Montana grew in July for the 27th consecutive month.

According to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Montana’s labor force added 1,470 workers in July, while Montana’s total employment grew by 712 workers.

“With our focus on trades education and expanding opportunities for good-paying careers, more and more Montanans are getting back to work,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Montana’s record job growth is easing our workforce shortage and providing relief to employers who are hiring.”

Importantly, Montana’s labor force participation rate rose to 62.7% as more and more Montana workers reentered the workforce. Nearly 24,000 workers have been added to Montana’s labor force since Gov. Gianforte took office, and labor force levels are at historic highs. The state’s labor force participation rate is the proportion of the working-age population that is either working or actively looking for work.

Private sector payrolls had a net gain of 500 jobs in July, with health care and social assistance leading the way with 800 jobs added.

Montana’s unemployment rate was 2.7% in July, as labor force growth continued to outpace total employment. The unemployment rate for the U.S. was at 3.5% in July.

The unemployment rate in Valley was 2.3% compared to 3% in July of 2021. There were an additional 52 people employed in Valley County in July of 2022 compared to July of 2021.

The national average for a gallon of regular gas fell 10 cents in the past week to $3.95, due primarily to stable oil prices and fewer drivers than usual fueling up.

“Falling pump prices may eventually lead to more drivers hitting the road again,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “But that hasn’t happened yet. Instead, many drivers are waiting for prices to fall further before reverting to their typical driving habits.”

AAA finds that drivers are making significant changes to cope with high pump prices. In a recent survey, almost two-thirds of U.S. adults have changed their driving habits or lifestyle since March. Drivers’ top two changes to offset high gas prices are driving less and combining errands.

According to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose from 8.54 million b/d to 9.12 million b/d last week. However, the rate is 307,000 b/d lower than last year. Also, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 5 million bbl to 220.3 million bbl. Although gasoline demand has risen and supplies have tightened, easing oil prices have helped lower pump prices. If oil prices edge lower, drivers will likely see falling pump prices.

Today’s national average of $3.94 is 63 cents less than a month ago, but 76 cents more than a year ago.

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Montana is $4.24 per gallon. In Valley County, the average price is $4.02 per gallon.

State health officials want to create a religious exemption from routine vaccinations for kids and staff members in child care facilities and children in certain foster homes.

Under the two proposed administrative rule changes, parents, guardians, and child care staff could submit a notarized affidavit that says being vaccinated against diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough goes against their religious beliefs or practices. The child care measure also would delete an existing requirement that unvaccinated kids stay away from a facility if someone there has contracted a disease against which they are not completely immunized.

The state regulations for foster families currently say all children living in a foster home, other than the foster child, must be immunized against 11 diseases unless they have a medical exemption. The proposed change would add a religious exemption to the medical exemption.

Department of Public Health and Human Services officials wrote that the proposals are meant to comply with two state laws passed in 2021. Senate Bill 215, also known as the Montana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, prohibits the state from burdening a person’s right to the exercise of religion. House Bill 702 bans discrimination based on a person’s vaccination status. Department officials said the child care change will align with existing K-12 school rules that already include a religious exemption.

A 2013 study found that most religions, including many Christian denominations, have no theological objection to vaccinations. Those that do include Dutch Reformed congregations and a handful of faith-healing denominations, while others have restrictions on specific vaccine ingredients.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services is taking comment on the proposed administrative rule changes until Sept. 2.

One measure would create a religious exemption for child care students and staff who haven’t been immunized against diseases such as polio, measles, and whooping cough.

The other would apply to foster families with children in their homes besides the foster child.

The child care measure also would remove an existing requirement that unvaccinated kids stay away from a facility if there’s an outbreak there.

Health department officials say the proposals are meant to comply with two state laws passed in 2021. Senate Bill 215 prohibits the state from burdening a person’s exercise of religion. House Bill 702 bans discrimination based on a person’s vaccine status.

Health officials say the change also would align child care centers with K-12 school rules.

The child care proposal says that smaller and home-based facilities could decide whether to enroll children who are not vaccinated but that they must have a written policy or procedures they can show to parents. Centers that enroll 16 or more kids would not have that option.

The department is taking public comments on the measures until Sept. 2 and will hold a public hearing on Aug. 25 for the child care proposal and Aug. 26 for the foster care measure.

Paula Grassy, whose Helena-based Grassroots Montessori enrolls six preschoolers, said she opposes allowing parents or guardians to refuse to vaccinate children who attend child care because of religious beliefs. “Religion should not play a role in health and safety decisions such as being immunized against serious childhood diseases,” Grassy said.

Cindy Lehnhoff, director of the National Child Care Association, said vaccination exemptions that are “robustly requested and honored” can lower a facility’s overall vaccination rate and put infants and other children not yet fully vaccinated at greater risk.

“Having worked in licensed child care for over 40 years, I know that providers of child care are not for exemptions of any kind that put the health and safety of young children at risk,” Lehnhoff said.

In the Oscar-nominated film version, Audrey Hepburn stars as Suzy Hendrix, a blind woman who must use her wits to outsmart crooks and solve a mystery unfolding right before her eyes. The climax has been heralded as “one of the most thrilling moments of theatre to hit the Broadway stage!”

FPST’s final production of the summer stars Boston based Shelby Art as Suzy, along with Treyson Sherk, Brandon Santos, Bryan Songy, Jay Michael Roberts and Sydney Hayward. Local youth Harper Wesen plays the pivotal role of Gloria.

The production is directed by Artistic Director Andy Meyers. The production, full of special effects and twists & turns, is designed by Jay Michael Roberts (scenic), Mike Post (lighting), Brittany Archambeault (props), Allison Hinkle (costumes) and Corbin Hopkins (sound).

