12-27-23 issue

Happy New Year!

your homegrown newspaper

$1.25

December 27, 2023

Vol. 20, No. 15

Quantum tech pg. 6

Applications due pg. 7

Scott Biggs, owner of The Shoe, speaks to patrons who attended a fundraiser he hosted for Lake County’s Toys for Tots program.

BEAU BIGGS PHOTO

Fundraiser brings in toys just in time for Christmas

by Beau Biggs for the Valley Journal

Performance pg. 17

POLSON — One local business collected four truckloads of toys and

$900 for the Lake County Toys for Tots program on Wednesday, Dec. 20, just in time to provide Christmas gifts for children in need.

Lake View Dining and Spirits, otherwise known as The Shoe, put together the fundraiser.

Scott Biggs, the owner of The Shoe, said:

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

“Christmas is often looked at as such a commercial event but we have the perfect opportunity to remember the charity and sharing that Christ-

mas is really about, and it’s a great time to give back to the community.”

Staff member Jamie see page 2

BEAU BIGGS PHOTO

toys fundraiser from page 1

Debates developed the event.

She spoke with Toys for Tots representatives and discovered how many children were in need this year. “Over 800 children in Lake County were not going to have Christmas presents under their trees this year, so we started to coordinate this event with Toys for Tots and, thankfully, we were able to meet their needs.”

Donations were collected earlier in the week before the main fundraiser started.

During the first round of donations, 18 bikes were brought

briefs

Public safety forums to continue in new year

by George Simpson, Polson Chief of Police

POLSON — Last Summer while I was Interim Chief of Police, I began our Public Safety Forums to to address public safety issues in the community. I believe that the community defines 2 - December 27, 2023

in all in one go.

On the night of the fundraiser, The Shoe was filled with people and toys. To participate in the party, folks could bring in a toy worth $25 or donate $25 to the Toys for Tots fundraiser.

Dennis and Nila Anderson, owners of Anderson Radio Broadcasting, attended the event. “We were invited to participate and help in any way for Toys for Tots and that’s what it’s all about,” Dennis said.

“We get involved in everything positive in this town, and I think this is a really important event,” Nila added.

Bison brisket and other food dishes were available for par-

our criteria for success. I feel it is crucial for me as a leader of this department to hear the community’s concerns. You are part of the solution. It is never a police department’s place to unilaterally decide what is best for the people we serve without hearing the people’s concerns. I believe in the adage; ‘nothing about us without us.’

BEAU BIGGS PHOTO

One patron donated 18 bikes for the Toys for Tots fundraiser.

ticipants. Sharyle Miller, one of the managers at The Shoe, said: “We had staff come in yesterday to help get all the food prepared for this event and by 2 o’clock we were ready.”

She added that The Shoe

We will continue the Public Safety Forums in 2024. I invite you and any community member you know who would like to attend. The goal is for me to give you an update on the status of your Police Department and to hear your concerns. Together we can form a more effective strategy for problem solving. I look forward to a continued

will be closed for the month of January for remodeling, and that all the staff send a warm thank you to the community and everyone who participated in the event.

Beau Biggs is a freelance re-

partnership with members of our community in 2024.

All Public Safety Forums in 2024 will be held at: City Hall in the Commission Chambers at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 3, April 3, July 10, and October 2.

They are specifically held in the a.m. to accommodate business leaders. I hope to see you there.

Valley Journal

porter for the Valley Journal, and in the spirit of transparency, he would like to add that he is related to Scott Biggs.

Valley Journal resumes remote business operations MISSION VALLEY — Beginning with the New Year, the Valley Journal will resume remote business operations.

“We look forward to serving you in 2024 and meeting you face to face in your offices or public

vj

spaces regularly as we transition to working from remote offices,” said Summer Goddard, publisher. Please refer to contact information listed weekly on page 4 for submissions and inquiries or call Goddard directly at 406-249-1793. “We thank you for continuing to read local and wish all a joyful and prosperous holiday season,” she said.

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(406) 883-1445

This Week’s Weather Forecast Wednesday Dec. 27

Thursday Dec. 28

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Dec. 29

Dec. 30

Dec. 31

36/28°

37°/29°

35/27°

32°/24°

32°/24°

Mostly Cloudy 5% chance precipitation

Partly Cloudy 16% chance precipitation

Partly Cloudy 20% chance precipitation

Partly Cloudy 12% chance precipitation

Partly Cloudy 12% chance precipitation

Monday

Tuesday

Jan. 1

Jan. 2

32°/24°

Partly Cloudy 12% chance precipitation

32°/24°

Mostly Cloudy 21% chance precipitation

Flathead Lake Level 2889.90 (3.10 ft below full pool)

WED

12/27

8:24 am

4:50 pm

5:14 pm

9:36 am

THUR

12/28

8:25 am

4:51 pm

6:22 pm

10:26 am

FRI

12/29

8:25 am

4:52 pm

7:33 pm

10:45 am

SAT

12/30

8:25 am

4:52 pm

8:42 pm

11:08 am

SUN

12/31

8:25 am

4:53 pm

9:50 pm

11:26 am

Precipitation 0.08 inches

MON

1/01

8:25 am

4:56 pm

10:55 pm

1:00 pm

Record High 56° F

TUES

1/02

8:25 am

4:57 pm

11:41 pm

1:55 pm

Valley Journal

Today in History Dec. 27, 2022 High 44° F Low 35° F

Record Low -19° F December 27, 2023 - 3

contents MSU quantum tech.......6 Sports..........................12 Pheasant releast app.....7 Calendar......................14 MSU STEM class..........8 Births..... .................... 17 Valley Views.................10 Classifieds.................. 23 12th Day of Giving

And find us online for

contact us

more photos, videos, breaking news and special sections!

www.valleyjournal.net

Boone Goddard

Summer Goddard

Advertising Sales, Owner (406) 249-1728 boone@valleyjournal.net

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

Valley Journal The Valley Journal newspaper (PE 23-190) is published weekly by Valley Journal LLC. Periodicals postage paid at Ronan, MT. Business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Distribution is by mail subscription ($59 per year in Lake County, MT; $74 per year elsewhere in U.S.) and by newsstand sales. Postmaster: send address changes to Valley Journal, P.O. Box 326, Ronan, MT. 59864.

Your homegrown newspaper serves residents of Lake 4 - December 27, 2023

COURTESY PHOTO

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

2023 County and the Flathead Indian Reservation.

Deadline for display advertising is 2 p.m.Thursday.

Deadline for news submissions, calendar items, classifieds and legal advertising is noon Friday, for the following week’s newspaper.

News, letters to the editor and calendar submissions may be sent by email to: vjeditor@valleyjournal.net. Classified and legal advertisements requests should be emailed to: vjmail@valleyjournal.net.

All print subscriptions include full access to online news, Valley Journal

archives. Sign up online at: www.valleyjournal.net/ subscribe For general inquiries: call 406-676-8989, email summer@valleyjournal.net, or send mail correspondence to P.O. Box 326, Ronan, MT 59864.

Copyright 2023, the Valley Journal. All rights reserved.

Reproduction, reuse or transmittal in any form or by any means is prohibited without written permission of the Valley Journal.

“

Montana Transparency Project announces Jan. 3, 2024, launch

by Addie Slanger, Communications Chair Montana Transparency Project

HELENA — Government transparency is getting another watchdog in Montana with the creation and launch of the Montana Transparency Project (MTP), a non-profit, nonpartisan initiative dedicated to helping organizations and individuals prepare and keep track of public information requests, educating local governments and elected officials on the Right to Know and ensuring the protection of this constitutional provision for all Montanans.

MTP is excited to announce its official launch date of Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024. The organization is prepared to assist with

information requests immediately.

Along with front-end help on requests, the Transparency Project is available to submit requests on its own behalf when doing so would be in the public interest.

Additionally, MTP hopes to serve as a general resource and consulting body for all things Right to Know.

Its co-founders are Jacob Linfesty, MTP’s president, Lauren Halverson, vice president, Lydia Dal Nogare, treasurer, Caroline Bullock, secretary, and Addie Slanger, communication chair. The five are all deeply passionate about the Montana Constitution and are overwhelmingly excited to see MTP, a project on which they’ve been working for months, officially launch.

Early Holiday deadline (for Jan. 3, 2024 newspaper)

Display ads, Classifieds, Legals ads, Op-ed and News submissions due by 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27 Thank you for adhereing to these deadlines and for advertising & reading local!

We wish you and yours a Happy New Year!

406-676-8989

Making the Right to Know more accessible to Montanans will foster a more responsive and open government that will better serve the needs of our state.”

- Jacob Linfesty, MTP President and co-founder

“Making the Right to Know more accessible to Montanans will foster a more responsive and open government that will better serve the needs of our state,” says Linfesty. “It’s exciting working with other young Montanans who care about our state constitution. We know that this is an area where we can make a real difference by serving everyday Montanans who want to get involved, but aren’t sure how.”

The organization was

born after Linfesty, Bullock and Dal Nogare connected in summer 2023 while working in Helena.

The three had found themselves in Right to Know-adjacent spaces and commiserated over how convoluted—and at times frustratingly ineffective—the information request process was, despite the Right to Know being enshrined in the Montana Constitution. They envisioned an organization that could help walk people through

Meet. . .

Pet o f

Collo

the w eek

the request process, assist with follow-ups and even submit requests on its own behalf. Halverson became involved with MTP while working with Linfesty on a legal research project, and Slanger was introduced to the group via a mutual connection in the government transparency space.

