We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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Montana State University Extension is kicking off the new year with several workshops and seminars that may be of interest to Blaine County residents. All of these programs are free and available virtually so that even those engaged in winter travel can participate, provided they have WiFi access. These programs include MontGuide Mondays and Tuesday Tips. Blaine County Extension Agent, Juli Snedigar explains that MontGuide Mondays will run from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. each Monday in January and...
Blaine County's Ag/4-H Extension Agent, Juli Snedigar recently announced two programs that may interest area producers. The Soil Fertility Webinar Series with presenter Dr. Clain Jones and the Winter Producer Series hosted in a partnership with North Central Montana Stockgrowers both began on January 6. The MSU Extension Winter 2021 Soil Fertility Webinar Series will run every Wednesday through February 23. These weekly webinars will be broadcast live with Dr. Jones, who is a Soil Fertility Prof...
In their bi-monthly ritual of presenting C.A.R.E. Awards, officials from Northern Montana Health Care (NMHC) announced their most recent recipient. Registered Nurse Leanne (Standiford) Brewer, a member of the Medical/Surgical Nursing Team at Northern Montana Hospital, received the honor during the third week of December. Brewer, who is a resident of Chinook, has worked at the hospital since February of 2017. She was nominated for this honor by her co-workers, who complimented her...
With the end of the holidays, the Sweet Memorial Nursing Home is implementing a two-week period of no visitors but welcoming the vaccine for COVID-19. Visitations are scheduled to restart after January 18. According to Sweet Memorial Nursing Home (SMNH) Administrator Rebecca Shackelford, the "no visitors" policy is meant to mitigate a spike in COVID cases. "The holidays felt different here for sure," Shackelford said. "But we have been without a positive COVID case since December 2, which has be...
MSU Extension Agent for Blaine County, Juli Snedigar announced last week that the next session of the Solid Finances webinar series for the 2020-2021 year begins today, January 13, at 12:05 p.m. Each fifty-minute program in the series is designed to provide adults with an unbiased resource for enhancing their personal financial skills. The presenter of today’s installment is Carrie Johnson of North Dakota State University Extension. In her broadcast, “Medicare,” Johnson will explain the government health insurance program that covers peopl...
Officials from the Montana Department of Livestock announced recently that the Montana Livestock Brand Re-record period began January 1, 2021 and will end at midnight on December 31, 2021. Brand Re-record packets were sent to registered brand owners during the week of December 14, 2020. During this one-year period, the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) will be re-recording 55,576 Montana Livestock Brands. Every ten years, those who own a brand for cattle, horses, sheep, and bison in the...
Nature’s fireworks lit up the night sky with the first major meteor shower of 2021 between the hours of 2 a.m. and dawn on January 3. Anyone who had the right viewing conditions was treated to the Quadrantid meteor shower, which is known for its bright fireballs. Unfortunately, the bright waning gibbous moon served as a viewing obstacle during the peak hours of this year’s celestial event. The American Meteor Society reported that “the best strategy to see the most activity was to face the northeast quadrant of the sky and center your view...
The Hi-Line Arts Council, a newly formed organization committed to empowering North Central Montana communities through the support and promotion of arts, culture, and creative expression, held its inaugural event on December 20. Their first performer, in what the group hopes will be a series of high caliber community arts-based events, was world renowned pianist Philip Aaberg. Aaberg is a Chester native who has received both Grammy and Emmy nominations and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in music...
Because of her philosophy that principals need to have fun too, Shiloh Seymour's costume count is increasing. Wearing costume number three, she visited classrooms on December 21 as the Gingerbread Man. On Friday, December 18, she dressed as Santa Claus to distribute gifts donated through the Toys for Tots program. The costume collection began this past spring after Seymour and Assistant Principal, Evelyn Bigby, searched for creative ways to connect with their students at Harlem Elementary...
In early November, the Fund for Teachers organization announced a professional development opportunity for educators. The online application process is now open. It closes on January 21, 2021, with award notifications made on March 30, 2021. A spokesperson for the Fund said: “We believe that now more than ever teachers need opportunities to look beyond limitations to enrich their practice and to engage students in new ways. Therefore, we are very excited to announce that Fund for Teachers will extend 2021 grants to a new cohort of teachers. Y...
With a link uploaded to Chinook School’s Facebook page on December 16, people were invited to the Chinook High School’s Winter Music Concert available on YouTube. This announcement suggested that viewers could enjoy the concert from the comfort of their own homes. The concert opened with the seventh and eighth grade bands playing “Jingle Bells,” an instrumental piece arranged by Ed Sueda. That musical number was followed by a series of excerpts from the “Nutcracker Suite” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and arranged by Brian Balmages. After their perfo...
There's no denying that 2020 has been a roller-coaster year, but COVID-19 couldn't put a stop to the spirit of Christmas at Harlem Elementary School! Throughout the month of December, everyone could feel the excitement building, and any visitors granted access to the building would have seen halls lined with Christmas lights, ceilings draped in paper chains, and classrooms embellished with trees and other décor. Whimsical holiday animals, cozy chimneys complete with stockings, figures of...