As we celebrate the final show of the 53rd season, FPST thanks the community for all their continued support. Join us opening night, August 19, for some special announcements about the 2023 season!

Performances are August 19 – September 4: Friday & Saturday @ 7:30pm and Sunday @ 4:00pm. For tickets: www.fortpecktheatre.org or call 406-526-9943 or 406-228-9216.

A Canadian citizen, Benjamin Martin Moore, along with his alleged Canadian girlfriend and her two children, crossed into the United States illegally by driving through a barbed wire fence located near the Turner Port of Entry. Havre Border Patrol Station agents detected a cut fence while routinely patrolling along the international boundary. Havre Sector Border Patrol reached out to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police through the Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) charter to assist in the identification of the subject. The man not only crossed the border illegally, but also had a lookout for kidnapping as well a history of sexual assault and child pornography.

Havre Sector utilized a Border Patrol Agent assigned to the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Task Force to assist in locating the man. The man was apprehended through multi-agency assistance and cooperation and is currently in custody pending prosecution.

“I am proud of the work our agents do every day to keep us safe by using their skills as well as interagency relationships to arrest those who have committed crimes in our communities and abroad,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Richard Fortunato. “This is a perfect example of bringing criminals to justice through a whole-of-government approach and working with our international law enforcement partners.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protection welcomes assistance from the community. Individuals can report suspicious activity to Border Patrol by calling 800 BE ALERT or (800) 232-5378. All calls will be answered and remain anonymous.

Since Monday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped nine cents to $3.96. The national average has not been below $4 per gallon since March 5. In the spring, oil prices spiked in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leading the national average to a new all-time high.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand increased from 8.54 million b/d to 9.12 million b/d last week. However, the rate is 307,000 b/d lower than last year. Moreover, according to EIA, total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 5 million bbl to 220.3 million bbl. Although gasoline demand has increased and supply has tightened, lower oil prices have helped lower pump prices. If oil prices continue to decline, drivers will likely continue to see pump prices decrease.

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI increased by $1.43 to settle at $91.93. Crude prices rose yesterday after the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a smaller than expected increase in inflation last month at 8.5 percent. The rise in market optimism helped to boost prices despite EIA reporting that total domestic crude supply increased by 5.4 million bbl last week.

Press Release From Montana Highway Patrol:

Two officers recently received one of our highest awards – the Hedstrom Award – for going above and beyond the call of duty when attempting to save a life using their first responder skills. Please join us in congratulating Trooper T'Elle Evans and former Trooper Benjamin Kecskes and thanking them for their heroic actions.

Trooper T'Elle Evans put herself in harms way to protect, secure, and provide life saving aid to a gunshot victim on May 3rd, 2022 in Wolf Point. She immediately provided medical assistance using her individual first aid kit by applying a chest seal to the gunshot victim.

Former Trooper Benjamin Kecskes performed live-saving maneuvers on May 4th, 2022, when he aided an unresponsive male by administering the AED followed by a jaw-thrust maneuver to help the male's breathing go back to normal and monitored him until EMS arrived.

The Glasgow City Council will have a regular meeting on Monday. Items on the agenda including setting taxes for the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and approving a 5% increase in street maintenance assessments for city residents.

The Montana Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday that more than $1.1 million of grant funding has been awarded to seven of Montana’s Tribal Nations to enhance tourism activities. The grant funding is provided through Commerce’s Tribal Tourism Enhancement Grant (TTEG) program.

The TTEG is a pilot grant program that encouraged each of Montana’s Tribes to submit a competitive portfolio of projects — a ‘wish-list’ of ideas to improve, enhance, or create long-term tourism offerings to their nations. Eligible tourism projects were required to be shovel-ready and demonstrate long-lasting resiliency. Seven of the eight Tribal Nations elected to participate; of the 33 projects evaluated, 21 were eligible for full or partial funding.

TTEG funding recipients:

The Blackfeet Nation will receive $174,641.94 to improve the Buffalo Calf Interpretive Center, add toilets to Buffalo Calf and Duck Lake campgrounds, install interpretive art, offer remote car and boat rental activities, make five new Blackfeet-style tipi lodges available for rent at the campgrounds, and create a buffalo robe for display at the Center.

The Chippewa Cree Tribes of Rocky Boy’s will receive $96,000 to purchase a spectator transport off-road vehicle for its Buffalo Tour, make electrical and lighting upgrades, and install a new public address system at the powwow grounds.

The Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians will receive $147,550 to purchase heavy equipment and landscape maintenance vehicles, make facility repairs, install essential campground amenities, and create a new fish cleaning station at the Hell Creek Recreation Area.

The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck will receive $194,484 for the Tatanka Omaskaskan Buffalo Trail Enhancement project, to renovate the Buffalo Ranch rental facility, and make upgrades to the entrance of Fort Peck.

The Northern Cheyenne Nation will receive $203,813.81 for a shade pavilion at Birney powwow grounds, a memorial statues art installation, powwow arbor improvements at Muddy and Busby districts, and improve the roads, picnic areas, restrooms, and signage at Crazy Heads Recreation Area.

The Crow Nation will receive $90,000 for the expansion of Apsáalooke Tours with the purchase of two lift-equipped shuttle buses, and the development of print materials for tours of Battle Loop, Chief Pretty Eagle Point, Rosebud Battle, Pictograph Cave, and Chief Plenty Coups State Park.
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes will receive $200,000 for structural and maintenance repairs at Elmo’s Standing Arrow Pavilion, dock repairs at Blue Bay Campground on Flathead Lake, and to recarpet the Arlee dance and games pavilions.

