12 minute read
Election map
from 03-16-22 issue
TAYLOR DAVISON / VALLEY JOURNAL The Ronan Co-op Brewery recently gained the ability to can beers to be taken home in four packs. To balance the new time-consuming task, the Co-op asks people call ahead when possible if they’d like to take home a pack.
ONAN SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 30 ONAN SCHOOL DISTRICT No. 30 BY APPOINTMENT ONLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Kindergarten Round Up Pre-registration Kindergarten Round Up Pre-registration For Ronan/Pablo Residents For Ronan/Pablo Residents Friday, April 2, 2022 << << >> >> 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Friday, April 1, 2022 «««»»» 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
At KWH Elementary School At KWH Elementary School Screening: Hearing, Speech and Basic Screening: Hearing, Speech and Basic School Readiness School Readiness & Motor Skills & Motor Skills
Placement for Two Age Groups Include: Screening Includes: Hearing, Speech and Basic School Readiness & Motor Skills
Must be 5 Years Old by Sept. 10, 2022 Allow 30 minutes to Complete t Must be 4 Years Old by Sept. 10, 2022
(Limited Availability for 4 Year Old Age Group)
Requirements for Registration include: County Birth Certificate Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) Immunization Records
Beginning Monday, March 14, 2022 you may make registration appointments by calling the
Ronan School District No. 30 at 676 Ext. 7700 (Pablo Elementary)
Ext. 7300 (KWH/Ronan Elementary)
Ext 7450 (Special Services Department)
K. WM. HARVEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ext. 7300
Plan Accordingly<>Registration and Screening should be completed in approximately 30
Ronan Cooperative Brewery expands offerings
By Taylor Davison Valley Journal
RONAN —In the face challenging financial times, the Ronan Co-op Brewery is rolling up its sleeves and choosing to tackle their problem by offering even more to the community.
After powering through their first year of operation during the pandemic, the Co-op is facing some financial trouble. Not a straight for-profit business model, and with costs for everything going up as the supply chain continues to struggle, they’ve had to find ways to trim costs. However, they aren’t sacrificing their involvement with the community in order to do so.
Beyond their “Local Food Fridays” that feature and promote different local eateries each week for mutual profit, the brewery is finding small ways to support their neighbors in their everyday lives. A recent addition to the taproom has been the “Pay it Forward” board. Whenever a patron is closing out their tab, they have the option to add on a beer for a specific person or group of people, such as firefighters and teachers, who will then receive that beer for free the next time they’re in.
Local artists can find support within the brewery’s walls as well. Already known for featuring an artist of the month, the Co-op doesn’t charge a commission when they sell an artist’s work. On March 24 they’ll be launching their very first Camera Club, which will see a wall of the brewery designated for people to come in and give the stories of their favorite local photos. Brunet is sure more displays will springboard off that. “I’m always on the lookout for local artists,” he commented.
Events such as their “Celebrity Pourer” series has been a big hit as well, and immensely helpful to the brewery. In order to become a celebrity pourer, brewery members simply have to pass a certification online, then reach
see page 6 Beginning Monday, March 14, 2022 you may make registration appointments by calling the
Ronan School District No. 30 at 676-3390: Ext. 7700 (Pablo Elementary) Ext. 7300 (KWH / Ronan Elementary) Ext. 7450 (Special Services Department)
Plan Accordingly<> Registration and Screening should be completed in approximately 30 minutes
from page 5
out to Brunet to pick a day to sling beer for their friends and community members. The voluntary work has been a big help with brewery costs, Brunet explained, as paid workers at the brewery have scaled back their hours significantly. While legally volunteers can’t receive tips, the brewery has a couple ideas for the tips received those days: pool the funds to throw a party for their celebrity pourers, or pick a local charity each month to send a donation to.
The next celebrity pourer event will be April 2 with the Missoula Women’s Hockey League. Two of the players will be behind the counter, serving up beer to a room full of their teammates.
