02-16-22 issue

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Vol. 18, No. 22

February 16, 2022

A VOICE organization receives $100,000 grant

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

Ninepipe corridor pg. 5

Sports pg. 13

Angel initiative pg. 22

PABLO — Local organization A VOICE Art Vision and Outreach In Community Education - has just received the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) American Rescue Plan Grant to expand their community programs.

Offered online by the NEA in December for organizations around the country, the grant is unique in that it allows nonprofits to use the funds for administrative means, helping to both keep the doors open and expand what they can offer.

One of only five recipients in the state, A VOICE will receive $100,000 over the course of two years.

Director and co-founder David Spear said that, due to their organization’s size, support of this type is rare and very welcome. “It’s a considerable amount of money for us, and it’s also kind of new territory,” he stated.

PHOTO BY DANIEL RUNNING CRANE / OUR COMMUNITY RECORD

The Our Community Record project, founded by A Voice’s David Spear, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.

David and his wife and co-founder Jill have been doing outreach work for decades to help communities embrace their creativity through art and photography, but decided to bring their skills to Montana after a few years together in New York.

“Jill is from Polson.

The fact that we’ve been invited in and have been able to share things that we’re adept at ... to help people express themselves visually ... it’s an honor,” Spear said.

“We’re honored to be able to be a part of the community. We feel ex-

w w w.va l le yj our na l.net

cited to be able to bring something to this place that’s originally Jill’s home.”

The couple began their work in the Flathead Nation in 2002 when they began the Our Community Record (OCR) project at Two Eagle River School. OCR just

celebrated its 20th anniversary back in January.

When they founded A VOICE in 2006, it was with the mission to, according to the website, provide young people with the tools to become expressive art makers, see page 2

“Our hope is that we can instill something that will last for someone’s lifetime.”

- DAVID SPEAR, A VOICE DIRECTOR

A VOICE from page 1

moving storytellers and engaged citizens.

“Our hope is that we can instill something that will last for someone’s lifetime,” Spear stated. The diversity of the art created by the young people they work with is something he marvels at. “It’s pretty

The NEA grant funds will allow A VOICE to offer more programs for young people in the community.

amazing to see. The way they would photograph is much different than the way I would photograph.

I’ve been in a pretty privileged position to get to see it all,” he said.

With the new funds provided by the grant, the organization will have the opportunity to hire more people, create internships, and put together more

programs to serve the local community. “We’ve got some ideas for new programming; our board is really excited about this.”

This fall, they plan to hold a celebration and put together a publication of projects from the last two decades to pass on to the community.

PHOTO BY HEATHER ATWIN / OUR COMMUNITY RECORD

Commission approves 2022-23 hunting regulations Work continues on elk management efforts

News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks

HELENA — At its Feb. 4 meeting, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved hunting regulations for the 2022 and 2023 hunting seasons with a significant focus on changes to elk hunting opportunities.

All final regulations approved at the meeting will go into effect when the new license year begins on March 1.

New regulation booklets for moose, sheep, mountain goat, bison, deer, elk and antelope will be available online this month and in print by mid-March.

Hunters should make sure to read through the new regulations before applying for permits and licenses this spring. The first application deadline for deer and elk permits is April 1.

“Friday’s commission meeting was the culmination of hard work by staff and an amazing amount of input from hunters, landowners, and outfitters

2 - February 16, 2022

Public Access Land Agreement deadline approaches News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks

across the state,” said FWP Director Hank Worsech. “My hope was to engage the public on improving hunter access to elk and elk distribution across public and private land. And though some proposals were controversial, the commission and the department heard from more people than ever before with input and ideas on how to improve elk management. I think we have made progress and will focus now on implementing and monitoring the effectiveness of these regulation changes.”

FWP continues to focus on improving elk management. This includes elk plan development, work ongoing with the Private Lands Public Wildlife Committee, and organizing the Elk Management Citizen Advisory Group which is currently seeking applicants.

Specifics of the 2022-23 hunting regulations can be found at: https:// fwp.mt.gov/homepage/news/2022/ feb/0211-fish-and-wildlife-commission-approves-2022-23-hunting-regulations Valley Journal

MONTANA — Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for enrollment in the Unlocking Public Lands (UPL) Program or the Public Access Land Agreement (PALA) Program.

These programs are designed to provide recreational public access to state (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) or federal (Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service) land where no or limited legal public access currently exists.

For enrollment in UPL, landowners will receive a tax credit in the amount of $750 per agreement and up to a maximum of $3,000 in tax credits in exchange for allowing access across the private lands, roads or trails to reach inaccessible public land. Landowners must hold the public land lease and decide how the public may cross their private property for all recreations.

For enrollment in PALA, landowners will receive monetary compensation, including possible infrastructure reimbursements (e.g., gravel, culverts, cattle guards, etc.) to facilitate public access to inac-

cessible public lands. Landowners must hold the public land lease.

Compensation amounts vary based on a variety of factors, and agreements are limited to up to $15,000 each with one landowner possibly holding multiple agreements. The governor-appointed Private Land/ Public Wildlife (PL/PW) Advisory Committee will review complete applications at their upcoming May meeting and make a recommendation to the FWP director on whether to extend an agreement.

“Offering a tax credit or payment in exchange for public access to inaccessible public land is a unique and innovative way to respect private property rights and increase public access,” said Jason Kool, FWP hunting access program manager. “We hope these opportunities and incentives appeal to many landowners throughout the state.”

While Montana contains millions of acres of public land, much of this land is inaccessible to the public and requires landowner permission for access.

More information about these two programs, including enrollment criteria, application forms, and fact sheets describing these FWP public access programs, can be found at: fwp.mt.gov/landowner.

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This Week’s Weather Forecast Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

February 17

February 18

February 19

February 20

February 21

February 22

38°/27°

42°/32°

44°/29°

42°/32°

41°/27°

38°/26°

Snow 46% chance precipitation

Mostly Cloudy 23% chance precipitation

Rain/Snow 34% chance precipitation

Mostly Cloudy 24% chance precipitation

Rain/Snow 13% chance precipitation

39/26°

Wednesday

Thursday

February 16

Tuesday

Mostly Cloudy 24% chance precipitation

Snow 30% chance precipitation

Flathead Lake Level 2885.19 ft WED

02/16

7:41 am

6:00 pm

6:05 pm

8:13 am

THUR

02/17

7:39 am

6:02 pm

7:18 pm

8:35 am

FRI

02/18

7:38 am

6:03 pm

8:30 pm

8:55 am

SAT

02/19

7:36 am

6:05 pm

9:44 pm

9:13 am

SUN

02/20

7:34 am

6:06 pm

10:59 pm

9:31 am

MON

02/21

7:32 am

6:08 pm

none

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TUES

02/22

7:31 am

6:09 pm

12:16 pm

10:14 am

Valley Journal

(7.81 ft below full pool)

Today in History February 16, 2021 High 31° F Low 20° F Precipitation 0.18 inches Record High 58° F Record Low -20 February 16, 2022 - 3

contents Ninepipe corridor ..........5

Schools .......................20

Courts ...........................8

Obituaries ...................26

Valley Views ................10

Calendar .....................27

Sports .........................13

Classifieds ..................29

Goose gathering

TAYLOR DAVISON / VALLEY JOURNAL

And find us online for

contact us

more photos, videos, breaking news and special sections!

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Boone Goddard

Summer Goddard

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Publisher, Editor (406) 249-1793 summer@valleyjournal.net

Kathi Beeks Office Manager, Copy Editor (406) 676-8989 vjmail@valleyjournal.net news@valleyjournal.net

Taylor Davison

Jerry Beeks

Rob Zolman

Ben Stone

Editor (406) 439-1911 vjeditor@valleyjournal.net

Advertising Sales (406) 207-4641 jbeeks@ronan.net

Reporter, Production (406) 250-4828 sports@valleyjournal.net

Media Production (406) 676-8989 ben@valleyjournal.net

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Your homegrown newspaper serves residents of Lake 4 - February 16, 2022

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Initial findings of Ninepipe corridor feasibility study shared

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

LAKE COUNTY — Improvements to a crucial stretch of U.S. Highway 93 near the Ninepipe Reservoir are being revisited as engineers compare past and current studies on the heavily traveled roadway.

An informational meeting was held on Feb. 7 by the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and consulting firm Robert Peccia and Associates (RPA) to share the initial findings in the feasibility of improving the Ninepipe corridor.

Improvements to the Ninepipe corridor, between Post Creek Hill and Ronan, have been in discussion for an extended period with planning efforts reaching back as far as 1996, according to MDT preconstruction engineer Jacquelyn Smith. In 2008, a supplemental report was created to determine design details, which was used for reference in the 2022 meeting.

A range of corridor alternatives were considered in 2008, the preferred being a two-lane road with widened shoulders and a designated bicycle path.

Several factors and potential constraints must be considered when expanding upon the design, explained Smith, including constructability, impact, and cost. One such example is the groundwater challenges which are impeding the design of a bridge in the Post Creek Hill area.

To determine if the preferred alternative still makes sense for the corridor since the original analysis, a new inspection of relevant conditions was completed in late 2021. This includes the

COURTESY GRAPHICS

The Ninepipe corridor stretches between Post Creek Hill and Ronan and sees approximately 7,000 to 8,500 vehicles per day. Right: The traffic and safety study conducted over the last five years shows 84 accidents have occurred in the Ninepipe corridor alone.

study of current traffic and safety conditions, as well as environmental and cultural impacts.

According to Scott Randall, RPA Consultant Project Manager, the investigation shows traffic volumes now range from around 7,000 to 8,500 vehicles per day and are continuing to grow along the corridor. Presently, the corridor experiences a service level grade of D, two grades above failing, meaning drivers are more likely to experience potentially dangerous traffic conditions. Continued service growth could result in a drop to level of service grade E. There was also found to be a lack of adequate accommodations for non-motorized users.

Accident reports in the last five years reveal there have been 84 total crashes during this period along the corridor, approximately 17 per year. About one third of these crashes, 28, involved a wild animal. Thirteen crashes involved rear ends of cars, and 5 crashes resulted in

serious injuries or fatalities.

Most of the study area is surrounded by public lands intended for wildlife conservation, though in general MDT does own the minimum desired width proposed for the corridor.

The route also passes through floodplains at some points, but the soil samples taken indicate no issues in the soil firmness that would bar construction.

The Ninepipe area supports a large variety of wildlife species and diverse habitats which were included in the evaluation in coordination with resource agencies. Animal injury and loss of life in vehicle encounters, as well as ideal locations for animal crossings that can accommodate a variety of species were included in the study. MDT is coordinating with the tribes and other federal and local resource agencies to discuss how corridor improvements could impact wildlife.

Lastly, the team evaluated culturally significant features Valley Journal

and sites within the corridor to understand how they may be impacted by potential changes.

The 2008 study identified three cultural resources present: a Flathead Indian irrigation project, a historical stagecoach route, and a Ninepipe traditional cultural property. Randall stated that MDT is in the process of conducting government to government consultation with the tribes regarding the cultural resources and are in ongoing discussions.

In terms of next steps, RPA transportation engineer Sarah Nicolai said the above findings will be applied to the feasibility study and compared to the 2008 preferred alternative to define approximate construction limits.

The comparison will also help to define project impacts and costs.

Once the study was explained, the meeting was opened for questions. One attendee asked about the estimated budget for the project and if it would qualify for recent federal infra-

structure support. Smith replied that without all the design details present, there is no accurate cost estimate available at this time. However, once the design project is further along it will be eligible for federal aid.

Another attendee inquired if any advocacy groups were working with MDT to help prioritize the project, to which Smith answered they are presently in the data gathering point of the project but would be open to working with advocacy groups in the future. They are working with adjacent landowners and the CSKT and are putting together a contact list for future outreach.

One of the final questions pointed out that the preferred (two-lane) alternative was proposed 14 years ago and if a four-lane proposal would be considered instead. Nicolai said that MDT is using the 2008 study as a starting point and will be reevaluating present needs.

She added that sensitive area resources that caused the twolane determination back in 2008 will have to be balanced in consideration with other limiting factors.

“If we were just looking into traffic volumes alone, it does look like we’re in need of some expansion. We understand that’s a major concern,” said Randall.

“If we were looking at it in a vacuum that’s one thing, but the reality is there’s a lot more challenges we’re faced with that we have to consider as well.”

The meeting was recorded and is available on the MDT website along with an option to submit public comment. The next public outreach meeting for this project will occur in late spring or early summer.

February 16, 2022 - 5

Website launched to recruit health care providers to Montana News from the Office of the Governor

HELENA — Governor Greg Gianforte has launched CareInMontana. com, a website inviting qualified health care providers to move to Montana as part of the state’s innovative health care workforce recruitment program, CARE (Claim Allowance for Relocation Expenses) in Montana.

“For too long, Montana has struggled to attract and retain health care providers, and the pandemic has only made this longstanding problem worse,”

Gov. Gianforte said. “That’s why, with the CARE in Montana program, we’re inviting qualified doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals to move to Montana, serve in our communities, help reduce the burden on existing workers, and ensure Montanans have access to high-quality care.”

CareInMontana.com provides information to qualified health care providers across the country on how to participate in the CARE in Montana program, including eligible health care jobs and how the program works. The

website also answers frequently asked questions and provides participating employers with resources to help them attract well-qualified workers.

Gov. Gianforte announced the creation of the CARE in Montana program in November 2021 at Billings Clinic. Since that time, the State of Montana has stood up the program and established its guidelines, and Montana employers have begun using the program to recruit health care workers. The governor announced the launch of the CARE in Montana program’s website on Feb. 7.

Under CARE in Montana, participating employers can offer new employees reimbursement of up to $12,500 for moving expenses, plus an additional 35% to offset taxes associated with the reimbursement amount. An employee is eligible for reimbursement if they accept an offer of employment for a qualifying health care job, move to Montana, and work in the qualifying job for at least 12 consecutive months. Full program details may be found at: CareInMontana.com.

“We appreciate and applaud the focus Governor Gianforte is placing on the acute-

care workforce shortage that healthcare facilities throughout Montana are currently experiencing,” Karen Costello, President of SCL Health - Holy Rosary Healthcare in Miles City said. “SCL Health is committed to bringing experienced healthcare professionals to Montana, and this program will provide additional resources to our state that we hope will help ease the current labor shortage challenges.”

Candidates and health care employers interested in participating in the CARE in Montana program should visit CareInMontana.com.