The TTEG program was created thanks to a record amount of 2021 bed tax revenue. The program operates on a reimbursement system with no matching requirement, and presents a unique opportunity to fund numerous tourism projects across Indian Country.

To learn more about the Office of Indian Country Economic Development programs, visit BUSINESS.MT.GOV.

In addition, Commerce’s Business MT and Brand MT divisions recently partnered on a $160,000 Indian Country Summer Events advertising campaign that launched in June, using billboards, radio ads, and social media. Each of the eight Tribal regions had one of its summer events selected for the campaign. For more information about events happening at Montana’s Tribal Nations this summer, go to VISITMT.COM.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks annual walleye spawn egg-take on Fort Peck Reservoir was completed at the end of April. In addition, stocking efforts were completed in June across Montana.
With the help of FWP personnel and 58 volunteers, the egg collection goals were exceeded. A total of 2,796 walleye were captured in trap nets, with approximately 96 million eggs collected.

“Inclement weather during the first part of April made collection efforts challenging with gusty winds and cold-water temperatures, but FWP staff and volunteers persevered,” said Fort Peck Reservoir biologist Heath Headley. “Water temperatures returned to more normal conditions towards the end of the end of April and walleye responded very favorably.”

Volunteers
Volunteers are key to this operation. This is the first time in the last three seasons, due to the pandemic, that FWP staff were able to gain the valuable help from volunteers.
“It was great to see many returning faces, and we enjoyed meeting many new volunteers,” said Fort Peck Hatchery manager Wade Geraets. “It was great to see the volunteers back in action and helping with this wonderful program this year, and we hope for another exciting and fulfilling year in 2023.”
“We wouldn’t be able to set all the trap nets, collect fish, and spawn them on a daily basis unless we had help,” added Headley. “Volunteers are the main reason this has been so successful over the years.”

Stocking totals
Roughly 51 million eggs remained at the Fort Peck Multi-Species Fish Hatchery, with about 45 million eggs going to the Miles City Hatchery.
“Not all of these eggs survive to the hatching and fry or fingerling stage, but overall, the hatcheries had good success for stocking Montana lakes and reservoirs,” explained Geraets.
Combined stocking efforts from the Fort Peck and Miles City hatcheries resulted in approximately 29.8 million fry stocked back into the Fort Peck Reservoir, and 1 million fry into Tongue River Reservoir this spring.

In addition, approximately 3.2 million fingerlings from the hatcheries have been released into various water bodies this summer, including:

Region 7
• Tongue River Reservoir- 52.5 thousand
• South Sandstone Reservoir- 10 thousand
• Lake Baker- 5 thousand
• Beaver Creek- 2 thousand
• Castle Rock Reservoir- 1 thousand

Region 6
• Fort Peck Reservoir- 2.9 million
• Nelson Reservoir- 100 thousand
• Fresno Reservoir- 50 thousand
• Beaver Creek Reservoir- 15.5 thousand
• Little Nelson Reservoir- 5 thousand
• Box Elder Lake- 5 thousand
• Ester Lake- 4 thousand
• Cow Creek Reservoir- 3 thousand
• Anita Reservoir- 5 thousand

Region 4
• Lake Frances- 50.6 thousand
• Petrolia Reservoir-20.9 thousand
• Bynum Reservoir- 50 thousand

Montana electric and natural gas customers of NorthWestern Energy can expect one possible rate increase in October, and another sometime in the next year as the company begins a rate case before the Montana Public Service Commission.

On Monday, NorthWestern Energy applied for approval from the PSC for the utility to increase rates for both electric and natural gas customers. If approved by the PSC, an immediate interim rate increase would begin Oct. 1, and raise residential electric rates by 15.9 percent and natural gas rates by 2.3 percent.

For an average residential electric customer using about 750 kilowatt-hours of electricity a month, their monthly bill would go from $89.04 to $103.22 – a $14.18 increase, said Jo Dee Black, NorthWestern spokesperson.

The average residential natural gas customer using 65 therms of natural gas a month would see their monthly bill rise from $68.49 to $70.09 – an about $1.60 increase.

Company Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Crystal Lail said NorthWestern Energy set its prices last based on number from 2017 on the electric side and 2015 on the natural gas side.

“Since then, we’ve invested over a billion in the state of Montana and critical infrastructure,” Lail said. “The ‘Why now’ is, we’re coming in to adjust our prices just like everyone else based off costs going up for us.”

The interim rate increase must be approved by the PSC within the next couple months. However, in its application the company also sought a permanent rate increase of 25.6 percent for electric and 11.1 percent for natural gas.

If the PSC approved the rate increase, which would likely happen sometime in 2023, an average residential customer’s monthly electric bill would rise from $89.04 to $111.80 – an increase of about $22.76.

The average residential customer’s natural gas bill would rise from $68.49 to $76.06 – an increase of $7.57.

However, the increases are still just proposals. The Montana Consumer Counsel, a state agency representing ratepayers, will have an opportunity to intervene in the case as well as other interested parties affected by the proposed rate increase can intervene in the rate case. Members of the public can intervene independent from the consumer counsel. People who do not want to formally intervene can submit written public comment to the PSC.

“We understand that it's incredibly tough for customers right now,” Lail said “Pricing on everything is going up. And importantly, we want customers to know that we have resources to help them.”

Customers in need of help with paying bills can reach out to NorthWestern Energy to learn more about programs such as budget billing, which keeps bills consistent throughout the year and avoids spikes during high energy use months, such as during the winter. The state also offers a Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, which assists low-income households with heating costs, Black said.

A copy of NorthWestern’s application is available online on the PSC’s website. The tracking number is 2022.07.078. Instructions on how to become an interested party can be found under the PSC’s "Notice of Opportunity to Intervene" filing.