On the first of April, the brewery will partner with the Ronan Volunteer Fire Department. The firefighters will set up smokers along the sidewalk outside the Co-op and sell briskets and other dishes. Half of the proceeds the brewery brings in that day will go straight to the VFD. This will be the brewery’s first partnership of this type, and something they’re excited to do again monthly with different organizations, from police to schoolteachers.
Thanks to a “Hoptimized” grant gained by Mission West Marketing, an orgnization that works with cooperatives specifically, the Co-op has increased its marketing reach on social media and online. They now send out weekly emails to almost 500 members, spreading the word of all the events they’re holding as they come. From Paint and Sip days to Philosophy on Tap, the Co-op is doing their best to offer something for everyone. With all of their efforts, the staff is hopeful about the future of the brewery.
To those who aren’t members but still would like to help the Co-op succeed, there is a way they can help: “Basically, people just need to come in here and buy beer,” Brunet laughed. “It’s that simple.”
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Federal judges order new map for utility board election
News from Eric Dietrich / Montana Free Press
MONTANA — A panel of federal judges has ordered Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen to use a court-drawn district map for this year’s Public Service Commission elections, shifting the district assignments for four Montana counties days before the March 14 candidate filing deadline for the two PSC seats up for election this year.
The order also formally rules that the existing utility regulation board districts, which haven’t been updated by the state Legislature since 2003, have become so unbalanced that they violate voters’ rights to proportional representation.
“Reluctantly, the answer here is to narrowly impose a federal court order to reapportion state electoral districts until the Montana legislature acts,” wrote judges Donald Molloy, Paul Watford and Brian Morris. “Because the current Commission districts impermissibly violate the one person, one vote principle of the Fourteenth Amendment, the districts are unconstitutional.”
The judges also said the Legislature is free to replace the court-ordered map with one of its own during either a special or regularly scheduled legislative session and noted that they had made an effort to defer to state policy. Their court-ordered map, they said, was based largely on a proposal submitted by state attorneys representing the secretary of state.
“It bears repeating that this map remains in effect only in the absence of legislative action,” the judges wrote.
Prominent lawmakers have previously said publicly that they intend to bring legislation to redraw PSC districts during next year’s regularly scheduled session. If such legislation passes in 2023, the new, court-ordered map will be used only for the 2022 election cycle.
At oral arguments in the case March 4, the judges also floated the possibility of invalidating the current district map without ordering the state to use a new one. State attorneys said at the hearing that approach could have prevented new commissioners from being elected this year, creating vacancies that would then be subject to interim appointments by the governor.
The Public Service Commission, which consists of a five-member elected commission and professional support staff, is tasked with regulating energy utilities and other companies that operate with captive customer bases to ensure those companies don’t use their monopoly power to overcharge consumers.
The commission has also been beset in recent years by a series of interpersonal conflicts and scandals, including an audit that discovered missing financial records. With all five of its seats held by Republicans, it has also faced criticism from climate activists who want the agency to be more aggressive about pushing utilities like NorthWestern Energy to more rapidly adopt renewable energy sources.
Under the old PSC map, the commission’s District 1, which encompasses Great Falls and northeast Montana, had as a result of relatively slow population growth ended up with tens of thousands fewer voters than District 3, which includes fast-growing Bozeman and other parts of southwest Montana. As of the 2020 census, the two districts had a population deviation of 53,000 voters, or nearly 25% — giving Hi-Line voters more proportional representation on the commission than Bozeman voters.
Case law interpreting the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees Americans equal protection under the law, generally prohibits political districts that have a population deviation greater than 10%.
The new court-drawn map remedies the population imbalance by swapping a handful of counties
MONTANA FREE PRESS GRAPHIC
Montana’s new court-ordered Public Service Commission map
from page 6
between districts. Deer Lodge County (Anaconda) and Musselshell County (Roundup) have been reassigned out of the overpopulated District 3. Similarly, Glacier County (Cut Bank and Browning) and Pondera County (Conrad) have been moved into the underpopulated District 1.
