We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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During the last week of August, a new and unusual school year began for Harlem Elementary School students. School District #12 is following a hybrid approach to learning this year as a means to cope with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Those students who attend school in person will find everyone, including staff members, required to have their temperatures taken upon entering the building, while wearing masks and practicing social distancing measures. Janice Gilham, Computer and Technology...
The Blaine County Extension Service has partnered with several other agencies to facilitate a series of three meetings that are free and open to the public. Re-Imaging Rural will be presented in a virtual community gathering format on September 15, September 29, and October 13 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in Chinook at the Commercial Building on the Blaine County Fairgrounds. Anyone interested in these sessions is encouraged to RSVP with the Blaine County Extension Office by September 11. The venue was c...
Along with the rest of us in Blaine County, the residents at Sweet Memorial Nursing Home (SMNH) endured a hot August. To break the discomfort and monotony of the intense and unrelenting heat, the Sweet Home residents engaged in water balloon bowling, celebrated August birthdays with ice cream and fashion, painted sunflowers, and enjoyed outdoor visits. On August 7, SMNH Activities Employee, Stephanie Talks Different led the residents in water balloon bowling because the weather was so hot and...
On Tuesday, September 8, MontanaPBS will begin its Learn at Home programming. To accompany this programming, the broadcast station will be offering resources and curriculum for all grade levels on their Distance Learning at Home webpage. The MontanaPBS Learning Media website has additional resources for educators as well. According to Nikki Vrandenburg, the Director of Education at Montana PBS, the education team hopes to support educators and families as schools navigate balancing in-person and distance learning. The broadcast will launch on...
According to MSU-Fort Belknap Reservation Extension Office Agent, Liz Werk, the 4-H Private Treaty Livestock Sale was a "great success." The 27 animals brought in a total of $72,554.00 4-H members from Lucky Charms (Dodson), Little Rockies (Hays), and Wild Horse (Fort Belknap Agency) clubs sold 14 steers and 13 hogs through a catalog-Facebook advertised-phone in system modelled after the Blackfeet Reservation's 4-H Livestock Sale. The hybrid-catalog sale idea was adopted by Werk under the guidan...
The chuck wagon may have been the first food truck. Texas rancher Charles Goodnight is given credit for the invention of the chuck wagon in 1866 after he converted an old army-surplus Studebaker wagon into a mobile kitchen to feed cowboys driving cattle from Texas to New Mexico. Etymologically, the term “chuck” derives from old English, referring to food, grub, or a piece of meat—hence a food wagon or food truck. However, cowboys understood that the chuck wagon meant more than just food. In addition to food and water for the trail, it carri...
Harlem School District has added eleven new staff members to their ranks, and Superintendent Doreen Warren welcomes them to the school and community. Harlem's new Junior/Senior High Assistant Principal, David Murray grew up in Sidney and identifies as a "huge Griz fan." This is his 17th year in education and his second as an administrator. He last served at Culbertson High School, where he still teaches drivers' education in the summer time. He hopes to serve with Harlem for many years to come....
When livestock is judged on the hoof at a county or state fair, the outward features are examined and conclusions drawn so that the livestock can be ranked and ribbons bestowed. However, that process differs drastically from judging a carcass on the rail. Livestock judges cannot see through the hide of an animal, so they must rely on their experience and knowledge to place the animals. Once the livestock is sent to slaughter and the hide is off, the beauty pageant is over and the science of a...
Held both virtually through Frontier Live Sale and in-person at the Blaine County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 15, the Blaine County 4-H Livestock Sale is in the books. According to on-site auctioneer Kevin Elias, sixty-five market animals were sold for a total price of $106,262.90. That number included 15 market beef, which sold for an average of $2.59 a pound; 41 market hogs, selling for an average of $4.17 a pound; and nine market lambs, going for an average of $3.66 a pound. "The sale...
Living the life you want often means making some big changes. For Cassie Johnson, that meant a change of career. Regardless of how outside the boundaries of reason others thought her decision to give up a steady paycheck and trade it for a commission-based income sounded, Johnson trusted in the vision of who, what, and where she wanted to be in the future and took the leap to sell real estate full time. Last August, Johnson was taking online classes through UM-Western and teaching K-2 students...
Committed to the preservation of history, former Blaine County Museum Director, Jude Sheppard has been serving as a member of the Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees since her retirement. The position allows her to remain connected to the promotion of educational programs and services so that Montanans might have an understanding of and an appreciation for their cultural heritage—past, present, and future. One of her colleagues in the Montana Historical Society (MHS) Research Center, State Archivist Jodie Foley has been busy a...
The 2020 Blaine County Fair took place in a revised format that provided data from which the Blaine County MSU-Extension Office has begun to assess the event for what worked and what didn't. Ag/4-H Extension Agent, Juli Snedigar described the format as successful in some respects with ideas they will use again, while other aspects were less productive. Snedigar also reported that Natalie Richman, who is the daughter of Tim and Hilary Richman, was the Frances Pitsch Memorial Overall 4-H Project...