Yard of the Week as selected by the Glasgow City Council
Jennifer Fewer
79 Bonnie St

While the Missouri River basin has seen improved runoff for two consecutive months, it is not enough to overcome the long-term drought persisting in much of the basin.

July runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 3.2 million acre-feet, which is 98% of average and 0.7 MAF more than was forecast last month. This has led to an annual runoff forecast of 20.6 MAF, which is 80% of average and 0.6 MAF higher than last month’s forecast.

“As expected, reservoir inflows in July have been declining due to the warmer and drier conditions in the upper Missouri River Basin,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Per the July 1 System storage check, navigation support was increased slightly to 500 cubic feet per second above minimum-service levels. The navigation support season will be 3 days shorter than normal per the guidance in the Master Manual,” added Remus.

USACE will evaluate lower Missouri River flow conditions to set Gavins Point releases to ensure that flows at the four downstream navigation target locations will be at or above the target levels.

“The monthly study indicates that the winter release from Gavins Point, which is based on the September 1 System storage check, will likely be at a minimum rate of 12,000 cfs,” added Remus.

System storage peaked on July 20 at 52.1 MAF. System storage on August 1 was 51.8 MAF, 4.3 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Zone. “System storage is expected to continue to decline further into the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during the remainder of 2022 as we make releases during the drier summer and fall periods to meet the authorized purposes,” said Remus.

Drought Conditions:

Overall drought conditions across the basin changed little during the month of July. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, approximately 62% of the Missouri River basin is currently experiencing some form of abnormally dry or drought conditions, with 6% being extreme or exceptional drought. The seasonal drought outlook, which extends through the end of October, shows drought conditions will persist and expand across the lower basin. Drought information can be viewed at: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Navigation:

Gavins Point Dam releases will be set to provide navigation flow support at a level 500 cfs above minimum service at all four target locations (Sioux City, Omaha, Nebraska City, and Kansas City). Flow targets may be missed to conserve water if there is no commercial navigation in a given reach. The navigation flow support season will be 3 days less than the normal 8-month season.

Mountain Snowpack:

Mountain snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin was completely melted by the first week of July. The mountain snowpack peaked above Fort Peck on April 29 at 85% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach peaked on May 3 at 92% of average. Mountain snowpack normally peaks near April 17.

Reservoir Forecasts:

Gavins Point Dam
Average releases past month – 22,600 cfs
Current release rate – 25,000 cfs
Forecast release rate –26,300 cfs
End-of-July reservoir level – 1206.2 feet
Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1206.5 feet
Notes: The Gavins Point release will be adjusted to provide navigation flow support 500 cfs above minimum service on the lower Missouri River.

Fort Randall Dam
Average releases past month – 21,700 cfs
End-of-July reservoir level – 1354.8 feet
Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1355.1 feet
Notes: Releases will be adjusted as necessary to maintain the desired reservoir elevation at Gavins Point and to back up Gavins Point releases.

Big Bend Dam
Average releases past month – 20,200 cfs
Forecast average release rate – 26,300 cfs
Forecast reservoir level – 1420.6 feet

Oahe Dam
Average releases past month – 21,200 cfs
Forecast average release rate – 26,400 cfs
End-of-July reservoir level – 1598.4 feet (near July 1 level)
Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1597.1 feet

Garrison Dam
Average releases past month – 20,800 cfs
Current release rate – 21,000 cfs
Forecast release rate – 21,000 cfs
End-of-July reservoir level – 1838.0 feet (up 2.2 feet from July 1)
Forecast end-of-August reservoir level –1836.9 feet
Notes – Releases will be maintained at 21,000 cfs through mid-September.

Fort Peck Dam
Average releases past month – 7,600 cfs
Current release rate – 8,000 cfs
Forecast average release rate – 8,000 cfs
End-of-July reservoir level – 2222.2 feet (near July 1 level)
Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 2221.4 feet
Notes: Releases will be maintained at 8,000 cfs through mid-September.

Hydropower:

The six mainstem power plants generated 728 million kWh of electricity in July. Typical energy generation for July is 960 million kWh. The power plants are expected to generate 7.1 billion kWh this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh.

Glasgow Head Start is now taking applications for the 2022/2023 school year. The program runs five days a week, Monday-Friday 8:30 am to 12:30 pm.

Head Start provides breakfast and lunch- indoor and outdoor play. The Preschool is FREE. To enroll in the program children must be: Three or four years old of age by September 10th, meet income eligibility guidelines, The program can enroll 10% of the children that exceed the income guidelines if slots are available, and 10% of slots are made available for children with disabilities.

If you are interested in applying, please compete an application. Applications can be picked up at Glasgow Head Start-839 1st Ave South Glasgow MT 59230 or call (406)228-2404. ENROLLMENT is limited so ENROLL today!!!!

Glasgow, Mont. –- Great American Outdoors Act funding is giving the Bureau of Land Management’s Grub Dam a new lease on life in Valley County, Montana.

Workers recently broke ground on a rehabilitation project to restore the 58-year-old dam, which attracts many recreational visitors to its approximately 690-surface-acre reservoir amidst more than 500,000 acres of BLM-managed lands. Located about 22 miles southwest of Glasgow, the dam also serves as a portion of Beaver Branch Road and provides critical transportation infrastructure for the public.

Grub dam is also crucial for providing a consistent water source for wildlife habitat, wildfire suppression and livestock grazing. At full pool, the reservoir can store up to 4,054.3 acre-feet of water – enough to fill more than 2000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Original construction of the 2,339-feet-long, 21-feet-high, earthen-filled gravity dam was completed in 1964 for the primary purpose of flood-risk reduction in the Milk River Basin. Grub reservoir also has a riparian area that provides habitat for many wildlife species. If left unrepaired, the dam posed a safety risk to the recreating public, as well as possible liability from potential flood damage to downstream access roads and grazing allotments.