Linfesty is from Billings, and is currently in his first year of law school at Harvard. Bullock, raised in Helena, is a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Dal Nogare, from Kalispell, is in her final year of law school at the University of Wisconsin. Halverson, originally from Broomfield, Colorado, and Slanger, born and raised in Helena, both attend law

school at the University of Montana.

With guidance, collaboration and support from the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline—an institutional giant in the state’s Right to Know space—the MTP board is excited to take on the issue of state and local government transparency.

The Hotline and MTP, working together closely in each organization’s endeavors, hope to chart a path toward partnership in the future and look forward to working together on projects and goals.

“The Montana Transparency Project will complement the free services the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline provides through Right to Know specialist Peter see page 6

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transparency from page 5

‘Mike’ Meloy, a veteran Helena attorney,” says Montana FOI Hotline Chairwoman Melody Martinsen.

“MTP will provide another option for citizens, particularly, to receive free, non-attorney assistance in filing requests for public documents, which can be confusing and frustrating for people new to the process.”

“The Montana FOI Hotline board believes that MTP’s expansion of services will benefit Montana citizens by providing another resource to help obtain those records deemed public by the Montana Constitution,” Martinsen continues.

“The Montana FOI Hotline and MTP plan to collaborate on public education efforts during 2024.

Together, the two organizations have the capacity to work proactively to educate citizens about their rights under Montana’s Constitution.

We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to work with the MTP board on these efforts.”

Visit MTP’s website starting Jan. 3, 2024, at montanatransparencyproject.org for more information or to get in touch for help with a public information request.

vj

6 - December 27, 2023

MSU receives $26.7 million grant to test, promote quantum technology

by Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service

BOZEMAN — With a new $26.7 million grant from the U.S. Air Force, Montana State University will establish a facility with the mission of moving advanced quantum technology applications in cybersecurity, communications technology and national defense from concept and testing to market.

The 20-month grant from the Air Force Research Laboratory in Rome, New York, will support MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE facility, to be located at the MSU Innovation Campus within the INDUSTRY Bozeman building, which is currently under construction. The grant funding will purchase equipment to test prototype quantum components in the extremely cold environments in which they operate.

Yves Idzerda, a physicist and dean of MSU’s College of Letters and Science who is the grant’s principal investigator and the administrator of MSU’s Applied Quantum CORE, said the new facility will aid the incorporation of quantum science into technological applications to benefit the government and private sectors.

CORE stands for Capacity and Operational Resilience and regional Equity.

“Montana State University is a leader in the quantum field,” Idzerda said. He added that Montana is a great place to start small companies in the specialty because of the groundwork in quantum materials already laid at MSU. Quantum physics deals with the behavior of very small particles, smaller even than the protons and neutrons most people know as the parts that make up atoms. Scientists – including those at MSU’s photonics Spectrum Lab and the MonArk Quantum Foundry,

MSU PHOTO BY COLTER PETERSON

MSU research engineer Andre Olearain tunes a laser setup in MSU’s Spectrum Lab, which is involved in multiple significant projects to advance quantum communication.

which is led by MSU and the University of Arkansas – are discovering how to manipulate quantum particles to create faster, more sensitive and more precise systems in electronics, including sensors, location systems, computers and medical equipment.

The Applied Quantum CORE facility will nurture scientists and entrepreneurs attempting to incorporate those advances into useful components and devices, Idzerda said.

“We will have a facility with this testbed, and it will be available to anybody who collaborates with researchers in the Q-CORE, the MSU Spectrum Lab, the MonArk Foundry, or one of the groups here at Montana State University,” he said.

The facility will house specialized devices called dilution refrigerators, which are used in labs to achieve extremely cold temperatures close to absolute zero, which is minus 273.15 degrees Celsius or minus 459.7 degrees Fahrenheit.

Absolute zero is the lowest temperature possible, where even “the little vibrations in atoms go away,” Idzerda said, thereby minimizing or eliminating certain phenomena, like electrical resistance.

In order to take advantage of Valley Journal

that condition, quantum components must be able to withstand those very, very cold temperatures.

Because dilution refrigerators like those coming to the Applied Quantum CORE facility are very expensive, many commercial components being developed have never been tested in those extreme environments, Idzerda said.

“What we will do is test new devices that people create and we’ll find out what the faults are with some of them,” Idzerda said.

After devices are tested, the Applied Quantum CORE facility will help troubleshoot components and refine the ones that show promise. The facility’s business accelerator division will help with further development of experimental components into viable devices, and the Applied Quantum CORE’s incubator division will help clients find further capital investment and assist with product development and marketing.

“There’s a lot of science driving this, but the next phase is economic development,” Idzerda said. “How do we take these ideas, which the first phase funded, and turn them into a product or into a company? That’s really what we’re headed for in the long run.”

Idzerda said Dan Miller, MSU engineering professor and former dean of the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, will lead the economic development arm of the facility.

Suzi Taylor, currently director of MSU’s Science Math Resource Center, will focus on workforce development.

Idzerda said the Applied Quantum CORE will employee about 10 staff members. Krishna Rupavatharam, associate director of Spectrum Lab, has been named the facility’s science lead.

Idzerda credited Jayne Morrow, formerly of MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, with the idea of creating a facility that would focus on turning research projects into segments of the growing research enterprise in quantum materials in Montana and the surrounding region.

“We’d like to draw from the middle of the country, from those places that don’t have the resources that would allow them to have this low-temperature capability, but they do have good ideas,” Idzerda said.

Alison Harmon, MSU vice president for research and economic development, said the grant is among the most significant directed grants ever received by MSU researchers.

“We will put it to good use, investing in the technology testing facility that will help bridge gaps in bringing innovations to market,” she said. “Montana State’s leadership in quantum science will benefit the state and the regional economy as the Applied Quantum CORE provides resources that small businesses could never develop on their own. I am very proud of the researchers who have made this vision a reality.”

Deadline for pheasant release applications announced News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks

HELENA – Applications are being accepted for the 2024 pheasant release program through Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Upland Game Bird Enhancement Program (UGBEP). As part of the program, pen-raised birds are released in areas suitable for ring-necked pheasants with the intent to enhance wild pheasant populations. Landowners interested in releasing pen-reared pheasants have until Jan. 15 to submit an application.

Projects must comprise at least 100 contiguous acres of land and contain a combina-

ENVATO ELEMENTS

tion of suitable habitat components, including cover and food, that pheasants need to survive. Suitable habitat includes a combination of small grains, idle grasses and forbs, such as lands enrolled

in the Conservation Reserve Program, and effective winter cover, including shrubby or riparian habitats adjacent to food sources.

Eligible UGBEP pheasant releases take place on

agricultural lands east of the Continental Divide except in Fergus, Richland and Roosevelt counties due to requirements of Administrative Rules of Montana. Lands enrolled in the UGBEP pheasant release program must allow free public access to hunt upland game birds during the season the releases take place.

Applicants will be notified in late March of their enrollment status and the number of pheasants pre-authorized for release. Applicants are responsible for obtaining pheasants for release either by raising birds on their own or by purchasing the from National Poultry Improvement Program certified

stock. Hunting preserves, lands that host a commercial hunting enterprise, and lands where hunting rights are leased or paid for are not eligible. Approved applicants will be reimbursed at a rate established in March.

UGBEP releases will take place between Aug. 1 and Sept. 15.

For more information and to download an application form, visit: FWP’s UGBEP webpage and click on “Pheasant and Turkey Releases.” Those interested in applying can also contact Debbie Hohler, UGBEP coordinator, at 406-444-5674 or by e-mail to: dhohler@ mt.gov.

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December 27, 2023 - 7

Teachers sought for paid STEM experience News from MSU

BOZEMAN — Montana State University is recruiting elementary school teachers for a summer program that offers hands-on research experiences and ideas for bringing science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, into their classrooms. Teachers will also gain skills in developing curriculums that combine STEM with Montana’s Indian Education for All mandate.

In the National Science Foundation-funded program, called Research Experience for Teachers in Engineering, participants will work alongside MSU faculty in cutting-edge research labs, attend field trips and engage in workshops for crafting STEM lesson plans. The six-week program kicks off in June 2024, and applications are being accepted through Feb. 4, 2024.

“Our goal is to provide teachers with an authentic research experience that they can take back to their classrooms and inspire the next generation of engineers and other STEM professionals, especially among students who might not otherwise think of these fields as a career option,” said project leader Paul Gannon, professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering.

The program has an energy theme and will offer opportunities for research 8 - December 27, 2023

on topics like biofuels and battery technology in collaboration with MSU’s Energy Research Institute and Western Transportation Institute.

Field trips will include visits to energy facilities like the Madison Dam and nearby Indigenous sites.

Participants will discuss Indigenous STEM perspectives and generate ideas for fulfilling Montana’s Indian Education for All mandate, according to Gannon, who is also associate director of MSU’s Montana Engineering Education Research Center. The center works to facilitate interdisciplinary research to address big challenges facing engineering education today.

This will be the third year of a three-year program. Last year’s group in-

cluded eight teachers from across Montana along with four education students – three from MSU and one from Salish Kootenai College.

Participating teachers will receive a $6,000 stipend plus classroom resources. Housing and meals are provided on campus, and travel funding is available. The program seeks both pre- and in-service teachers with diverse experiences, backgrounds and interests with a focus on those who currently are or will be teaching grades 3 through 5. No specific STEM experience is required.

