Articles written by Steve Edwards
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Crows: clever, opportunistic and prone to hold grudges against certain humans
A stop at a suburban Seattle parking lot reminded me of the large number of crows in the Pacific Northwest. In the parking lot I could hear the familiar “caws” of foraging crows. Ten years ago, wh...
The holidays are coming and so are the scammers
Two things prompted me to write this story First was my recalling one year ago when I got taken for $400 on an "imposter scam" involving my buying gift cards for a friend's supposed dying cousin....
"Grandpa PumpKen:" the legacy lives on!
For folks around Chinook the first weekend in October has come to mean: “Fall is here, time to gather pumpkins for Halloween at Finley’s Pumpkin Patch.” Ken Finley (dubbed Grandpa PumpKen by...
Chinook Senior Center's volunteers appreciated and celebrated
National Volunteer Week is traditionally celebrated the third week in April. It’s a week when the country’s 60 million volunteers who volunteer 4.18 billion hours of service are officially recogni...
Thoughts on a road trip to the Ark Encounter and other places
Last October Gary and Beverly Jensen, traveling companions from Chester on several prior bus tours, called asking if I would help them organize a bus tour. The destination was the Ark Encounter and...
Virginia Olson one of five Montana centenarians honored at Governor's Aging Conference
Virginia Olson was back in Chinook from Great Falls after attending the annual Montana Governor's Conference on Aging. The event brings health care providers and caregivers together from across the...
Mark Vitaris presented at the county museum's Off-season Speaker Series"
Mark Vitaris, Canadian author and location photographer, spoke to about twenty-five people last week at the kickoff program of the Blaine County Museum's "Off-season Speaker Series." Museum Director S...
Blaine County Museum's "Off-season speaker series" begins October 5th
The first in a series of diverse presenters and topics will kick-off on Thursday, October 5 at 7pm. Museum Director Sam French said the off-season series begins when the museum's focus can shift from...
Sawyer Loney is Chinook's new Superintendent of Streets
Sawyer Loney became Chinook's Superintendent of Streets back in late July. He succeeds Jim Teel who retired after thirty-seven years with the city, most of it in the position Loney now holds. I caught...
Some thoughts about life hacks
Alert readers may recall a few weeks ago I wrote about my approaching tenth anniversary writing for the "Journal" (December, 2023). Reviewing my list of "stories I wish I'd written" I found today's...
Phase II work on keelboat at Fort Benton will soon stop
For the past two summers a dedicated group of volunteers has been meeting in Fort Benton for two week-long work sessions each summer. They are refurbishing the "Mandan," one of three keelboats built...
Chinook resident Lesley Zellmer ran a 196-mile relay with 12,000 new friends
Lesley Zellmer, from Chinook, recently mentioned to me she had just returned from Oregon where she participated in a relay run from Mount Hood to the Coast at Seaside, Oregon. I knew she was a runner...
Drool in the pool a doggone good time!
Now in its second season, the Drool in the Pool event held this Labor Day weekend seems to be well on its way to becoming an end of the year tradition at the Chinook City Pool. Organizers said 19...
"The people" chose a new town slogan for Chinook
Businesses, non-profits, civic clubs, professional groups and even local chambers of commerce rely on slogans to quickly convince a target audience to buy a product, a service or to believe in...
Ann Armstrong wants to help kids in Blaine County to "go further in life"
Fairgoers may recall a young woman sitting at a long table in the Commercial Building. Her table was full of 'giveaways,' interesting 'do-dads,' and lots of informational pieces all promoting...
Airmen's group visits local memorials to honor fallen comrades
In early August sixteen Air Force veterans and friends, mostly from the west coast, came to Chinook and Harlem to visit the memorials for the fourteen airmen killed in an air collision north of...
Old paddle wheel boat beginning a new lifecycle
BCJ News Late July my wife Sherry and I stopped in Fort Benton on our way home from Great Falls. After walking along the river downtown we drove north along the highway (MT 387) that passes by...
Picnic in the Park" draws a crowd of seniors
About 45 local seniors enjoyed a picnic in the park last Tuesday hosted by the Chinook Senior Center. A first of its kind event held away from the Center was well received and attended by about 45...
The 2023 Blaine County Fair is a wrap!
By Steve Edwards BCJ News The 2023 edition of the Blaine County Fair is completed. Major fair activity began on Wednesday when participants brought fair entries for 4-H competitions and hobbyists and...
Senior Center "celebrated Germany" last week
Anticipating a visit by German guests Stefan and Millie (Hall) Walter and their son, Lukas, from Nuremburg, Germany, the Chinook Senior Center's Director and "guest chef for the week" Ginger Hansen...
Fort Benton's keelboat getting new "old" look
By Steve Edwards BCJ News Early last June I stopped in Fort Benton for a walk along the Missouri River. From the Visitors' Center I was driving northeast on Front Street to look at the "Mandan," the o...
Jim Teel retires after 37 years with City of Chinook
In an era when over half the employees in the U.S. stay in one job for only 4.3 years Jim Teel's 37 years with the City of Chinook is a serious statistical abnormality. Jim started with the city as a...
Milk River Churches hold joint worship at Zurich Park
Each first Sunday of the month the four churches that joined to form the Milk River Churches hold a joint worship, typically rotating among the three churches in Chinook (Methodist, American Lutheran...
Brad Taylor selected as Chinook's "Senior Citizen of the Year"
Brad Taylor was recently selected as "Senior Citizen of the Year" by the members of the Chinook Senior Center. The annual award recognizes a volunteer who made significant contributions toward the...
Japanese American travelers visited local sites and Museum
About 30 Japanese Americans recently stopped for a visit to the Blaine County Museum. The multi-generational group had traveled to this area for a reunion of the Sasaki, Yoshida and Arakawa families....
