Feb192015

MetraPark events benefits go beyond facility improvements

Yellowstone County • Billings

metra-parkBillings – The significance of MetraPark co-promoting events was clarified by Sue DeVries, MetraPark’s assistant manager, during the meeting of the MetraPark Advisory Board.

Following kudos for “hitting a real home run” with the landing of Motley Crue, (appearing July 26) a concert that sold out before the end of January, Devries answered a question about how much money MetraPark is making as a co-promoter of the event.

Co-promotion for MetraPark is not so much about making money, said DeVries.

“We aren’t going to lose money and we will make some money, but the coup is getting the event and improving our relationship with the promoter, who is responsible for a huge number of events,” explained DeVries.

The area in which MetraPark does well with any sold-out event is in the sale of read more

Feb162015

Lockwood PTA receives playground grant

Local • Lockwood

lockwood-montana-playgroundLOCKWOOD – The Lockwood PTA announced the receipt of a $20,000 donation for the building of a new Lion’s Lair from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. Also, with the grant was the notice that the Foundation will match up to an additional $10,000, donated from other sources during the ensuing year.

The PTA had already raised $56,000 toward a goal of $230,000 to read more

Feb142015

The Outdoors Column

Events & More!

by Carl Wolf- Outdoors Correspondent

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Looking for a housekeeper? Look no further than your local forest. There you will find Tamias which is the Greek name for housekeeper or treasurer. Yep, chipmunks are found in the taxonomic group called Tamias because they are little collectors and storers of food for winter use just like grandma used to do. The common name originally may have been spelled “chitmunk,” referring to the sounds they make. They are also referred to as read more

Feb132015

Jim Reno announces re-election bid

Politics

metra-park
BILLINGS – Yellowstone County Commissioner Jim Reno has announced that he will run for re-election in 2016. A Republican primary contender, Denis Pitman, a Billings City Councilman, has already announced his intention of challenging the three-term incumbent.

Reno said that he wants to “finish the job you hired me to do. . . There is a lot of work yet to do.”

But Reno’s main reason for running for re-election is that he read more

Jan272015

Official: Montana economic boom slowing

Montana-Statewide

Economic WeaknessesMontana’s overall economy is going to be “hard pressed” to hit the 3-percent growth mark forecasted by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, reported Patrick M. Barkey, head of that agency at the University of Montana.

The boom that Montana has been experiencing is showing signs of slowing, said Barkey in a report in the Montana Business Quarterly. The new trends will be important factors for state decision makers as they head for the Montana State Legislature, he said.

Barkey will explore what’s in store for the state in depth during the 2015 Economic Outlook Seminar, which the bureau will hold in Billings on Feb. 3. The seminar will focus on the impacts of the energy boom on Yellowstone County and the state.

“It’s an energy read more

Jan132015

Commissioners seek comments on Musselshell Trail Road

Yellowstone County • Custer

cottonwood_creek_near_malta_for_web
BILLINGS — A public hearing will be held regarding a plan to realign a portion of Musselshell Trail Road.

Yellowstone County Commissioners set a hearing date for Jan. 6 at 9:30 a.m. at the courthouse to accept public comment about realigning a portion of Musselshell Trail Road as it passes through Junction City Ranch.

The realignment will improve the safety and drivability of the road, by eliminating some sharp curves of the road.

The owner of the Junction City Ranch, Richard Brown, has agreed to extend easements to the public for the new alignment. Once the road has been constructed, the commissioners will act to abandon the old alignment of the road

Jan92015

Yellowstone County Deputy Involved Shooting

Events & More!

mike-linder
From: Sheriff Mike Linder – Yellowstone County Sherriff

On January 8, 2015, at approximately 4:35 PM, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Deputies were responding to a reported burglary at a residence on Justice Trail, south of Huntley Mt. At the time of the report, the homeowner did not know if the suspect(s) were still in the residence.

While en-route to investigate the burglary, the responding Deputies observed an older model SUV leaving the area that matched the description of a vehicle which was reported stolen out of Billings earlier that day. The Deputies attempted to follow the vehicle on White Buffalo Road but got stuck in the snow. The stolen SUV drove out of sight.

With the help of local citizens, The Deputies were able to free read more

Jan62015

Worden Fire Department awarded LifePak from AHA

Yellowstone County • Huntley Project

worden-fire-department-award
WORDEN — The Worden Volunteer Fire Department was recently awarded funding for a LifePak 15 defibrillator from “Mission: Lifeline,” an American Heart Association initiative aimed at improving the system of care for heart attack patients throughout rural Montana.