Fleet Reserve Association awards Tester its Distinguished Pinnacle Award U.S. SENATE — The Fleet Reserve Association awarded U.S. Senator Jon Tester the annual Pinnacle Award for his outstanding leadership and ongoing efforts to support the nation’s veterans and servicemembers as Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

“It’s an honor to receive the Fleet Reserve Association’s Pinnacle Award, and fight alongside them on behalf of all men and women at sea who swore an oath to protect our country in waters around the world,” said Chairman Tester. “Our work to provide long-overdue health care and benefits to address toxic exposure illnesses is far from over, and I look forward to continuing our efforts in Congress to deliver 6 - February 16, 2022

COURTESY PHOTO

Senator Tester receives the Fleet Reserve Association’s annual award for his outstanding leadership on toxic exposure for veterans and servicemembers.

for our past, present, and future generations of veterans.”

“The Fleet Reserve Association is thankful for Senator Jon Tester’s efforts to provide full benefits to military retirees who have a combat related disability who were forced to retire before 20 years of service due to their injuries through the Major Richard Star Act,” said

the Fleet Reserve Association’s National President James Campbell. “Reducing these retirees’ Defense Department benefit because they receive a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit is an injustice. Our advocates also believe that too many Post 9-11 veterans toxic exposure claims are being denied. That is why our Association supports the

Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act—Senator Tester’s landmark legislation to offer Post-9/11 combat veterans, including those suffering from conditions caused by toxic exposures, access to VA health care.”

The Pinnacle Award is the Fleet Reserve Association’s annual recognition of members of Congress who have demonstrated strong leadership for veterans and servicemembers.

As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and a Committee member since 2007, Tester has been a tireless advocate for veterans in Montana and across the nation–including toxic-exposed veterans. He has authored, introduced, negotiated, and passed historic laws

Valley Journal

to provide long-overdue care and benefits to tens of thousands of veterans suffering from conditions related to their toxic exposure. Working with various Veterans Service Organizations and advocates, Tester has championed the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, the expansion of benefits and care for those exposed to Agent Orange, and remains dedicated to identifying a path forward for outstanding toxic exposure issues.

Continuing his legislative push to deliver for all generations of toxic-exposed veterans, Tester recently introduced his Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act to offer Post-9/11 veterans lifesaving access to VA health care. It cleared Commit-

tee markup with unanimous support last week.

The Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act is the first of a three-step approach to expand access to health care for toxic-exposed veterans, establish a new process through which VA will determine future presumptive conditions, and provide overdue benefits to thousands of toxic-exposed veterans who have been long-ignored or forgotten.

The Senator is also leading the charge to allow veterans to receive concurrent receipt of military and VA disability pay, reintroducing the Major Richard Star Act and Retired Pay Restoration Act earlier this Congress to end the unfair offset of veterans’ earned benefits.

TAYLOR DAVISON / VALLEY JOURNAL

City council members react to the news that Ronan will be able to receive more consistent funding for small revitalization projects through the Montana Main Street program.

Ronan accepted into Main Street program

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

RONAN — The Ronan City Council announced during their Feb. 9 meeting that Ronan has been accepted into the Montana Department of Commerce (MDC) Montana Main Street program.

Started in 2005, the Montana Main Street program, according to its website, offers technical assistance and expertise to member communities and awards competitive grant funding to communities actively working on downtown revitalization, economic development, and historic preservation. It presently serves thirty-four communities throughout the state.

Community applications are considered based on a set of criteria demonstrating a collaborative local effort, and success in the imple-

“

I think it’ll be a huge opportunity for us.”

- Whitney Liegakos, Ronan Revitalization Chair

mentation of previous downtown projects. These efforts indicate to the department that a community is in a positive position to implement further revitalization.

The City of Ronan submitted its application in 2021, citing notable projects such as the Coop Brewery, restoration of a mechanic’s shop, and a recently added downtown mural to highlight their efforts. The MDC agreed that Ronan is on the right track for revitalization.

Ronan Revitalization Committee Chair Whit-

ney Liegakos explained that Ronan has been accepted at the affiliate level. This means that there will be a certain monetary match required by the town when receiving grants for projects, apFind out in February proximately a one to five Heart Saver CPR class,CPR Sign up for the HeartSaver Heart Saver CPR class, Cardiac Health Profile, $49 ratio, but still a consistent free classroom and during and AED classes offered free classroom and • Complete metabolic panel thevideo-based month of February. is a courseThis to teach funding path in Ronan’s • Complete blood count video-based course to teach classroom, video-based adult CPR and AED course use, plus • Thyroid stimulating hormone test efforts to revitalize Main adult CPR for andCPR AED use, plus and AED use, as well how to relieve choking inas an • Check in at front desk: 7-10 a.m., choking in anThis course is Street.

Cardiac Health Profile, $49 & Thursday how to relieve choking inThis adults.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, adult. course is for Cardiac Health Profile, $49 adult. This for course is for • Complete metabolic panel anyone with limited The funds awarded • Complete anyone with limitedor orno no metabolic Lipid Profile, free panel anyone with limited or no who needs a • Complete blood count medical training count medical training who needs to Ronan through this • Complete•blood • Must be fasting: No food or drink except water medical training who needs Thyroid stimulating hormone test course completion card in CPR Heart Saver CPR class, stimulating hormone test a course completion card in 10+ hours program will be put •• Thyroid • Check in atbeforehand the front desk: 7-10 a.m.,a course completion card and AED use, or in forand general Check in at the frontwill desk: 7-10toa.m., free classroom • Results be mailed you CPR and AED use, or for Tues. or Fri. preparedness.

CPR and AED use, or for toward projects such as Mon., Tues.Mon., or Fri. • By appointment only call 406-883-8498 or 883-8263 video-based course to teach general preparedness. general preparedness.

• Check in at the front desk: 7-10 a.m., signage and sidewalk PMonday, Tuesday, Lipid Profile, free Wednesday, & Thursday adult CPR andinAED use, plus Saturdays February P Lipid Profile, free improvements, replacing Saturdays in February: • Must be fasting: No food or drink 9-11 am or 1-3 pm Saturdays in February: how to relieve choking in an • Must Vitamin be fasting: No $35 food or drink D Profile, exceptHealth water Profile, $49 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.

Byrnes Conference Room on the or trimming trees, com- except water Cardiac 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. adult.

This course is for • Must be fasting: No food or drink except water hours beforehand Grandview Lobby in the floorinofthe Providence •10+ Complete metabolic panel Grandview2nd Lobby missioning more murals,10+ hours•beforehand 10+ hours beforehand with limited or no willto be mailed to you St.anyone Joseph Medical building west ofCenter.

Providence • Results will•Results be mailed you building west of Providence • Results will be mailed to you Complete blood count and installing bike racks• No appointment • No appointment required medical training needs Limit 8 Center. people perwho class.

Wear St. of Joseph Medical Center.

• By required appointment only call 406-883-8498 or 883-8263 St. Joseph Medical Thyroid hormone testa.m., • •Check ininstimulating at thefront front desk: 7-10 comfortable clothing to be able along Main Street.

• Check in at the front desk: 7-10 a.m., • Check at the desk: 7-10 a.m., sign up or ask about aTo course completion card in To sign up or ask about • or Check in at theFri. front desk: &7-10 a.m., or to additional participate times, in the skills portion.

Fri.Tues.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday call Cindy “It’s things that we’ve Mon., Tues.Mon., CPR and AED use, or for additional times, call Cindy Mon., Tues. or Fri. Hagen at 406-883-7488.

EKG, $30 Hagen at 406-883-7488. been doing, but with BaselineBaseline, general preparedness.

Baseline EKG, $30 EKG, $30 To register, please call All EKGsread read by cardiologist • All• EKGs by cardiologist some funding behind it• All EKGsLipid read by cardiologist Cindy Hagen at 406-883-7488.

P Profile, free • 8 a.m.

– 12 noon, Monday and Tuesday 7-10 a.m., Tues.Mon., or Fri.Tues. or Fri. now,” said Liegakos. “I • 7-10 a.m.,•• •Mon., Saturdays in February: Must be fasting: Nocall food or drink or 883-8263 • By appointment only 406-883-8498 call 406-883-8498 • Please call Please 406-883-8498 to schedule to schedule except water think it’ll be a huge op9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.

Payment isisrequired at at time of service.

We cannot bill Payment required time of service.

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We 10+ hours Grandview Lobby in the portunity for us.” Payment cannot billCash, insurance.Cash, and all insurance. check and and all all check major credit cards accepted. cannot bill insurance.Cash, check • accepted.

Results be mailed toresults youandwill major credit be Profile building west of Providence major credit All cards Allaccepted. results willAll be Future revitalization results will cards bewill mailed.

Cardiac Health Lipid mailed.Cardiac Health and Lipid results mailed.Cardiac Health and Lipid Profile results • No appointment required results are available electronically onProfile MyChart.

St. Joseph Medical Center. projects for Ronan will available ondesk: MyChart. are availableare electronically onat MyChart.

• Checkelectronically in the front 7-10 a.m., To sign up or ask about be discussed at a later city Mon., Tues. or Fri. additional times, call Cindy council meeting.

How healthy is your heart? .

Baseline EKG, $30 Valley Journal • All EKGs read by cardiologist • 7-10 a.m., Mon., Tues. or Fri. • Please call 406-883-8498 to schedule

Learn to save a life with CPR

Hagen at 406-883-7488.

February 16, 2022 - 7

courts Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

Lozeau pleads guilty to criminal endangerment POLSON — A Ronan woman has admitted to her involvement in an apparent road rage incident.

Anjelica Dawn Lozeau, 28, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson Feb. 9 to the amended charge of felony criminal endangerment. She was initially charged with felony assault with a weapon.

According to court records, on Oct. 24, 2021 a woman called law enforcement to report she had just

been rear-ended by another vehicle and was threatened by the driver of that vehicle with a hatchet. The woman told responding officers that she was driving down Polson Hill on U.S. Highway 93 when another motorist approached at a high rate of speed and hit her car.

She said she pulled over to speak with the person driving the vehicle that struck hers. That’s when the other motorist, later identified as Lozeau, allegedly held a hatchet

out her window and said, “I will kill you, you white bitch.” The woman reporting the incident said she was scared. Lozeau took off in her car but was followed by the alleged victim to an apartment complex in Polson. When Police arrived Lozeau admitted to holding the hatchet and threatening the other driver. Police recovered a hatchet from Lozeau’s vehicle.

Judge James Manley set sentencing for March 30.

Grandchamp accused of felony criminal possession POLSON — A Polson woman is accused of attempting to use drugs in front of a child in a car. Ashley Renee Grandchamp, 28, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson Feb. 9 to felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

According to court records, on Jan. 6 a law enforcement officer observed occupants of a vehicle in the parking lot of a grocery store in

Pablo engaged in what looked like a hand-to-hand drug transaction.

The officer moved in for a closer look and could see a person inside a silver Mercedes Benz. The person was holding a piece of tinfoil with a blue pill on it. The officer could see the occupant of the passenger seat was reclined and about to use a lighter to heat the pill to emit vapors to inhale. The officer also noticed two other people in the car,

Hayes accused of sixth DUI POLSON — A Ronan man stands accused of DUI number six.

James Gilbert Hayes, 53, entered a plea of not guilty at District Court in Polson Feb. 10 to felony DUI fourth or subsequent.

According to court records, on Nov. 30, 2021, a law enforcement officer heard a vehicle with its engine revving near Anchor Way by the junction of U.S. Highway 93 and State Highway 35 in Polson.

8 - February 16, 2022

Upon further investigation, the officer located a Ford Ranger in the middle of the road with Hayes sitting in the driver seat. A witness to the engine revving said he was almost struck by the Ford Ranger. The officer had Hayes exit his vehicle. Hayes was observed staggering and almost lost his balance, prompting an investigation. Hayes was allowed to relieve himself during the investigation but then

a six-year-old child and the mother of that child. The officer stopped the passenger, later identified as Grandchamp, before she could ingest the vapors. After being advised of her rights, Grandchamp allegedly admitted that she was about to do drugs with the child in the car.

Judge James Manley set a trial date of July 18. Grandchamp is at liberty with a condition for drug compliance monitoring.

became argumentative. He allegedly started using profanity and saying things about President Biden.

Hayes refused a preliminary breath test. Results of a blood draw show Hayes had a blood alcohol content of .388.

Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher set a trial date of May 9.

Hayes remains at liberty with conditions that include alcohol monitoring.

Valley Journal

Cruz pleads guilty to assaulting father POLSON — Sentencing has been set for March 30 for a Polson man who admitted to assaulting his 70-year-old father. Eric Brian Cruz, 49, entered a plea of guilty at District Court in Polson Feb. 9 to felony partner or family member assault, third or subsequent offense.

Eric Cruz According to records, on Dec. 29, 2021, Polson Police were called to a report that a man had been assaulted by his son. Officers spoke to the victim who stated that he suspected his son of drinking alcohol, so he put marks on bottles to gauge what was missing. He said when he confronted his son about it, his son pushed him down the stairs. The victim had injuries consistent with falling down stairs. Records show Cruz has two prior convictions for PFMA in the state of California, making the third a felony.

District Judge James Manley ordered a pre-sentence investigation when he set the sentencing date.

Matt sentenced for sixth DUI

POLSON — A Ronan man who has five prior convictions for DUIs was sentenced at District in Polson Feb. 10 for DUI number six. Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher sentenced Earl Matt Jr., 47, to the Montana Department of Corrections for five years with all but two days jail time suspended.

According to court records, on Nov. 16, 2020, Matt was observed traveling 57 miles per hour in a 35 mile per hour zone on U.S. Highway 93 in Polson, which prompted a traffic stop by law enforcement. The traffic stop turned into a DUI investigation the ultimately led to a conviction.

Records show Matt with DUI convictions in 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Matt was also ordered to pay fines and fees that total $5,710, but Judge Christopher suspended $5,500 from that total under the condition that Matt successfully complete any court ordered programs.

courts Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

Darling pleads not guilty to criminal possession

was in on July 25, 2020 was POLSON — A Missoula searched after it was stopped man is accused of dealing for an expired registration. drugs in Lake County. Samuel Alvin Darling, The searched turned up three baggies of a sub47, entered a plea stance that tested positive of not guilty at for methamphetamine.