The deadline for applying for the summer 2024 program is Feb. 4, 2024.

For more information and to apply, visit montana. edu/ret.

PO Box 97, Pablo MT 59855-0097 (406) 883-7900 or (406) 675-7900 www.missionvalleypower.org

NOTICE OF ELECTRIC POWER RATE ADJUSTMENT

Notice of Electric Power Rate Adjustment

Mission Valley Power is implementing a pass-through rate adjustment due to the contracts in our cost of wholesale power purchased from Bonneville Power Administration and Mission Valley is isimplementing a pass-through rate Energy Keepers, Inc. ThePower rate adjustment anticipated to be effective January 1, 2024.

adjustment due– 235, to the contracts in Director our cost wholesale power Per 25 CFR 175.230 the Northwest Regional of theof Bureau of Indian Affairs Central Office has to approve the pass-through rate adjustment.

If you would like purchased from Bonneville Power Administration andto read Energy the complete notice, you may pick up a copy at Mission Valley Power’s Main office in Pablo.

Keepers, Inc. The rate adjustment is anticipated to be effective In summary, adjustment will affect the following classes of service: Residential, General January 1, the 2024.

Service <25kW, General Service Single Phase, General Service Three Phase, Large General Service, and Irrigation. The overall impact of this increase will vary depending on your individual usage. See the rate table below: the Northwest Regional Director of Per 25 CFR 175.230 – 235,

the Bureau of Indian Affairs Central Office has to approve the pass-through rate adjustment. If you would like to read the complete notice, you may pick up a copy at Mission Valley Power’s Main office in Pablo.

In summary, the adjustment will affect the following classes of service: Residential, General Service <25kW, General Service Single Phase, General Service Three Phase, Large General Service, and Irrigation. The overall impact of this increase will vary depending on your individual usage. See the rate table below:

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your homegrown newspaper October 11, 2023

Vol. 20, No. 4

Pumpkins fall from sky at St. Ignatius airport

Unique fundraiser collects money for annual fireworks show Town council pg. 5

Transit app pg. 6

Sports pg. 16

Story and photos

by Beau Biggs for the Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — The community came together on Saturday, Oct. 7, to watch pumpkins drop out of an airplane at the St. Ignatius Airport.

The event was held as a fundraiser for next year’s Good Old Days fireworks show.

Blackfoot Communication and the Brett Thoft Memorial Foundation sponsored the event along with several others.

The Brett Thoft Memorial Foundation was giving out coats for any child who needed one.

There were also plenty of things for the kids to do at the event, including face painting.

Apple bobbing drew in participants as folks dunked their heads into a barrel of water and at-

tempted to bite into an apple, no hands allowed.

Another line was filled with people waiting for

the free barbeque with burgers and hot dogs.

To win at the pumpkin drop, participants needed

to buy a ticket.

Pumpkins were then dropped out of the airplane and landed on a square with numbers. If a person’s ticket matched the number the pumpkin landed on, they won $250.

Pilot Mike Kuefler said, “There was a lot of planning that went into dropping the pumpkins.

You have to be at the

right height and stay at a consistent speed (while flying) or the pumpkin will miss, and then, we have to make another pass.”

During drop four, the airplane made a couple passes before finally getting the pumpkin on target.

To drop a pumpkin, it takes three people: the

see page 2

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• Award-winning weekly newspaper • Well established advertising, subscriber base, website & social media following • 19 years in business • Beautiful place to work & live • QR code links to full listing details w w w. va l l ey j o u r n a l . n e t

Valley Journal

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Valley Journal

December 27, 2023 - 9

valley views Living in the moment

“You don’t really appreWhen I found teenage ciate what you’ve got until boys living in my house, it’s gone.”

I entered at my own risk, These wise words came with both eyes wide open. out of the I figured I mouth of knew what my 16-yearwas coming: Jill Pertler old son; growth spurts Syndicated columnist surprisingly, that left them he wasn’t gawky and referring to gangly and a Snicker’s bar. I’ve ala whole lot taller than ways known he is an old their mom. I anticipated soul, but this particular broken windows, broken insight was unexpected. furniture and maybe even Typically teenage boys are a broken heart or two. consumed by thoughts of I expected big feet and driver’s licenses, (girls), even bigger appetites, a the Friday night football need for speed and the car game, (girls) and food. keys. I understood we’d Lots and lots of food. deal with missed curfews, Time for reflection and missing homework and philosophical epiphanies messy bedrooms. I reare best left to old people signed myself to the fact – you know, those 30 and that they’d stay up late above. People like your and sleep in even later. mom. Or teachers. So I While the teenage years thought. Shows you what have brought all these I (don’t) know. gifts to our household,

Slices of Life

they’ve also come with a few surprises. Like when they jump up from a video game to help their mom carry in the groceries, or pull the empty garbage can up from the curb without being asked, or give an unexpected hug – in public, even.

And, most definitely when, during an ordinary five-minute car ride to school, they wax philosophical about the fleeting nature of time.

When my boys became teenagers, I expected deep voices, not deep thoughts.

It took me way past 30-something to even begin to comprehend the transitory nature of life. I am embarrassingly obtuse about the most simple and obvious – it has something to do with the whole forest for the trees thing.

When our daughter was 9 months old, we took her to a photographer to have her portrait taken. Our little sweet pea was a serious baby, and refused all our outrageous and desperate attempts to make her smile. Even my husband’s over-the-top Elmo impression failed to register on the laugh-ometer. She had a somber pout in every shot.

So I declined to purchase any photos.

Now, I think back and wish I had. You see, she was 9 months old then, and that lasted only a moment before it was gone. Because I didn’t understand that simple concept, I lost the solemn expression that would have made for a fond memory – as well as an 8 x 10 framed print.

I’ve since evolved. I un-

derstand our days, weeks and years are made up of moments, and moments – perfect, imperfect and everything in between – are the biggest and best that we’ve got.

Right now I spend quite a few of mine with teenage boys in the car on the way to school or football practice. When they talk, I listen. Sometimes what they say surprises me – in a good way, usually. But, don’t tell them I told you so. I still want them to feel compelled to help carry in the groceries.

My son says you don’t really appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone, and I realize he is probably right – most of the time. But as we arrive at school, and he exits the car and turns to say “Goodbye,” and then, “I

Conservative climate engagement needed Historic drought conditions getting harder and harder for us and weather extremes have hit to count on having that snow the outdoor industry hard in early on,” said Melissa Alder, Montana and other co-owner of a local states throughout the cross-country ski West. Shorter winand bicycle store.

by Hattie Hobart, ters, brought on by Alder organizes the American Conservation Coalition Regional Director, a changing climate, West Yellowstone and Alexandra Amonette, are driving these Nordic Ski Festival. volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby hard-hitting delays in But, this year, for the season. the second time “There’s definitely been a shift since 2020, the West Yellowstone in the weather in the last ten Nordic Ski Festival was canceled years that we’ve noticed and it’s due to a lack of snow.

Valley Views

10 - December 27, 2023

The Montana Wildlife Federation released a report that concluded Montana could potentially lose 8,800 outdoor recreation jobs, and $263 million in labor earnings annually by 2050 due to climate change.

As economic policy leaders, conservatives have the opportunity to lead on this issue as we pass our land into the next generation’s hands. Stewardship has always been a conservative family value, and 73% of RepubValley Journal

licans ages 18 to 39 acknowledge that climate change is happening.

Montanans are already getting together on climate. Last month, both conservatives and liberals gathered at Montana State University to discuss how more young Republican voters are concerned about climate change. Participants included volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, American Conservation see page 11

love you, Mom,” I think I do. I really think I do.

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.

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.

letters

Moving forward

Editor, On 11/11/2023 at 11 p.m.

Dick Christopher died. On 12/15/2023 at 11 a.m. we laid my father to rest with military honors. We would like to truly thank our community and people who knew him, shared him with us and helped us through our loss.

In the days following his death, we learned more of the impact he had during his life though his genuine love of people. He reached out to all especially if they reached back.

One mom shared that recently Dad (at 86) and her young daughter had a focused conversation about their mutual love of rabbits. One of my son’s friends in his first year in college shared he had written to

conservatice climate from page 10

Coalition, and Young Evangelicals for Climate Action.

Lindsay Garcia from YECA pointed out that her concern stems from “loving our neighbors, caring for people and caring for God’s creation.” Volunteers with CCL suggested that permitting reform is necessary to ensure a stable grid for all of us.

The American Conservation Coalition focused on meeting Montanans where they’re at and ensuring that everyone is a part of the climate conversation. This includes

and received encouraging letters from my Dad. And then at his funeral, Dad’s lifelong best friend from his childhood in Great Falls came to care with us. Dad had no sense of generations. For us it was interesting to watch who and how Dad had reached out to so many.

Every story enriched us.

Dad’s quiet listening is one of the things that made Dad relevant to all people, all the time, regardless of age, gender, race or financial status. We loved his stories about people at the store. He enjoyed listening to two patients conversing in Salish as they wait for their prescriptions. People mattered to Dad and they knew it.

As people shared stories about him with us, we were given the gift of learning more about him from stories about

acknowledging the work that farmers, ranchers, and sportsmen already do for our ecosystems.

Outside of Montana, conservatives are already creating the blueprint for a Green GOP. Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) founded the House Conservative Caucus in 2021. He says, “Republicans are taking the lead in an issue that has traditionally not been one we’ve participated in.