Joy Eshleman said the department put in for the grant for the LifePak 15, which costs about $25,000, to replace an older LifePak version it now uses.

The LifePak 15, which is now considered the new standard in emergency care, helps Worden Fire Department members monitor a patient’s condition in real time (heart rate, rhythm, blood pressure and oxygen saturation in the blood) in order to identify whether or not that person is having a heart attack.

Eshleman said the LifePak 15 also has EKG, blood pressure and carbon monoxide monitors, and the battery system is much more dependable than the former model.

“Ours doesn’t have all the bells and whistles like some,” she said. “But these can be used to run all kinds of equipment, even in hospitals.”

The training for the new machine is basically the same as for the older version, but the printout will be different and may take some time to get used to. Eshleman said the LifePak 15 also has a modem the transmits information to hospitals through Verizon.

“When we received this, we were just asked to donate our LifePak 12 to a smaller department,” she said, explaining that Broadus will receive the unit.

According to the American Heart Association, the LifePak 15 grant was made possible thanks to a $4.6-million gift from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, one of the nation’s largest foundations, to Montana to implement a three-year “Mission: Lifelife” initiative.

Jan32015

County officials sworn into office on Tuesday

Politics

BILLINGS — The common theme of elected county officials sworn into office on Tuesday morning is that they all have years of public service under their belts. Even the only newly elected treasurer, Sherry Long, has worked many years in several different positions as a public employee.

In opening the swearing-in ceremony, County Commissioner Jim Reno noted the long years of service that every elected official had served and recognized the value they bring through that experience. Judge Mary Jane Knisely, who administered the oaths of office, also noted the long terms of dedication to public service and underscored its challenge, and said that their positions are much more than 40-hour work weeks; they are always on the job.

Long was among six elected public officials who took the oath. She replaces retiring Max Lenington in the multi-office of county treasurer, assessor and superintendent of schools.

Justice of the Peace Pedro Hernandez was among those re-elected and being sworn into office — marking 42 years serving in that role.

Judge Hernandez’s wife, Debby Hernandez, was also sworn in for a third term as county auditor.

John Ostlund was sworn in for a third six-year term as county commissioner. He also is a long-time employee of the county, having first worked many years in the Public Works Department.

Mike Linder was sworn in for a read more

Jan22015

Meanderings

Meanderings

Meander means:  1. To follow a winding and turning course: 2. To move aimlessly and idly without fixed a direction.  3. A circuitous journey or excursion; ramble. Often used in the plural. 4. An ornamental pattern of winding or intertwining lines, used in art and architecture.

 

Jonathan McNiven

Jonathan McNiven

Happy New Year! It’s that time when we analyze the year before and start with New Year’s resolutions; well, at least for a month or so.  My wife and I have now completed three months of running the read more

Dec262014

2014 Year in Review

Top Stories

Year-in-review-2014

JANUARY 2014

Farm workers, migrants assured of healthcare

The Montana Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers Council is seeking this year to expand its services to the estimated 10,000 agricultural workers employed in Montana. The council currently serves about 6,000 workers but has opened a new clinic in Lolo and wants to improve its impact, the council announced early in 2014.

The council has a fulltime clinic in Billings and fields mobile medical and dental clinics to rural areas around the state.

Boardwalk reopens under new ownership and name

The popular Ballantine bar known for years as the Boardwalk is now the Finish Line and is under new ownership, it was announced in early January.

Jeremy McCune, of Shepherd, was scouting for trailer spots to buy in December when he ran into the opportunity to buy read more

Dec262014

MHP reports several weekend accidents

Huntley Project
A loaded sugar beet truck slowly passes another driver who’s sugar beet truck turned over Sunday morning on I-94 at mile marker 4. Highway Patrol Trooper reported the accident was caused due to the driver’s fatigue. The accident was called into dispatch at 6:32am. It took crews a couple hours to remove all the remaining sugar beets in the trailer as well as pick up all the remaining beets alongside the Interstate. (Image by Jonathan McNiven)

A loaded sugar beet truck slowly passes another driver who’s sugar beet truck turned over Sunday morning on I-94 at mile marker 4. Highway Patrol Trooper reported the accident was caused due to the driver’s fatigue. The accident was called into dispatch at 6:32am. It took crews a couple hours to remove all the remaining sugar beets in the trailer as well as pick up all the remaining beets alongside the Interstate. (Image by Jonathan McNiven)