District Court in The search also turned up a Polson Feb. 9 to two counts of crimbank document showing a $50,000 with draw from a inal possession with bank in Missoula. intent to distribute Samuel Darling Darling was also found and use or possession of property driving a 1956 Ford truck on July 28, 2020 subject to criminal that was purchased that day forfeiture. for $41,000. A search of it According to the charging turned up three grams of documents, Darling was methamphetamine. The truck found in possession of 18 is subject to seizure. grams of methamphetamine Judge James Manley set a on April 11, 2020. Darling was also charged with crimitrial date of July 18. The Lake County jail roster shows Darnal possession with intent to distribute after the vehicle he ling being held without bail.

Pet o f

Meet...

Betty White

News from the offices of Senator Tester and Senator Daines

U.S. SENATE — After strong pushback from U.S. Senators Jon Tester and Steve Daines, the Internal Revenue Service today announced it would reverse its decision to require taxpayers to provide facial recognition data through a third party vendor to access some tax services. Instead, the IRS announced it would work toward providing an alternative form of verification.

“This was a bad idea from the beginning, and I’m being very generous when I say ‘bad idea,’” said Tester. “The IRS has absolutely no business requiring facial recognition software on anything, but especially not when it comes to allowing Montana taxpayers to access services. This is the kind of garbage that drives me crazy, and I will be holding the IRS’s feet to the fire to make sure they follow through on their commitment to drop the

- U.S. Senator Jon Tester

required use of facial recognition data.”

Daines issued the following statement: “This was a terrible and invasive idea from the get-go that would’ve put taxpayers’ privacy and identities at risk. Montanans shouldn’t have to provide biometric data to access their own tax info. Glad the IRS listened to my concerns and backed down from this absurd plan.”

In a letter to the IRS, Senator Tester raised serious concerns about requiring taxpayers to provide facial recognition data through a third-party vendor to access government services: “I’m deeply troubled by recent reports suggesting the

IRS is considering using facial recognition to access online accounts though its private contractor ID.me,” Tester wrote. “While I recognize the importance of cybersecurity and identity verification, I strongly believe using facial recognition is an unnecessary privacy violation. That’s why I urge you to consider alternative methods to secure online accounts.”

“This was a terrible and invasive idea from the get-go that would’ve put taxpayers’ privacy and identities at risk. Montanans shouldn’t have to provide biometric data to access their own tax info. Glad the IRS listened to my concerns & backed down from this absurd plan,” Daines said.

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February 16, 2022 - 9

valley views

Lowdown on lino’ L

inoleum. What comes to mind?

Old plastic-y flooring that lasts forever? The floors of schools, offices, airports? Perhaps you even “showcase” linoleum in your bathroom or kitchen. Many decades ago, this flooring was an extremely popular choice with colorful, bold designs. While linoleum or “lino” was out of vogue for years, a surprising resurgence is occurring. To understand why, we need to take a look at the fascinating story of how this material came to be.

The story begins in 1855. An English inventor by the name of Fredrick Walton observed an unusual gummy layer forming on the top of a can of oil paint. The strange amber-colored goo was linseed oil, the primary ingredient or “binder” in the paint that had oxidized. Oil painters are familiar with this process, oil paints do not

cloth for backing. Just like that, Mr. Fredrick Walton invented a new type of flooring.

Linoleum, the new invention’s name by merging the Latin words for “flax” and “oil,” was quickly patented by Walton. With great gusto, Fredrick formed a company to manufacture and began to market the product like mad.

Linoleum was basically a miracle flooring: quiet and warm, more durable than floor cloths (the precursor to carpet). Plus, an array of colors and designs made lino very desirable, fitting any taste or preference. The hardwood or marble floors were challenged by lino’s excellent qualities.

This modern, amazing flooring exploded into international fame.

In fact, Walton even created an entire town to make linoleum on Staten Island with the incredibly creative name

“Linoleumville.” Because of the rise in popularity, other companies sprouted up all over the globe to manufacture this “luxury flooring.” Believe it or not, the Titanic used linoleum heavily throughout the entire ship. Even as the ship sits on the bottom of the sea floor, video of the ship taken with submarines reveals that the linoleum appears to still be intact and in good condition. Remarkable!

By the 1950’s, linoleum was becoming very inexpensive to produce and was, in turn, becoming very affordable. Reasonable prices plus easy consumer installation equaled an irresistible choice. Linoleum was becoming commonplace: durable, easy to install, easy to clean, what was not to love? Sadly, its popularity signaled demise; lino was perceived to be cheap. Additionally, its amazing durability

meant as styles changed, lino patterns stayed around long after they went out of date. Linoleum did enjoy a minor revival as a printmaking medium and as an urban dance surface, but neither could preserve its previous popularity levels.

Then suddenly, against all odds, after several decades away linoleum is back. Featured in trendy furniture, chic shops, countertops, cafes, and so many other places, we appear to be in a lino renaissance of sorts. So beloved in the past, a new generation is discovering and loving it anew. However, linoleum flooring is now appreciated for reasons Frederick Walton never dreamed. Linoleum is extremely eco-friendly and completely renewable because of its plantbased raw materials. In fact, lino is so green and non-toxic you could technically eat it, although it must be said,

basic, most taken for things it does, I attempt granted and one of the to contemplate the different systems, most aweorgans and some things we all possess. the multitude Jill Pertler Our bodies. of tasks that Syndicated columnist In develhappen every second of evoping an apery day withpreciating for my own body and all the out my even giving them

a second thought. In this, I realize I’ve taken this magnificent entity of my physical body for granted for far too long.

The things it does are nothing short of miraculous and worth writing about. Let’s hit the highlights.

We breathe - in and out - every minute of the day. Our lungs take in air, filter out the oxygen and then release carbon dioxide back out to the world.

We could look at this as breathing in energy and breathing out waste, but

ben there DONE that Ben Stone

Media Production, Valley Journal

dry in the sense of losing water, rather oxidization hardens them. This why oil paint takes so long to dry and is so durable, but I digress. So, Walton became obsessed with this unusual substance, thinking he could utilize it for practical purposes. After a number of failed attempts to use the goo for waterproofing, varnish, and a considerable number of other things, he finally cracked the code.

This inventor mixed the linseed oil with cork dust, sticky gum, and pigment.

Next, the resulting goop was spread onto a cotton

An amazing body I

n the last year, I’ve been working on appreciation.

Appreciating the big things. Appreciating the small things. Appreciating what I have and what I am. As part of that, I’ve been practicing appreciation of one of the most 10 - February 16, 2022

Slices of Life

Valley Journal

see page 11

this is not recommended.

So, the next time you spot a trendy new design featuring the plastic-y covering, you’ll know the comeback story of the fantastic flooring called linoleum.

LETTER POLICY

Letters to the editor are welcome. The content is the opinion of the letter writer and not the newspaper. The decision to publish letters is made by the editor.

Letters must be 350 words or less. A writer will only be published twice per month.

Letters may be edited for content or length, or may not be published if considered libelous, in poor taste, spiteful, self-promotional or of limited interest to the general readership.

Space limitations also dictate when or if letters are published.

Letters must be signed by the author and name, address and phone number must be included – phone number is for verification purposes only. Letters from organizations must include the name of at least one author.

Please limit “thank you” letters to four people/organizations or less. Deadline is 5 p.m.

Friday to publish the following week.

Opinions expressed in this section are not necessarily those of the newspaper.

Celebrate library lovers month T

pandemic literacy with a game he North Lake Councalled “Factitious.” Are you ty Public Library is overwhelmed with news about celebrating “Library Lover’s Month” all February long with COVID-19 that seems to be 25% off in our gift nook and constantly changing and contradicting? This our annual Adoptprogram will help a-Book program. you find peace of For a $15 donation you get to choose mind by sharpenfrom a selection ing your critical thinking skills. of children’s books Abbi Dooley, This is a great proand write a personNorth Lake County Public alized note that will Library District gram for learning how to evaluate be placed in the front of the book. We have a lot and identify good and credible sources of all information. of great books to choose from On Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10 this year. a.m. Felicia is leading a Leap Sierra has a great Technolinto Science – Light & Shadogy Program planned for Feb. ows workshop. Join us in the 22 at 2 p.m. This month we are focusing on growing your large meeting room for story

View from the Library

body from page 10

carbon dioxide is not waste. It is the life breath of the grass, flowers and trees living around us.

They breathe it in and (here comes the magic) release oxygen back into the air, which our lungs use to nourish our bodies.

I’ve known about this process for most of my life, but I never really contemplated the overall simplicity and genius of it. It’s recycling at its best. And we don’t even have to think about separating the paper from the plastic - or in this case the oxygen from the carbon dioxide. Not ever.

We don’t have to think about breathing or converting oxygen, our body

just does it for us, and in doing so keeps us alive. It keeps the planet alive.

It’s hard to top the oxygen cycle, but I’ll try.

Let’s pay homage to the lungs’ life partner: the heart. It beats 24/7, circulating blood throughout the body, distributing oxygen and then returning “old” blood to the lungs to replenish with more oxygen. The heart – and lungs and pretty much every cell in our body – work 24/7. They keep on ticking even when we are asleep. We can check out and rest; they keep working.

The 26 small bones in our feet carry our entire body weight, even when barefoot. You probably know your fingerprints are unique to you, but did you know the same

time, a shadow puppet show, and hands-on learning stations.

This is a great family program for kids of all ages with parents or caregivers.

Don’t forget Mother Goose Mondays at 9:15 a.m. for the 0-3 crowd and Story Time Thursdays at 9:15 a.m. for the 3-5 group. Participation by parents and caregivers, and older siblings is always encouraged and welcome. This month the themes include the Olympics, Valentine’s Day, colors and letters. Gwen Hadrits, from the Lake County Health Department, will join us on Feb. 14 and 24 with a little extra fun.

Thanks to the Montana State Library, we have added

is true of your tongue?

Human fingertips each contain more than 3,000 touch receptors. It’s likely they house the most sensitive skin found in any mammal.

Our skin is a miracle in itself. It helps regulate body temperature. It protects us from infection and the sun, among other things. It provides a protective cushion for our bones and organs.

At any given time, our skin could very well have more than 1,000 species of bacteria living on it.

The skin fights that off and keeps us healthy. It is a source of beauty.

Like most cells in the body, the skin is a multi, multi-tasker. Yet, we often don’t give it a second thought unless we get a cut or a bruise and

some really great resources to the Libby app. We have Method Test Prep for SAT & ACT study help and practice exams, and the Great Courses and Universal Class for adult continuing education videos and courses. These are all great resources to encourage lifelong learning.

We have the IRS instruction booklets and hope to get the 1040 forms soon. You can also print your own from: www.

IRS.gov/forms-instructions.

The State of Montana does not print or send us any forms or booklets. Those can be found at: www.mtrevenue.gov. Both entities encourage e-filing and direct deposit as the fastest way

then we may pay a short amount of attention to our pain, but we don’t fully or willfully focus on healing. We take that for granted. Our skin heals automatically, on its own.

In a word: magnificently awesome.

I have more to say, but not the room here to say it. Much like the human body, this miraculous information doesn’t stop.

Valley Journal

to file and get a refund.

The library will be closed on Monday, Feb. 21, in recognition of Presidents’ Day. We will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8, for an all-staff training. The library’s regular hours are Monday - Friday, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m.-10 a.m. are times reserved as a high risk hour (please wear a mask during this time). On Saturdays we are open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Curbside pickup is also available for everyone during open hours. Please call us at 406-883-8225 or email us at: polsoncl@polson.lib.mt.us with questions or to request curbside pickup.

Perhaps I’ll put more information together in the weeks to come.

We have a tendency to harshly judge our bodies.

We are too fat, too thin, too wrinkled, too pale.

We forget about all our body does for us, without our even realizing it.

Maybe it’s time for that realization, and appreciation. Of your breath.

Your heartbeat. Your

skin. The way it all works together, not just within your own body but within the planet. Appreciate that. All of it.

Jill Pertler is an award-winning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author.

Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.

vj

February 16, 2022 - 11

letters

Time for change

Editor, I wish I was smarter than I am but since I keep being ineffective at initiating change maybe I should become a politician.

For years we keep re-electing the same Lake County Commissioners despite the fact they have told us they don’t have a jail solution problem.

They voice the same yearly concerns and issues for our county. They seemed surprised when the dam changed hands and income dwindled. We continue to dangerously share the road with DUI repeat offenders for lack of a better solution. Here, change seems viewed as a swear word.

The last time Mr. Decker ran for re-election he was saying he would pull tribal lands out of their protective status and get us tax money for the jail.

He of course got re-elected and we of course got, well, the same problems.

Now we’re suing our state (that’s ourselves as well) for $4 million for expenses only Lake County has acquired when it chose to take over civil and criminal obligations from the tribe under PL280. Follow that 1953 act to here and see this is the record, not an opinion.

Cost must be the reason we are the only county of the four the tribal lands cover that are doing this work by choice. In 2018 12 - February 16, 2022

Hertz sponsored HB450 - a bill to require the state to repay us. That bill died.

Now we’re suing for that amount? Our taxpayer money pays for that suit and diverts Lake County resources in staff, material, and re-assignment of duties away from other more service-oriented efforts.

We live in such a beautiful place with so many God given gifts all around us. How do we not work toward keeping that protected and enriched with an eye to the future living with the diversity around us? Accepting that we share, not dictate, control or abuse, our land or our neighbors whose views, likes, habits, may indeed bring changes to our own lives or understanding.

Maybe later, if we lose, we can even toss any reference books to this issue from our libraries.

Rich Bell Polson

first meeting, one public speaker thought that water users should have been appointed. Sounds reasonable, but it would be very hard to find one or two users who could credibly speak for all users.

More importantly, many of the board’s decisions will involve competing claims among different users. I believe that board decisions in individual cases should be based on water law and hydrological considerations.

To keep water users informed, I hope the water board will hold meetings that enable the board to discuss the legal and hydrological issues that will underpin its decisions in individual cases.

Dick Erb Moiese

Qualified water board appointments

Editor, From the simplest bathroom to the fanciest, these two suggestions are applicable: Number one: Leave things where you found them.

Number two: Don’t flush heavy papers.

Gene Johnson Polson

Editor, Having been an active supporter of the Water Compact, I am very pleased with the appointments to the Water Management Board. Lake County commissioners nominated and our Governor appointed individuals with strong water law and hydrological backgrounds. So did the CSKT. During the board’s

Responsible bathroom etiquette

Enough spending Editor, When I read of Tester’s latest expenditure of my

tax dollars it is just too much. Now he has a bill for veterans exposed to burn pits. You’ve got to be kidding me. There is no end to this blowhard’s PR stunts. There isn’t one rock, however small, that this guy won’t turn over to find a reason to spend our money. He makes drunken sailors look like teetotalers.

