We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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Thirty local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers spent a recent Sunday learning new protocols and skills, practicing and refining existing skills and participating in a Megacode simulation. The class members represented Blaine County ambulance crews from Chinook, Harlem and Turner/Hogeland and Hill County. Other medical personnel who interact with the ambulance crews, including Indian Health Services at Fort Belknap, Sweet Medical Center and Sweet Memorial Nursing Home, also participated....
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation's (DNRC) Northeast Land Office and volunteer fire departments in Blaine County recently sponsored a training program to help non-trained volunteers who work with fire departments during wildfires. Don Pyrah, DNRC's Fire Management Officer out of Lewistown, presented the four-hour program at Bear Paw School. The day before the program for farmers and ranchers, Pyrah presented a program to Blaine County Road Department employees to demon...
The Blaine County Fair Foundation was notified last week that it was awarded a $22,000 Montana Tourism grant to be used toward construction of a proposed indoor event center at the county fairgrounds. Each year the Montana Office of Tourism awards about $750,000 through a competitive process "to develop and enhance tourism and recreation." This year 27 grant applications were funded. Tourism is a major economic force in the state and according to tourism officials, generates about $3 billion in...
Reporter's note: Many locals will likely remember John "Sanitary John" Herndon who served as the Blaine County Sanitarian from April, 1953 to February, 1983. His tenure was just a couple months short of thirty years in the position. John now lives in Virginia, near his daughter Lucia. In September John celebrated his 100th birthday. Last October, on my way to our fall job at the pumpkin patch in Washington state, I got a call from L.G. Stewart. He's a former resident of Chinook who now lives in...
Last week's fair was the 50th anniversary of the Fort Belknap Mid Winter Fair. The annual winter event was first staged in 1967. Ed Doney, who's been actively involved with the fair since 1987, wrote about 'why' the winter fair was organized. In a visit about the Fair he explained, "Some folks who had jobs that involved calling on people in their homes, discovered how much original native art was being done but no one ever got to see the art." Early on the Fair was a way to showcase the variety...
About 25 locals came to hear the first program of a four-part series being jointly presented by the Harlem Library and the Little Rockies Senior Center in Harlem. Colleen Brommer, Library Director, said there would be four such programs, all part of Humanities Montana's offerings available to communities. The quarterly presentations will alternate between the library and the senior center. Brommer introduced Arch Ellwein who would be presenting as Theodore Roosevelt. Ellwein didn't really need i...
The 2018 officers to the Board of Directors for the Chinook Area Chamber of Commerce were introduced at the chamber's annual banquet: They include Dana Davis, Secretary; Daniel Dahl, Vice President; Sarah Pratt, President; Hayley Yost, Treasurer and Dawn Colby, Reporter - Parliamentarian. Brandon Nissen, the new Executive Director for the Chinook Chamber, was not present. President Pratt, speaking of some upcoming changes for the chamber, said Brandon Nissen would soon be starting his duties as...
Reporter’s note: Rose Noel is a resident at the Little Rockies Retirement Center (part of the same complex as the Harlem Senior Center in Harlem). A few weeks ago she told me that “six of our resident ladies are now in their 90’s. I think it would be interesting for you to come by and visit with them.” I was curious to hear what these 90-year-old ladies had to say. Rose Noel got the ladies together in the dining room of the senior center. I greeted them by saying, “I’m very happy to be visiting with you nonagenarians. To which one responded,...
The late Bill Ammen, of Turner, was honored at the annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Association of Fairs (RMAF). Ammen was the recipient of the RMAF's Heritage Award, an annual posthumous award that recognizes one individual for their outstanding life's work towards supporting their local county fair as well as county fairs in general. John Skoyen, a current Blaine County Fair Board member, received the award at the November convention on behalf of Ammen's family who could not attend. The...
This coming January 30th through February 4th the Fort Belknap Indian Community will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Mid Winter Fair. Many locals remember when the Mid Winter Fair began. Allie Young served on the fair coordinating committee beginning in 1984. She said in a 2015 interview, "As best I can recall it was initiated by some ladies from Lodge Pole who saw the Fair as a way to deal with winter 'cabin fever.'" Over the years some changes were made but the basic format remains the...
About 45 area volunteer firefighters attended the second annual Northcentral Wildland Fire Training Conference hosted by the Montana Department of Natural Resources (DNRC) in cooperation with several local fire departments and emergency service providers. The training program was designed so volunteers could balance training time with other demands in their personal lives. Don Pyrah, Fire Management Officer for the DNRC's Northeast Land Office in Lewistown, said, "We first offered a class with...
'Shug' (sounds like "sug" in sugar) is the newest version of Chinook High's mascot, the Sugarbeeter. The new version of the mascot made its premier, in its official mascot-role, at a home basketball game on January 12, 2018. The iconic mascot has made state and national news through the years for its unique history and unusual look. The Sugarbeeter placed in the top five most unique high school mascots in a nationwide poll sponsored by "USA Today" in 2013, losing to Centralia, Illinois' Orphans....