Zurich Elementary School began their first day of the 2020-2021 school year on Wednesday, August 19, with nineteen students and one new staff member: K-2 teacher Sherry Hofman. Originally from Belgrade, Montana, Hofman has taught since 2017 in Lustre, a community in Valley County with an elementary school that served 43 students last year. At Zurich, she has six students, two who were previously home schooled. For her students, Hofman identified one important goal: “I want them to learn what they need to know, not only about social d...
Several oral histories collected during the 1980s are catalogued, uploaded, and organized at the Blaine County Museum, and Museum Director Sam French invites everyone to come in and hear them, using the public access monitor at the museum. According to French, eight collections are uploaded on the guest desk top at the museum and ready for the public's educational pleasure. Many of these were interviews; some had transcripts associated with them while others did not. Several of the interviews...
When Montana Ag Live announced their winners for this year's Show What You Grow Photo contest, Turner resident Shannon Van Voast emerged as the winner for the best floral garden. After reading about the contest in the Blaine County Journal, Van Voast's sister shared the information about the contest, sending her a screen shot of the article. In response, Van Voast entered the contest with photographs from the floral display in her yard. "If Stephanie had not pointed out the contest, I would not...
Motorists driving through or into Chinook have likely noticed the new weight limit sign at Lodge Creek. This sign is among several that the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has erected as part of new load posting procedures on public bridges across the state as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Already subject to hundreds of regulations that apply to freight carriers and transport companies, many truck drivers expressed alarm at the sign. A loaded semi-truck...
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...
On Monday morning August 3, the Turner Public School Board met and approved the Turner Public School’s Return to School Plan. According to Superintendent Tony Warren, the situation will be fluid and plans may need to be adjusted based on changing recommendations from federal, state, and local officials. “We appreciate the community’s continued patience and support throughout this time of the unknown. It seems like our guidance changes hourly, daily, and weekly. Please understand that the plan we have approved may change as we navigate this...
As residents of the Sweet Memorial Nursing Home (SMNH) reflect back on the past month, they count several events as memorable: the Independence Day Parade, straw painting, celebrating Gorgeous Grandma Day, and remembering lost residents through National Lipstick Day. After hearing about the idea from other facilities, SMNH Administrator Rebecca Shackelford brought the notion of holding an Independence Day Parade to her staff. From there, employees at the Home organized a red, white, and blue...
Mud flew, engines roared, metal crunched, and fuel exhaust wafted around the arena at the Phillips County Fairgrounds in Dodson on Saturday night, August 1, as twenty drivers fought for bragging rights and a piece of the $8,500 purse payout. When the mayhem ceased and the decibels dropped in the stadium, seven individuals emerged as winners in the Crash for Cash 2020 Demolition Derby. In the Chain Class, Peyton Peterson of Havre took first, Frankie Nieft from Chinook placed second, and Mike...
On Thursday, July 16, Governor Steve Bullock released a statement praising Montana companies for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by producing personal protective equipment (PPE) such as cloth face masks, 3D-printed face masks, face shields, surgical gowns, and hand sanitizer. Among the 34 businesses and individuals recognized for contributing cloth face masks was Juanita Cole Crasco from Fort Belknap. Crasco has been sewing since she was nine years old, not only mending but making doll...
On Tuesday night, July 28, using the Zoom Meetings platform to connect to the public, Chinook School District #10 held a special meeting of the school board to review, amend, and vote on a Return to School Plan. A week prior to the meeting and with the purpose of seeking public review and in-put, the eleven-page plan was made available on both Meadowlark School’s and Chinook Junior and Senior High School’s Facebook pages, as well as on the school’s website. Of the questions on an accompanying survey, one asked: “If the state is in phase T...
Aileen Couch, Regional Coordinator for Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD), announced recently that Carrie Cole will be in Havre August 10-12. Cole will present a pair of workshops for general and special educators, paraprofessionals, agency personnel, and parents who work with elementary, middle school, and high school students. An independent educational consultant specializing in the training and delivery of research-based reading practices, Cole holds a master’s degree in reading and is known for her a...
Opening on August 6 and sponsored by Western Drug Pharmacy, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a Montana Actors' Theater Youth Production, will take place on the west end of the Holiday Village Mall in the old North 40 location. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the show begins at 7:00. Chinook resident Ben Hall will not only serve as the production's narrator but will also act the part of Frank Baum as well as the Wizard. Baum "stage manages" his story to keep the action brisk from scene to scene. Before ar...
From 23 Sesame Street, the broadcast team with Virginia’s Home for Public Media announced on April 27 that “while the pandemic brings many uncertainties, there is one thing we can count on; it is officially growing season.” With that statement, they kicked off their “Show Us What You’re Growing” contest, and other broadcast teams have picked up the idea. As an imitation, Montana Ag Live, a regular call-in information program dealing with agricultural and gardening issues in Montana, launched their “Show What You Grow” Photo Contest. Anyone...