Billings- Montana Highway Patrol troopers responded to a number of accidents Sunday morning due to weather and road conditions as well as other reasons. All within the same hour or so, 6 accidents were dispatched and addressed early Sunday morning as cars and trucks went off the Interstate and nearby roads either due to human error or road conditions. It was reported that three cars crossed an Interstate 94 bridge West of Custer and slid off the Interstate due to freezing rain and icy conditions on the bridge. Meanwhile, some 35 miles West on Interstate 94, a sugar beet semi turned its pup trailer on its side and spilled sugar beets on and alongside Interstate 94.

At the same time, MHP trooper Kirk Robbins was attending to an overturned vehicle that appeared to be abandoned early in the morning. Icy roads and inclement weather were partly to blame for the accidents.

Caption: Montana Highway Patrol responded to an overturned vehicle Sunday morning on Pryor Creek Rd in Huntley. It appears that the driver of this red vehicle went off the Pryor Creek Rd and overturned the car, then walked away during the night as no one was present when Law enforcement arrived early. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

Caption: Montana Highway Patrol responded to an overturned vehicle Sunday morning on Pryor Creek Rd in Huntley. It appears that the driver of this red vehicle went off the Pryor Creek Rd and overturned the car, then walked away during the night as no one was present when Law enforcement arrived early. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow on Tuesday…which was in effect at 5pm Wednesday until 5pm Christmas Day. The advisory stated that precautionary actions would need to be taken to stay safe while traveling on the varied road conditions during the holiday season.

Weather temperatures are expected to decrease each day with a high of 5 degrees and a low of -8 degrees on Monday. Temperatures will stay in the low teens for a couple days before increasing to bring in the New Year.

Dec212014

Lions Club chooses recipients of Homesteader funds

Huntley Project

HUNTLEY — Last month, members from three local organizations showed up to a special Huntley Project Lions Club meeting at Homesteader Hall. Each group — the Huntley Project Senior Housing Coalition, the Huntley Project Museum and the Huntley Project Little League — was there in the hopes of receiving some of the funds that the Lions Club raised during the 2014 Homesteader Days in July.

The Senior Housing Coalition has been hard at work since last year for its ultimate goal: To purchase land and build a senior housing facility. Members Jean Ott and Phyllis Weidinger were on hand to request money for some interior items such as a walk-in freezer.

Neal Gunnels, curator of the Huntley Project Museum, attended the meeting to request funds to complete the restoration of a handful of buildings on the museum grounds.

Little League manager Casey Dolph brought his son Kory and another player, Kniles Thomsen, to ask for a new lawn mower for the baseball fields and a shed to store it in.

Lions Club members met again on Dec. 9 to decide which proposals they would like to fund. Ultimately, said Lions Club member Dan Krum, the group decided the museum and the Little League would most benefit from the money.

“We had the three requests,” Krum said. “And we just decided the third one, the senior center, was just not ready yet.”

The Senior Housing Coalition has been fundraising and receiving grants with the help of the Big Sky Economic Development Authority, but a location has not been chosen for the facility, nor have architectural plans been completed. The project, which could end up costing upwards of $400,000, could take years to finish.

Krum said $13,685 will be presented to the Huntley Project Museum and $9,772 to the Huntley Project Little League — $5,450 for a John Deere lawn mower and $4,322 for a large storage shed.

Additional funds which were raised at Homesteader Days will also be used to get the lighting redone at the hall in Homesteader Park.

Krum added that the Lions Club is down a few members, to about 28 people, and are always looking for new people. He can be reached at 967-3281.

 

Dec152014

Meanderings:

Meanderings
Jonathan McNiven

Jonathan McNiven

So I’ve been trying to figure out a good transition from Becky’s Brewings (of which I personally enjoyed) to thoughts, current happenings in the communities, unique perspectives and ideas of my own.  So while working the night shift last weekend at Charter Communications (yes, many of us are working to get into a better position) I decided that Becky’s Brewings will now transition to read more

Dec152014

Black Bear Skull Officially State Record!

