We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 4916
Last year, you may remember reading about the 30-year-old 'Jackpot" bus that Sweet Memorial Nursing Home was hoping to be able to update. The story of how Sweet Home acquired that bus involved a lucky Lotto winner and a whole lot of kindness and gratitude. Fast forward to the fall of last year, and would you believe it - Sweet Home is again the lucky recipient of an incredibly kind gift, this time from an anonymous donor. Richard Cronk received a phone call from the donor after the article about...
As we march into this new month and towards the country’s 250th birthday, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Susan Hedalen reminds local students and teachers about opportunities with the Montana Seal of Civics Literacy program. The Seal of Civics Literacy is a statewide recognition program developed through a joint effort between Montana’s Office of Public Instruction (OPI) and the Montana 250th Commission. According to Hedalen’s office, “the Seal honors students who demonstrate strong knowledge of civics and active engagement in their c...
Mrs. Alicia Noel, Sixth Grade Science Teacher at Chinook Junior High School, travelled to Great Falls with a group of sixth graders for the Montana Region II Science and Engineering Fair on March 10. Two came away winners. The Great Falls College MSU Regional Middle School Science Fair is affiliated with the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge (JIC), a program of the Society for Science & the Public. Five Chinook students qualified for the event after having placed at the...
In an assembly on February 26, Meadowlark Elementary School Principal, Danelle Gibson announced the names of monthly award winners. Among those honored were Mountain Movers, Recess Award recipients, and Accelerated Readers. Students of the Month also received honors, as did those securing the Principal's Award. The Mountain Mover Award recognizes any students who have made improvements during the month in one of the following categories: academics, behavior, or social skills. Bowie Skoyen, Lando...
To conclude their I Love to Read Month festivities, students at Zurich Public School celebrated on Friday, February 27 with Character Interview Day and a party. During an impromptu assembly near the event's conclusion, school officials also presented third grader Eloise Gonzalez with her certificate and prize for winning the "I Voted" Sticker contest sponsored by the Blaine County Deputy Clerk & Recorder/Elections office. The event began with pairs of students asking and answering questions as...
Students from surrounding communities attended the 4th Annual Opportunity in Trades Day hosted by Triangle Communications in Havre on Monday, March 2. At the event, students explored jobs available in the North Central Montana area related to various trades. Triangle Communications partners with multiple organizations to put on this event, which this year was open to eighth graders thru high school seniors. During lunch, there were presentations by MSU–Northern, Vermeer, and JKL Associates. A...
As part of an ongoing effort to keep local community members informed, school district officials wish to add a layer of awareness about school budget concerns. In that spirit of demystification, Superintendent Fred Hofman and Chinook School District Board Members wish to shed some light on costs and current conditions. Much of this information has already been shared in inserts that have accompanied the printed athletic programs made available at sporting events. For example, Hofman wishes for readers to know that schools are not allowed to...
In the early morning hours of March 3, a total lunar eclipse occurred. Although the overall duration of the eclipse, including the penumbral and partial eclipse phases, was five hours and 39 minutes, totality was most visible in North Central Montana from 4:04 until 5:04 a.m. When Earth passed directly between the sun and moon, it cast a shadow across the lunar surface, turning the moon a deep reddish-orange. According to NASA, a total lunar eclipse can occur only during a full moon phase. The moon appears dark red or orange because planet...
A blood drive was held in Chinook on March 3, 2026, with 39 donors stepping forward to help meet the ongoing need for lifesaving blood. Volunteers Judy Johnson, Roxanne Townsend, and Linda Thompson staffed the reception table and helped ensure the event ran smoothly. Door prize winners included Trish Merrill, Chuck Wasser, Lyndsay Hutton, Valerie Blackcrow, Wilma Melville and Mara Edwards. We welcomed one first-time donor, Ryder Hofeldt. Hofeldt has helped with blood drive setup for several...
HAVRE, Mont. (March 4, 2026)— The City of Havre, in partnership with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Hill County, is developing a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan to improve transportation safety and accessibility in the greater Havre area. The project team has identified key corridors where improvements could reduce crashes and enhance safety for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other users. Community members are invited to review the findings and provide feedback at an upcoming public m...
Another round of students from Meadowlark Elementary School in Chinook have been recognized for improvement and achievement. On Thursday, January 29, awards were presented during an assembly meant to honor students earning status as Accelerated Readers, Mountain Movers, and Students of the Month. Additionally, others obtained Recess Awards and the Principal's Award. Accelerated Reader (AR) Awards went to EmMarie Eggleston and Naya Kelley, who collected their first AR Star by accumulating 100...
Just after noon on Wednesday, February 18, Chinook High School's Science Olympiad team departed for Bozeman. Hosted annually by the Montana State University (MSU) Science Math Resource Center, Montana's state tournament took place on February 19 on the campus of MSU–Bozeman. Seventy-eight teams competed on Thursday, representing fifty-seven Class B and C schools from across the state. After all the data had been calculated and chemical aromas dissipated, winners were announced in Division C, t...
Sunday, February 22 was Communications Day for Blaine County 4-H. Twelve members from various clubs across the county participated in the event, which began at 2:00 p.m. in the basement of the American Lutheran Church in Chinook. The contests included First-Year 4-H Pledge, Junior Demonstration, Junior Illustrated Talk, Senior Demonstration, Senior Speech, and Senior Career Communications (Job Interview). Under the direction of Julianne Snedigar, Blaine County Ag, Natural Resources, & 4-H MSU...