Enough is enough. The big government Senator needs to know he represents Montana, the one that voted Republican this year. His support of out-of-control spending is embarrassing. Nearly every single week there is a newspaper headline touting how big Jon just got this outfit or that millions of dollars. Well, Jon, they’re our dollars not yours and we’re sick of it.

With a deficit of a mere $30 million it’s time to put that chained wallet of yours back in your pocket.

It’s time to quit spending and start fixing the problems you helped create by supporting the people destroying our country.

I’d love to see a headline once, just once, where you did something other than ‘award’ my money to someone.

We all know every year you’ve been in there your net worth has climbed until it’s now up four times what it was when you started. It’s time to represent the little people you so often claim to represent and never do.

By the way, I’m a Marine

Valley Journal

veteran, and despite all your rhetoric the VA is the same as it was 10 years ago.

I’m reminded of what Alfred E. Newman said many years ago: “Just because everything is different doesn’t mean anything has changed.”

It’s time to tighten your belt, big guy.

Ed Kugler Kalispell

Use our minds Editor, Our present lives as humans on earth are filled with increasing chaos, confusion about life, and our development of advanced methods of killing each other. This threatens our continuing human existence on planet earth.

There is a powerful answer to all this - it involves the ‘power of the mind.

We humans have been gifted with minds. Our minds are not “of the body.” Minds transcend the body and have the ability to connect with universal wisdom. Jesus, as a human, was a perfect example of a person practicing the teachings of universal wisdom.

We have a choice each moment. We can either think, speak, and act from an ‘ego-based’ thought system involving selfish living, or a ‘spiritually based’ thought system involving love.

The differing characteristics of these thought

system are as follows: The ‘ego-based’ thought system involves fear, greed, hate, anger, casting blame, and attack. The ‘spiritually based’ thought system involves, trust, joy, giving, forgiveness, peace, and love.

Today, our ‘ego-based’ thought system is definitely in charge in our nation and our world. To activate the ‘spiritually based’ thought system takes choice, listening, and practice, practice, practice. It is up to each of us to choose our thought system.

Bob McClellan Missoula

Our democracy Editor, The recent whitewashing statement put out by the RNC stating that the January 6th assault on our Capitol was simply “legitimate political discourse” is reprehensible. Is this what the Republican Party has devolved into?

Advocating violence and enabling hate as a means of justifying their position?

I am a proud veteran.

I used to be a proud Republican. Not anymore.

I am deeply concerned about the future of our country. As Benjamin Franklin famously said, we have “a democracy, if you can keep it.” Can we?

Will we?

Gary Teggeman Polson

sports

Pirates rout Browning, 67-37 Story and photos by Rob Zolman / Valley Journal

POLSON – The Polson Pirates basketball team extended its win streak to four games with a 67-37 rout of the Browning Indians, while the Lady Pirates fell 6838 to the visiting Lady Indians on Saturday.

The 30-point blowout win clinched the regular season Northwestern A Conference title for the Pirates (12-6, 8-2 NWA) and a No. 1 seed in the Western A Tournament later this month.

In the opening quarter the Pirates’ offense pounced early, racing out to a quick 11-0 lead

while the defense held Browning scoreless until the 4:13 mark.

With Browning off balance, the Pirates seized the opportunity to take further control of the game by pushing their lead to 25-9 by quarter’s end.

Jarrett Wilson paced the Pirates during the first-quarter onslaught by scoring 14 points of his game high total of 28 points.

A suffocating second quarter Pirate defense kept Browning searching for an offensive rhythm as both teams made their way into the locker room at the half with the Pirates up 42-

Colton Graham

19.

The Polson advantage worked up to 55-32 after three quarters of play, while the Pirate bench took the floor for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Colton Graham netted 21 points for Polson, while Tommy Running Rabbit led Browning with 11 points.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Pirates faltered early and fell behind 17-2 by the end of the first quarter, and trailed 36-11 at halftime.

Areanna Burke scored a Lady Pirates game high 12 points followed

by Lexi Wirz with nine points.

Lexi Wirz

Valley Journal

Areanna Burke

Jarrett Wilson February 16, 2022 - 13

Mission Valley wrestlers flex muscles at state

By Rob Zolman Valley Journal

BILLINGS – Mission Valley area prep wrestlers squared off against top wrestlers from across the state on Saturday during the MHSA all-class state wrestling tournament hosted at the First Interstate Arena in Billings.

Ronan wrestlers Ridge Cote and Tirza Two-Teeth were the valley’s top state finishers. Cote wrestling in the boy’s 113-pound weight class and TwoTeeth battling in the girl’s 205-pound weight class both claimed run-

ner up hardware.

Also for Class A Ronan, Koy McAllister (126) placed third while both Landon Bishop (145) and Katie Dolence (132) each finished in fourth.

Nabbing fifth place finishes for Ronan were Caleb Cheff (152), Tristan Fisher (170), and Max Morency (285), while Saellah Hugs (103) placed sixth.

Polson Pirate wrestler Ryley Knutson booked a fifth-place finish in the Class A 103-pound division.

In Class B/C, Mission/Charlo Bulldog Canyon Sargent took fifth place.

Tirza Two-Teeth 14 - February 16, 2022

DAISY ADAMS PHOTO

Ridge Cote

DAISY ADAMS PHOTO

Valley Journal

Canyon Sargent

DAISY ADAMS PHOTO

sports shorts Swimming

The Polson Pirates swim team took part in the MHSA State AB Swim Meet held in Great Falls this past weekend and the Pirates came away with multiple top five finishes.

Gus Hertz was the top finisher for the Pirates with a second-place time of 1:56.24 in the 200 Yard Freestyle, and a thirdplace finish in the 100 Yard Backstroke.

Also for the Pirates, Lachlan Sloan placed fourth in both the 200 Yard I.M. and 500 Yard Freestyle followed by Trae Wyman with a fourth place in the 100 Yard Backstroke.

On the girls’ side of the pool, Lady Pirate Aspen McKee finished fifth in the 500 Yard Freestyle.

Basketball

Boys Mission Bulldogs

The Mission Bulldogs on Thursday, defeated the visiting Thompson Falls Blue Hawks 71-35. Zoran LaFrombois scored a game high 26, followed by Cederick McDonald with 14 points, and Kellen McClure with 10 points.

Eleven Bulldogs notched points in the score book Saturday in an 80-28 win over the visiting Plains Horsemen.

Ross McPherson booked a game high 22 points for the Bulldogs, while LaFrombois scored

13 points and McDonald chipped in with 12 points.

Ronan Chiefs

In Ronan on Thursday evening, the Columbia Falls Wildcats outpaced the Ronan Chiefs 74-65 in Northwestern A conference action.

On Saturday, Kooper Page led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points in a 75-24 win over the visiting Plains Trotters.

Also for Mission, Kason Page scored 20 points and Madyson Currie booked 14 points.

Ronan Maidens

Polson Pirates

On Thursday, the Ronan Maidens struggled on the road, falling 59-41 to the Columbia Falls Wildkats. Maiden Olivia Heiner scored a team high 13 points and Dani Coffman had 10 points.

Two Eagle River Eagles

The hosting Bigfork Valkyries on Tuesday, Feb. 8, overpowered the Polson Lady Pirates 77-42.

Ari Burke paced the Lady Pirates with 11 points.

Scoring a game high 31 points, Colton Graham led the Polson Pirates past the visiting Bigfork Vikings 73-69 on Tuesday, Feb. 8. Also for the Pirates, Jarrett Wilson scored 22 points.

In a 14C District boys basketball match up on Tuesday, Feb. 8, the Darby Tigers defeated the visiting Two Eagle River Eagles 83-44.

For the Eagles, Cai Burke led the way with a game high 19 points.

Charlo Vikings

Stetson Reum scored a game high 16 points and Keaton Piedalue chipped in with 10 points on Friday evening helping the Charlo Vikings to a 5746 win over the visiting Seeley-Swan Blackhawks.

Girls Mission Lady Bulldogs

The Thompson Falls Lady Blue Hawks narrowly slipped past the hosting Mission Lady Bulldogs 52-51 in 7B conference action on Thursday.

Polson Lady Pirates

Two Eagle River Lady Eagles

The Darby Lady Tigers defeated the visiting Two Eagle River Lady Eagles 50-28 on Tuesday, Feb. 14, in C District girls’ basketball action. Tavae Goodluck led the Lady Eagles with 12 points.

Charlo Lady Vikings

The Charlo Lady Vikings closed out the regular season on Friday evening with a 48-40 overtime loss to the visiting Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks.

Lady Viking Mila Hawk scored game 20 points.

Valley Journal

February 16, 2022 - 15

Be a summer food service program sponsor or site News from OPI

HELENA — Join the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) in serving Montana children. The USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) ensures that children who depend on school meals have nutritious food when school is not in session. Meals are available to children 18 years old or younger during school closures, no questions asked. All kids need to do is show up and eat.

Sponsor participation and meal sites are needed to ensure Montana’s children in low-income areas have continued

COURTESY PHOTO

Organizations that participate will receive reimbursements for meals.

access to healthy meals and snacks. The Montana Office of Public Instruction is accepting applications for the 2022 summer from public and private nonprofit schools, local government agencies, and private nonprofit organizations interested in sponsoring the SFSP. How can you help your community?

Become a SFSP site.

Reach out to existing Summer Food Service Program sponsors to add open sites at schools, community centers, parks, pools, or other eligible locations kids gather in the summer months. Check out the USDA Capacity Builder Map to find where sponsors and sites operated in 2021.

Become a SFSP sponsor. Eligible sponsors include public and private nonprofit schools, local government agencies, and private nonprofit organizations. Program sponsors operate sites at eligible locations in their community during the summer months. Sponsors of the SFSP handle the financial, administrative and food service responsibilities of SFSP sites. Sponsors are reimbursed at a set rate for meals served to eligible children.

Help publicize local SFSP sites. Here are some tools for advertising 2022 Montana SFSP sites:

Advertise the SFSP at your neighborhood, workplace, school, community center, daycare, or wherever you see fit.

Visit our website for flyers.

Spread the word and use the SFSP test line.

Starting in late May, anyone can text summer meals to 97779 to learn the locations of your nearest SFSP site.

Visit the SFSP map online. This map is updated in late spring/early summer when sites begin operating for the year.

Summer should be a time for fun and relaxation; however, some kids lack access to the nutrition they need to

grow and thrive during the summer that they rely on during the school year. Help us balance the scales and ensure all kids have access to meals for success yearround. You can learn more about the Summer Food Service Program by visiting the Montana OPI School Nutrition Programs website or start the application to sponsor a Summer Food Service Program site by calling 406-444-2501.

New sponsors can apply to the OPI beginning March 1 and through April 29, 2022.

Existing sponsors can add sites at any point throughout the summer.

There’s no place like home...

Dr. Isaac Billings, D.O. Board Certified in Family Medicine With Obstetrics Special Interests: Travel Medicine, Addiction Medicine Manipulation Treatment Medicine, Emergency Medicine “What I love most about family medicine is the fact that I get to help patients with so many different areas – from health and nutrition, to daily ailments or chronic disease. Being able to support our community members throughout the course of their life is so meaningful to me.”

Serving at: St. Luke Community Clinic – Ridgewater

107 Ridgewater Dr. | Polson, MT | (406) 883-3737 16 - February 16, 2022

Valley Journal

PUZZLES LOS ANGELES TIMES SUNDAY CROSSWORD PUZZLE

“Mondegreens” By Peter Koetters

ACROSS 1 6 11 15 19 20

21 22 23

27

28 29 30

35 36 37 38 39 41 43

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(1965) Zipped IRS exam Tokyo, once Peruvian pronoun Gibbons on TV Answered an invite Song in which Johnny Rivers unmasks a Far East spy? (1966) Puritan pronoun Judge’s seat Release money Big pitcher Like some office jobs Checkout task Bit of sediment Song in which Peter Gabriel bakes a simian-shaped dessert? (1982) Volkswagen model Veracruz neighbor

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Ending with calc and sod “Amen” Drag racer’s fuel, briefly Song in which the Plastic Ono Band promotes legumes?

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Tool in a wheeled bucket Polite address Biblical twin Song in which Culture Club dons lizard costumes to teach punctuation? (1983) Nickname for Chicago’s Ernie Banks Pretentious Ewe wish?

Apt name for a chef?

“We __ the World” Mid-calf pants Song in which The Clash knocks over a wedding reception?

(1982) Ninja Turtles’ ally April __ Pension __ Pablo’s “precise” Song in which AC/DC plays nasty tricks on livestock? (1976) Actress Watson Nabisco cookie Home on the range Calculus pioneer Negotiation ender Ballroom basic Remove Bront‘ sister

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Even one ‘90s Indian prime minister Jag Crossed-fingers sentiment Yard sale adjective Hoops hanger Very hot and dry Glorify Chutzpah Expressed disdain for Neaten the garden, perhaps Scandal, to a politician, perhaps Captain Marvel’s magic word E-commerce icon “Quiet!”

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Cancel out Composer Bart—k Altar in the sky In __ parentis French friend Jeweler’s tool Con, half the time Cold relief brand High style, maybe It can take a yoke Truth or Consequences st.

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Free the Seeds event planned for March 5-7 News from Land to Hand Montana

KALISPELL/ COLUMBIA FALLS — Free the Seeds returns to the Flathead Valley March 5–7, 2022, for the seventh year of workshops and a free seed giveaway. This year’s event features two locations for the open-pollinated seed giveaway and free virtual workshops that promote real seeds, real food, and real skills: Seed Bundle Giveaway: 9 a.m. – noon, Saturday, March 5, at Flathead Valley Community College (west parking lot) in Kalispell and

at the ImagineIF Library in Columbia Falls.

Virtual Workshops: Saturday, March 5 — 2–3:30 p.m. | Building Community Seed Gardens by Robin Kelson (The Good Seed Co.) — 4-5:30 p.m. | From Seed to Potent Skin Care

by Annegret Pfeifer (Kettle Care Organics) — 6-7:30 p.m. | Community Conversation Panel – Inform Our Future Sunday, March 6 — 1-2:30 p.m. | Mushroom Cultivation

by Shawn McDyre (Sun Hands Farm)

Smokeless tobacco products increase your risk of death from heart disease and stroke.

