News you can use
News you can use
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Laurel — The Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line has unveiled its new facilities to the public. The expanded building provides more services to the young people the club serves. Just a dozen or so years ago, when the club opened, organizers weren’t sure enough kids would show up to the club. Now they couldn’t keep them away. There is room for even more with the new addition. And there will be a large room that can be used for community events — such as the club’s annual Festival of Trees. It’s been a lot of work for organizers...
Havre City Council has considered a proposal to beautify and diversify the city by encouraging developers and contractors to build streets that are more attractive and designed with sidewalks and bike lanes. Those actions would beautify the city and increase use of bicycles that could encourage healthy living and energy conservation. Going into it, city officials are well aware that in a lot of cases there is no room to build bike lanes or add other attractive features that might make life a little more pleasant. But there is...
The Montana Legislature took its sweet time in mandating the public school students be vaccinated against chickenpox. Every other state beat Montana to the punch. But all praise to the lawmakers for their quick turnaround this past session. They mandated that every student be immunized against the disease by Oct. 1. Students who don’t get their shots by then will be barred from attending classes. That doesn’t give school districts much time to get the word out, and most have started to do so. Many parents, smarter than leg...
Bob Mitschke, a 36-year employee of NorthWestern Energy, was killed in an accident last week. He was replacing a damaged transmission structure near Helena Thursday night when the accident happened. He died Friday. Utility workers, just like firefighters and police officers, are the heroes who help restore order when it is lost. Those of us on the Hi-Line are more aware than most of the value of electrical power. Because of various malfunctions we have been plunged into darkness for hours several times in recent years. We...
Officials of the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa indians are hopeful that new rules will make it easier for the federal Interior Department to relent and grant official status for the tribe. The feds have been reluctant to grant recognition to the Little Shell — though the state of Montana has granted approval — because the tribe largely dispersed after the arrival of Europeans. Today, most Little Shell have become part of the mainstream society. Bankers, public relations people, educators and historians throughout Mon...
Hi-Line folks lived through another major weather problem this weekend. A terrible storm with high winds, rain and hail slammed the area, resulting in windows being broken, trees being uprooted, power lines being downed, roads being covered in ice and fears being raised. Problems were compounded when the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings and urged people to head for their cellars for their own safety. This isn’t tornado country, and people were justly concerned. As usual, emergency personnel did a fine job o...
North Central Montana Transit is looking for testimonials in an effort to get next year's funding. We hope local governments and Hi-Line residents are generous in providing the letters of endorsement. We can’t think of any new program in recent years that has had the impact that the bus service has provided to all parts of the Hi-Line. The bus has brought thousands of people from as far away as Fort Belknap into Havre for doctor’s appointments, shopping, college classes and a lot more. And taken Havre residents to all rea...
Laurel — This weekend is Living History in Havre. All day Saturday, activities aimed at entertaining and educating Hill County residents about the rich history they enjoy on the Hi-Line will be held at all historical attractions. See the list in Thursday’s Havre Daily News, stop to see some of the attractions and have a good time. The attractions will take you back in time. At some places, like Wahkpa Chu'gn Buffalo Jump, you go back 2,000 years. Others detail the arrival of white people. Drive downtown, park your car and...
The city of Havre may be ready to embark on one of the most important projects it has undertaken in years. The city wants to see what it can do to eliminate or at least reduce a blight. A growing number of apartment buildings, and in some cases commercial buildings, are deteriorating, and city business and political leaders want to stop the spread of this kind of unsightly blight. The problem should not be overstated, Most of downtown Havre and the city’s neighborhoods are well-kept and tidy. It looks welcoming to visitors a...
Laurel and Dart — Chuck Johnson and Mike Dennison of Lee Newspapers have been the deans of the Helena press corps for a long time. The two will retire today Johnson started his career covering the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention, He is unsurpassed in his knowledge of Montana politics. It was announced last week that their employer, Lee Enterprises, was nudging them out and closing the statehouse bureau. Republicans Democrats, fellow journalists, liberals, conservatives and mugwumps joined in expressing their o...
We are about to start a holiday weekend, with sunny weather in the forecast. It doesn’t seem like a time to have darts on our mind. So how about some laurels to celebrate the great things going on in our community. Laurel — To the veterans groups, the Elks Club and all the Havre residents who work to hold the annual Memorial Day ceremonies on the Hill County Courthouse lawn, we give our thanks. Take time out on Monday to attend the services at 11 a.m., which honor the very reason for which Memorial Day was founded. Honor the...
Laurel — Havre is once again coming to the aid of someone in need. Rick Neuwerth, the owner of Grateful Bread in the Atrium Mall, has been beset with health problems. He’s on the rebound, but he has lots of medical bills to pay. People have been donating to help him get a handle on the bills, so he can keep his store open. Best of luck, Rick. Dart — The American Petroleum Institute is challenging in court new federal regulations designed to reduce the chance of explosions in train cars carrying oil. There have been far too m...