The American Lutheran Church in Chinook hosted a celebration to recognize the role of volunteers in the local community. Kayla Hudon was responsible for organizing the event and explained, "It's part of "God's Work, Our Hands," a program encouraged by our synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)." It's the second similar recognition hosted by the Chinook church. In 2016 the event specifically recognized volunteers who provide emergency medical services in the area. Hudon said,...
Each month the Cancer Support Group in Chinook meets to hear a topic related to the challenges surrounding cancer from survivors, caregivers, researchers, medical professionals and patients. Judy Handstede, a cancer survivor from Havre, recently shared her story of her survival after an initial diagnosis of breast cancer 15 years ago. Last year two of her three adult daughters were diagnosed with breast cancer casting Judy now as a caregiver and survivor. She shared some of the challenges of...
Frank Billmayer was the first candidate in Blaine County to file for an office in the upcoming 2018 election. Filing opened at 8 am on January 11 and Billmayer filed paperwork as a Republican (R) candidate for Sheriff shortly after 8 am. Deputy Clerk and Recorder Laurie Rigg said four more candidates filed for county offices during opening day of filing. The filing period began on Thursday, January 11 and will remain open until 5 pm on March 12. In Blaine County seven county-level officers are to be elected by voters. The seven elected offices...
On January 1, 2018 Hilary (Krass) Richman and her husband, Tim, became the new owners of the Milk River Pharmacy located on the south side of Harlem along Highway 2. The pharmacy was started in 2008 by Kelcey and Nancy Diemert of Chinook. Regarding the sale to Hilary and Tim, the Diemerts said, "It was always our plan for Hilary to eventually own and operate the pharmacy." Hilary has served as the Pharmacist-in-charge since the store opened. The Milk River Pharmacy is a successor to Don's...
When the curtain goes up this Saturday afternoon for two live performances of the "The Snow Queen" performed by local youngsters, it will mark another milestone for the Danish fairy tale first published in 1844. For nearly two centuries artists have used the tale written by Hans Christian Andersen to present the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and Kay, the two main characters in the Missoula Children's Theatre's (MCT) adaptation of the original story. The version of the...
Until her retirement on December 31, Sandi Boardman had more years of service than any other current Blaine County employee. The Zurich-area native started as a part time employee in the Clerk and Recorder/Assessor's office during her senior year of high school, working after school and during school breaks. She explained, "Dave Jensen, my Chinook High business teacher, contacted local businesses and set up work opportunities for his students to get on the job experience. I worked in the Clerk's...
Owen Powell likes to build things, especially using his welding and metal working skills. I first met Owen a couple of years ago, while he was still in high school, when he and a friend, Justin Kellam, built some custom bumpers and headache racks for their pickups. At that time the two friends got sticker shock when they went bumper shopping and decided they would make their own, which they did. They said at the time, "We like to build stuff." Owen was looking to use his skills with metal to...
The December winners in the Sweet Escapes 2017 Raffle were drawn last week. The year long raffle involves quarterly and monthly drawings with proceeds going toward needs at Sweet Medical Center. Quarterly winners choose among trips for two people to Hawaii, San Diego, Cancun and Las Vegas. Monthly drawing winners may select from twelve trips for two travelers to Montana destinations including West Yellowstone, Chico Hot Springs, Fairmont and Glacier. Each month a runner up winner is also drawn for a $200 cash prize. Successful December ticket...
Montana's high school speech, drama and debate students are in the final stages of their winter competition season. With only two more weekends for competition before divisionals, students were honing their presentations anticipating divisionals and, for some, a chance to participate at the state level (this year at Huntley Project). Chinook High along with schools in Three Forks, Culbertson and Columbia Falls were hosting similar competitions on the same weekend. Chinook High Drama and Speech C...
In mid-December the Blaine County Fair Foundation announced plans to begin site work on a new indoor event center at the fairgrounds. The 100 x 200 metal building will have a dirt floor and can host events varying from barrel races to car shows. The county received the new metal building from Malmstrom Air Force Base through a federal surplus program that makes equipment available to local governments. The Fair Board created the Fair Foundation so donors could have a process for making...
In November Montana Governor Steve Bullock called a special session of the state legislature to resolve a $227 million budget shortfall. Part of the decision to deal with the budget crisis included closing offices and combining some functions into regional locations and implementing more computer-based reporting, especially for personal property (business equipment). The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) took a $49 million reduction in funding. Prior to the special...
Reporter's note: In case you missed it, National Fruitcake Day was celebrated, as usual, just a few days ago on December 27. National Fruit Cake Day got me thinking: it's probably been 25 years since I had fruitcake at Christmas. For about the first 25 years my wife and I have been married the company my father-in-law worked for would ship him a fruitcake, in a metal tin, every Christmas. He would put it under the Christmas tree. When my wife and I would arrive for Christmas, my mother-in-law...
Standing on the cusp of a new year it's probably a bit too soon to try and describe how we will recall 2017. Still, it's tradition with news outlets to try and summarize the major news that defined the year. This year we decided to summarize the stories we thought were of note by topic rather than in a chronological order. So, here's what we think were some of the significant stories for 2017. Politics: While there were no regular national or state elections in 2017, there were elections at...