— 3-4:30 p.m. | Pickling Your Garden by Julie Laing (Twice as Tasty) — 5-6:30 p.m. | Kids’ Cooking Class by Farmer Whitney (Land to Hand MT) Monday, March 7 — 5-6:30 p.m. | Seed Starting 101 by Nathan Christianson (Raven Ridge Farm) All workshops will be virtual. Free registration is required to attend.

Each virtual workshop will feature an expert presentation and plenty of time for questions and answers. At the Community Conversation, presenters will lead an open

discussion with panelists and then the floor will open up and participants will be encouraged to engage in the conversation.

Links for the free virtual, interactive workshops and Community Conversation are available on the Land to Hand MT website.

Sign up and learn more at: landtohandmt.org.

Besides giving away seeds, Free the Seeds welcomes seeds saved by local gardeners to pass on to other growers.

Heirloom, open-pollinated, and non-genetically modified (non-GMO) seeds can be donated at

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more than 7,000 people have attended this free event. Upward of 85,000 packets of non-GMO, open-pollinated seeds have been given away, with about half collected locally and packed by local volunteers.

Free the Seeds is a program of the nonprofit Land to Hand MT and has a mission of building a sustainable and resilient future through real seeds, real food and real skills. Free the Seeds can be found online at: landtohand.org/programs/free-the-seeds and on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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ImagineIF library locations in Columbia Falls and Kalispell. Many of the seeds being given away at this event have been grown and saved by previous attendees.

Seeds can also be mailed to Land to Hand MT, PO Box 4404, Whitefish, MT 59937.

Volunteers interested in joining seed-packing parties before the fair or helping at the event can sign up at: landtohandmt.org. Sponsors make this free event possible; donations can be made through the Land to Hand MT website.

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February 16, 2022 - 17

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE

By: Magi Helena for the Week of Feb. 13, 2022 ARIES (March 21-April 19): In the week ahead, do your best to be able to remain calm under pressure. Your fingers may be stuck in many pies, but you should be able to coordinate them with ease. Your job or workplace may seem like the center of your social activities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Transparency should be helpful now. Allowing someone to have a sneak peek at your ideas could turn out to be beneficial even if it could seem a little invasive. Let your passion for success guide your hand in the week ahead.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): You may be too busy socializing or too much on the defensive to successfully reach a comfortable compromise. As the week unfolds, you may become more aware of how to best achieve financial security.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): To live your best life, you’ll need to find ways to exercise, both physically and mentally. It can help keep you more accountable to work out with a buddy. Avoid making plans that require complicated protocols in the week ahead.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Your best social instincts could be triggered. Someone may test you or challenge you to keep up. Keeping your money in your pocket could be the best financial decision you make in the early part of the week.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): You may be commended for your commitment to a project, belief, or relationship as the week unfolds.

Your social activities might involve a wide range of people who should respect your enthusiasm, passion and dedication.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Take time to carefully assess information so you do not miss a valuable piece of data. Save the day by keeping a cool head and finding workarounds if plans fall through.

It may be difficult to negotiate successfully in the week ahead.

SUDOKU

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Carefully assess the person and the situation before you open up fully.

Once you are sure things feel safe, you can disclose your innermost thoughts. Sharing key experiences with someone could open doors as the week unfolds.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Healthy competition can push you to do better. Conditions could conspire to keep you and a loved one at odds. You might need to let someone else take the lead or go along with someone else’s dominant ideas in the week ahead.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Lay out a solid case to win an argument. You cannot expect that someone will be able to read between the lines if you are being too subtle. Say exactly what you mean to get your point across in the upcoming week.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You could be concerned that someone may be offended by too much familiarity; watch for social feedback to guide you. Mixed feelings about investments and purchases can recede by the end of the week.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. A family issue could seem more important than it is, so wait until the second part of the week to make critical decisions.

A loved one could send out many mixed messages.

COMICS

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Answers in Classifieds Valley Journal

Fevruary 16, 2022 - 19

schools Reach Higher Montana launches annual scholarship competition News from Reach Higher Montana

HELENA — Every year Reach Higher Montana holds a competition to allow students to use their creative side to win scholarship dollars.

The competition asks students to design a sticker that helps pass

along the message to fellow students to find their path after high school.

The top two designers will each receive a $1,500 scholarship. The third and fourth place designers will each receive a $1,000 scholarship. The fifth and sixth place designers will each receive a $500 scholarship. This

year we have added a Judges Choice Award, the winner will receive a $500 scholarship. The high school art programs of the respective winning students will also receive $250 to purchase art supplies or equipment.

Entries can be submitted on the Reach Higher Montana website by

March 15.

The winning sticker designs will be produced and sent to all Montana high schools in the fall as part of the Stick-With-Scholarships campaign. As part of that effort, Reach Higher Montana gives out six $500 scholarships to students who enter the

New American Indian music scholarship offered Awards available for American Indian students in Montana pursuing a major in music News from North Valley Music School

WHITEFISH — North Valley Music School, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching Montana communities through music education, appreciation, and performance by offering musical opportunities for all ages, announces the launch of its American Indian Music Scholarship.

The scholarship provides financial assistance to American Indian high school and college students pursuing professional degrees in music. Applicants must be a US citizen, national, or permanent legal resident of Montana who is of American Indian ethnicity, and be either a high school senior or a college student currently enrolled full-time at an accredited U.S. 20 - February 16, 2022

vocational, junior college, or four-year college/university.

Two $500 scholarships will be awarded.

Montana has a culturally-diverse population representing a broad spectrum of music genres, styles, and instrumentation. Montana is home to urban Indian populations, several Indian reservations, and more than two dozen distinct tribes, each with their own forms of music including Blackfeet, Crow, Flathead, Cheyenne, Chippewa-Cree, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Sioux, and Little Shell.

North Valley Music School founded this scholarship to encourage the pursuit of music education, provide philanthropic funding for American Indians and indigenous communities, and enable broader public awareness of the diverse musical contributions of Montana’s American Indians to the culture of the state and region.

“This scholarship is rooted in our mission to serve people of

all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and our belief that music education should be readily available to everyone,” says Executive Director Deidre Corson.

“Through the American Indian Music Scholarship, NVMS hopes to encourage students to follow their passion and their pursuit of music education and strengthen our service to all people of Montana.”

Applicants will be asked to provide letters of recommendation, a personal statement and examples of their academic strengths, musical endeavors, and civic engagements. Applications are due March 31, 2022. Award winners will be announced May 31, 2022.

For more information about NVMS’s American Indian Music Scholarship or to make a tax-deductible donation to the music scholarship fund, visit: northvalleymusicschool.org/ scholarships. Prospective applicants with questions can email: info@northvalleymusicschool. org or call 406-862-8074.

Valley Journal

competition by posting a picture of one of the stickers on their social media account and tagging Reach Higher Montana.

The Design-A-Sticker, Win-A-Scholarship Competition is part of Reach Higher Montana’s efforts to help students use their creativity to ac-

briefs

Blewett wrestling scholarships offered News from Hoyt & Blewett PLLC

GREAT FALLS — For the 16th year in a row Alexander (Zander) Blewett III, a trial lawyer from the personal injury law firm of Hoyt & Blewett PLLC in Great Falls, has offered three $1,000 scholarships to the top student wrestlers around the state of Montana for Classes “AA”, “A”, and “B/C.” The scholarships are awarded to the top wrestler from each school classification who has displayed the best combined qualities of wrestling and academic achievement. Both male and female wrestlers are eligible to apply for the scholarship. The award will go to one senior high school wrestler in each class around Montana who best qualifies. Applicants do not have to win the state championship to qualify for this scholarship. If they do win, they must still exhibit strong academic achievement. The winner of each class must attend a college somewhere in the United States and a check in the amount of $1000 will be sent to

cess resources to continue their education. The Reach Higher Montana website provides access to a list of hundreds of scholarships for Montana students, and the organization posts new scholarship opportunities on its Facebook and Instagram pages every Thursday.

that college to help defray the cost of tuition.

Applications for the Blewett Wrestling Scholarship are due April 2 and are available online.

New feature in Education Donation Portal News from the Montana Department of Revenue

HELENA — The Department of Revenue’s Education Donation Portal has a new feature available. The public can now view the statistics for donations to and related tax credits for the Innovative Educational Program and the Student Scholarship Organization.

These statistics include the number of completed donations, the number of cancelled donations, and the amount of tax credits claimed by individuals and businesses for these two programs.

The public can also view the organizations receiving donations for both credits, the tax year, the number of donations, and the tax credit.

The Education Donation Portal can be accessed at https:// svc.mt.gov/dor/educationdonation2.

$11.57M to support public transportation and job growth in urban, rural parts of state News from the office of Senator Tester

U.S. SENATE — As a part of his recently signed bipartisan infrastructure law, U.S. Senator Jon Tester recently announced that he secured $11.57 million for Montana public transit, including transit in urban and rural areas, on Indian Reservations, and through buses and bus facilities across the state.

“As the Treasure State continues to grow, it’s critical that we have affordable public transportation options in every corner of the state,” Tester said. “Public transit allows folks to get to work and school safely and is often the only mode of transportation for many folks in Montana. Investing in these systems will create good-paying jobs and help keep people connected safely and efficiently.

The funding secured by Tester can be used to for transit systems in both urban and rural areas, buses and bus facilities, and transit designed for seniors and people with disabilities.

It can also be used for planning and support to improve the condition of transit assets. Funding will be distributed through the Federal Transit Administration to the Montana Department of Transportation, Tribal nations, and urban areas via formula based grant programs.

Funding secured by Tester is for the first 4.5 months of Fiscal Year 2022, with the rest of the FY22 funding being made available once the final FY22 appropriations are enacted.

A general breakdown of grant funding is: $4.36 million to rural areas; $3.44 million for buses and bus facilities statewide; $3.02 million for urban areas (Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula); $0.53 million for public transportation on Indian Reservations

Montana’s public school funding accepted News from the Office of Public Instruction

HELENA — Montana state’s public school funding formula, distributed to approximately 400 public school districts, was accepted after months of negotiations with the US Department of Education (USED). The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) of 2021, enacted on March 11, 2021, contained a new federal mandate as a requirement for receiving Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) COVID-19 funds. This new federal calculation depends on an annual student enrollment that conflicted with Montana’s complex school funding formula, which strives for the equitable distribution of state funding to public school districts as required

by Article X of the Montana Constitution.

The Montana state funding formula is unique as it is driven by prior year student enrollment and a 3-year average. The formula has specific components that safeguards Montana’s very rural schools and allow for student enrollment changes.

Funding Components: • Per-ANB Entitlement • Special Education Allowable Cost Payment • Data for Achievement • Indian Education for All Quality Educator • At-Risk Student • American Indian Achievement Gap • Basic Entitlement “This is a big win for Montana,”

said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen.

“Montana’s Constitution and our state’s school funding formula protects our state’s rural nature from federal mandates and overreach.

Our persistence paid off, and I am grateful that Montana’s uniqueness is recognized and respected.”

Through negotiations, a new FAQ was released that allowed for a reasonable level of tolerance for very small school districts. This permitted Montana the ability to have small schools funded fairly, based on a variation of tolerance, over the federal formula. The Office of Public Instruction (OPI) drafted and worked with the USED to create a two-tiered variance from the federal formula for small schools, which was subsequently accepted by the USED on Feb. 1, 2022.

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February 16, 2022 - 21

Livestock reports due in March News from the Montana Department of Revenue

HELENA — Montanans have just a few more weeks to report the number of each type of livestock they own in order to pay the per capita fees set yearly by the Montana Board of Livestock.

Livestock reports are due March 1.

Owners can report online through the department’s TransAction Portal at https://tap.dor. mt.gov.

Livestock owners must report what they owned as of Feb. 1.

If you reported last year but no longer own livestock, you still need to submit a reporting form to let us know your livestock count is zero.

Owners preferring a paper reporting form can download one at MTRevenue.gov, or call 406-444-6900 for assistance.

Per capita payments are due by May 31.

22 - February 16, 2022

New partnership program aims to increase treatment access News from the Office of the Governor

HELENA — Along with Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton, and Todd Wilson of the Helena Indian Alliance, Governor Greg Gianforte recently emphasized the state’s commitment to combating addiction and increasing access to treatment through the state’s new Angel Initiative.

“Addressing the substance use crisis in Montana requires creative solutions and thinking outside of the box. That’s what we’re doing with the Angel Initiative,” Governor Gianforte said. “By partnering with sheriffs and treatment providers across the state, we aim to reduce the stigma associated with treatment and guide more individuals on the path to recovery.”

A collaborative effort among Gov. Gianforte, DPHHS, participating local law enforcement agencies, and treatment providers, the Angel Initiative allows an individual struggling with addiction and substance use to go into any participating law enforcement office and receive assistance to get connected with treatment.

To date, 20 Montana sheriffs have committed to join the effort. After receiving training from the state, sheriffs in Cascade County and Lewis and Clark County are considered in active status.

“As we continue to expand the new initiative in Montana, we’re thankful for the partnership with Lewis and Clark County,” Meier said. “Montana continues to experience spikes in drug overdoses statewide, and we cannot continue down the current path.

Access to treatment is key, and by working together I’m confident we can make a difference in Montana and save lives in the process.”

At a Feb. 1 event at the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff ’s Office, Sheriff Leo Dutton emphasized the harsh reality substance use has in the county. “I see on a daily basis the impact substance use is having in our communities, and we just have to redouble our efforts to improve access to treatment,” he

COURTESY PHOTO

Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton and Governor Greg Gianforte speak about the Angel Initiative at the sheriff’s office.

said.

A toll-free number connects law enforcement to the Angel Line where a mental health professional will assess the level of care an individual may need. If there is no availability in the local community, the Angel Line will provide alternate options for treatment in nearby communities. A placement for treatment is not guaranteed, and the participant may be placed on a wait list.

DPHHS has worked with the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana to enroll substance use treatment providers. Todd Wilson of the Helena Indian Alliance, who joined the governor, director, and sheriff at the Feb. 1 event, is one of 10 participating providers that collectively serve 33 counties.

“This program is an excellent tool that can help connect people with the treatment they need,” Wilson said. “We are eager to work with Sheriff Dutton and others to move this initiative forward. It takes all of us working together, and we’re excited to do our part to make this program a success.”

Meier said similar programs have been successful in other states, citing the Kentucky State Police starting a similar initiative in 2016 with all 16 Kentucky State Police Valley Journal

Posts participating. The Kentucky program has helped place several hundred individuals seeking treatment.