The reconstruction project is helping BLM plan for the future by modernizing the dam’s infrastructure. Modernization features of the Grub Dam project include replacing the existing steel outlet works with a reinforced concrete outlet works to mitigate potential dam failure, according to Mike Borgreen, BLM’s acting Glasgow Field Office manager. And, the work involved with accomplishing that challenged normal operating budgets.

“We had to defer maintenance on the dam for several years, and thanks to GAOA funding, we now can make Grub Dam safer and better than ever,” said Borgreen.

The Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA, Public Law 116-152) was signed into law on August 4, 2020, providing major investments to address deferred maintenance needs, increase recreational access to our public lands, and conserve our lands and waters. The Grub Dam rehabilitation project is one of 13 projects in Montana designated to receive GAOA funding – https://www.blm.gov/about/laws-and-regulations/infrastructure/great-american-outdoors-act.

A $1.53-million contract to perform the work was awarded March 8, 2022, to Youderian Construction Inc., a registered small business based in Stanford, Montana.

Some of the major work items include dewatering the reservoir and construction area, excavating a portion of the existing dam embankment and foundation to remove the old outlet works, constructing the new outlet works, replacing and compacting the foundation and embankment materials, constructing a new principal spillway and restoring the road surface across the dam. Contractors will also reclaim all disturbed areas, including staging areas and temporary roads, preparing the work site for reseeding.

Work is on track for completion by the end of October.

We had a mix of weather on Thursday in Glasgow, starting with a new record high for the date. The temperature hit 106 at the airport at 3:26 p.m., breaking the 102 mark set back in 1964.

The heat was followed by strong thunderstorms that moved through the area on Friday night. Glasgow received three hundredths of an inch of rain, and wind gusts to 49 m.p.h. There were reports of a 60 m.p.h. gust at St. Marie and Hell Creek and 68 m.p.h. at Devil's Creek Recreation Area in Garfield County.

Much cooler weather is in store for the weekend: Friday highs expected back down to the mid-eighties, and Saturday highs only to the upper sixties.

The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and Flathead City-County Health Department today confirmed a single presumptive case of monkeypox virus infection in a Flathead County adult.

Initial testing was completed August 5, 2022, at the Montana State Public Health Laboratory and confirmatory testing will occur next with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

DPHHS is working closely with local public health and the patient’s health care provider to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient while they were infectious. The local public health jurisdiction is performing contact tracing and will communicate with individuals identified as a close contact. The patient did not require hospitalization and is isolating at home. To protect patient confidentiality, no further details related to the patient will be disclosed.

As of August 4, 2022, CDC reports 7,102 cases of monkeypox/orthopoxvirus in 48 other U.S. states. In recent months, more than 26,519 cases have been reported in 81 countries where the disease is not typically reported.

Symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body.

The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks and most people get better on their own without treatment. At times, monkeypox can cause scars from the sores, the development of secondary infections, such as pneumonia, or other complications.

The virus does not easily spread between people with casual contact, but transmission can occur through contact with infectious sores and body fluids; contaminated items, such as clothing or bedding; or through respiratory droplets associated with prolonged face-to-face contact.

“Early recognition of the characteristic monkeypox rash by patients and clinicians is necessary to minimize transmission of this virus,” said DPHHS acting State Medical Officer Dr. Maggie Cook-Shimanek. “Anyone with symptoms of monkeypox should isolate from others and immediately consult a healthcare provider.”

Because monkeypox transmission requires close and prolonged contact, close-knit social networks have been particularly impacted.

There is no treatment specifically for monkeypox. But because monkeypox and smallpox viruses are closely related, antiviral drugs (such as tecovirimat) and vaccines developed to protect against smallpox may be used to prevent and treat monkeypox virus infections. The need for treatment will depend on how sick someone gets or whether they are likely to get severely ill. DPHHS is pre-positioning a supply of tecovirimat in the state for use, if necessary. CDC does not recommend widespread vaccination against monkeypox at this time. However, vaccination may be recommended for some people who have been exposed to the monkeypox virus.

According to the CDC, the monkeypox virus is spreading mostly through close, intimate contact with someone who has monkeypox.

Montanans can take steps to prevent getting monkeypox.

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

A person who is sick with monkeypox should isolate at home. If they have an active rash or other symptoms, they should be in a separate room or area from other family members and pets, when possible.

To learn more about this virus, visit the CDC website here https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/.

DPHHS has also launched a new monkeypox website here at (mt.gov).

A strong thunderstorm system is expected to move through the Glasgow area between 6 and 6:30 p.m. tonight. The thunderstorms created wind gusts over 50mph earlier this afternoon in Fergus County.

From the Valley County Health Department:
Since our update on July 11, we have added 6 new COVID positive persons and have 18 persons currently active. We are going the right direction!

Free at-home COVID tests are back in stock at VCHD and 5th Avenue Pharmacy. Stay healthy, Valley County!

OMAHA, Neb. – While the Missouri River basin has seen improved runoff for two consecutive months, it is not enough to overcome the long-term drought persisting in much of the basin.

July runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa was 3.2 million acre-feet, which is 98% of average and 0.7 MAF more than was forecast last month. This has led to an annual runoff forecast of 20.6 MAF, which is 80% of average and 0.6 MAF higher than last month’s forecast.

