Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
Serving Southern Jefferson County in the Great State of Montana
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One Jefferson High School student is dead and another is hospitalized after a crash between Clancy and Montana City on Monday night. Makinzy Rynearson-Gray, a 17-year-old senior at the school, died in the crash, according to Jefferson High School Superintendent Tim Norbeck, who confirmed the death in a phone call on Tuesday morning and said that additional counselors were at the school to help students and staff process the death. He said that the school notified parents of the death and the student’s name via email around 11 a.m. The school d...
Dear Editor, On November 10th and 11th, Cardwell and the Whitehall Schools presented the military Veterans of the surrounding area with multiple patriotic programs that were a salute to the military Veterans’ service. These patriotic presentations were incredible in their content and preparation! The children at Cardwell School were well-rehearsed and enthusiastic in their songs and poetry! The Veterans, parents, and families that were present were treated to a typical “Panther” show! At the end of the program, all the children presented the V...
Dear Jo, Are you competitive? I am!!! There is going to be a local Christmas light display contest and I want to win. Actually, I MUST win!!!! I find myself driving around town checking on who is decorating, and thinking to myself, “I will buy more lights, more tinsel, more yard displays and more, more, more!!!!” How can I stop before I put myself into debt or worse? Signed, Ready to Self Destruct! Dear Self Destruct, First, DO NOT self-destruct, or do anything that will be worse. You need to settle the heck down, take a few deep breaths and...
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) announced today that donation boxes have been set up at various locations across the state to receive holiday gifts to benefit Montana State Hospital (MSH) patients. The effort is part of the annual Gifts With A Lift program that has played an instrumental role in spreading holiday cheer to patients for the past 69 years. The program ensures that all state hospital patients have a gift this holiday season. MSH Gifts With A Lift coordinator Trent Martin said the program continues to...
Dear Jo, I’ve got a question for you. I hope this isn’t beyond the pale or anything, but why is it becoming more and more acceptable for women, models especially, to let it all hang out so to speak, as long as that slippery little (she) devil, the nipple is covered? Not that I am complaining, but this kind of behavior seems to be growing in popularity! Since the gland in question is pretty much a glob of fat, shapely as it may be, and the nipple actually serves a purpose, could that be the answer to my query? Might it be that simple? Sig...
Dear Jo, Here they come! The holidays, that is! Along with all that “holiday spirit” come the expectations, the inevitable weight gain, seeing family you might be better off keeping your distance from, etc. It’s not like I’m all HUMBUG or anything. I just have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. How can I make it?! Any ideas? Signed, Not a Grinch Dear Grinch, Well, there is no avoiding it; the holidays come whether we are ready or not. Although you say you are not a grinch, nor a humbug, your letter leads me to believe you actuall...
A female Montana Army National Guard Soldier graduated from the U.S. Army Sniper Course at Fort Benning, Ga on Nov. 5, becoming the first woman in history to complete the course. At this time, the military is not identifying this Soldier by name. “We are extremely proud of this Soldier’s achievement and recognize that this is a milestone for not only Montana, but the entire National Guard and Army,” said Maj. Gen. J. Peter Hronek, the Adjutant General for Montana. “This Soldier had to volunteer several times to reach this goal, which is a demon...
The eclipse begins on November 18th at 11:02PM MST when the Penumbra part of the Earth’s shadow touches the edge of the Moon. The Moon’s brightness at this point is -12.5. The Penumbra will continue covering the surface of the Moon until the Ulmba part of the Earth’s shadow touches the Moon’s edge on November 19th at 00:17AM MST. The Moon’s brightness is now down to -0.01. Maximum Eclipse: The Ulmba will continue to cover the Moon’s surface until only a little crescent part of the Moon is not covered. The time is approximately 2:02AM Nove...
My Ole Man He was a giant, when I was a kid But I was always trying, to do everything he did I still remember, no matter how hard, every lesson he taught me Growing up, just learning how to be like My Ole Man He was a giant, a lion, and father of his pride But as I got older, I became defiant And he made me walk the line He knew, someway, somehow, When to lift me up and when to let me fall Looking back, he always had a plan My Ole Man His hands always callous, his clothes sometimes dusty, My...
Medicare beneficiaries in five additional Montana counties will now be able to purchase low-cost, high-quality Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) Medicare Advantage plans for 2022. BCBSMT will now offer Medicare Advantage products in Broadwater, Deer Lodge, Granite, Jefferson and Powell counties, in addition to Carbon, Cascade, Flathead, Gallatin, Lake, Lewis and Clark, Lincoln, Missoula, Ravalli, Yellowstone and Silver Bow counties where plans continue to be available. The expanded footprint and new options detailed below build on...
Dear Jo, There are life changing moments in everyone’s life; a moment, an opportunity to do something that could turn their life in a new direction. I have such an opportunity. It will cost me financially, not to mention the stress of a loan, the burden and pressure of taking the opportunity and making it work to my advantage. If I succeed, it will be an amazing boost to my career and life. If it doesn’t, I could spend several years recovering from the investment. I am scared, excited, and stuck. Help!!!! Signed, Golden Opportunity Dear Golden,...
Dear Jo, I live in a small town, which means everyone pretty much knows everyone else. Generations know generations. There is a home here in town that not only looks like a junkyard, but is home to a dog that has bitten people, and killed at least one dog that I know of. How does the town not do something about it? How can someone have such a negative effect on neighbors and not have to answer for it? Help! Signed, Dog Tired Dear Dog Tired, The squeaky wheel gets the grease, it is said. It sounds like both the owner and the dog need a little...