State attorneys had submitted a proposal that produced districts satisfying the 10% deviation criteria by moving only three counties: Deer Lodge, Glacier and Musselshell. The newly ordered map is similar, except the judges chose to also shift Pondera County in order to bring the deviation to 6.7% and avoid splitting the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
Since PSC seats representing District 1 and 5 are up for election this year, the court notes, the new map’s reassignments mean every voter who was slated to vote for a commission candidate this year will still get that opportunity.
In a statement, Speaker of the House Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, reiterated the Legislature’s position that the court should have given lawmakers a chance to redraw the districts when it meets for its regularly scheduled 2023 session.
“I appreciate the court ordering a map that makes very few changes to prior legislative action and also for recognizing the Legislature’s ultimate authority to adjust Montana’s PSC districts,” Galt said.
A spokesperson for Jacobsen, who was named as the instigating lawsuit’s defendant, said Tuesday she was reviewing the ruling in order to provide guidance to election officials.
The lawsuit was brought by a trio of Montana voters represented by attorneys Constance Van Kley and Rylee Sommers-Flanagan of Helena-based Upper Seven Law and Joel Krautter of Sidney-based Netzer Law Office.
Van Kley applauded the ruling in a statement Tuesday.
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First stakeholder meetings of Comprehensive Water Review held
News from DNRC
HELENA — With support from the governor’s office and executive branch feedback, the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation is leading a comprehensive review of water management and administration as part of the Governor Greg Gianforte’s Montana Comeback Plan and Red Tape Relief initiative.
“After almost 50 years of piecemeal adjustments to the Water Use Act, we believe it is time to review our current water administration and management so we can meet the water needs of the 21st Century,” said Anna Pakenham Stevenson, Water Rights Division Administrator at the DNRC.
Increasing population, an expanding economy, and more frequent and persistent drought are factors attributed to increased water demand. This demand has necessitated a water management system that is easily navigated and understandable for Montana citizens.
Under the leadership of DNRC Director Amanda Kaster, the agency initiated a comprehensive review of the state water management system in June 2021 resulting in the identification of a series of key challenges and action plans to address the challenges. The review is now moving into phase three of the project – implementation of the action plans.
Individual Stakeholder Working Groups will meet for the first time to collaboratively discuss how to address two of the identified key water challenges - final decree transition and changes, mitigation, and exceptions. The working meetings are open to the public for observation with opportunities to submit comments during a public comment period at each meeting or online at any time.
The second meeting to address the changes, mitigation and exceptions key challenge will meet Wednesday, March 23.
Information on registering to view the meetings online or submit comment is available at: https:// comprehensivewaterreview. mtdnrc.gov/pages/meetings-and-materials.
Working groups represent diverse water interests and will make recommendations to the DNRC and the executive branch on changes needed to streamline and improve water administration and management in Montana. External stakeholder support, collaboration, and engagement will drive the review and development of strategies to address the challenges.
A website dedicated to the comprehensive water review efforts has also been launched. The site details the identified key challenges and provides a single place for the public to receive updates on the review efforts and to provide comment. The public is encouraged to visit the website and submit and questions or comments they might have: https:// comprehensivewaterreview. mtdnrc.gov/.
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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
“For God shall bring every work into judgment, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes12:14 “For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.” Luke 12:2 God knows our heart. Sin must be dealt with. God provided His son, Jesus Christ, to pardon us from the judgment of our sins.
ALL SIN MUST BE JUDGED
To learn more join us at Lake City Baptist Church • 38907 MT HWY 35 406-465-8564 • Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.
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Charlo School District has three (3) openings for the position of trustee on the Charlo School Board. Two of these positions are for a three (3) year term and interested parties must reside in the Charlo School District. One (1) position is for a two (2) year remainder term on the Charlo High School Board. Interested parties must reside in the Dixon School District. All parties must be a registered voter in the associated school district.
Declaration of Intent and Oath of Candidacy for School Board Trustee are available at the Charlo School District Office located at 404 First Avenue West, Charlo, MT or call Sara at 644-2206 @ ext. 303 to request a petition to be mailed to you. Deadline for filing is March 24, 2022 by 4:00 p.m. with the District Clerk.