Information about the new program is available at: angelinitiative.mt.gov. The website features a map of participating locations, including specific contact information for each location.

DPHHS cites several key statistics describing the impact of substance use in Montana: — DPHHS estimates that approximately 90,000 Montanans have a substance use disorder, but realistically only a fraction of these people seek treatment in any given year.

— EMS agencies are being called to more opioid-related events than ever before.

From January through September 2021, the state averaged 69 opioid overdose calls per month. And, from late spring through summer 2021, Montana saw some of the highest opioid overdose monthly call volumes in the last three years, with a peak of 86 calls in July.

— In 2019, the annual methamphetamine-related death rate in Montana was 7.2 per 100,000 people, exceeding the national average of 5.7 per 100,000 people.

Flathead irrigation district reviews 638 contract

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

RONAN — Flathead Irrigation District 3 met in a special session on Feb. 8 to discuss the articles of formation and a 638 contract.

While the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes review proposed bylaws from a previous meeting, the district worked on completing the Articles of Formation for the joint control over the district.

The Articles of Formation list which parties will be involved in the proceedings, and originally consisted of the Flathead Irrigation District, the Tribes, and the Secretary of the Interior.

After some discussion, the district decided to remove the Secretary of the Interior as a participating party.

“Having an additional party just sounds like it’s inviting trouble,” one commissioner expressed.

When it came time to discuss the potential of the 638 contract, several members of the public stepped forward to give comment.

The 638 contract refers to Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, and was originally passed by Congress in 1975. Under the act, the Tribes contracted operation of the power division of the

“They’re negotiating on our behalf in good faith.”

- Commissioner David Lake

Flathead Indian Irrigation Project in 1988. In recognition of the Tribes’ success in operating and managing Mission Valley Power, the federal government renewed the 638 contract for an indefinite term in 1991.

The Tribes are now proposing to use a similar model to allow irrigators to work out a Cooperative Management Entity (CME) for the irrigation division, along with the Tribes.

As public comment revealed concern that the 638 could be used against the district by the Tribes, Commissioner David Lake expressed some frustration. “(The Tribes) are negotiating on our behalf in good faith,” he stated.

“Right now we got nothing. And if we do nothing, we’ll have nothing.

It’ll become a tribal run project… We’ve got to understand where we’re at right now.”

Additionally, attending legal counsel Cassie Dellwo noted that, after a set number of years, the parties could agree to rework the contract or change it entirely.

Concern over both the selection of arbiters and the legal validity of arbitration were also raised,

but Dellwo made a point to lay out an explanation of arbitration to the public.

Should an arbiter be needed between the Tribes and the district, she explained that a neutral third party would be chosen by both parties. If, after arbitration, either party opted to ignore the decided verdict on the matter, they could be taken to court. “Arbitration is legally valid,” she stressed.

After public comment, the commissioners reviewed the 638 contract.

This marks the third meeting the district has had on the subject. At its conclusion, commissioners voted four to one to move the contract for the district forward, with Commissioner Bruce White abstaining.

The contract will now be submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for review and potential changes. After 90 days, the contract will be returned to the district for further review and will have to undergo another vote to proceed.

The next meeting will discuss how members of the Flathead Irrigation District will be selected to work on the joint committee.

Feds allocate nearly $725M to create union jobs News from Dept. of the Interior

WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior announced nearly $725 million in Fiscal Year 22 funding is available to 22 states and the Navajo Nation to create good-paying union jobs and catalyze economic opportunity by reclaiming abandoned mine lands as part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The law allocates a total of $11.3 billion in AML funding over 15 years, which will help communities eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution caused by past coal mining. This historic funding allocation is expected to address the vast majority of inventoried abandoned mine lands in this country.

AML reclamation projects support vitally needed jobs for coal communities by investing in projects that close dangerous mine shafts, reclaim unstable slopes, improve water quality by treating acid mine drainage, and restore

Valley Journal

water supplies damaged by mining.

AML reclamation projects also enable economic revitalization by reclaiming hazardous land for recreational facilities and other economic redevelopment uses like advanced manufacturing and renewable energy deployment. As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this funding will prioritize projects that employ dislocated coal industry workers.

As required by the Infrastructure Law, these allocations are determined based on the number of tons of coal historically produced in each state or on Indian lands before August 3, 1977, when the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) was enacted.

States are guaranteed at least $20 million over the 15-year life of the program if their inventory of AML sites would cost more than $20 million to address.

As state AML inventories are updated, future distributions will change. As of Feb. 9, Montana received $4,601,000.

February 16, 2022 - 23

3/4 of Montana return-to-work bonus funds went unclaimed

By Eric Dietrich Montana Free Press

HELENA — Governor Gianforte’s Return to Work bonus program, announced last year as he scaled back expanded pandemic unemployment benefits, ultimately paid about one-fourth as many bonuses as the state initially funded, according to a new post-program report from the state Department of Labor and Industry.

The program delivered $1,200 payments to workers who were on the state’s unemployment rolls as of May 1, 2021, and subsequently held new jobs for at least four weeks. It ultimately paid bonuses to 3,054 workers, spending $3.7 million of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act funding. The remainder of the program’s $15 million allocation will be returned to the pool available for other economic stimulus initiatives.

In a release, the state labor department said the report highlights the program’s effectiveness.

“Both workers and employers benefited from the program’s success,” labor commissioner Laurie Esau said. “Today, just a few months after the program’s conclusion, more Montanans are working than ever before and Montana’s unemployment rate is at an all-time low.”

Montana’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, 2.5% as of December, is substantially lower than 24 - February 16, 2022

the national figure of 3.9% and well below the 4-6% range traditionally considered “full employment” by economists. Tight labor markets mean it’s generally hard for employers to find workers, which drives up wages and create inflation as businesses adjust their prices accordingly.

The state’s workforce has grown in part because the overall state population has increased with in-migration during the pandemic.

Montana’s labor force participation rate, the percentage of civilian adults who are either working or looking for work, remains roughly a percentage point below pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“Ending federal supplemental unemployment benefits and offering return-to-work bonuses have been effective, successful tools to get Montanans back in the workforce,” Gianforte Press Secretary Brooke Stroyke said in an email. She also noted that the state has other initiatives aimed at bolstering Montana’s workforce, such as recruiting incentives for nurses and efforts to promote trades education.

At a presentation before a legislative committee Jan. 27, labor department chief economist Barb Wagner said that even with more workers than ever in Montana’s labor force, businesses are still struggling with staffing issues — because almost every available worker is already working.

“Everyone that is going to be working with a 40hour work week is already in the labor market and is already finding a job,” she said. “Everyone who is not in the labor market right now, they have a pretty good reason — they’re taking care of kids, they’re retired, maybe they’re in school.”

Wagner also said the lagging workforce participation rate appears to be driven by a decrease in participation by workers under the age of 25, an age bracket where people are often in school, and the state’s aging population, which means more wouldbe workers at retirement age.

When the return-towork bonus program and rollback of expanded benefits were announced last year, the Gianforte administration said it was worried that expanded pandemic-era unemployment benefits were discouraging out-of-work Montanans from rejoining the workforce.

“Incentives matter, and the vast expansion of federal unemployment benefits is now doing more harm than good,” Gianforte said in a release at the time. “We need to incentivize Montanans to reenter the workforce.”

The unemployment benefits program is essentially a state-administered insurance program that collects contributions from most employers and pays workers who have been

laid off or had their hours cut a portion of their former salaries. Under longtime rules, unemployment benefit recipients are required to actively look for work, but federal COVID relief legislation gave the state the flexibility to waive that requirement, increase weekly payments, and let workers stay on unemployment rolls beyond 13 weeks.

Gianforte was the first governor in the nation to announce an end to the pandemic-era unemployment benefits. The move was met with criticism from Democrats, who expressed concern about inflicting pain on people who had been relying on the expanded assistance.

The return-to-work program was a carrot designed to complement the stick of reduced unemployment benefits, offering the $1,200 one-time payments to workers who left unemployment for steady jobs.

While the labor department’s report estimates that about 24,000 Montanans were receiving unemployment benefits and potentially eligible for the bonuses, it has been clear for months that the return-to-work program wouldn’t attract the participation state officials had originally budgeted for.

They initially allocated $15 million to the program, enough to provide bonuses to more than 12,000 workers.

Instead, the department’s new report says

Valley Journal

COURTESY PHOTO

$15 million of the allocated funds will be returned to the pool for other economic stimulus initiatives.

6,175 people applied for the program before a deadline last October.

More than half those applicants were denied, either because they didn’t meet eligibility criteria or didn’t provide the department with the necessary verification that they kept new jobs for the required four weeks.

The report also cites difficulties the department encountered as it sought to administer the program.

“The program was established with very specific eligibility criteria, which led to some confusion and difficulty in processing applications,” it says. “In addition, the speed at which the program needed to be launched necessitated the adoption of labor-intensive practices. Without automated systems for verifying employment or eligibility, the employment verification process was burdensome.”

The department wrote that “lessons learned” from administering return-to-

work bonuses have since been applied to streamlining the administration of other efforts.

Labor department spokesperson Jessica Nelson said Thursday that “the processing difficulties alluded to in the report had nothing to do with the rate of denials.”

The report says that “All applicants meeting eligibility rules” received bonuses.

Bonuses were paid out in 50 of Montana’s 56 counties, the department said. Yellowstone County, which includes Billings, had the most at 467, followed by Missoula County with 452.

The department also said bonus recipients appeared to generally be earning more at new jobs than they had in previous positions. According to earnings reported on application materials, 60% of bonus recipients are earning at least $15 an hour, and 28% at least $20 an hour.

RMEF commits $1M to wildfire restoration News from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

MISSOULA — The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation committed more than $1 million to landscape-scale efforts to help restore thousands of acres of public and private forestland, meadows and other landscapes charred by recent wildfires.

“This commitment only solidifies RMEF’s ongoing strategic efforts dating back decades to enhance habitat for elk and a myriad of other wildlife species for their long-term betterment while also improving overall forest health,” said Kyle Weaver, RMEF president and CEO. “We greatly appreciate our partners at the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Bureau of Land Management, state agencies, private landowners and other organizations for implementing actions that benefit, wildlife, hunters and others who enjoy the outdoors.”

Funding for the 2021 work targets 19 different projects across Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

RMEF will review proposals for 2022 projects focused on large-landscape restoration across public and private land.

“What we’re talking about here are treatments like seeding and shrub planting, invasive weed control, timber salvage, wildlife water development repair and other forest restoration and habitat stewardship methods,” said Blake Henning, RMEF chief conservation officer. “The targeted areas are important for elk and other wildlife, especially critical big game winter range, corridors, movement pathways and connectivity with nearby landscapes.”

RMEF dollars for the project are a combination of funding from its project advisory committees combined with significant contributions from RMEF’s Torstenson Family Endowment.

Montana recognizes Black History Month News from the office of the Governor

HELENA — Earlier this month, Governor Gianforte proclaimed February 2022 Black History Month in Montana to reflect on and celebrate the achievements of Black Montanans as well as their contributions.

In 1976, President Gerald R. Ford established Black History Month, and every subsequent U.S. President has recognized it.

The governor’s procla-

mation states: “Each February, Americans come together to celebrate Black Americans’ contributions to our Nation’s and State’s culture, economy, religious life, and history.

Black history in Montana dates back to 1805 when York, a Black slave, entered Montana as a part of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Black Montanans have helped shape our state’s treasured history, including Samuel Lewis, a barber and residential

developer in the mid to late 1800s whose Bozeman home is part of the National Register of Historic Places; Sarah Gammon Bickford, owner of the Virginia City Water Company from 1900 to 1931; Taylor Gordon, a White Sulphur Springs native, singer, and author of “Born to Be,” his 1929 best-selling memoir; Octavia Bridgwater, one of only several hundred Black nurses permitted to serve in the Army Nurse Corps in 1942; and Geraldine Travis, who in 1974

became the first Black Montanan elected to the Montana Legislature.

Montana joins our Nation in recognizing the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans who are part of the fabric of our Nation.

Now, therefore, I, Greg Gianforte, Governor of the State of Montana, do hereby proclaim February 2022 Black History Month in Montana to reflect on and celebrate the contributions of Black Montanans.”

Signup for Conservation Reserve Program News from USDA

MONTANA — Agricultural producers and landowners can sign up soon for the Conservation Reserve Program, a cornerstone conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) and a key tool in the Biden-Harris Administration effort to address climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits. The General CRP signup will run from Jan. 31 to March 11, and the Grassland CRP signup will run from April 4 to May 13.

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Valley Journal

February 16, 2022 - 25

seniors Polson

By Pete Mangels for the Valley Journal

POLSON — We serve the senior citizens of the Polson area and beyond. For membership purposes, a senior citizen starts at 50 years young. Old age is more a state of mind than any particular starting age. The year 50 is represented by gold. We, as an organization are committed to serving citizens in their golden years. We encourage these younger people to our ranks. We need your help as volunteers and leaders.

February is the shortest month of the year and for good reason. It shortens winter by one or two days. The ground hog has nothing to do with it. We note the martyrdom of a priest named Valentine, the birthdays of presidents and the sales potential of those events.

Tax assistance by trained personnel is available at no charge at the Polson Senior Center from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays through April 14. Call for a reservation to alleviate wait times.

Bring all tax information with you. Kleenex is valuable. Masks are almost always available.

Call us at 406-883-4735, or email us at: polsonseniorcenter@gmail.com or visit us at 504 Third Ave. E. We are open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. Lunch is available from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. weekdays for $5. We deliver to shut-ins. We have around 40 people who use this free delivery service.

Individuals and small groups are always welcome to lounge, work puzzles, read, learn how 26 - February 16, 2022

to cheat at cards or board games, billiards, etc. Coffee, tea and cookies are available, (they are under guard - someone has a hand where it shouldn’t be. Don’t worry, they will be caught)! Our activities are a great way to meet old friends and create new friendships.

Activities: We respectfully request that persons regularly attending free organized recreational activities to donate to our organization by purchasing a yearly membership card for $15. Financial assistance is available. A year of activities are available at the Polson Senior Center, all within a safe and comfortable space. Such a deal.

Pool: Come in with a friend and practice for fun and bragging rights. Open table during business hours. The rules are to play nice and respect the equipment and the people playing. Organized weekly pool games will be scheduled based on interest. Leave your name and phone number for a call back. Come in early to practice and then join us for lunch.