Harlem Elementary School officials have released the names of several young Wildcats who exemplify the ROAR Guidelines for the week ending December 18. Hybrid A students were selected on Tuesday, December 15, and the winners were Jaxton Brady (grades K-2), Kingston Folk (grades 3-4), and Carter Lawrence (grades 5-6). The following Thursday, student names were chosen from those in Hybrid Group B. In the Kindergarten through second grade category, Kyleigh Bigby's name was drawn; Kilen Lamebull...
In news released on December 14, the Montana Office of Public Instruction (OPI) is requesting public comment on the waiver and addendum that was proposed by the United Stated Department of Education (DOE) for specific assessment and accountability requirements for the 2019-2020 school year. The DOE charged OPI with providing notice to the public as well as a reasonable opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed addendum and waiver. The OPI applied for the waiver last March when extraordinary circumstances created by the COVID-19...
Regional Coordinator for Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), Aileen Couch recently announced that Regions I and II of the CSPD will be sponsoring a two-part virtual training entitled "Dyslexia" on January 22 and 29, 2021. The workshop will feature Dr. Matthew K. Burns, a Professor of Special Education at the University of Missouri and Director of the Center for Collaborative Solutions for Kids, Practice, and Policy. This is a free training for parents, general...
It may not have been the Great Light Fight, but the MSU-Northern (MSUN) Alumni Foundation wrapped up its first Deck the Halls Challenge this past Monday when voting closed. Twelve houses in Havre and the Jeff and Lynette Finley residence in Chinook competed for the best holiday light display. In order to vote, however, admirers had to put their money behind their strong opinions. The winning house was the one that brought in the most donations. Monday morning, after an anonymous donor...
Harlem Elementary School officials expressed pride in announcing its ROARing students for the week ending December 11. According to a school spokesperson, "These exceptional students have followed the ROAR rules while being Respectful, Organized, Always safe, and Responsible. They have also performed amazingly well during this very unusual school year, as they have overcome obstacles never before encountered in school settings. For their efforts, these little Wildcats were chosen and rewarded...
Although much about the holiday season is in full-swing-with houses decorated, gifts wrapped, and cards sent, the Wishing Tree still stands a bit bare. However, the holiday season hasn't ended, so time remains to add more wishes. The Wishing Tree standing at the entrance of Chinook Pharmacy has collected a few wishes, and most are heartfelt. For example, one shared a hope that "2021 will bring comfort to those who are suffering and alone." Another tag reveals a wish that "our nursing home...
On Saturday, December 19, the Montana Actors' Theater (MAT) showcased a free live stream of their 24-Hour Play Festival as a holiday gift to the community. The main show, A Covid Christmas in Greece began at 7:00 p.m., but the organization had content streaming off and on throughout the day on their website as well as on Facebook. "Our play festival had a few twists this season," MAT's Executive Director, Jay Pyette said. "First, we couldn't hold the festival in November; second, a live...
In an effort to promote the idea of shopping local, the Montana Small Business Administration (SBA) set a challenge for themselves: To visit one of the small businesses in each of Montana's 56 counties in seven days. In Blaine County, Shores Floral & Gift was the business visited on December 15 by Andy Shirtliff and Brent Donnelly on their "Peaks to Plains Business Resiliency Tour." On Tuesday afternoon, Shirtliff, who serves as Outreach and Marketing Specialist for the SBA, and Donnelly, who...
During winter break, starting December 19 and continuing through January 3, ZooMontana in Billings is offering all teachers FREE admission to the Zoo and an invitation to "Take a Walk on the Wild Side, which is the facility's motto. They will also once again be "lighting" up the holidays by presenting ZooLights 2020. ZooMontana is a zoological/botanical garden, accredited arboretum, and educational facility. Executive Director Jeff Ewelt and his staff are dedicated to the conservation of...
With their Fill the Sleigh competition, Meadowlark Elementary School students contributed over 300 non-perishable food items for Angel Tree families. Because the fourth graders in Miss Shandel Fouts' class collected the most food, with 140 items, they will get a Sundae Party. According to Fouts, the students conveyed excitement about the food drive. "I think it helped that the sleigh sat right inside the door, giving them a daily visual of their progress. Every morning, they would ask me how...
Area youth are creating holiday cheer by participating in traditional activities such as caroling, cookie decorating, and constructing gingerbread houses or wreaths. Traditions such as these not only nurture the spirit but are an important part of bonding as friends, family, or a community. For example, December 7 turned into Gingerbread Night 2020 at the home of Suzanne Farmer when a group of Chinook basketball players arrived after basketball practice. Farmer, who teaches third grade at...
The Chinook Chapter of the FFA met last week to work on setting up their Christmas tree pickup plan following the holidays. During that meeting, Advisor Karyn Billmayer learned that the Chinook Green Waste area has been closed down due to improper use. This situation resulted in the group's needing to revise their original service project by determining the trees' final resting place. In devising a Plan B, the Chapter heard from an FFA Alumni member at the meeting, Lori Swanson, who mentioned th...
Superintendent of Chinook School District, Darin Hannum released a report on Monday, December 7 to update the community on the status of the school district and to share current details about student populations and various programs. Enrollments are about average. Meadowlark Elementary School recorded 161 students. That figure is down from 204, a total which was reported three years ago. At the junior high school, 60 students are enrolled, and the high school turned in a count of 105 students. According to Hannum, these numbers include online...