And we’re showing the world that there are answers to this that are very much in line with conservative, Republican ideas.”

Also in DC, Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) are leading the

his store, through his advice or counsel in professional or private ways. Our Dad gave the love he had for people every single day and we received the bounty of those stories and his life.

Thank you to all who have held our Dad and our family in their thoughts, prayers, words and deeds. We are very blessed.

Deborah “Kim” Christopher Polson

Neither party has good presidential candidate Editor, I can’t think of a better way to open a letter than was presented last week by the Ashcrafts. After all, if someone has

bipartisan House Climate Solutions Caucus. They’re optimistic the evenly split 58-member caucus can work together on climate policy. We’d like to see Congressmen Zinke and Rosendale join it and offer meaningful bipartisan climate legislation.

Here in Montana, Congressman Ryan Zinke said, “When my family and I have eaten lunch on Grinnell Glacier, the glacier has receded during lunch.” He was speaking of Glacier National Park, where the number of ice sheets has dropped to 25 from 150 in 1850. “Climate is changing; man is an influence,” he said.

Conservatives know that these issues are go-

also submitted a letter to the Missoulian....well what can you suspect. He/she must be “one of those.”

Because the author identified a judge who retired in 2012, any then tries to demean his time on the bench as improper because — 12 years later, following an armed attack on our governing body as well as a candidate for president in our next election identifying as positives the actions of Hitler, Russia, China and North Korea — with as you say, no evidence of such action.

However, even lacking any evidence for what you suggest is the case, I do find your comment mostly true about the apparent 44% of Republican voters who dismiss the comments by the 56% others.

Not addressing the fact many

ing to be important here at home and across the country. Let’s act now to pass the ‘Last best place’ along to the next generation.

Hattie Hobart is the Western Regional Director for the American Conservation Coalition, the larg-

Valley Journal

independents and many of those dang Democrats also see and point out a similarity between, as you identify, Trump, Putin, Communist Russia (but I think you meant China).

Perhaps that position is based on his personal statements, demeanor, and actions of the past — as well his televised promise, while talking to your press side, of taking retribution on day 1.

Personally I am not happy with either main party front runner, nor those currently running as independents or minor party candidates. And I also believe your take on our judiciary is excellent, but would like to see that occur at our Supreme Court for others to follow.

Richard Bell Polson

est youth right-of-center grassroots environmental organization in the country.

Alex Amonette volunteers with Citizens’ Climate Lobby, a nonprofit, volunteer-powered advocacy organization with 2,500 supporters in Montana. The

Montana chapters of CCL welcome everyone to join their respectful, bipartisan efforts to urge Congress to enact commonsense solutions to reduce climate pollution and add clean domestic energy.

vj

December 27, 2023 - 11

sports 120 - Boys: Jayce Hill (Polson) - 3rd Champ. Round 1 - Jayce Hill (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Timothy Schmidt (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Jayce Hill (Polson) (Fall 1:32) Cons. Round 2 - Jayce Hill (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 3 - Jayce Hill (Polson) over Sam Geiser (Florence-Carlton) (Fall 0:10) Cons. Semis - Jayce Hill (Polson) over Indigo Hunter (Lincoln County (Eureka)) (Fall 2:49) 3rd Place Match - Jayce Hill (Polson) over Bridger Bache (Libby / Troy) (Fall 1:39) 120 - Boys: Koal Wardall (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Koal Wardall (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Max Rosenthal (Florence-Carlton) over Koal Wardall (Polson) (Fall 2:36) Cons. Round 2 - Koal Wardall (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 3 - Kalil Kneeland (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Koal Wardall (Polson) (Dec 6-3) 132 - Boys: Max Ramesar (Polson) - 3rd Champ. Round 1 - Max Ramesar (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Max Ramesar (Polson) over Wyatt Jensen (Glacier (Kalispell)) (Fall 1:28) Semifinals - Ayden Helgert (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Max Ramesar (Polson) (MD 14-2) Cons. Semis - Max Ramesar (Polson) over Andrew Waterbury (Plains / Hot Springs) (Fall 1:23) 3rd Place Match - Max Ramesar (Polson) over Dean Moran (Arlee) (Fall 0:45) 160 - Boys: Mason Becker (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Mason Becker (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Turner Milender (Superior) over Mason Becker (Polson) (Fall 0:39) Cons. Round 2 - Sheamis Cobb (Polson) over Mason Becker (Polson) (MD 10-2) 160 - Boys: Sheamis Cobb (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Colton Kuka (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Sheamis Cobb (Polson) (Fall 1:14) Cons. Round 1 - Sheamis Cobb (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Sheamis Cobb (Polson) over Mason Becker (Polson) (MD 10-2) 12 - December 27, 2023

Wrestling results for Polson @ Buzz Lucey (12/16/2023)

Cons. Round 3 - Joey Pardue-Bernabe (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Sheamis Cobb (Polson) (Dec 8-4) 160 - Boys: Chance Edwards (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Chance Edwards (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Rogan Lytle (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Chance Edwards (Polson) (Fall 0:55) Cons. Round 2 - Tanner Wolfe (Libby / Troy) over Chance Edwards (Polson) (Fall 1:17) 285 - Boys: Brody Bulette (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Brody Bulette (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Riley Hume (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Brody Bulette (Polson) (Fall 0:49) Cons. Round 2 - Brody Bulette (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 3 - Brody Bulette (Polson) over Jacob Schauer (Florence-Carlton) (Fall 1:21) Cons. Semis - Arie McLaughlin (Florence-Carlton) over Brody Bulette (Polson) (Dec 3-1) 285 - Boys: Durai Mahkuk (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Taw Thomas (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Durai Mahkuk (Polson) (Fall 2:37) Cons. Round 1 - Durai Mahkuk (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Jacob Schauer (Florence-Carlton) over Durai Mahkuk (Polson) (Fall 1:12) 285 - Boys: Shawn Stump (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Shawn Stump (Polson) received a bye Quarterfinals - Arie McLaughlin (Florence-Carlton) over Shawn Stump (Polson) (Fall 0:59) Cons. Round 2 - Hunter Nelson (Libby / Troy) over Shawn Stump (Polson) (Fall 0:45) 113 - Boys: Gerardo Alverez (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Gerardo Alverez (Polson) over Logan Clairmont (Polson) (Dec 11-9) Quarterfinals - Dayton Naldrett (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Gerardo Alverez (Polson) (Fall 1:27) Cons. Round 2 - Gerardo Alverez (Polson)

over Tristen Cheff (Flathead (Kalispell)) (Fall 1:09) Cons. Round 3 - Hunter Grieve (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Gerardo Alverez (Polson) (Fall 3:45) 113 - Boys: Corben Carlson (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Corben Carlson (Polson) over Tristen Cheff (Flathead (Kalispell)) (Fall 2:49) Quarterfinals - Colin Hickman (Lincoln County (Eureka)) over Corben Carlson (Polson) (Fall 3:00) Cons. Round 2 - Corben Carlson (Polson) over Logan Clairmont (Polson) (MD 15-1) Cons. Round 3 - Corben Carlson (Polson) over Matthew Thurston (Plains / Hot Springs) (For.) Cons. Semis - Dawson Hamland (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Corben Carlson (Polson) (Fall 1:39) 113 - Boys: Logan Clairmont (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Gerardo Alverez (Polson) over Logan Clairmont (Polson) (Dec 11-9) Cons. Round 1 - Logan Clairmont (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Corben Carlson (Polson) over Logan Clairmont (Polson) (MD 15-1) 126 - Boys: Ryley Knutson (Polson) - 3rd Champ. Round 1 - Gavin Schrenk (Plains / Hot Springs) over Ryley Knutson (Polson) (Dec 8-6) Cons. Round 1 - Ryley Knutson (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Ryley Knutson (Polson) over Darrin Denton (Libby / Troy) (Fall 1:33) Cons. Round 3 - Ryley Knutson (Polson) over Jeremiah Thomas (Libby / Troy) (Fall 1:32) Cons. Semis - Ryley Knutson (Polson) over Davin Naldrett (Flathead (Kalispell)) (For.) 3rd Place Match - Ryley Knutson (Polson) over Brody Smith (Arlee) (Fall 0:36) 126 - Boys: Xavier Warren (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Darrin Denton (Libby / Troy) over Xavier Warren (Polson) (Fall 1:33) Cons. Round 1 - Ayden Emmerich (Superior) over Xavier Warren (Polson) (TF 21-5 3:40) 138 - Boys: Levi Atkins (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Levi Atkins (Polson)

Valley Journal

over Levi Conover (Arlee) (Fall 1:35) Quarterfinals - Isaac Nicoson (Florence-Carlton) over Levi Atkins (Polson) (Fall 1:03) Cons. Round 2 - Levi Atkins (Polson) over Gabriel Houston (Polson) (Dec 5-4) Cons. Round 3 - Cory Tappen (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Levi Atkins (Polson) (Fall 1:22) 138 - Boys: Gabriel Houston (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Tash Murray (Florence-Carlton) over Gabriel Houston (Polson) (Fall 1:12) Cons. Round 1 - Gabriel Houston (Polson) over Kayden Julius (Glacier (Kalispell)) (Fall 0:46) Cons. Round 2 - Levi Atkins (Polson) over Gabriel Houston (Polson) (Dec 5-4) 138 - Boys: Ryatt Maley (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Weston Stowe (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Ryatt Maley (Polson) (Fall 2:47) Cons. Round 1 - Gabe Kosters (Libby / Troy) over Ryatt Maley (Polson) (Fall 1:56) 145 - Boys: Daniel O`Roake (Polson) DNP Champ. Round 1 - Drew Carey (Plains / Hot Springs) over Daniel O`Roake (Polson) (Fall 2:45) Cons. Round 1 - Daniel O`Roake (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Liam LeDuc (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Daniel O`Roake (Polson) (Dec 7-5) 152 - Boys: Peter Dupuis (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Paul Noland (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Peter Dupuis (Polson) (Fall 0:42) Cons. Round 1 - Peter Dupuis (Polson) received a bye Cons. Round 2 - Cameron Seals (Flathead (Kalispell)) over Peter Dupuis (Polson) (Fall 0:31) 182 - Boys: Kyrin Doty (Polson) - DNP Champ. Round 1 - Kyrin Doty (Polson) over Chase Woodson (Superior) (Fall 4:38) Quarterfinals - Kyrin Doty (Polson) over Raiden Garwood (Arlee) (TF 18-1 3:27) Semifinals - Jeryn Belcourt (Arlee) over Kyrin Doty (Polson) (Fall 4:59) Cons. Semis - Chase Woodson (Superior) over Kyrin Doty (Polson) (Dec 4-3)

FINAL DAYS!!