“As expected, reservoir inflows in July have been declining due to the warmer and drier conditions in the upper Missouri River Basin,” said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. “Per the July 1 System storage check, navigation support was increased slightly to 500 cubic feet per second above minimum-service levels. The navigation support season will be 3 days shorter than normal per the guidance in the Master Manual,” added Remus.

USACE will evaluate lower Missouri River flow conditions to set Gavins Point releases to ensure that flows at the four downstream navigation target locations will be at or above the target levels.
“The monthly study indicates that the winter release from Gavins Point, which is based on the September 1 System storage check, will likely be at a minimum rate of 12,000 cfs,” added Remus.

System storage peaked on July 20 at 52.1 MAF. System storage on August 1 was 51.8 MAF, 4.3 MAF below the base of the Annual Flood Control and Multiple Use Zone. “System storage is expected to continue to decline further into the Carryover Multiple Use Zone during the remainder of 2022 as we make releases during the drier summer and fall periods to meet the authorized purposes,” said Remus.

Drought Conditions:
Overall drought conditions across the basin changed little during the month of July. According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, approximately 62% of the Missouri River basin is currently experiencing some form of abnormally dry or drought conditions, with 6% being extreme or exceptional drought. The seasonal drought outlook, which extends through the end of October, shows drought conditions will persist and expand across the lower basin. Drought information can be viewed at: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Navigation:
Gavins Point Dam releases will be set to provide navigation flow support at a level 500 cfs above minimum service at all four target locations (Sioux City, Omaha, Nebraska City, and Kansas City). Flow targets may be missed to conserve water if there is no commercial navigation in a given reach. The navigation flow support season will be 3 days less than the normal 8-month season.

Mountain Snowpack:
Mountain snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin was completely melted by the first week of July. The mountain snowpack peaked above Fort Peck on April 29 at 85% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach peaked on May 3 at 92% of average. Mountain snowpack normally peaks near April 17.

The mountain snowpack graphics can be viewed at: http://go.usa.gov/xARQC.

Monthly Water Management Conference Calls
Water management calls include an update on the Missouri River mainstem reservoir system operations. The next call for 2022 will be held Thursday, August 4. All calls are recorded in their entirety and are available to the public on our website at https://go.usa.gov/xARQv.

Reservoir Forecasts:
• Gavins Point Dam
o Average releases past month – 22,600 cfs
o Current release rate – 25,000 cfs
o Forecast release rate –26,300 cfs
o End-of-July reservoir level – 1206.2 feet
o Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1206.5 feet
o Notes: The Gavins Point release will be adjusted to provide navigation flow support 500 cfs above minimum service on the lower Missouri River.

• Fort Randall Dam
o Average releases past month – 21,700 cfs
o End-of-July reservoir level – 1354.8 feet
o Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1355.1 feet
o Notes: Releases will be adjusted as necessary to maintain the desired reservoir elevation at Gavins Point and to back up Gavins Point releases.

• Big Bend Dam
o Average releases past month – 20,200 cfs
o Forecast average release rate – 26,300 cfs
o Forecast reservoir level – 1420.6 feet

• Oahe Dam
o Average releases past month – 21,200 cfs
o Forecast average release rate – 26,400 cfs
o End-of-July reservoir level – 1598.4 feet (near July 1 level)
o Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 1597.1 feet

• Garrison Dam
o Average releases past month – 20,800 cfs
o Current release rate – 21,000 cfs
o Forecast release rate – 21,000 cfs
o End-of-July reservoir level – 1838.0 feet (up 2.2 feet from July 1)
o Forecast end-of-August reservoir level –1836.9 feet
o Notes – Releases will be maintained at 21,000 cfs through mid-September.

Fort Peck Dam
o Average releases past month – 7,600 cfs
o Current release rate – 8,000 cfs
o Forecast average release rate – 8,000 cfs
o End-of-July reservoir level – 2222.2 feet (near July 1 level)
o Forecast end-of-August reservoir level – 2221.4 feet
o Notes: Releases will be maintained at 8,000 cfs through mid-September.

The forecast reservoir releases and elevations discussed above are not definitive. Additional precipitation, lack of precipitation or other circumstances could cause adjustments to the reservoir release rates.

Hydropower:
The six mainstem power plants generated 728 million kWh of electricity in July. Typical energy generation for July is 960 million kWh. The power plants are expected to generate 7.1 billion kWh this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh.
To view the detailed three-week release forecast for the mainstem dams, go to https://go.usa.gov/xARQB.

Beginning August 4th, 2022, the KGGW WSR-88D radar operated by the NOAA National Weather Service in Glasgow, Montana will be down for approximately seven days for the replacement of the generator, fuel tanks, and accompanying components. This activity is important to support the radar’s operation during periods of commercial power outages, specifically when hazardous weather is present.

This generator update is the fifth major project of the NEXRAD Service Life Extension Program, a series of upgrades and replacements that will keep our nation’s radars viable into the 2030’s. NOAA National Weather Service, the United States Air Force, and the Federal Aviation Administration are investing $150 million in the seven year program. The first project was the installation of the new signal processor and the second project was the transmitter refurbishment. The two remaining projects are the refurbishment of the pedestal and equipment shelters. The Service Life Extension Program will complete in 2023.

During the downtime, adjacent radars include: KTFX (Great Falls, MT), KBLX
(Billings, MT), KBIS (Bismarck, ND), and KMBX (Minot AFB). For direct access to
any of these surrounding radar sites, go to the following web page:
https://radar.weather.gov/

The KGGW WSR-88D is part of a network of 159 operational radars. The Radar
Operations Center in Norman, Oklahoma, provides lifecycle management and
support for all WSR-88Ds.

