We've Got The County Covered
We've Got The County Covered
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Dear BCJ readers, In October, Blaine County Museum lost our board chairman, Stuart “Scott” MacKenzie. Since his passing, we have received many notes of condolence, and the museum board asked me to share the following message sent to us by former BCM board member, Thom MacLean. Blaine County Museum Board and Staff, I am so sorry to learn of Scott’s passing. He was such a wonderful gentleman with a quick wit, a gracious manner, and a charming smile. It was an honor to serve on the Blaine County Museum board with him – and to learn from him. On...
We are now into our third installment of recognizing individuals in the community that give so much of themselves to help make our communities a great place to live. We have set our focus on those individuals that 'give' or 'do' for those around us unceremoniously. These individuals do so expecting nothing in return and with of a great deal of compassion for the community. This week we will feature two individuals who again exemplify that motto, Betty Billmayer and Jana Hauer. Betty is...
Last week we began a Holiday series meant to highlight individuals in our communities. In this week's chapter of our Holiday Season homage to Blaine County residents that 'give' or 'do' for those around us unceremoniously, we recognize Don Richman and Jack Siemens. Two community members that are the epitome of 'giving' and 'doing'. Don Richman Don Richman has long been a supporter of the Harlem Community and for more than 30 years Don hasn't just 'supported' local events but has 'walked the...
COVID Wave Demands New Thinking This year has been different in so many ways, however one way it will remain the same is that flu season is coming. Montana physicians and the Montana Medical Association see this flu season likely to place an unprecedented strain on our health care system thanks to COVID-19. Chills and sore throats, that might have been treated with a few days of fluids and rest in past years, will now require additional scrutiny and monitoring. In the coming months we will certainly need our health care providers even more...
The Holiday Season is a special time of year, filled with joy and hope and accentuated by the thrill of giving and helping others. Traditionally the start of the Holiday Season starts Thanksgiving Day and runs through the New Year. In recent years that trend has began to inch its way back to Halloween with Christmas lights going up and Christmas sales starting earlier and earlier. The act of giving 'faithfully' is unrequited, often done anonymously or with as little fan fare as possible. The...
This year, with each approaching Holiday I have taken the approach to better understand the history of the day. In doing so I have shared my findings with our readers so that we may have a better understanding to what the days original meaning was. On Thursday, November 26, we will celebrate Thanksgiving, just as we have since 1870, on the last Thursday of November. Most of us know, or are at least aware of the first Thanksgiving. The first 'Thanksgiving' was celebrated over three days in the...
JUST FOUR WALLS Just four walls protect me From the cold wintery winds. Just four walls shade me From the blistering sun; Just four walls keep me dry From cold, wet rain and snow. No matter what kind of weather, No matter the size of our shelter, Be thankful to have a home. Simple or Elaborate One room or ten. Stay warm. Stay cool. Stay dry. Stay hydrated. Stay well. Stay HOME! Don’t catch the Coronavirus. THE MASK The outlaw of the old west Wore a mask to conceal his identity When committing a robbery Or other crime. He needed a swift get a...
Relaxing day with bit of snow, MORE SNOW is on the way. So, we’ll just wait, putter a bit; shovel another day. Twould be such fun if girlfriends came, but they’d have to fight ice! However, they moved out of town; memory of them is nice. We could think back some years ago, when two gals paid a call. Of course, that day, there was no snow, for it was early FALL! Now those two gals, are all alone, but they know how to share, Their hubby’s left, gone on ahead, these gals know how to care. “Play us a song, sheet music’s there; and we will sing...
November 6, 2020 Blaine County Citizens: Below is a letter I sent to Blaine County employees, the Blaine County Health Board, and the Chinook Police Department. I was asked by members of the Health Board to share it as a Letter to the Editor. While the Blaine County Health Department employees continue to do their diligent work, they are increasingly met with hostility, disparaging name-calling, and disrespect. As Blaine County continues to navigate COVID-19, please do your part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. October 26, 2020...
I have lived in Chinook for over 39 years. I’ve always appreciated Chinook as a wonderful small town where everyone was entitled to their own opinion and to be secure in their own property. My husband and I have been Democrats for over 40 years. (Well, my husband since birth!) We thought we were entitled to show our support for our preferred political candidates in our own yard just as our neighbors are in theirs. Recently, on two separate occasions, our “Biden For President” signs were deliberately stolen from our yard. The second occas...
Dear Editor: I read Mr. Jergeson’s recent letter to the editor with interest. His history lesson on the Montana Power story here in Montana was interesting, but what baffles me is how that relates to President Trump and the management of Covid-19 exactly? I do understand that Mr. Jergeson does not support the President and likely never has. But he did ask an important question that I and many of his supporters would like the opportunity to answer. Why did we, a sizeable majority of Montanan’s, elect President Trump four years ago and will lik...
You know, Lord, ‘Twas exciting to discover, after reading various excerpts from GODS’S CALENDAR, written by William A Quayle, some very interesting opinions and viewpoints about the month October – so fascinating, just had to share, therefore, here we go! “The month of October is called the Aster month, Indian Summer month, wan/pale month of dimmed sky and drooping eyelids and leaf-a-flutter, falling but loath to fall – chaste/faithful October, with thy starry aster fields in tryst with Thee. “Asters love October. When other flowers are...