GOING OUT OF BUSINESS SALE UP TO

70% OFF STOREWIDE! Offer good in store only thru end of Dec. 2023

• Coats, jackets • Sweatshirts • Long-sleeve shirts • Mavi jeans • Snow bibs • Swim trunks • Shorts • Hats, scarves • Bags • Dress slacks

• Dress shirts • Neck ties • Sunglasses • Grooming kits • Men’s & Women’s Flathead Lake shirts • Pajama sets • Greeting cards • Tarot, oracle decks • Meditation journals & more!

A heartfelt

THANK YOU to everyone who shopped with us, danced with us and wished us well in our closing! We appreciate you!

THE

MAVERICK M E N ’ S

T H R E A D S

&

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Open Tuesday-Saturday from 10-5:30 214 Main St. Suite B, Polson • 406-319-2199 •• themaverickclothing.com Valley Journal

December 27, 2023 - 13

calendar Wednesday, Dec. 27

Saturday, Dec. 30

Zoom meditation class offered

Library closes for New Year holiday

ZOOM — Mission Mountain Zen is offering free online meditation classes. Join the Mission Mountain Zen Center on Wednesday, Dec.27, and on subsequent Wednesdays, for an online meditation class led by Zen Teacher, Zenku, including meditation instruction, practice and discussion via Zoom.

The classes will be each Wednesday from 6-7:30 p.m., Mountain Time. We will cultivate and deepen our centering skills and meditation practice during the class. Take advantage of this opportunity.

For more information and a Zoom link to the class call Zenku at 847721-0665 or email at: Jerry.Smyers@gmail.com.

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will be closed Saturday, Dec. 30, through Monday, Jan. 1, for the New Year holiday.

Thursday, Dec. 28 Story Time at library takes a winter break POLSON — Story Time, normally held at 10 a.m. will not meet this week.

Tuesday, Jan. 9 Free preschool screening CHARLO — A free Developmental and Preschool Screening Clinic for children ages 0 through 5 in the Charlo School Districts will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, at

see extended calendar at www.valleyjournal.net Charlo School, 406-6442206, from 12:30–3 p.m.

Please call your school to schedule an appointment for your child’s screening or to receive more information. This free screening will include gross motor, fine motor, language concepts, communication skills, communication concepts, hearing and vision screening.

Thursday, Jan. 11 WIC at Arlee CDC ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation’s food pantry will be hosting Lindsay O’Neill, the CSKT WIC Manager, during pantry

Sens. Tester, Thune, Rounds, Hoeven & Lummis for working across the aisle to support American ranchers and consumers and sponsoring Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling Legislation in Congress

hours on Jan. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. and on Jan. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m. Lindsey will provide WIC information, scheduling appointments, and helping low income pregnant, postpartum, and breastfeeding women, as well as all caretakers for infants and children under the age of 5, to apply for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for women, infants and children. For more information, call the Arlee CDC at 406-726-5550.

ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation’s food pantry will be hosting Lindsay O’Neill, the CSKT WIC Manager, during pantry hours on Jan. 12 from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more information, call the Arlee CDC at 406-726-5550.

Friday, Jan. 12

RONAN — The Ronan Hall of Fame Committee will be hosting their annual Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 13, at the Ronan Community

WIC manager on site at Arlee CDC

Saturday, Jan. 13 Public invited to Ronan Hall of Fame inductee ceremony

Early hours. Next-day appointments. Providers who take all the time you need.

Now accepting new patients in Billings, Great Falls, and Missoula.

Call to make an appointment today!

(406) 319-3169

Friday, Dec. 29 Primary Care for Seniors

Free 5th Friday Community Dinner POLSON — All community members are invited to the Fifth Friday Community Dinner served from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Polson Community Church, 1814 First Street E. 14 - December 27, 2023

Valley Journal

Center.

The event will begin with a potato bar being served beginning at 12:30 p.m. and induction activities starting at 2 p.m.

Cost of the meal is $10.

The public is invited to participate in the meal and induction program.

Inductees in the Class of 2023 include: “Distinguished Athletes” Phillip Roullier and Matt Luedtke, “Distinguished Coach” Marilynn Tanner, “Distinguished Community Member” Bud and Laurel Cheff, and Lynn Olson, and “Distinguished Team” the 1972 State Championship girls’ track team.

Valley Journal

December 27, 2023 - 15

seniors Polson

By Pete Mangels for the Valley Journal

POLSON — “Fast away the old year passes; hail the new ye lads and lasses!”

With the new year now upon us, The Polson Senior Community Center would like to thank all those who have contributed toward the success of our programs and activities for senior citizens. We thank our employees for their hard work and dedication. Thank you to the officers and Board of Directors for their diligence in leadership positions, and thanks to the various non-profit organizations who support our nutrition program. Thank you, city, county, state, and federal governments, for financial assistance from tax dollars. Thanks to those who provide food to the center, in particular, Country Pasta and Montana Marbled Meats. We thank all our members for volunteering their time for little things, and big things they do to ensure the continuing success of this center and its mission in our community. Happy New Year!

The Polson Senior Center will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan.1.

Activities: Bowling: Tuesdays at 16 - December 27, 2023

1: p.m. - lane fee $13 - open group - no weekly commitment Bridge: inquire at center VA rep.: first Friday and third Tuesday of each month ( Jan. 5 and Jan. 16) - walk-in Bingo: bingo played on Friday Nights - time change starting Jan. 5 - 6:30 p.m. start; doors open at 6 pm. - $100 blackout - “Playing Card Bingo” first and third Wednesday of each month Exercise: sitting or standing: M-W-F, 10:30-11:30 a.m. - video-assisted guidance Pinochle: Thursdays noon-3 p.m. Late arrivals can join in. Plenty of room for all.

Pool: open table from 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

Menu (subject to change): A suggested donation of $5 for your meal will help support the Nutrition Program. We serve lunch from 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - sit-down or takeout; call before 10 a.m. for delivery - call in for grab-n-go — Wednesday, Dec. 27: soft shell taco, corn salad, angel food cake w/fruit — Thursday, Dec. 28: Chop Suey, rice, egg roll, stir fry veggies, spice cake Friday, Dec. 29: potluck soup, green salad, muffin, various salads, deserts — Monday

Jan. 1: closed — Tuesday, Jan 2: lasagna, garlic bread, corn, green salad, vanilla pudding — Wednesday Jan. 3: chicken parmesan, creamy pasta, green beans, copper penny salad, peach cobbler — Thursday, Jan. 4: Salisbury steak, mashed spuds, carrots, pineapple fluff, turtle brownies — Friday, Jan. 5; French dip a jus, tater tots, deviled egg, applesauce cake We are located at 504 3rd Ave. E; weekdays 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Call 406883-4735 or email us at: polsonseniorcenter@ gmail.com. Visit us on Facebook.

St. Ignatius

By Barb Plouffe for the Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — Wishing all a Merry Christmas. May you have family and/or friends to spend some time with on Christmas Day. I am sending out a plea for the Mission Valley Food Pantry.

They need plastic grocery bags, empty boxes that will hold up to 30 pounds, dozen eggs cartons and if you have 4-hours of time on Tuesdays and Fridays, we are in the need of volunteers to help clients from 10 a.m.-2

p.m. You are welcome to come to the Pantry at 203 Blaine and check things out on the days we are open.

We invite anyone to come and enjoy one of our meals or call for a take-out meal. Call 406-745-4462 by 10 a.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays and by 2 p.m. on Wednesdays. Mealtimes are listed below. Menus for the month are available in the entryway of the center.

Menu: — Friday, Dec. 29: noon - Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, peas, dessert If you would enjoy some type of activity that could help with the “Winter Blues,” call us with your suggestion and we will see what can be done here at the center. If you would like a craft night or afternoon, maybe a movie night, coffee hour during the day, call us and help us put this together.

We invite you to become a member of the St. Ignatius Senior Citizen Center for a fee of $10 a year. You can join us at any age.

The Foot Hills Club meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. for snacks and cards.

Gently Yoga is taught on Wednesdays from 1-2:15 p.m. If you are interested, call Bonnie Kiser at 406-253-0177.

Her rates are five ses-

Valley Journal

sions for $60.