For a radar mosaic loop of eastern Montana, please visit: https://radar.weather.gov
The National Weather Service in Glasgow, MT can be found on social media at
https://www.facebook.com/NWSGlasgow and https://twitter.com/NWSGlasgow.

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning and a Heat Advisory in effect until 9 p.m. Temperatures are predicted to hit 103 this afternoon in Glasgow; downtown, the temperature was already at 98 degrees at the KLTZ/Mix-93 studios at 11:30 a.m.

How hot has it been in eastern Montana? In Glasgow, the temperature has reached 90°F 24 times this summer and 20 times in Glendive. It has hit 100° 4 times for both locations and today should be the fifth time. The record high for today's date in Glasgow is 105, set back in 1949.

On Wednesday the Valley County Commissioners approved another $500,000 appropriation to Valley View Nursing Home.

Earlier this year, the Commissioners had approved an initial $500,000 appropriation to Valley View with the thought they would appropriate another $500,000 later in the year.

The money being appropriated by Valley County comes from American Rescue Plan Act money which Valley County received from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This money is separate from the levy approved by Valley County Voters in June. That money comes from property taxes paid by Valley County residents and is $300,000 per year for 3 years which also will go to Valley View Nursing Home.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks officials say stage 1 fire restrictions are now in place in Big Horn, Musselshell, Yellowstone and Phillips counties.

Those restrictions mean campfires are not allowed, smoking is only allowed in an enclosed vehicle or building or a developed recreation site.

FWP released the following information:

Big Horn, Musselshell, Yellowstone and Phillips counties are in stage 1 fire restrictions. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks follows the county’s lead in placing fire restrictions on its properties within a particular county.

Under stage 1 restrictions, building, maintaining, attending or using a fire or campfire at FWP sites is not allowed. People may only smoke within an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site or while stopped in an area at least 3 feet in diameter cleared of flammable materials. People may cook on a liquid petroleum gas or propane stove that can be turned on and off.

Exceptions to these restrictions include the picnic areas at Chief Plenty Coups State Park in Bighorn County and Lake Elmo in Yellowstone County, where cooking fires are allowed in designated barbecues.

The following FWP sites in Phillips County are under these fire restrictions: Cole Ponds FAS, Bjornberg Bridge FAS, Alkali Creek FAS, Cree Crossing WMA, Sleeping Buffalo WMA, and Dodson Dam WMA.

These restrictions at FWP sites will be in place until further notice. FWP urges people to use caution while they are out recreating due to dry conditions and fire dangers.

The start of the school year is right around the corner, and with it comes some changes.

As life returns to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic, so does the public school lunch program. Starting this year, it will once again be the parents’ responsibility to cover paying for their child’s meals.

For the past two years, the USDA provided waivers to public school districts, allowing them to cover all their meals for free. That benefit was not renewed for the 2022-23 school year.

In April, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) and other democrats introduced legislation that would have extended the waivers, but there has not been any movement on the proposal.

“The Senator’s Support Kids Not Red Tape Act would provide a longer-term solution that would keep kids fed year-round at no cost to parents. He’ll keep pushing that through the Senate,” a Tester spokesperson said in a statement.

For now, the Glasgow School District recommends applying for free/reduced meals even if you’re not sure if you’ll qualify.

For more specific information on your school's meal policy, contact the school district office.

$600 Resolution, for ages 3-18, fully enrolled Fort Peck Tribal members, was passed Tuesday to help with school clothes.

Local checks will be handed out tentatively on Thursday, August 4, 2022, 8:00 A.M., at Poplar, Montana at the Cultural Center. All off-reservation checks will be mailed out. If you cannot pick up your check(s) on this day, they will be mailed out to you as well. Also, if you have any Custody Issues with your children, please bring your legal Custody Papers.

The Glasgow City Council met on Monday. Here are the decisions made at the meeting:

The Council gave final approval for a 2% increase in water and sewer rates for city customers. The base rate for residential water will increase to $28.71 in October. The sewer base rate will increase to $45.75 in October for all users of city sewer.

Approval was given to pay T & R Trucking $22,193.10 per month for a yearly total of of $266,317.16. T & R Trucking provides garbage pickup for the City of Glasgow.

Approved writing off $886.34 in delinquent water bills.

Approved hiring Meaghan Schultz for a part-time administrative position in the city office.

Tabled a water committee recommendation to allow Russell and Brianna Leader to connect to city services without annexation.

Hired David George as a contracted consultant to the water department on an as needed basis.

Pictured: Holden Kloker with a bat detector

FORT PECK – What do bats do at night? Aerobatics! Join Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a night walk learning about and observing these fascinating creatures.

The Bat Walk will take place beginning at the Downstream Campground Amphitheater, starting at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, August 5.

To kick things off, FWP Region 6 biologist Nikie Hussey will deliver a presentation on bats and their importance in our ecosystem. This will be immediately followed by a “bat walk” around the Downstream Nature Trail in search of bats as they begin their nighttime hunting. FWP will provide a variety of “bat detecting” devices so you will be able to “hear” the bats hunting and navigating, and other equipment to “see” their echolocation calls on iPads!

In addition, the Fort Peck Interpretive Center will have other bat-themed activities going on over the weekend, including making bat origami, exploring myths and facts about bats, and learning about bat anatomy.

Everyone is welcome to the bat walk, but we encourage any youngsters under the age of 12 to be accompanied by an adult. Some suggested items to bring include a flashlight/headlamp or glow sticks, bug spray, and sturdy walking shoes. We will see you there!

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks is seeking public comment on ice fishing contests proposed for the 2022-2023 season.

Participants must comply with state fishing regulations, including daily and possession limits.