Events & More! • Features • Montana-Statewide • Sports • Top Stories • Yellowstone County • Billings
Photo of the black bear skull after drying 60 days. The black bear skull measured 1/16th of an inch bigger than the previous skull and is now the state record for black bear at 21 9/16 inches. The total weight of the black bear was 660 lbs

Photo of the black bear skull after drying 60 days. The black bear skull measured 1/16th of an inch bigger than the previous skull and is now the state record for black bear at 21 9/16 inches. The total weight of the black bear was 660 lbs

Ballantine, MT – Adam Vogel of Ballantine had his black bear skull officially measured by a Boone and Crockett representative and confirmed that the black bear that was shot and killed two months ago is officially the state record by 1/16th of an inch at 21 9/16 inches. Not only was the black bear a state record for weight two months ago at 660 lbs., the official measurements for the big game animal was also the state record for skull size, which is measured by the official Boone and Crocket standards..

Boone and Crockett measurements for black bear are measured in 1/16 inches. The skull was measured at 8 inches wide and read more

Dec132014

Richmond appointed to Represent HD 56

Montana-Statewide • Politics
Tom Richmond

Tom Richmond

Tom Richmond was elected this week by Yellowstone County Commissioners to represent House District 56 in the 2015 Legislative Session. County officials were given 3 names to choose from Monday’s Republican Central Committee meeting where each of 11 candidates were given the opportunity to represent themselves. Of those present, businessman Barry Usher and newcomer Joshua Sizemore along with Richmond were recommended to the county commissioners.

Representative-Elect Tom Richmond, former Director of the Montana Board of Oil and Gas, will hit the ground running as he is familiar with the legislative process for some 30 years as the Director.

As Rickmond brings his experience to the legislative process, he also brings a knowledge of the read more

Caption: Lockwood Fire Chief John Staley posing with Santa along with his crew and volunteers at Canary and Bluebird in Lockwood during one of the visits. It takes a crew of about a dozen people to prep, help, take down and then move the Santa set from location to location. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

Dec12014

Area Christmas Strolls

Events & More!
Caption: Lockwood Fire Chief John Staley posing with Santa along with his crew and volunteers at Canary and Bluebird in Lockwood during one of the visits. It takes a crew of about a dozen people to prep, help, take down and then move the Santa set from location to location. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

Caption: Lockwood Fire Chief John Staley posing with Santa along with his crew and volunteers at Canary and Bluebird in Lockwood during one of the visits. It takes a crew of about a dozen people to prep, help, take down and then move the Santa set from location to location. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

Worden Christmas Stroll:

The 2014 Worden Christmas Stroll, in its 10th year, will feature downtown Worden’s businesses and community organizations on Friday, Dec. 5. The Worden Stroll is organized by the Worden Community Club.

All are welcome to participate; pick up a Christmas Stroll Passport at any participating business. Stop in at each of the destinations listed on the Passport and have the Passport signed or stamped. Completed Passports at the end will be used as prize drawing entries.

At the bottom of the passport, you can vote for your favorite decorated business. You can also vote for your favorite Christmas Hat worn by participating merchants. The winner will get a gift certificate from Millers Dark Horse Saloon for $25.

The event begins at 4 p.m. and all passports have to be turned in by 8 p.m. Prize drawings will begin at 8:15 p.m. at the VFW Hall.

Vendors will be set up inside the read more

Nov262014

Becky’s Brewings to McNiven’s Meanderings

Billings • Meanderings
Jonathan McNiven

Jonathan McNiven

The article named “Becky’s Brewings to McNiven’s Meanderings” was originally published in the weekly Yellowstone County News in the November 26th edition.

 

So I’ve been trying to figure out a good transition from Becky’s Brewings (of which I personally enjoyed) to thoughts, current happenings in the communities, unique perspectives and ideas of my own.  So while working the night shift last weekend at Charter Communications (yes, many of us are working to get into a better position) I decided that Becky’s Brewings will now transition to McNiven’s Meanderings!   Here’s how I see it!  “To meander” means:  read more

Nov202014

LOCKWOOD SCHOOLS “SUPER SESSION”

Billings

By Tobin Navasio, Lockwood School Superintendent

The goal of this series of articles is to highlight some of the positive things that are happening here at Lockwood Schools as well as to make you, the community, aware of some of the challenges that we face in working to provide your child with the best education possible. In future editions I will touch base on some programs, ideology, and resources that we have implemented here at Lockwood, but I want to start by focusing on what I believe is the key to success for any organization – schools, companies, sports teams, military units, or communities – the people involved. This is without question the strength of Lockwood Schools!

I count myself blessed on a regular basis to work with such read more