During six years of my service in the Montana Senate and all eight years of my service on the Montana Public Service Commission, I had a ring-side seat with four major bankruptcies that had huge impacts on Montana residents, and I helped Montana avoid being taken down by a fifth. The first four, in order, were Enron, Montana Power/Touch America, NorthWestern Corporation, and Southern Montana Electric. The fifth, and dodged bullet was Babcock & Brown Infrastructure (BBI), an Australian investment conglomerate that proposed to merge NorthWestern...
When an alumni magazine arrived a few weeks ago an advertisement titled "Winter is Coming" caught my attention (see photo). The ad was promoting sales for a combination "beanie and scarf set" with the Southern Illinois University logo and colors. I said to my wife, "Whoever wrote this ad is not from southern Illinois. Everyone I knew growing up in southern Illinois would have called those two items in the advertisement "a toboggan and a muffler." And that got me thinking: though we all speak a...
Dear Editor, I am writing in support of Greg Gianforte for Governor. I believe Greg understands the dire economic position our state is in, and has a game plan for recovery. Before the plandemic (not a typo), Montana ranked 49th in the nation in household income, as reported by Prospera. We barely had an economy going into 2020. Our current governor had no business shutting down our businesses. I believe Greg would never hobble our ability to prosper. Greg believes in school choice. Greg also appreciates religious and medical freedom, issues...
You know, Lord, the way ‘things’ are going on right now with ‘Sheltering In’, etc. a friend suggested a ‘Joy Box. ‘A joy box? What is a Joy Box?’ “Oh, everyone should have one,” our friend exclaimed. “They are SO easy to make, an old shoe box will do. Wrap it pretty with lovely paper and decorate it so it’s eye-catching. We listened while she told what goes inside: “Put into it selected cards, letters, notes and your favorite Bible Verses; scrapes of wee notes from special folks, little children, family mementoes and even some dried flowers...
Blaine County has a long history of fair and non-partisan administration of our elections. Over the years that I appeared on the ballot, I had occasion to work with the chief election officer, our Clerk and Recorder, on how our elections were conducted. From my friend, Republican Lucille Oehmcke, through Democrat Sandy Boardman, and now Tammy Williams, our Clerk and Recorder has always conducted the election in this county so that the voters' will could be expressed, not how any party or candidate might wish to achieve some kind of advantage,...
You know, Lord, now and then friends share with us things that are special to them. One gal shared that a long while ago, Pastor ‘Phil’ [name changed] was telling them that: “Listening is not hearing. Touching is not feeling. Looking is not seeing. There is the sense and the sensibility. The former is our body’s proper functioning. The latter is our “will to awareness.” T Then she went on explain that we involuntarily might listen, but we all know that we hear only by intention; she then gave a couple examples in her life, that she had missed...
In my 10 plus years of writing articles for the Blaine County Journal News~Opinion I have covered a wide range of subject matter. From high school sports to school functions. Agriculture, public events, fundraisers, fairs, Powwows, rodeos and many more. The list is a long one, and I have enjoyed everyone. One thing that I have found very interesting is the wide range of subject matter our readers like to see in the paper. We have a strong readership in following the local high school sports....
I trust everyone had a fun safe 4th of July, our Independence Day. This past month or two has been a real test of the fabric of our nation and the loss of very valuable pieces of history is devastating. Now protesting is one thing but looting and trashing historical monuments is a crime in more ways than one. Don’t get me wrong, I did not do well in history in school, but I hope what I do know is breaking the law is wrong. If you do not pay attention to what has happened in the past, you are doomed to make the same mistakes in the future. Y...
Putting water to beneficial use in a semi-arid state like Montana is dependent on two truths. Water must be physically available, and the corresponding truth is that there must be a legal right to use that available water supply. As the recent failure of Drop 5 on the St. Mary/Milk River Diversion system and the impending lack of adequate supplies in the Milk River later this summer make clear, the infrastructure to make the physical delivery of that water must be rebuilt and repaired. We must be thankful that the irrigators and State of...
You now, Lord, each day that You give us, is a ‘room of time’. We can use that time or we can abuse it, we can spend it or waste it, we can fill our time with recollections of past failures and moan all the ‘what if’s,’ if only,’ ‘woe is me.’ We can have our own “pity party” with just us as the honored guest, for who, pray tell, would want to come to such a party! Or, woo-hoo - we can fill our ‘room of time’ with peace and happiness, joy and satisfaction. We can be about as glad or as sad as we choose to be, as this little verse states: “L...
Sweet Home Updates Dear Editor, Sweet Home has news! What was an idea a few years ago is realty. The remodeling project which began the end of October last year is complete. Space for the Physical Therapy Department was expanded giving them much needed extra room and an Addition was built on to the south for Activities, Beauty Shop, small library and storage. We residents were given a tour of the addition on Monday and it’s spacious with a lot of natural light. There is ample room for a resident’s family events like holiday gathering, bir...
Columnist's note: During our recent annual post-Christmas visit to see our daughter and her family in the Seattle area, she treated us with a visit to one of the Seattle area's major attractions. My daughter, myself and a ten-year old grandson visited Boeing's airplane factory in Everett, Washington. The factory is near Paine Field, a facility used by the military during World War II and near the city of Mukilteo about 25 miles north of Seattle proper. The Everett factory holds the title of "wor...
The combination of the stay at home directives related to COVID-19 plus some long winter days raised my awareness of certain types of advertising on television. Particularly late at night and some early mornings the number of ads promoting unfamiliar products and infomercials hyping products is crushing. The commercials for things like the Lint Lizard (to remove flammable lint from your laundry dryer) to the Full Crystal Cleaner hose apparatus for washing the outside of your house and windows...