Applications for fishing contests may be approved, approved with conditions, or denied. Conditions placed on contests may help to minimize fish mortality, regulate harvest, reduce user conflicts, and/or require additional access site maintenance when needed.

Local proposed contests include:

The Central MT Perch Derby on January 14th-15th on East Fork Reservoir near Lewistown
The Woodsy Cup on February 4th on Ackley Lake
The Valier Area Development Corp Ice Fishing Derby on January 14th on Lake Frances
The Western Bar Larry Krone Memorial Fishing Derby on January 21st on Willow Creek Reservoir
The 23rd Chamber Ice Fishing Derby on January 28th on Fort Peck
The Chinook Rod & Gun Club Ice Fishing Derby on February 4th at Dry Fork Reservoir
The Fresno Ice Fishing Tournament on January 2nd at Fresno Reservoir
The Hell Creek Marina Tournament on February 11th at Hell Creek Bay on Fort Peck
The Ice Classic Fishing Tournament on January 28th at Nelson Reservoir

Information on the proposed fishing contests can be found on the FWP website or by calling 406-444-2449. All comments must be received by September 14th.

Comments may be mailed to FWP Fisheries Division, Attn: Fishing Contest, P.O. Box 200701, Helena, MT 59620-0701, or emailed to fwpfish@mt.gov.

Tester Secures $57 Million for Broadband in Rural Montana Communities and Indian Country
Funding will comes from USDA’s ReConnect Program

(U.S. Senate) – In his continued effort to close the digital divide in rural Montana communities, U.S. Senator Jon Tester announced that he secured $57 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service ReConnect grants for broadband expansion in rural areas and Indian Country. The grants, which were funded through Fiscal Year 2021 appropriations, will go to the Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative in Ravalli County, Nemont in Roosevelt and Valley Counties and the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, and the Reservation Telephone Cooperative in Richland and Wibaux Counties.

“Limited access to broadband networks is one of the top issues facing Montana’s rural communities – and one that was only worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic when folks were forced to rely on technology more than ever before,” Tester said. “These resources will not only make it easier for folks across the Treasure State to stay connected, but they’ll also help small businesses expand and create jobs, provide rural students with access to high quality education, and allow folks to access affordable telehealth services instead of driving hundreds of miles to the doctor. I’m proud to have secured these investments that will strengthen our communities and grow our economy.”

A breakdown of the projects can be found below:

· $4 million to Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative (Ravalli County) – will serve 89 people, five businesses, and 47 farms.

· $24.5 million to Nemont (Roosevelt and Valley Counties and the Fort Peck Indian Reservation) – will serve 1,068 people, 25 businesses, and 282 farms.

· $18.5 million to Reservation Telephone Cooperative (Richland and Wibaux Counties and three counties in North Dakota) – will serve 67 businesses, 4 public schools, and 91 farms.

As a farmer in an area without cell phone service, Tester has been a Montana’s leading champion for broadband expansion to rural communities. In December of 2018, he helped secure $600 million to launch the ReConnect Program to expand high-speed internet in rural communities across the country.

Tester has also aggressively pushed the FCC to improve broadband access in rural America, and has asked the FCC to take concrete steps to increase the accuracy of broadband maps. In 2019, Tester introduced the Broadband Data Improvement Act, which would increase funding for broadband buildout in rural areas by improving the accuracy of broadband coverage map.

Last year, Tester worked across the aisle to negotiate his bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which included $65 billion to deploy broadband access to communities lacking internet access and affordable online connectivity.

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warning from noon to 9 p.m. both today and on Tuesday for very hot and dry conditions.

The high today is expected over 100 in Glasgow, and near 100 tomorrow. Combined with winds northwest 15-25mph today and 20-30mph tomorrow, along with low humidity dropping to near 5%, area residents are asked to be very vigilant.

There's also a heat advisory from 10 a.m. til 9 p.m. and a lake wind advisory from noon til 9 p.m.

The Glasgow City Council will meet Monday afternoon at 4:30 at the council chambers in the civic center.

There will be a second reading of the ordinance regarding new residential and commercial sewer charges in Glasgow, and a first reading of an ordinance regarding amendment of Glasgow's building codes.

Also on the agenda, a request to hire Meaghan Schultz for a part-time administration position, and a water committee recommendation to hire Dave George as a contracted consultant to the water department on an as needed basis.

There will also be an updated on the swimming pool from Kaden Bedwell of Interstate Engineering, and a levee safety report.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Hunter Education in-person course date has been set for Monday, August 8th in Glasgow.

All hunter education classes are free of charge. In-person, instructor-led hunter education classroom courses are available to anyone age 10 & older. Students must be registered prior to attending a class.

To find an in-person course & register, go to https://fwp.mt.gov/education/hunter-education. Make sure to print, read & sign any necessary paperwork ahead of the class. Directions & other detailed information can be found on the registration page.

Cub Scout Day Camp was held at the Boy Scout Park near Fort Peck on Saturday July 30, with about 30 adults and youth attending from Malta, Glasgow, and Nashua.

Montana Council BSA district executive Dave Snyder from Lewistown enlisted lots of volunteers to put this event on. Activities included Slingshot, B-B’s, nature walk, fishing, STEM activities, crafts, and assembling simple boats to race in rain gutters filled with water.

The youth were divided into groups and rotated every half hour between the different stations. At the STEM station, Cindee Parker had the youth make Simple Popsickle Stick Catapults, Oobleck – a Non-Newtonian Fluid, and Twirling Toys.

If you want to get involved, enroll or volunteer, contact Dave Snyder at (406) 366-9055 or Mike Carney at (406) 654-4350.

This week's Yard Of The Week award goes to Ed and Phoebe Schack at 926 6th Ave South in Glasgow