Exercise for mobility: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Bridge: Tuesdays and Fridays – postponed Call the center or come in to place your name on the players list Mahjong: Wednesdays, 12:30 p.m. (multiple tables) Pinochle: Thursdays, 12:30 p.m. (earlier or later if you wish). We play 3, 4, or 5 players per table. We teach.

Bingo: Fridays, 7 p.m.

Hearing clinic: Every third Thursday, (Feb 17) from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Veteran’s rep: The first Fridays (Feb. 4) and third Tues-

days (Feb. 15) from 10 a.m.noon Menu: — Wednesday, Feb. 16: Salisbury steak, potatoes, gravy, carrots, spaghetti salad, peaches — Thursday, Feb. 17: chicken enchiladas, refried beans, mixed veggies, green salad, key lime bars — Friday, Feb. 18: sloppy joe, (Neat Pete), tots, cream corn, fruit Jell-O, pistachio pudding — Monday, Feb. 21: chicken-rice soup, egg salad sandwich, green salad, banana pudding — Tuesday, Feb. 22: beef patty w/ mushroom gravy, smashed spuds, peas ‘n’ carrots, pears — Wednesday, Feb. 23: oven stew, roll, cinnamon apple salad, custard — Thursday, Feb. 24: chile dog, cheese and onion on the side, corn, green salad, cookie — Friday, Feb. 25: dinner for lunch - baked ham, au gratin potatoes, peas, pretzel salad, birthday cake — Monday, Feb. 28: potato soup, cheesy bread, classy fruit salad, “poke” cake

St. Ignatius

By Irene Pritsak for the Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — Tax help is available through the Polson Senior Center. Please call Kay at 406- 883-4735 for information and to set up an appointment.

— Wednesday night, Feb. 16: dinner we are having: roast pork loin with applesauce, oven roasted potatoes, rolls, veggies, apple pie Valley Journal

— Tuesday, Feb. 22: taco salad, veggie salad, fruit, peanut butter cookies Our next bingo game will be held on Saturday, March 12.

On April 15 we will hold a bake sale from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Our relief driver is on vacation for a month. If you would like to volunteer for a shift, (hours are 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m.), just in case our driver needs a day off; please call the center.

Have a great week.

Dixon

By Heather Rush for the Valley Journal

DIXON — Dixon Senior Center continues to serve our community and hopes everyone is staying happy and healthy. All are invited to come enjoy dinner. Meals will be served Monday and Thursday evenings, at 5 p.m. Meals are $4 per serving and are deliverable to Dixon residents upon request. We are also accepting take-out meal requests for $5 per serving.

The menu for the coming week is: — Thursday, Feb. 17: sandwiches, creamy chicken-rice soup, dessert — Monday, Feb. 21: meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, salad, rolls, dessert — Thursday, Feb. 24: beef pot roast, veggies, mashed potatoes, rolls Pinochle will be back in the spring. We will be taking a break during the winter for the safety of our seniors.

Feel welcome to place an order in advance by calling 406246-3310. All ages are always welcome.

obituaries Dolores Walker POLSON — Dolores Rodgers Walker, age 87, passed away on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022, at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. She was born on Aug. 20, 1934, in Miles City to Alvin and Cora (Cook) Rodgers.

She married Ronald Dolores Walker Walker on April 4, 1953.

They had four children, James, Janet, Coralee and Barbara.

They lived in Bozeman for several years.

They loved traveling in their motor home for twelve years. They gave up RVing in 2008 and bought their home in Polson.

Dolores is preceded in death by her parents; her siblings; her son, James; and her daughter, Barbara.

She is survived by her husband, Ronald Walker; her daughters, Janet and Coralee; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She is loved and will be missed deeply.

Memorial services for Dolores will be held on Thursday, Feb. 10, at 1 pm at The Lake Funeral Home. Memories and condolences may be sent to the family at: www. lakefuneralhomeandcremation.com.

Arrangements are under the care of The Lake Funeral Home and Crematory.

calendar Wednesday, Feb. 16 ‘Park After Dark’ winter hike offered at State Park KALISPELL — On Wednesday, Feb. 16, from 7:30-9 p.m. experience Lone Pine State Park on a wintery night on this full moon hike.

Moon views vary depending on cloud cover, but you’re guaranteed a nighttime adventure that experiences the park after hours. Be sure to dress for the weather. Trails are typically icy at this time of year, so wear micro spikes like Yaktrax if there’s snow on the ground. We’ll have snowshoes available if needed. Please bring a flashlight or headlamp.

Call the visitor center at 406755-2706, ext. 0, to register, as space is limited. Cost is $4

see extended calendar at www.valleyjournal.net

per hiker ($8 park entry fee still applies for non-resident vehicles).

Monday, Feb. 21 Library closes for Presidents’ Day POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will be closed on Monday, Feb. 21, in honor of Presidents’ Day.

Tuesday, Feb. 22 Grow your pandemic literacy POLSON — Are you overwhelmed with news about

COVID-19 that seems to be constantly changing and contradicting? This program will help you find peace of mind by sharpening your critical thinking skills. Join us for a COVID-19 information literacy game about evaluating news sources at the North Lake County Public Library on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 2 p.m. in the large meeting room.

Saturday, Feb. 26 Light, shadows workshop offered POLSON — Join the North Lake County Public Library for a “Leap into Science – Light and Shadows Workshop” on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 10 a.m. in the large

meeting room. There will be story time and a shadow puppet show and hands-on learning stations.

Enjoy a ‘Forest Bathing Session’ KALISPELL — On Saturday, Feb. 26, from 12:30-2 p.m. experience nature in a new way with a forest bathing walk led by certified forest therapy guide Ellen Horowitz.

Forest bathing is a practice of going outdoors and opening all your senses to soak and immerse yourself in the atmosphere. The entire walk is 1.5 hours in duration and often covers no more than a quarter mile distance. Call the visitor center at 406-755-2706, ext. 0, to register, as space is limited. Cost is free.

Annual Creston auction benefits fire department News from the Creston Firefighter’s Association

CRESTON — There is nothing else like the Creston Auction: A field packed with the most unlikely treasures. Half a dozen auctions at once. Thousands of people donating, consigning, and buying.

Hundreds of volunteers. All in support of the small, all-volunteer fire department in Creston, Montana.

The Creston Auction & Country Fair is the largest annual fundraiser for the Creston Fire Department and has been held in Creston since 1966. This year’s event is April 1-3. The fire department’s over 30 volunteers rely heavily on this benefit to support them in responding to more than 440 calls this past year.

Calls have been steadily increasing, and Creston Fire has outgrown its 1960-era fire hall on Highway 35. The building barely houses modern fire apparatus, weekly training sessions for the

volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians, and the department’s fundraising efforts. Land for a new station along the highway has been purchased and Creston Fire is in the on-going process of raising money for the construction of Station 251. All money raised for Creston Fire at this year’s Creston Auction will go into the fund for that project.

The Creston Auction takes place over 3 days. Here are some of the details for this year’s event: • The 56th Annual Creston Auction & Country Fair plus Auto, Marine, RV & Equipment Sale will be held Saturday and Sunday, April 2 and 3, in Creston, Montana—12 miles east of Kalispell on MT Highway 35.

• Friday, April 1, is Consignment Day and is the only day that consigned or donated items will be accepted. Items can be consigned, meaning a substantial portion of the sale price goes back to the

seller, or donated, meaning all proceeds go to Creston Fire. Items will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the sale grounds in Creston.

• On Saturday, grounds open at 7 AM and the general merchandise auction kicks off at 9 a.m., following the opening ceremonies. Bid tickets for Saturday cost $10 and go on sale at 7 a.m. Attendees can purchase locally made art/ handicrafts, rummage sale items, homemade baked goods, and food from local vendors.

• The vehicle and equipment sale begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The day’s $10 bid tickets go on sale at 9 a.m.

• There is no entrance fee and no buyer’s premium. Bid ticket revenue goes entirely toward paying for 24-hour security for the weekend. Bid tickets will also be available for purchase on Friday, April 1.

• For more info, call 406-250-7396 or find Creston Auction on Facebook.

Valley Journal

Through with chew week News from Lake County Tobacco Prevention

POLSON — Montana’s smokeless tobacco use prevalence is 14% for adult males, which is more than twice as high as the national average. February 20-26 is “Through with Chew Week,” an entire week dedicated to educating Montanans about the health risks of smokeless tobacco and the health benefits of quitting.

“There is no safe form of tobacco. Smokeless tobacco can cause cancer of the mouth, tongue, cheek, gum, esophagus, and pancreas.

It also causes gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss,” stated Julia Williams, local Tobacco Prevention Specialist.

The Montana Tobacco Quit Line helps Montanans quit all forms of tobacco use, including smokeless tobacco. To increase your chance of a successful quit, the Quit Line offers eight weeks of free nicotine patches, gum, and lozenges and, with a provider referral, three months of Bupropion. Montanans who use smokeless tobacco and receive Quit Line coaching along with nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges have a quit rate of 46%.

In addition to the Quit Line, the Tobacco Prevention Specialist, Julie Williams, has “Through with Chew” kits available for free. These kits contain information on the Quit Line, tips to help you with a successful quit, a dental mirror, a free can of Smokey Mountain Chew (a tobacco-free and nicotine-free substitute), and other goodies. Stop by or call to pick up your kit today, at the Lake Co. Public Health building at 802 Main in Polson or 883-7480.

Quitting tobacco can be the most important thing you do for your health.

Start your quit today and be Through with Chew in 2022.

To get started, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or visit www.QuitNowMontana.com.

American Indian Commercial Tobacco Quit Line: 1-855-5AI-QUIT or MTAmercianIndianQuitLine.com My Life, My Quit (Under 18): 1-855-891-9989, MyLifeMyQuit. com, or text “Start” to 36072.

February 16, 2022 -27

Advocates hopeful about community behaviorial health clinics News from Mara Silvers/ Montana Free Press

HELENA — When it comes to fixing Montana’s behavioral health care system, policy experts often say there is no silver bullet. The next best option, though, may be a jargon-filled phrase that has many stakeholders sounding hopeful: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, or CCBHCs, a Medicaid program and funding mechanism designed to make essential mental health and substance use treatments accessible to communities in need.

That clinical model is under consideration as part of an ongoing legislative study of the state’s adult mental health care system by the Children, Families, Health and Human Services interim committee. Supporters of the CCBHC model say it could be a boon to Montana’s currently strained and underfunded system for treating mental health and substance use disorders — if it gains traction with state lawmakers and Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration.

Speaking to lawmakers on Friday, Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Adam Meier signaled a degree of open-mindedness about the model.

“We’re at the point now where we’re exploring it kind of alongside the providers and you guys,” 28 - February 16, 2022

Meier said to lawmakers on the committee. “Once we have more information, [and] we have feedback from whether the providers want to go this route, I think that allows us to know whether there’s interest on our side as well.

Even that noncommittal response sparked excitement among some advocates of the program.

“It is tantalizing to see the administration circling around CCBHCs,” said Matt Kuntz, director of the nonprofit mental health advocacy group NAMI Montana, adding that the model could expand treatment and services in critical ways.

National proponents of CCBHCs are trumpeting the model’s potential.

In a 2020 report titled “Hope for the Future,” the National Council on Behavioral Health said it aims to make CCBHCs available in every state.

“When that happens,” the report said, “we will have created the greatest opportunity to improve the health and well-being of the entire nation.”

Starting in 2017, a handful of states have launched CCBHCs under a Medicaid demonstration program designed to make mental health and substance use disorder treatments more widely available. While 10 states have begun implementing statewide CCBHC programs, many more organizations have

received federal grants to build infrastructure to support CCBHC services, including three providers in Montana: Rimrock Foundation in Billings, Center for Mental Health in Great Falls, and Western Montana Mental Health Center.

CCBHC care providers must offer a range of services to fill out the spectrum of mental health and substance use disorder treatment, as well as meet certain reporting requirements set by the federal government. In return, participating providers receive an enhanced federal funding match for treating Medicaid patients — a key incentive for behavioral health providers and practitioners.

Advocates for CCBHCs say the critical difference between that model and Montana’s current behavioral health system lies in how Medicaid services are funded.

If a statewide CCBHC program were implemented in Montana, the state would shift from its current fee-for-service model to what’s called a prospective payment

system.

Under fee-for-service, “if a provider bills [Medicaid] for a 50-minute therapy session, they get paid for that 50-minute session,” said Mary Windecker, executive director of the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana (BHAM), a group of providers currently studying the CCBHC model.

Behavioral health providers in Montana have long said the state’s Medicaid reimbursement rates are insufficient.

While some providers can remain financially afloat by accepting private insurance, organizations that work mostly with Medicaid-enrolled or uninsured patients may be unable to retain staff or expand services. As a result, Montana struggles to provide robust and widespread treatments that meet the needs of the state’s population. By using a prospective payment system with a stronger federal match, advocates say, CCBHCs can reliably deliver essential services to communities in need.

Participating clinics can still provide services for patients with

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private insurance or no insurance at all — federal requirements stipulate that an organization must provide treatment regardless of a person’s ability to pay. The higher reimbursement rate that comes with licensure as a CCBHC applies only to patients with Medicaid.

After roughly five years of implementing the CCBHC model, state officials gave the program generally high praise to surveyors with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

Among the eight states surveyed, CCBHCs “lowered costs, improved outcomes, contributed to building critical mental health and substance use care system capacity and infrastructure required to meet rising levels of need,” the organization wrote in a 2021 report. In some states, individuals receiving treatment at CCBHCs saw reduced emergency room visits, fewer interactions with law enforcement, and lower readmission rates.

In a presentation to Montana lawmakers, a representative of the National Council for Mental

Wellbeing said 100% of existing CCHBCs offer crisis response services such as a 24-hour mobile crisis team, a type of emergency protocol for people experiencing a mental health crisis that is inconsistently available in Montana. The presentation pointed specifically to positive results in Missouri and Texas, the latter of which is projected to save $10 billion by 2030 through implementation of the CCBHC model.

“The hope is that we have a long-term solution for funding our mental health centers … so we actually have a model that works for things like crisis [care], where our therapists are fully funded at their cost,” Kuntz said.

“If you get the payment model right, it is possible to deliver care for underserved communities.”