Official Average Number Belonging (ANB) counts were released to school districts in mid-November in order for officials to then begin planning for the 2026-27 school year. Chinook School District’s Superintendent Fred Hofman reports the impact of those numbers. “Our ANB count is in. Our combined enrollment, including Hartland, was 324 in October and is now 327, leaving our district wide ANB number at 325. We will get our formal general fund levels March first, but we anticipate we will receive a combined increase between the two districts of ar...
Just prior to the basketball games against Big Sandy on Saturday night February 14, Turner Public School held Senior Night festivities. Four seniors were honored for their contributions to the school community, and two foreign exchange students also received recognition. Mary Jane (MJ) Beaman was the first to process to center court as Pep Club Advisor Sadie Grabofsky read from a script that celebrated each candidate. During high school, Beaman competed in volleyball (4 years), basketball (3 yea...
On Friday night, February 13, Chinook High School held Senior Night festivities. Prior to the varsity basketball games against Conrad, six seniors were recognized for their contributions to the athletic programs in Chinook, whether with band or sports. The first individual, Mara Edwards thanked her mother, Michelene Edwards, and her grandparents for supporting her through her high school years. Edwards was revered for contributing six years to the pep band, four years to the pep club, three...
On Tuesday, February 10, three members of the Chinook FFA Chapter travelled to Havre to compete in the 2026 Milk River Spring Districts. Hosted by the Havre FFA Chapter, the competition venue was the Fifth Avenue Christian Church where members from across the Milk River District competed in various Leadership Development Events. Although all three Chinook members came away winners, Zoe Scofield, a freshman at Chinook High School, earned top honors and will represent the Milk River District as...
After all the spelling had taken place at the Blaine County Spelling Bee on February 5 in the Lloyd Sweet Auditorium at Chinook High School, two eighth graders from Harlem Junior High emerged as winners. For the "spell down" on that Thursday, Gabriella Doney went head to head for eight rounds with 27 other contestants representing five different school districts in Blaine County before being declared the champion. Her championship word was "S-y-r-i-n-g-e Syringe." Doney is the daughter of Crysta...
Blaine County Deputy Clerk & Recorder/Election Manager, Savannah Wendeln announced the winners of the "I Voted" Sticker contest on the morning of February 18. Voting was open until the close of the business day on February 17, and Wendeln revealed Madi Barr and Eloise Gonzalez as victorious on Wednesday morning. Of the 22 submissions received by the Elections Office, Wendeln explained that they were narrowed down to five in the K-5th category and five in the 9-12th grouping. The Elections...
Tuesday morning, February 17 was a busy one for candidate filing at the courthouse as reported by Blaine County Deputy Clerk & Recorder/Election Manager, Savannah Wendeln. As of 12:00 p.m., eight candidates had filed. Because Governor Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 207 into law last May, the candidate filing period ends on March 4. Any Blaine County resident still wishing to file will need to do so in this shortened period. “I believe it’s important to keep election information in front of voters and encourage engagement whenever pos...
The Chinook School Board’s finance committee met on Tuesday evening, February 24, at 6:00 in Chinook High School. The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss the permissive levy estimates and levy requests in advance of the March board meeting. During Tuesday night’s meeting, the group also addressed several dire points, touching on potential budget cuts to explore, although the board will not be making any of those decisions until May or June, after the election. While the Chinook School Board has yet to determine the sum of the req...
March is Red Cross Month. According to the American Red Cross, “Red Cross Month began during World War II, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt called on individuals to address growing humanitarian needs. What started as a national call to action has become a community tradition - reaffirming the power of compassion and the impact we can make together.” If you visit the American Red Cross official page, this message appears as soon as it opens: “The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage as requests from hospitals exceed the a...
American Prairie is pleased to host "A Sense of Place: Exploring the Place Names of 'Ɔ́'ɔ́ɔ́ɔ́niinénn ɔh in Central-Montana" on Thursday, February 26, at 7 pm. This informative presentation by esteemed Aaniiih tribal member and educator Terry Brockie will be held at the National Discovery Center, located at 302 W Main Street in Lewistown, Montana. Admission is free. Since time immemorial, Indigenous People have called Central Montana home, a place where their culture and history are tied to t...
In a ceremony at the Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls on February 14, Carson Kelly was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizen Black Eagle-Assiniboine Chapter Scholarship. By way of celebration, the DAR board held a banquet with refreshments and a short presentation. During that presentation, all scholarship applicants acquired an award for being their school's good citizen selectee. Given his status as Chinook's winner, Kelly received a silver dollar and a...
In late January, the Chinook FFA travelled to Cascade and Great Falls for Montana's largest ag show, the Montana Agricultural and Industrial Exhibit known as MAGIE. Held at the Pacific Steel & Recycling Arena & Exhibition Hall at Montana ExpoPark on January 21-23, MAGIE 2026 featured more than 160 vendors and over 200 booths. In addition to viewing innovations in the Farm, Ranch, and Industrial spaces, FFA members competed in the annual KMON sponsored contests in four categories: Poultry, Ag...