Laurel — Agriculture is still the biggest industry in Hill County, and the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce celebrates the business annually with an Ag Appreciation Dinner. This year, it will be held in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of MSU’s Northern Ag Research Center. The Chamber is looking for nominations for the annual ag leader and ag advocate awards that are handed out. There should be no shortage of good candidates for both awards. So many people have played an important role in the development of farming and...
More than 40 people spoke at a public forum Thursday morning in favor of naming Greg Kegel permanent chancellor of Montana State University-Northern. Speaker after speaker cited Kegel’s temperament, judgment, ability to create a teamwork atmosphere and his ability to calm tense situations. Faculty, students, administrators and local governmental and business leaders joined in pushing for Kegel’s permanent appointment to the position he has held since the fall. The comments match what we’ve heard in the coffee shops and gather...
Laurel — Gov. Steve Bullock signed into law the bill that will expand Medicaid to thousands of people who have not been eligible. This ensures that many middle class people will be able to receive health care in the early stages of their illnesses instead of waiting until it’s too late. It will mean that health care facilities, especially rural hospitals and clinics, will get paid for services they provide. It is a win-win situation. Many people worked hard and gagged at the compromises they had to make. But the result is...
Laurel — The Montana Legislature has given final approval to a proposal to help preserve Montana’s Native languages. Gov, Steve Bullock is almost certain to sign it. Sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, the bill would help school districts create language immersion programs whereby students would spend at least half of their day in classes spoken in Native languages. Locally, that would almost certainly be in Cree. Native languages are dying out, and Windy Boy’s bill will hopefully stop that trend. Young peopl...
Laurel — The Montana Legislature has given final approval to expansion of Medicaid that will allow about 70,000 people to benefit from health insurance. Our waitresses, taxi drivers and hundreds of other pink and blue collar workers will soon be eligible for health insurance. This is good for the community and good for Northern Montana Hospital and other health care providers who have had to dig into their pockets to pay to give some of these people good care. Laurel — Havre 911 dispatchers are marking National Tel...
Laurel — Congrats to the city of Havre and the Hill County Clerk and Recorder’s office for continuing the tradition of having mail-in elections for municipal offices. Voter turnout has increased sharply since mail-in voting was adopted. It is easier for most people to vote in their living room. Mail-in voting should become a statewide law, but unfortunately, the Montana Legislature has rejected ideas from Secretary of State Linda McCulloch that the state do that. But people who want to vote by mail in state and national ele...
Laurel — A Montana Actors’ Theatre play opens, Easter Egg hunts are taking place all over town, special religious services are planned along with church social gatherings and many others events are being held this weekend to celebrate this special season. To all those who work to put on celebrations of the season, we thank you. That is what makes Havre special. Dart — The Montana House this week slammed the brakes on special funding for schools, correctional facilities and other groups that depend on state funding, in a sud...
Editor: The decision that our legislators make on the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe Water Compact could shape the future of our state for decades to come. While many would have you believe that the compact only impacts the Flathead and areas west of the Continental Divide, this couldn’t be further from the truth. If the compact fails, there will be far-reaching consequences that will be felt by all Montanans, chief of which is the massive cost of litigation that not passing the compact would cost water users. The com...
Laurel — Helena lawmakers have it right on this one. There is a movement afoot to allocate $15 million to a fund that will be used to expand broadband service to rural Montana areas. Anyone who has tried to use a cellphone to communicate with others in parts of the Hi-Line would be supportive of that. The expansion of broadband is vital to attracting the kinds of jobs rural Montana needs. It also makes things better for all of us in the digital age. Dart — We wish Rep. Ryan Zinke were a little bit more supportive of Amt...
For decades, the Giveaway House on Havre’s north side has been a godsend for people who need clothing, household items and more. In the 1970s, two concerned women, Ruth Nystrom and Ann Friesen, started the program. It has been a model charity. Many people benefitted. There was minimal overhead. Community members generously offered their services as volunteers. As the program fades into history, the Giveaway House will be morphed into Havre’s Helping Haven and will share a building with the My Neighbor in Need program at the...
This week is Sunshine Week, an annual time designed to encourage openness in governments around the United States. The Society of Professional Journalists and dozens of others groups take part in activities marking the week. Newspapers seem to be especially involved, but many other groups — blogs, libraries, civic groups and educators — highlight the advantages of open government at this time of the year. Montana’s laws concerning open government and public access to records are pretty good. For the most part, the publi...
Editor: The events of the past years have aided the Rocky Boy Business Committee in giving a black mark against the tribe, its members and Ken Blatt St. Marks. What has the current business committee done to prove anything against Mr. Blatt St Marks? Why are they so against this man? Is it true they are trying to impeach him for standing up and trying to right the wrongs others have done? The ones who gained illegally are the ones who should not be able to serve ever again. Let's put that to a vote. This is an embarrassment t...
Laurel The Havre Police Department is handing out free gun locks. The locks were paid for through a grant. Police Chief Gabe Matosich said most new guns have locks with them, but people tend to own lots of older guns, many without locks. The locks are meant to be kid-proof, because younger people tend to play with guns when they shouldn't. Now that you mention it, many adults do the same without having an excuse. The locks will save lives. Laurel Sunnyside Intermediate School looks pretty snazzy this week. The classroom...
