Lots of wonderful news from the library

News from Mallory Witham, North Lake County Public Library

POLSON — We are so excited to share that we are a recipient of American Library Association’s Libraries

Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities initiative. The North Lake County Public Library District will now become a stronger community resource for all residents. Our $20,000 grant will allow us to install a system in our renovated meeting room to help those who are hearing impaired. If you are hard of hearing, wear hearing aids or have a cochlear implant, or have a family member who is hard of hearing, please consider joining us in our Community Conversation on Tuesday, July 25, at 11:15 a.m. We will hear from James Rowe of OTOjOY on hearing loop systems and discuss the pros and cons of installing this type of system in our meeting room. Light refreshments will be served. Registration is required and limited as the meeting is being held offsite with limited space. Contact Library Director Abbi Dooley to reserve your spot. Attendees will receive a $25 gift certificate.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination

Library is turning over a new chapter in The Imagination Library legacy - celebrating 200 million books gifted globally since inception in 1995. To celebrate this global milestone, seven enchanting Dolly bookmarks will be randomly hidden inside Imagination

Library books gifted during International Literacy Month (September) to children/families currently enrolled in the program. (Children must be enrolled by July 31, 2023, to receive Imagination Library books in September). The early childhood book-gifting pro- gram mails a free book each month to children from birth to age five. The Lake County Program is excited to celebrate with every child/family enrolled locally. The North Lake County Public Library District became the affiliate for Lake County, (with the exception of Arlee), in May 2023 and has registered 300 children to date. Montana’s First Lady Susan Gianforte made it her mission to get every county in Montana eligible for the program. With help from her Treasure State Foundation and the Friends of the North Lake County Public Library, we can offer this amazing program to young children in Lake County.

Summer Reading Program

Registration ends Saturday, Aug. 12. This year, the theme is “All Together Now.” We will focus on diversity, kindness, and community. As always, the Summer Reading Program is

Rotary Club of Polson to host BrewFest to raise funds for Polson youth programs

News from the Polson Rotary Club for people of all ages. From early literacy through adult programs, you will find something for everyone. All programs and presentations will be held at our temporary location: 301 16th Ave. E (First United Methodist Church building).

POLSON — Rotary Club of Polson’s Signature event BrewFest is back for its second year on Saturday, Aug. 12, from noon – 4 p.m. All proceeds from this event will go to support three different Polson youth programs: second and third-grade swim lessons, Polson youth soccer, and sixth-grade girls’ basketball. The event will showcase four local breweries, Glacier Brewing, Flathead Lake Brewing Co., Ronan Cooperative Brewery, Bias Brewing and Tamarack Brewing Co. Hellcat Maggie will provide the music. Held in downtown Polson, across from Elks Club, 512 Main St. The $25 entry fee includes four beer tokens with each additional token costing $5, with an ID wrist band. Raffle tickets are on sale now - $25 each or five for $100. Contact Rotary Club of Polson for raffle ticket purchase or buy day of raffle. Prizes include: 1,000 cash; $1,000 groceries from Super1; $1,000 at Montana Marbled Meats; $1,000 in propane; two season passes at Polson Bay Golf Course and a fitness package. Contact Brooke Duty at 406-250-5827 with your questions.

July 13-27th is the Big Library Read. Engage with the only global e-book reading club. All you need is a valid library card to read the same digital title at the same time without any wait lists or holds. Participating in this event allows your library to offer a new simultaneous use title for community-wide access from your library at no cost. It’s a worldwide digital version of a local book club. This year’s title is “A Very Typical Family” by Sierra Godfrey. This e-book is available through Libby.

Pen Pals meet July 18 at 2 p.m.: Be sure to come for some fun, receive your letters from your Pen Pal and get your next

Funding comes from the Senator’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

News from the office of Senator Tester

U.S. SENATE — Continuing his efforts to support Montana’s wildland firefighters, U.S. Senator Jon Tester recently announced $780,000 to support Montana’s wildland fire management and operational response.

