We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Sorted by date Results 813 - 837 of 1315
This past week, many people in Blaine County began receiving stimulus payments via mail delivery. Because the return address was Omaha, Nebraska, and because the mailed item did not appear to be from The Department of the Treasury, in some cases recipients discarded it, believing it was a solicitation. Rather than inadvertently throwing away a stimulus check, local residents should be aware that the IRS is now using prepaid debit cards to send this round of stimulus payments. Although the...
The word beacon has its origin in Old English when its meaning referred to a signal or lighthouse. Beacons were used not only by ships and later by airfields as a warning or guidance system but as a means for carrying news. A fire or light set up in a high or prominent position could also provide a sign of celebration. Since the 1600s, the word beacon has figuratively referred to a person or thing that illuminates or inspires. Drawing from these historical meanings, once a month, the Journal...
Beginning in February, MAT will be offering monthly workshops for middle and high school aged youth. Each month will focus on a different theatre aspect, and workshops will be led by various MAT staff and volunteers. From 4:00-6:00 p.m., every Monday and Wednesday evening at the Montana Actors' Theater (MAT) located on the Montana State University-Northern (MSUN) Campus, young people in grades 6-12 are invited to participate and learn. Workshops will follow a tentative program schedule with...
Some people will say that fog is a predictor of precipitation, but in Tyler Stepper's case, it is turning out to be a predictor of a potential photography business. On January 10, when the world was white with weather art, ten-year-old Tyler, the son of Crystal and Eric Stepper, decided to take a walk with his grandfather, Jess Murphy. Because Tyler thought he might try his hand at taking photographs, he borrowed his mother's phone, a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. The sun emerged while...
Late last month, Blaine County Superintendent of Schools, Valerie White received notice that the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee, as well as the intermediate (county) competition, would see revisions in its structure. That means that the familiar County Spelling Bee—where several school spelling bee winners congregate in one location for a spell-off to qualify for state competition—will not take place in its traditional format. This announcement came from the 2021 Treasure State Spelling Bee Director, Matthew Henry, who cited volatile pan...
When the first academic semester ended on January 15 for students in the Harlem School District, officials at Harlem Elementary School put all of their ROARing students names into a drawing to see which of the prestigious students might win additional honors. Janice Gilham, Computer Technology Assistant who typically provides the news of these winners, released the names of the First Semester ROARing Students of the 2020-2021 school year. In sharing her report, Gilham wrote: "Everyone knows what...
Harlem Elementary has selected ROARing Students for the second and third weeks of January. On Tuesday, January 12, Hybrid A students were chosen, and the lucky winners were first grader Shya Carrywater, fourth grader Ni'Kayla Dillon, and sixth grader Hunter Speak Thunder. The following Thursday, the ROARing students were chosen from the Hybrid B group. Kyler Fetter was the kindergarten through second grade winner, Isaiha Littlebird was selected from the third and fourth grades, and Baylee...
On February 12, and again on February 19, Regions I and II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) will be offering a free virtual training for parents, general and special educators, paraprofessionals, agency personnel, and others who work with children and students. The training, entitled Social/Emotional Learning & Positive Behaviors in Early Learner Settings, will be presented by Dr. Maggie Schulze. Registrations will be accepted through February 10, provided that the workshop doesn’t reach its maximum. This two-part t...
As an exercise in Graphic Design II, students enrolled in the GDSN 350 course offered at Montana State University-Northern created logos for the college radio station, KNMC 90.1 FM. Three logos went out to the public on January 21 via Facebook, inviting people to vote for their favorite design. Voting ends on February 21, and the winning design will be used in promotional materials for KNMC. Mary Ward, the course instructor, was inspired to partner with the college radio station after learning...
On January 20, Spectrum announced plans to extend its advanced network to several Hi-Line communities, bringing high-speed broadband to residential and business customers in Chinook, Harlem, and Malta in the coming months. “We are focused on providing the best broadband internet, TV, and mobile services possible to Montana’s Hi-Line communities,” said Mike Oswald, Spectrum Area Vice President. “We have a long-standing history of investing in our networks to better serve our customers, and that investment strategy enables us to deliver fast an...
On January 19, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) released an updated 2020 Post-Election Analysis that outlined the agency’s performance in delivering a record 136 million ballots and Election Mailpieces during the 2020 General Election and the two run-off elections for the United States Senate in Georgia. The report revealed that on average, ballots were delivered from voters to election officials in 1.6 days during the general election and in 1.9 days for the Georgia run-off election. In that analysis, the USPS wished to highlight “the ext...
The principal at Meadowlark Elementary School, Mr. Shane Bartschi addressed the parents of school age children in the school’s monthly newsletter, KidsBits, by thanking them and by sharing various announcements for January. That news includes notice of MAP testing. An acronym for “Measures of Academic Progress,” MAP testing will occur from January 25 through February 1. “Thank you to everyone—parents, community members, and staff—that have helped to keep us in the building. Things like parents monitoring their child's health, community assistan...
Although the Wishing Tree only generated about $200 for the Friends of the Pool and Park Foundation, the group saw two sizeable donations: one in December and another in January. President of the Foundation, Heather DePriest announced on January 20 that Steve and Lesley Zellmer of Treasure State Title Company in Chinook donated $1,000 toward improvements to the Pool and Park. "We are so thankful for the amazing businesses in our community. If you see the Zellmer family, be sure to give them a...
As frigid temperatures, wind chills, and other inclement winter conditions entrench themselves and keep us inside more frequently, the Montana Memory Project (MMP) is hoping to reduce the symptoms of cabin fever with a writing contest. The organization will be accepting contest submissions until Friday, February 12. MMP has partnered with the Museum of the Rockies and Distinctly Montana magazine to hold a creative writing contest using historical photos from the MMP collection as prompts. Anyone interested in participating is encouraged to...
A new year is often considered a time to create a new look, and that is exactly what the Albertsons grocery store at117 Main Street South in Harlem is doing. The store is in the middle of a remodel, saying good bye to 2020 and hello to new developments. This make-over process began on Tuesday, January 5 when sign vendor Image National Signs installed LED lighting on a sign affixed to the west facing store front wall. To showcase the Albertsons brand, high visibility, LED channel letters now...
A shortage of volunteers may once again be posing a threat to the future of the PAWS Animal Shelter in Chinook. In the interest of being thoroughly transparent with the community, Alissa Hewitt, Board President of PAWS, shared an announcement earlier this month. "PAWS of Chinook is down to three core volunteers. We are unable to accommodate a full shelter until that number goes up. Because of this, effective immediately we will house only two-three dogs at the shelter at one time. We hope you un...
While the fog that descended on the region earlier this month made driving difficult with reduced visibility and by creating some slick surfaces on January 9 and 10, it also dressed the trees and other outdoor items in a frosty rime. According to the National Weather Service, freezing fog is a unique weather phenomenon. Although not that different from regular fog, freezing fog forms when below freezing air temperatures and a moisture source condense into a fog cloud full of tiny supercooled...
A new year is cause for celebration, just as are respectful, organized, safe, and responsible actions. On that note, Harlem Elementary School is pleased to announce their ROARing Students of the Week as well as their Employees of the Month. For the first week of 2021, Hybrid A students were chosen on Tuesday, January 5, and the winners were Oz Baker (K-2nd), Kingston Folk (3rd-4th), and Marlee Brown (5th-6th). On Thursday, the ROARing students were chosen from Hybrid B group. Zayla LaMere was th...
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...