“The last thing any of us want is to implement a model that won’t work for Montana,” Windecker said, noting the state’s unique rural characteristics. “We need to look at its applicability to Montana’s wide-open spaces to make sure it would work here.”

classifieds Announcements Auctions JOHNCO STORAGE: Public sale MARCH 2, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. at 808 7th Street East, Polson. Sell to highest bidder for CASH OR CERTIFIED CHECK ONLY, contents of units 108, 126, AND 195.

Units are subject to redemption prior to sale time. 406-883-5405.

Wanted WANTED TO BUY Guns and/or ammunition, old or new.

Whole estates/collections or single pieces. Fair prices paid. 406-207-4641

Employment Help wanted WATERCRAFT INSPECTOR - UP TO 20 CONTRACT POSITIONS NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS FULL-TIME, PART-TIME & ON-CALL The successful applicant is required to have a high school diploma or G.E.D. Some posthigh school education in natural sciences, customer service or education is desirable. The employee must have knowledge of the geographical areas of the Flathead Basin, basic math, grammar, spelling and basic computer skills.

The employee must have the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, the general public and people from other jurisdictions. Follow written and verbal instructions and communicate effectively.

Maintain and complete accurate records. React calmly to a potentially hostile public. Learn complicated watercraft inspections and perform them accurately.

RTLN PREVENTION OUTREACH AND OFFICE MANAGER/DATA COORDINATOR (2 POSITIONS) TRIBAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT An Associate degree is preferred or a minimum of two (2) years’ experience working with socially and economically disadvantaged youth and families. Must possess a valid Montana driver’s license. Must be at least 21 years of age.

Must pass a background and suitability check according to Public Law 101-630; the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act. All applicants must submit a Tribal application and copy of academic transcript/training certificate, completed background supplemental questionnaire, proof of enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted. The successful Qualify as physically capable based on an acceptable “physical condition” test. All applicants must submit a completed Tribal employment application. Certified copies of relevant academic transcripts and training certificates. If you are claiming Veteran’s Preference, a copy of the DD214 must be submitted with the application. Proof of a valid driver’s license. This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP) within the definition of the CSKT Drug Testing policy. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) months probationary period. Salary is $14.50 to $15.75 per hour. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. 1040. Tribal applications are also available online at csktribes. org. Closing date will be Thursday, February 24th, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) months probationary period. Salary is $18.87 to $21.69 per hour, plus benefits, may be employed under contract. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. #1040, or personnel@ cskt.org. Tribal applications are also available online at cskt.org. Closing date will be Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. (MST).

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER. K-8 teacher Mountain View Elementary. Send resume to Mountain View Elementary, Box 1169, Cut Bank, MT 59427. Email questions to JerryHofer@gmail.com or call (406) 336-2638.

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSE (1 or more positions in Polson/Elmo, Mission locations) - TRIBAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT The successful applicant must possess a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from an accredited college of nursing. A valid and unrestricted Registered Nurse license in the state of Montana or compact state. Three years of full-time nursing experience providing direct patient care, with at least one year of Public Health or Community Health Nursing preferred. Supervisory experience preferred.

A background to manage and supervise a broad range of public/ community health nursing skills and public health programs. Public Health Nurse certificate, within 6 months of employment. Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare providers certification, Heart Saver CPR does not qualify.

Incident Command System (ICS) 100, 200, 700 certification within 4 months of employment. A valid Montana driver’s license with ability to operate a vehicle. Salary is $29.08 - $33.43 per hour, plus benefits, may be employed under a contract. To apply, contact the Tribal Personnel Office at (406) 675-2700, ext.

1040 or personnel@cskt.org.

Tribal applications and full

advertisement are available online at www.cskt.org. Closing date is Thursday, February 24, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.(MST) CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER. PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATOR - (1 or more positions in Arlee, Mission, Polson/Elmo, Ronan, Hot Springs) - TRIBAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT The successful applicant must possess an associate’s degree in a health related field with a minimum of two years working in a public health, community health, or health care setting. Documented experience providing education to individuals, families, and groups. Valid and unrestricted driver’s license. Heartsaver CPR or BLS within six months of hire. Salary is $21.80 $25.05 per hour, plus benefits, may be employed under a contract. To apply, contact the Tribal Personnel Office at (406) 675-2700, ext. 1040 or personnel@cskt.org. Tribal applications and full advertisement are available online at www.cskt.org. Closing date is Thursday, February 24, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.(MST) CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER. DIABETES NURSE EDUCATOR - TRIBAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT The successful applicant must possess a bachelor’s of science registered nurse and experience in diabetes care, treatment and education for individuals and at a community level. Must be a certified diabetes educator or able to obtain certification within 6 months’ time frame.

The certification examination is administered on an ongoing basis with applicants using an examination appointment window of 90 days after approval of application. Must pass a background and suitability check according to Public Law 101-630; the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act. The employee must have professional experience in providing healthcare services according to best practices for Native Americans. All applicants must

Valley Journal

submit a Tribal application and copy of academic transcript/ training certificate, completed background supplemental questionnaire, proof of enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) months probationary period. Salary is $32.59 to $37.45 per hour, plus benefits, may be employed under contract. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. #1040, or personnel@ cskt.org. Tribal applications are also available online at cskt.org. Closing date will be Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. (MST) CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER. DATA COORDINATOR/ DIRE NEED CASE MANAGER (PART-TIME POSITION - DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, FINANCE & GRANTS DIVISION The successful applicant is required to possess a high school diploma or GED. Actual experience case managing local individuals and providing and managing services. The applicant must have some experience in counseling or interviewing as well as general guidance principles. Position must pass suitability and character reference check and finger printing as required by the Indian Child and Family Violence Protection Act-PL 101-630. This position is subject to a background check in accordance with Public Law 101- 630, 25 USC Section 3201 and Public Law 101-647, 42 USC Section 13031. The background check also includes Child Protection service checks and driving record checks. Must possess a Montana State driver’s license and possess liability car insurance. Must have word processing experience and formal computer training within the last year. Must have Excel training within last year.

Must have at least 6 months of

experience with Tribal service population in client eligibility process (in childcare, LIHEAP, cash assistance, dire need) and client interactions. Must have experience in keeping track of funds, money taken in, balancing daily or weekly, and thereby understanding the importance of fiscal and program accountability. Must have at least one-year experience in working with the public and with vendors, and businesses.

All applicants must submit a completed Tribal employment application, supplemental questionnaire for background investigations, copy of relevant academic transcripts and training certificates, copy of current valid driver’s license and proof of liability insurance, proof of enrollment from a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT & if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of your DD214. This position is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP) within the definition of the CSKT Drug Testing policy. A favorable determination resulting from a completed background investigation is required for your placement in this position. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) month probationary period. Salary range: $19.34 to $22.23 per hour. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. 1259/1040.

Tribal applications are also available on-line at www. csktribes.org. Closing date will be Thursday, March 3rd, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER. Graphic Designer, MSU Extension, Full time. Exciting position planning, designing and managing fun projects, working with a great staff! Full benefits. To apply, visit msuextension.org, click on “Careers.”

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled.

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February 16, 2022 - 29

classifieds Employment cont. from page 29 NATIONAL MONITORING CENTER MONITOR (ONE OR MORE POSITIONS) NATURAL RESOURCE DEPARTMENT The successful applicant must possess a high school diploma from an accredited high school or a GED. Possession of, or eligibility for, a Montana State driver’s license. Must be able to type at least 30 words per minute and have the ability to read a map and locate states and cities in the Western United States. Experience in surfing the Internet. Training or experience with word processing and spreadsheet software WORD and EXCEL. Must be able to open a WORD file, cut and paste a portion of a WORD document, and save the WORD document. Experience in working and communicating with the public, or in an office working with other personnel where communicating information was important to that position. Must be able to work throughout the entire shift and be able to stay awake and alert for the

duration of the shift. Must be able to communicate clearly by enunciating and speaking works in a clear and understandable manner. Must be able to write clearly and legibly. All applicants are required to submit a Tribal application, completed supplemental questionnaire for background investigations, copy of relevant transcript and/or certificate, a copy of a valid driver’s license and proof of Tribal enrollment from a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted.

This is a Testing Designated Position (TDP) within the definition of the CSKT Drug Testing policy.

The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) month probationary period. Salary range is $14.59 to $16.77 per hour, plus benefits. Shift Schedule: Thursday – Sunday (10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.) To apply, contact Personnel at 406-6752700 Ext. #1259/1040.

Tribal applications are also available online at csktribes.org. Closing date will be Thursday, February 24th, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

the Planning Department’s webpage. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting and participate in the process.

Services Offered Handyman Work Control Dispatcher **Recent Wage Increase** Montana State University – Bozeman.

For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/postings/26096. Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Vehicles Miscellaneous

INVENTORY CLEARANCE SALE Auto /Truck Starters and Alternators. 305 units, all remanufactured and tested for earlier vehicles, prior to 2000. Closing business. Selling off all rebuilt starters and alternators at 55% off retail. If your car or truck in 1997 or older, at this price you can afford to have a spare.

Call Jerry at 406-207-4641.

Information regarding the agenda items is available from the Lake County Planning Dept. Written comments received by February 28, 2022 will be included in the board packets. All written and verbal comments are welcome and will be forwarded to the board for their consideration. Comments received after February 28 will be provided to the board at the meeting, which may not provide sufficient time for review of the comment.

Comments may be mailed to Lake County Planning Dept, 106 4th Ave E, Polson, MT 59860 or faxed: 406-883-7205 or e-mailed: planning@lakemt.gov.

Public Notices Legals Legals LEGAL NOTICE The Lake County Planning Board will hold a public meeting Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 7:00 pm. Public attendance will be through a virtual format via ZOOM. Agenda items include: LAKESHORE PROTECTION REGULATIONS WORK SESSION The Planning Board will hold a work session regarding updates to the Lake County Lakeshore Protection Regulations. The Planning Board will continue discussion on section 5, dealing with the criteria for issuance of a permit. The current lakeshore protection regulations can be provided by the Lake County Planning Department or found on

Please note: If you would like to attend the public hearing, please contact the Planning Department at the email above or at (406) 883-7235 prior to the meeting to receive instructions regarding how to attend the meeting virtually.

Feb. 16, 2022 MNAXLP John A. Mercer Turnage Mercer & Wall, PLLP Attorneys at Law 312 1st St E see page 31

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ART CONSISTS OF LIMITATION. 406-676-8989 THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PART OF EVERY PICTURE IS THE FRAME. - GILBERT K. CHESTERTON

30 - February 16, 2022

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public notices Legals

February 9, 16 and 23, 2022 MNAXLP

cont’d from pg. 30

Montana 20th Judicial District Court, Lake County In the matter of the Name Change of Rebekah Begay; Rebekah Begay, Petitioner.

Polson, MT 59860 Telephone: 406-883-5367 jmercer@turnagemercerwall.com MONTANA TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, LAKE COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF: HAZEL A. McALEAR, Deceased.

Cause No.: DP-22-3 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN That the undersigned has been appointed as Personal Representative of the above-entitled estate, and that the address of the Personal Representative is set forth below.

All creditors of the decedent having claims against the decedent’s estate must present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice, or be forever barred as creditors of the decedent.

A written statement of the claim indicating its basis, the name and address of the claimant, and the amount claimed, may be filed with the Clerk of the District Court, at Polson, Lake County, Montana, or mailed, Return Receipt Requested, to the Personal Representative, c/o TURNAGE MERCER & WALL, PLLP, Attorneys for the Personal Representative, at 312 1st St E, Polson, MT 59860. /s/ Douglas Rex McAlear Douglas Rex McAlear Personal Representative Estate of HAZEL A. McALEAR,

Deceased.

Cause No: DV-22-16 Dept. No. 2001 Judge James Manley NOTICE OF HEARING ON NAME CHANGE This is notice that Petitioner has asked the District Court for a change of name from Rebekah Hope Begay to Rebekah Hope Squeque. The hearing will be on March 23, 2022, at 10:00 am. The hearing will be at the Courthouse in Lake County.

Dated: January 17, 2022.

Lyn Fricker Clerk of District Court

By Mary Rensvold Deputy Clerk of Court

single-family residence and a shop with guest quarters. The +/-10.058-acre subject property is located along Wild Horse Ranch Road in the Upper West Shore Zoning District and is legally described as lot 2 of Wild Horse Ranch subdivision, located in section 21, T25N, R20W. SKJT PARACHUTE TRUST VARIANCE REQUEST Nicholas Cole of NC Design Studio, on behalf of SKJT Parachute Trust represented by Scott and Kathleen Hillegass, is requesting a variance to reconstruct an existing single-family residence within 50 feet of a neighboring orchard. The +/5.43-acre subject property is located at 23011 MT Hwy 35, Bigfork, MT 59911 within the East Shore Zoning District and is legally described as tract 1 of Bear Dance Orchard Tracts as shown on COS 5094, located in section 32 of T25N, R19W. SELBY/DNRC CONDITIONAL USE REQUEST Kim Selby is requesting conditional use approval for the establishment of one travel type trailer as a temporary dwelling. The travel trailer will be used as temporary lodging on a seasonal basis. The applicant leases two adjacent tracts from DNRC. The properties are located off MT Hwy 35 in Blue Bay within the East Shore Zoning District and are legally described as Blue Bay Lease Lot 19, +/-2.208 acres and Lot 20, +/-2.131 acres, located in section 16, T24N, R19W.

LEGAL NOTICE On Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at 3:30 pm, the Lake County Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing in the large conference room (Room 316) of the Lake County Courthouse. The options for attendance are through ZOOM* or in person. The hearing will include the following items:

Information regarding the agenda items is available from the Lake County Planning Dept. Written comments received by February 28, 2022 will be included in the staff report to the board. All written and verbal comments are welcome and will be forwarded to the board for their consideration. Comments received after February 28 will be provided to the board at the meeting, which may not provide sufficient time for review of the comment. Comments may be mailed to Lake County Planning Dept, 106 4th Ave E, Polson, MT 59860 or faxed: 406-883-7205 or e-mailed: planning@lakemt.gov.

DELPH CONDITIONAL USE REQUEST Tim Delph is requesting a conditional use approval for disturbance of more than 2,000 square feet of slopes greater than 25%. The request is associated with construction of a

Please note: If you would like to attend the public hearing via ZOOM, please contact the Planning Department at the email above or at (406) 883-7235 prior to the meeting to receive instructions regarding how to attend

Feb. 2, 9, 16 and 23, 2022 MNAXLP

the meeting virtually.

February 16, 2022 MNAXLP

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Deadline is Friday at noon.

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