We have walkers, a commode, a shower chair, a wheelchair, a high-rise toilet seat, 4-prong canes, regular canes and a transfer bench to loan out as well as XXL Depends to be given out. No cost for the items that are loaned out.

Our senior center is available for rent. If you are interested, call 406745-4462 and leave a message.

Ronan

By Donna Daniels for the Valley Journal

RONAN — The Mission Valley Senior Center is located across from St. Luke’s Hospital.

We are open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for lunch and other activities.

Our menu: — Wednesday, Dec. 27: pork chops, stuffing, salad, dessert — Friday, Dec. 29: birthday dinner, roast beef, potatoes, salad, dessert — Monday, Jan. 1: CLOSED FOR NEW YEARS — Wednesday, Jan. 3: taco bar, salad, dessert Our oven is going out. We have applied for grants but that will only cover part of the cost, so we are asking for

donations to cover the remainder. If you would like to donate you can send your donation to: Mission Valley Senior Center, 528 Main St SW, Ronan, MT 59864 and note on your check Oven Fund. A big thank you for the donations so far.

AARP tax people will be here from Jan. 3-April 10. They will prepare taxes for any age and any income. Give us a call to sign up for this great service at 406676-2371.

The Ronan Senior Center is available for renting for your events.

Call us if you are having an event and need a location to have it.

We are looking for help again. If you are interested, please stop in.

Pinochle is held every Monday from 3:30-6 p.m. at the center. Everyone is welcome.

We also have pool table available Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Come join the fun.

Everyone is welcome for our meals no matter what age. We ask for a $7 donation for our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday meals and $10 for our Sunday meal.

If you would like a meal delivered to your business just call us by 10 a.m. Also, we will gladly send you a menu if requested.

Pollo Loco to perform

births Zamara Couture RONAN — Zamara Brielle Couture was born on Dec. 8, 2023, at the St. Luke Community Healthcare New Beginnings Birth Center. She measured 7 pounds, 6 ounces and 19.5 inches long.

Parents are George Couture and Odessa Caye of Pablo. Paternal grandparents are George Zamara Couture Sr. and Annie Couture Couture of Crow Agency, MT. Maternal grandparents are Bethany Cajune and Anthony Caye of Polson.

Laonee Martin COURTESY PHOTO

POLSON — On Friday, Jan. 20, Mission Valley Live brings Pollo Loco to the Polson High School auditorium. Saddle your pony and take a crazy ride into the past with Pollo Loco (Crazy Chickens) Western Music with a Twist. Since 1989, their impeccable three-part harmonies have been rattling the rafters. They’ll take you back to the days of Gene and Roy, bringing warmth to the classic western songs they sing. $13 advance tickets are available at missionvalleylive.com and at the following Ticket Outlets: In Polson at First Interstate Bank; In Ronan at Ronan True Value. $15 tickets available at the door; youth 18 & under free.

RONAN — Laonee Adele Martin was born on Dec. 12, 2023, at the St. Luke New Beginnings Birth Center. She measured 8 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 inches long. Mother is Lainey Martin of St. Ignatius. Maternal grandmother is Andrea Steele of St. Ignatius.

Laonee Martin

Happy Holidays The Board of Directors, Providers, and Staff at St. Luke Community Healthcare would like to wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season

The Heart of Healthcare in the Mission Valley Valley Journal

stlukehealthcare.org December 27, 2023 - 17

obituaries Joseph Franklin McDonald RONAN — Joseph Franklin McDonald passed away on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023, at St. Luke Hospital in Ronan, with his family by his side, following a short illness. At Joe McDonald the time of his passing, he was 90 years old. He was born on March 31, 1933, to Isabel and Ed McDonald in St. Ignatius.

Joe spent his early days growing up with lots of family around at his dad and grandfather’s homes at Post Creek, within eyesight of the Ft. Connah Trading Post. His brother Dick and cousin Bearhead were his best comrades. He was often lovingly referred to as Baby Joe by the many relatives he was raised with. The family home had many people coming through to stop and picnic, fish in the creek and swim in his dad’s homemade swimming hole, or in the pursuit of horses and cattle that Joe’s grandfather raised.

Joe was an astute student, but sports are what he excelled best at during his school years. His first introduction to his love 18 - December 27, 2023

of basketball happened in 4th grade at a school assembly to watch a high school game. He fell in love with the sport immediately and went home to make a makeshift ball out of rags and a basket from a chicken wire gate.

When the family moved to Dixon, Joe was in the 6th grade, and he made the grade school basketball team and continued to play hoops through the rest of his school time along with expressing great talent on the baseball and football fields.

During grade school and high school, Joe helped and became quite involved with the family’s horses, learning to ride, race and rope, and going on many pack trips to the mountains and trips to and from the family ranch. He attended high school in both St. Ignatius and in Dixon, as the family had homes at both Post Creek and Dixon Agency. He sometimes changed his attendance based on the sport he wanted to play and being able to play with his friends, including his cousin Bearhead. While at St. Ignatius his sophomore year, the football team won the State Class C Championship.

During his senior year, Joe lived at Post Creek where he lived with his uncle Benny, and that winter, he coached the Ursuline School boys’ basketball team. Joe grad-

uated that spring from St. Ignatius High School in 1951.

After high school, Joe worked as a USFS smokejumper and was stationed in West Yellowstone. The jumpers were a natural progression for Joe as he had gotten into the business of working at wildfire support camps at the young age of 12, a time when many young men were away from the reservation during WWII. While at West Yellowstone, he crossed paths with a coach from Dillon High School who promised to get Joe a scholarship to play basketball at Western Montana College. That coach delivered and during his time at Western, Joe played football, basketball, and baseball.

Joe endeavored to be on every athletic team bus that ever departed from Dillon. While at Western, Joe also met and married the love of his life, Sharon Christopherson. They married at the end of the summer of their freshman year at Western, having both worked in West Yellowstone that summer. Soon after, they welcomed their first son Tim. Joe earned an associate degree and teaching certificate at Western Montana College in 1953.

After earning his teaching certificate, Joe taught and coached in various K-12 schools

across the state of Montana from 1953-1964 (Oilmont, Plevna, Miles City, and Hamilton).

During this time, he also attended the University of Montana (U of M), earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the field of Education and Health and P.E respectively. From 1964-1965, while he and Sherri were raising their four children (Tim, Terry, Tracie, and Tom), Joe was the Assistant Basketball Coach at the U of M. Other professional accomplishments of Joe’s included coaching basketball and track at Northern Montana College (1965-1967); serving as the high school principal and assistant superintendent at Ronan Public Schools while coaching many sports (19671978); serving two terms on the CSKT Tribal Council from 1974-1982; acting as the Title III Coordinator for Flathead Valley Community College; and with his Doctorate of Education from U of M, he then supported efforts to establish and lead Salish Kootenai College as its President from 1978-2010 Joe’s parents met at Haskell Indian School and they both expressed the importance of school and getting a college education, so it’s no surprise that Joe then spent the majority of his life in the pursuit of creating better

Valley Journal

educational opportunities for all of the students he was involved with, especially on the Flathead Indian Reservation and through the founding of Salish Kootenai College and through his advocacy work for Indian Education across the state of Montana and the country. Throughout his career Joe helped create school athletic programs to help keep youth interested in school and helped set up tutoring programs for Native students, sponsored Indian clubs to help students solve problems and stay in school, introduced an Indian Studies curriculum, advocated for the Salish language to be taught for the first time in a public school on the reservation, and coached and refereed when and where needed on courts and in classrooms.

Salish Kootenai College became the second love of Joe’s life, after his wife Sherri and his children’s families. He served the college in many capacities including as a janitor, instructor, committee member, administrator, fundraiser, and coach. He advocated for the college to serve the broader reservation community and Tribe through teaching the Salish and Kootenai languages, drumming and singing and other traditional and cultural skills.

His efforts in educational

leadership earned him many recognitions including honorary degrees from Gonzaga University and Montana State University; distinguished alumni awards from U of M and Western Montana College; distinguished services awards from the American Indian Higher Education Consortium; National Indian Educator of the Year award; being appointed to the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame; and many other and numerous coaching, educator, and civic leadership awards.

After retiring from SKC, Joe spent much of his time supporting his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in their life pursuits with his wife Sherri. He especially loved watching his grandchildren and great-grandchildren excel in basketball, baseball, softball, track, cross country, volleyball, and soccer. He also dedicated much of his time to continuing writing and recording the history of the Flathead Reservation with his special friend Bob Bigart and to preservation efforts at Fort Connah and served the community on several boards.

Joe was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Sherri McDonald; and their son and daughter in-law Terry and see page 19

obituaries from page 18

Paula (Camel) McDonald.

Joe is survived by his son Tim; son Terry’s daughters, Angela and her partner Alex, Carma and her husband Tony and her children, Jaden, Samuel and Sophie; his daughter Tracie and her children, Jessica and husband Demetrius, and Brandie and her daughter Rylee; his son Tom and his wife Teresa and their children; Annie and her daughters Kylynn, Kaeslynn and Kendalynn; Katie and her son, Ben; Erin and her daughter, Esmae; Chris and his wife, Julie; and Noah and his partner,

Layla. He is also survived by many extended family members, special friends, and the many faculty and students who walked through the halls of Ronan High School and Salish Kootenai College.

The family would like to extend their thanks to the staff at St. Luke hospital, who made the family feel welcome and who offered such tender compassionate care to Joe. Special thanks to Dr. Cara Harrop and her assistant Vanessa, who assisted Joe and the family with his medical care.