Dear Editor, Many of us here in Jefferson County are tired of party politics and feeling ignored by political elites who only care about their own agendas. These days it seems like elections are so partisan that no one really wins. We have to ensure that our elections are fair from the very beginning when drawing our state’s congressional maps. States are required by the constitution to redraw congressional and state legislative district lines every ten years to account for changes in population size. These maps can determine the outcome of a...
Dear Jo, Not only do I look younger that my 24 years, I apparently look like my husband’s sister instead of his wife. We constantly get comments about looking alike, those are not too bad. The awkward moments are when we are affectionate (respectfully so) in public. People stop and stare at us like we are “kissing cousins”. Is it the red hair? We both have it, but do people honestly think that because we both have red hair we are related?! I wish for a smart comment to put people in their nosey places. Do you have anything?! Signed, Red Head Ma...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials announced today a voluntary recall of rice cereal for infants and babies has been issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recalled infant cereal was distributed nationally through Walmart stores and online. This recall is a result of a routine sampling program by the FDA which found that a sample from three production lots of Parent’s Choice Rice Baby Cereal tested above the guidance for naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. Parent’s Choice Rice Baby Cereal lot...
What did we learn this summer and fall? We learned that people who’d been cooped up, thanks to COVID-19, flocked to our national parks and forests. Once there, many were eager to empty their bucket list of must-do activities in the outdoors. Consequences ranged from overflowing parking lots, lots of litter and human waste and illegal pets on and off the trails, to campers parking anywhere they wanted, copious graffiti and calls for multiple rescues. At Grand Canyon alone, the summer rescue count exceeded all of last year’s. Visitation on pub...
Dear Jo, I need help! It’s been two years since my last confession. To be quite honest, it’s been almost that long since I have darkened a church doorstep. The problem is, if indeed it could be called a problem, is that it’s also been almost that long since my family has had not much to do with me. Other than the yearly birthday greeting, it has been pretty much dead silence unless I initiate. I’m not really one to complain, but it does hurt a little bit. What do think I should do?? Signed, The Black Sheep Dear Black Sheep, It sounds like th...
Dear Jo, My daughter came to visit me a couple of weekends ago. I love when she visits! She is so much fun. Where is the problem, you ask? Well, my beautiful daughter was so excited to show me her new (and first) tattoo. I still cannot believe it, but she had pistols tattooed on her hips. No, I am not kidding. The barrels of the pistols are pointing, well, you can guess. What the hell was she thinking? What was I supposed to say?! I simply stood there dumbfounded. Now she is upset with me for my reaction. We have always been close, able to...
Memorable and exciting moments were the theme Saturday night at the Billings Hotel and Convention Center. Awards were presented and scholarship recipients introduced at the 16th Annual Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame Scholarship Fundraising Banquet and Gathering. And while the awards presentations were a highlight of the night, a big announcement came early in the evening. Brent Jordan, the president of the MPRHWF, told those in attendance there would be a "physical hall of fame in...
Dear Jo, I’ve been thinking about gender roles. You know the spiel. Women belong in the kitchen. Women: stay home! Make and take care of those babies! Cooking and cleaning is women’s work. Blah blah blah. Speaking as a man myself, I feel the very notion of gender roles is ridiculous and ignorant, to say the least! Here is my question for you. Why do you think most men accept this? In fact, it seems some get their rocks off, so to speak, by keeping not just “their woman” but ALL women, under their thumb? Okay, that probably qualifies as two sep...
On Tuesday, Sept. 21, NorthWestern Energy submitted a request to withdraw its application for the Laurel gas plant to the Public Service Commission (PSC), citing supply line issues. Hours later, NorthWestern revealed its intention to move forward building the Laurel gas plant without pre-approval from the PSC. The Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) opposes an unusual Montana law that allows NorthWestern to seek pre-approval from the PSC when it wants to build a new electricity generating plant. Pre-approval allows the utility to...
NorthWestern Energy is reporting an all-time high in scam activity this week from customers on the receiving end of calls in which scammers threaten to shut off service if customers don’t take immediate actions that include making payments by gift cards, Bitcoin or other forms of payment. The increase in reports also includes instances where callers manipulate caller ID to make it appear as if an energy company is making the call, commonly referred to as caller ID spoofing. Reports include scammers even going as far as showing up at l...
Dear Jo, What do you do when your spouse comes home after 30 year of marriage and simply does not want to be married anymore?! No reason, no big problem, no affair. How does a person come to terms with this?! Signed, Pissed off and confused Dear Pissed and Confused, There is no way but forward. Move that direction and don’t stop. You cannot change a mind that is made up. You are meant for greater things. Let that $#!% go and run for your future. You will be ok. It will take a bit, but you’ve got this. Signed, Jo Dear Jo, I want to start a line...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials report that nearly one in three Montanans aged 65 and older have reported falling at least once in the last 12 months. Further, about 1,900 Montanans were hospitalized due to unintentional falls in 2020. And, one in five falls result in a serious injury. DPHHS Falls Prevention Program Manager Melissa Dale said the issue really begins to impact Montanans after age 55. She added that while falling is not a normal part of aging, as a person ages they are at an increased risk for fall...
Dear Editor, So, some of you still hold to the addiction induced belief that “guns don’t kill people…” That may be true in an alternate universe using alternative facts showing that people are in control, but not in this universe. In this universe people have never been in “control,” especially when it comes to guns. People do not control guns. Guns control people. An example: Missoula’s Hellgate High on the third day of 2021 classes. The report of a gun on campus “controlled” all things that followed. People were not the threat. School au...