This funding comes from Tester’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Tester was the only member of Montana’s congres- letter ready to mail. sional delegation to support IIJA and was one of the lead bipartisan negotiators who crafted the package.

Babysitting Online Certification is available by attending the Babysitting 101 Class: 10 lesson topics, 17 assignments and takes an average of three hours to complete. Sign-up for free with your library card. Go to: libbyapp.com, enter your location and card number to make an account. Click the library icon, scroll down to extras - select Universal Class to register. You have renewable 30-day access to Babysitting 101 and over 600 other courses for ages 13-19. Bring your completed certificate to the library by Aug. 31, and we’ll give you a coffee card.

Mondays mean Mother Goose so join us at 9:15 a.m. Mother Goose is geared toward ages 0 to 3, but all are welcome. We encourage parents and caregivers to participate with their children for this early learning time.

“Montana’s wildland firefighters are putting their lives on the line to protect our communities this fire season, and we owe it to them to invest in their safety,” said Tester. “This funding will go towards critical measures to prepare for and respond to wildfires, and I’m proud to see these resources work to protect communities and public lands in Big Sky Country.”

This funding announcement includes funding for special pay supplements, training for wildland firefights, collaborative fuels management, and burned area rehabilitation activities.

Superintendent submits Montana Indian language preservation rules briefs

Kilty Edwards achieves spring 2023 Dean’s List

News from University of Dallas

IRVING, TX — Kilty

Edwards of Polson was named to the spring

2023 Dean’s List at the University of Dallas for earning a semester GPA of 3.5 or higher. Edwards is a sophomore mathematics major.

Undergraduate students at the University of Dallas must complete two years of fundamental coursework in the humanities, sciences, politics, mathematics and fine arts. Students must also complete coursework in Ancient Greek, French, German, Italian, Latin or Spanish.

Shawntaya Burland

makes honor roll at SCC

SPOKANE, WA — Shawntaya Burland of Polson has earned a place on the Spokane Community College Honor Roll for Spring quarter 2023. Students on the honor roll earned a GPA of 3.0 or above. Congratulations to you on this academic achievement!

Community Colleges of Spokane is a dynamic,12,300-square-mile state community college district that includes Spokane Community College, Spokane Falls Community College and six rural education sites, serving residents in Pend Oreille, Stevens, Whitman, Ferry and parts of Lincoln counties.

CCS offers high-quality academic transfer, career-technical and eLearning degree and certificate programs; business and community training; and adult literacy programs throughout northeastern Washington, enrolling approximately 34,000 students a year.

News from OPI HELENA — Following collaboration with Tribal leaders in Montana, Superintendent Arntzen submitted newly proposed rules on the Montana Indian Language Preservation (MILP) program to the Montana Secretary of State. During the 68th legislative session, HB 287, sponsored by Representative Jonathan Windy Boy, was passed into law. HB 287 revises § 20-9-537, MCA, the Montana Indian Language Preservation program, to require tribes and partnering school districts to preserve and perpetuate Indian languages to help meet the state’s educational goal of preserving the cultural integrity of American Indians under Article X, section 1, of the Montana Constitution. This law also directed the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) to:

- Collaborate with tribal governments to adopt program guidelines

- Create guidelines to distribute funds

- Establish reporting requirements and track funds

“The MILP program is a unique partnership between our tribal governments and our state government to expand culture and heritage through language,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “This rule-making process guarantees transparent and accountable use of our precious tax dollars. I encourage all Montanans to let their voice be heard during the public comment process.”

The new proposed rules for the MILP program will open for public comment on July 21 and close on Aug. 18. A public hearing will take place on Aug. 11 at 10 a.m. in OPI’s Montana Room on the second floor of 1300 11th Ave in Helena, Montana, or via Zoom. All public comment can be submitted to milppubliccomment@mt.gov.