Also, a very special thank you to Father Victor and Father Hightower. Many friends and family members stopped by to share memories with Joe prior

to his passing on Thursday, Dec. 14. Thank you to all who stopped by to share stories and love.

A public service and celebration of Joe’s life will be held on Jan. 17 beginning with a 10 a.m.

Funeral Mass service at the St. Ignatius Catholic Church in St. Ignatius.

Following the service, there will be a 12 p.m.

Celebration of Life luncheon at the Salish Kootenai College Gym, (the Joe) in Pablo. 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.

Flathead Transit

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Valley Journal

Weekdays: 406-275-2792 Weekends: 406-675-5000 December 27, 2023 - 19

PUZZLES GIANT CROSSWORD 1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27 33 39

40

34 42

41

51

35

36

43

31

53

52

37 45

61

69

70

74

75 82 89

55

63

76

83

77

84

78

64

65

72

73

79

80

85

86

98

99 104

103

100

105

102

121

107 113

108 114

122

115

124

125

126

127

129

130

131

SUDOKU

119

Place the digits 1-9 in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains each digit once only.

7

1 5 2 8 7 4 3 7 1 6 8 4 1 5 3 6 7 9 5 1 3 7 8 6 4 7 9 8 6 3

20 - December 27, 2023

4

123

WORDSEARCH

120

112

97

101

106 111

96

118

128

117

81

92 95

110

66

87

91 94

116

59

71

93

68

56

62

90

67

46

50

58

60

18

38

44

54

17

32

49

57

109

30

48

47

88

29

28

16

ACROSS 1. Casual conversations 6. Mideast capital 12. It’s a blast 15. Juvenile salmon 19. Should, with “to” 20. Allergy sufferer’s concern 21. “___ Gang” 22. Sheltered, at sea 23. Flight segment 24. Wreck 25. Big bird 26. Step-by-step instruction manuals 27. Cry of triumph 29. Connecting rooms 31. Confiscate 33. Design detail 35. Bawl 36. Draconian 38. By means of 39. Balance 42. Feature of some gardens 44. Coffee, slangily 45. Blatant 47. Antlered animal 48. 1993 standoff site 49. Trainee 50. Ranee’s wrap 51. Percussion instrument 53. Biased 56. “Snow Falling on ___” 57. According to 58. Kind of gland 59. French door part 60. Fatty compounds 62. Common Market letters 63. Abnormally active

65. Bungle, with “up” 69. All square 70. Actor Arnold 72. Butt 73. Big show 74. Bondman 75. Dog tag datum 78. Ashes holder 80. Goal-oriented activity 82. Shrek, for one 84. Pinching 87. Swindle 88. Dictate 91. Goalpost connector 92. Cremona violin maker 93. Dead-on 94. Indian fritter 95. “Oh, my aching head!,” e.g.

97. Boiling blood 98. Celebrates 99. Baltic capital 100. Peak 102. Present time 103. Diamonds, slangily 104. Support 106. “You stink!”

107. Fountain order 109. “Lord of the Dance” 111. Broadband ancestor 114. It may get smashed at a party 118. Bit of gossip 119. Family dog, for short 121. Braking parachute 123. Libreville’s land 124. Spelling of “Beverly Hills, 90210” 125. Altar avowal 126. Cantankerous 127. Dostoyevsky novel, with “The” 128. Formerly, formerly 129. Minor player 130. Renter 131. ___-frutti

DOWN 1. Blackjack 2. Largest Rwandan and Burundian ethnic group 3. Food thickener 4. Craving 5. Rein, e.g.

6. Certifiable 7. Applications 8. Hit 9. Dinette-set pieces 10. Accord 11. Account 12. Water tester 13. Figure 14. Secure tightly 15. Brief infatuation 16. Burn treatment 17. Fixer-upper 18. Clarifies, perhaps 28. Wife and sister of Zeus in Greek mythology 30. Well-proportioned 32. Elect 34. Après-ski drink 37. All fired up 39. Entertains lavishly 40. Hard to get 41. Pilot 43. Denounce 44. Biblical Hebrew kingdom 46. Handbook 48. Promise 49. A.T.M. need 52. Underpin 54. Poetic palindrome 55. “Wait a ___!”

56. Deck components 59. Ballpoint, e.g.

61. Abundance 64. Ann Landers, e.g.

66. Cry out 67. Bands of colors 68. Bombing raids 71. “I ___ you one”

W I N D Z V M S U N S H I N E N O T H U N D E R S T O R M S B O F W P T F P E L Y S E X A L Q V T Z J T O Y E F O U A N I Y D E E J O V G E T R H O M Z B R V R X R F I T K H O R L Z Q I X Y C N M B W E H O S E A G Z S O J A O S N P T C V T R D Z K N N D S A Y S I A F M D C L O U D O C T E C W V R O M Q E S Y A I K C C T L U K X A S T G G R B I G A X F V H S Y I H S R A Q H E R W U P A N N W Q U U I L H R M V J Y I O L S H F A N K E C N B W N L W Valley Journal Valley Journal

76. Fuming 77. Red wine of Spain 78. Bull markets 79. Chest protector?

81. 6 across’ country 83. Manages 85. Telepathy, e.g.

86. “Ick!” 88. Clear-cut 89. Estate overseer 90. Party providers 91. All the rage 94. Swagger 96. At the peak of 100. Costa Rican currency 101. Certain cosmetics 102. 1980 hit for Olivia Newton-John 105. Archaeologist’s find 106. Wilkes-___, Pa. 108. Finger 110. Give off 112. Baal, e.g.

113. 100% 115. Not much 116. Bender 117. The “A” of ABM 120. Impede, with “down” 122. Potato feature

Can you find all the listed words in the grid? Words may appear horizontally, vertically or diagonally, forwards or backwards.

Weather forecast terms BLIZZARD

OVERCAST

CLOUD

RAIN

DRIZZLE

SLEET

FOG

SNOW

FROST

SUNSHINE

GALE

THUNDERSTORM

HAIL

TORNADO

HEAT WAVE

TSUNAMI

HURRICANE

TYPHOON

ICE STORM

WIND

December 27, 2023 - 21 ge ct sele bevera &

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Full Service Espresso Bar GIANT CROSSWORD

28. Hera, 30. Shapely, 32. Chosen, 34. Cocoa, 37. Avid, 39. Regales, 40. Elusive, 41. Skipper, 43. Condemn, 44. Judah, 46. Vade mecum, 48. Word, 49. Pin, 52. Reinforce, 54. Ere, 55. Sec, 56. Cards, 59. Pen, 61. Store, 64. Pen name, 66. Exclaim, 67. Spectra, 68. Sorties, 71. Owe, 76. Enraged, 77. Rioja, 78. Ups, 79. Rib, 81. Oman, 83. Gets by, 85. Psi, 86. Gross, 88. Definite, 89. Executor, 90. Caterers, 91. Chic, 94. Bravado, 96. Atop, 100.

Colons, 101. Rouges, 102. Xanadu, 105.

Relic, 106. Barre, 108. Digit, 110. Emit, 112. Idol, 113. Pure, 115. A bit, 116. Toot, 117. Anti, 120. Bog, 122. Eye.

675-5000 Monday- Friday 6 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.

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Across: 1. Chats, 6. Muscat, 12. TNT, 15. Parr, 19. Ought, 20. Asthma, 21. Our, 22. Alee, 23. Stair, 24. Derail, 25. Emu, 26. SOPs, 27. Hurrah, 29. Suites, 31. Escheat, 33. Spec, 35. Cry, 36. Harsh, 38. Via, 39. Rest, 42. Rocks, 44. Java, 45. Overt, 47. Elk, 48. Waco, 49. Pupil, 50. Saree, 51. Guiro, 53. One-sided, 56. Cedars, 57. As per, 58. Adrenal, 59. Pane, 60. Lipids, 62. EEC, 63. Hyper, 65. Mess, 69. Even, 70. Tom, 72. End, 73. Expo, 74. Serf, 75. Owner, 78. Urn, 80. Soccer, 82. Ogre, 84. Nipping, 87. Mulct, 88. Decree, 91. Crossbar, 92. Amati, 93. Exact, 94. Bhaji, 95. Moan, 97. Ire, 98. Fetes, 99. Riga, 100. Crest, 102.

Xmas, 103. Ice, 104. Brace, 106. Boo, 107. Soda, 109. Nureyev, 111. Dial-up, 114.

Pinata, 118. Item, 119. Lab, 121. Drogue, 123. Gabon, 124. Tori, 125. I do, 126.

Ornery, 127. Idiot, 128. Erst, 129. Cog, 130. Lessee, 131. Tutti.

Down: 1. Cosh, 2. Hutu, 3. Agar, 4. Thirst, 5. Strap, 6. Mad, 7. Uses, 8. Struck, 9. Chairs, 10. Amity, 11. Tale, 12. Toe, 13. Numeral, 14. Truss, 15. Pash, 16. Aloe vera, 17. Repairer, 18. Restates,

ValleyJournal Journal Valley

51999 US 93 • PABLO (near the walking bridge in Pablo)

TAKE A BREAK!

QUICKSILVER EXPRESSO

Come in for: • Soup & Sandwiches • Coffee Bar • Free Wi-Fi • Ice Cream • Car Wash & Vacuum • Laundromat • ATM • Flathead Transit/ Jefferson Line connect SUDOKU 8 9 7 6 1 4 2 5 3

4 5 1 8 2 3 7 6 9

6 3 2 9 5 7 1 4 8

9 4 5 3 8 2 6 7 1

7 1 6 4 9 5 8 3 2

3 2 8 7 6 1 4 9 5

5 8 9 2 7 6 3 1 4

2 7 3 1 4 9 5 8 6

1 6 4 5 3 8 9 2 7

WORDSEARCH W I N D Z V M S U N S H I N E N O T H U N D E R S T O R M S B O F W P T F P E L Y S E X A L Q V T Z J T O Y E F O U A N I Y D E E J O V G E T R H O M Z B R V R X R F I T K H O R L Z Q I X Y C N M B W E H O S E A G Z S O J A O S N P T C V T R D Z K N N D S A Y S I A F M D C L O U D O C T E C W V R O M Q E S Y A I K C C T L U K X A S T G G R B I G A X F V H S Y I H S R A Q H E R W U P A N N W Q U U I L H R M V J Y I O L S H F A N K E C N B W N L W

MIRROR IMAGE C

SOLUTIONS A Starting at 1, connect the dots in numerical order to complete the picture.

B

C

D

Which of the four images below is the mirror image of the larger one to the right?

DOT-TO-DOT

PUZZLES

MIRROR IMAGE

Get a job – earn college credits – make a difference!

Full time positions receive the health insurance benefit 12 months a year. Check out the available jobs and detailed job vacancy announcements on the SKC website – www.skc.edu/employment Custodian Part-time Salary Range: $14.80/hr Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Security Officer Part Time Salary Range: $12.57 - $13.84/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Part Time Seasonal Grounds Maintenance Salary Range: $15.44 per hour DOE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

College & Career Readiness Coach (2 postions open) Salary range: $17.35/hr-$20.17/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Assistant Director/Lead Teacher – Early Learning Center Salary Range: $38,880 - $45,725 Closing Date: Open Until Filled

College & Career Readiness Mentor (3 positions open) Salary Range: $17.35/hr-$20.17/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Health Promotion Practices Department Chair 11-month term (July off) which includes $2500 Dept. Head stipend Salary Range DOEE: $45,778 - $48,716 Closing Date: Open Until Filled

NYCP College & Career Readiness Instructor (Part time, 9 months) Salary Range: $25.01/hr-$29.63/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Custodial Services Supervisor Salary Range: $18.28 – $18.72 DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Early Learning Center-Assistant Teacher (9.5 months) Salary Range: $15.01/hr-$16.92/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Lab Instructor - Nursing Department (10 months) Salary Range: $53,340 - $56,836 DOEE Closing Date: Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024; 4:00 pm MST

Early Learning Center-Toddler Teacher (9.5 months) Salary range: $15.33/hr-$17.24/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Accounting Tech/Receptionist Salary Range: $14.16 - $14.48 per hour DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Indigenous Research Center (IRC) IRM & M Library & Repository Manager Salary Range: $50,176-$53,696 DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Truck Driving Instructor-PT (9 months) Salary Range: $18.19 - $19.53/hr DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled Division of Education Early Childhood Enrollment Coordintor/Instructor (9 months) Salary Range: $46-227-$51,035 DOEE Closing date: Monday, Nov. 27, 2023; 4:00 pm MST Executive Assistant to the President Salary Range: $41,963 - $46,655 DOEE Closing Date: extended to Monday, Jan. 8, 2024; 4:30pm MST

Academic Transfer Specialist Salary Range: $33,507-$35,307 DOEE Closing date: Open Until Filled Clinical Instructor (9 months) (3 openings) Salary Range: $45/hr-$55/hr DOEE (part-time, 14hrs a week) Closing date: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023; 4:00pm MST Fine Arts Faculty (9 months) Salary Range: $43,621-$44,670 DOEE Closing date: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023; 4:00 pm MST

Native Language Teacher Education/Salish Language Instructor Salary Range: $46,227-$51,035 DOEE Closing Date: Monday December 18, 2023; 4:00pm MST Nursing Faculty (2 openings) (10 months) Salary Range: $55,935-$65,551 DOEE Closing Date: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023; 4:00 pm MST

Assistant to the Vice President of Enrollment Management for Graduate Studies Salary Range: $44,310-$49,003 DOEE Closing date: Monday, Dec. 18, 2023; 4:00pm MST

Simulation Instructor Salary Range: $54,301-$56,400 DOEE Closing date: Monday, Dec. 4, 2023; 4:00pm MST

To apply you must submit an SKC application, resume and applicable transcripts to Human Resources, P.O. Box 70, Pablo, MT 59855.

Toll free 877.752.6553, ext. 4985 Direct Dial 406.275.4985/4977

22 - December 27, 2023

Valley Journal

classifieds Employment Help wanted DATA MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST DIVISION OF ENGINEERING & WATER RESOURCES - RONAN, MT NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT The successful applicant must possess four (4) years of a college education or two (2) years of college in a relevant physical science background (hydrology or geology preferred), or high school diploma or equivalent, and at least four (4) years of increasingly responsible work experience in natural resource data collection and measurement. Considerable knowledge of the principles, practices and procedures used in performing technical field data collection, with emphasis on hydrologic data collection.

Skilled in the operation and maintenance of stream gauging equipment and other measurement equipment. Skills with Microsoft Office, Windows Operating System, and electronic data collectors. Aptitude with math and ability to work with mathematical functions, and maintain complete and accurate records following rigorous quality control procedures. Possession of a valid State driver’s license with the ability to obtain a Montana driver’s license within six (6) months. Must have liability insurance on personal vehicle (if traveling off-site in performance of duties). Must wear Tribal government identification and safety apparel when conducting field activities. Required to successfully complete a certified defensive driving course approved by the Department. FAILURE TO SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION DURING THE SCREENING PROCESS. All applicants are required to submit a Tribal application, copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or certificates, a copy of a valid State driver’s license, proof of enrollment from a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT, and if claiming vet-

eran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted. 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 CSKT, must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) month probationary period. Salary is $25.60 per hour, with benefits.

To apply, contact Personnel at 406-675-2700 Ext. 1040. Tribal applications are also available online at csktribes.org. Closing date will be Thursday, January 4th, 2024 @ 5:30 p.m.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

Legals

name and address of the claimant, and the amount claimed, must either be mailed to JULYN SANDERS- DEWITT, the Personal Repre- sentative, return receipt requested, c/o FRENCH, GRAINEY & WILLIAMS, PLLC, 324 Main SW, Ronan, MT 59864, or filed with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court.

DATED this 12th day of December, 2023. /s/ Julyn Sanders-Dewitt JULYN SANDERS-DEWITT, Personal Representative Dec. 20, 27, 2023 and Jan. 3, 2024 MNAXLP SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR PEND OREILLE COUNTY Estate of JANICE LINDBOM, Deceased.

Legals

NO. 23-4-00022-26

William P. Williams IV FRENCH, GRAINEY & WILLIAMS, PLLC Attorneys at Law 324 Main SW Ronan, MT 59864 Telephone: (406) 676-4470 Attorney for Personal Representative bill@fgwilliamslaw.com

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND PENDENCY OF PROBATE (With Will) (RCW 11.28.237(1)) PLEASE TAKE NOTICE

MONTANA TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, LAKE COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JUDY R. SANDERS, Deceased.

CAUSE NO. DP-23-84 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal Representative of the abovenamed Estate. All persons having claims against the said deceased are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this Notice or said claims will be forever barred as creditors of the decedent.

A written statement of the claim indicating its basis, the

On June 16, 2023, the above Court admitted Decedent’s Will to probate and appointed Carrie Burris (formerly known as Carrie Carlson) as Personal Representative of Decedent’s estate (technically, Executor of Decedent’s Will). A copy of Decedent’s Will is attached to this Notice & Declaration.

RCW 11.24.010 provides among other things that any action affecting the validity of a Will is required to be filed with the Court within four months after the date the Will was admitted to probate, otherwise the admission of the Will will be final and binding.

ELTC Law Group, PLLC Denise Stewart, Attorney PO Box 301 Newport, WA, 99156 (509) 447-3242 Dec. 13, 20 and 27, 2023 MNAXLP Montana 20th Judicial District Court, Lake County In the matter of the Name Change of Emmitt Wayne Sapp; Ashley Tanner, Petitioner.

Cause No: DV-23-83 Dept. No. 2001 NOTICE OF HEARING ON NAME CHANGE OF MINOR CHILD This is notice that Petitioner has asked the District Court to change a child’s name from Emmitt Wayne Sapp to Emmitt Wayne Sapp Tanner. The hearing will be on January 10, 2024, at 10:00 am. The hearing will be at the Courthouse in Lake County.

Date: November 16, 2023 Lyn Fricker Clerk of District Court By: Mary Rensvold Deputy Clerk of Court December 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2023 MNAXLP

Dated: June 16, 2023 Signed: Carrie Burris (formerly known as Carrie Carlson), Personal Representative

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406-241-9134 Valley Journal

December 27, 2023 - 23

Work continues on our project.

Farm in the Dell International in Ronan, MT

Proactive Living Facility for Adults with Autism We have raised over $500,000 of our goal of $800,000.

Please consider donating. All donations are tax deductible.

Looking for people and contractors to work on our project.

Construction to start in August 2024!

In loving memory of Jake Janssen.

Thank you to all in the community who are helping us create this vision.

24 - December 27, 2023

Valley Journal