12/14/22 issue

Gold Star Christmas tree honors fallen service members, families

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

POLSON — Inside the second floor foyer of the Lake County Courthouse stands the Gold Star Family Memorial Tree, covered in ornaments for families honoring service members who lost their lives.

The tree was installed by Jeannie and Bill Butler who lost their son Matthew in 2015 during his service in the Army. “When he passed, he was only 25 years old,” Jeannie said. “We decided to get involved with anything that had to do with the service for veterans, for soldiers that had passed, anything that we could get involved with. We were told that Gold Star families are people that have lost their loved ones.”

The Gold Star, which first appeared in World War I, signifies a family member who has lost a loved one in military service taking pride in the loved one’s sacrifice. A Gold Star lapel pin is sometimes worn by these families, display -

ing a gold star with a purple background surrounded by a gold laurel wreath. The Christmas

tree, Jeannie said, signifies the same thing.

“I saw one on a video and it took my breath

away. I said, ‘I want to be a part of that if I can.’” The project hit home for her, so she

approached her husband with the idea and he agreed to help.

The couple got a tree, and Jeannie reached out to a friend of hers in Polson to make the custom gold star ornaments. She then personally contacted other Gold Star families throughout Montana to ask if they would like to be a part of the tree.

“There’s a whole community in Montana for Gold Star families,” she explained.

The ornaments are made for the families’ lost service members and can include their name, military branch, rank, birthday, and day of passing, if the family desires. A family can change or leave off whatever they like as they are entirely custom for each soldier. An extra ornament is then made and sent to the family for their own personal tree, all costing the family nothing.

The Butlers founded their own nonprofit, Welcome Home Inc., that allows them to

SUMMER GODDARD / VALLEY JOURNAL

Officials say Montana’s election ran slowly but smoothly

By Max Dupras Community News Service UM School of Journalism

MONTANA — The state’s 2022 midterm election ran accurately and smoothly as determined by the Montana Board of State Canvassers, and election officials across the state agree.

Roughly 61% of Montana’s registered voters cast ballots in a midterm election that featured a return to electing two U.S. congressional representatives, the result of a growing population. More people voted in the 2018 race, which included a U.S. Senate contest and several ballot issues.

The biggest challenge election administrators faced involved a late September court order by a Billings District Court judge who reinstated same-day voter registration, third-party ballot collection and previously acceptable student IDs. Laws passed the 2021 Republican-controlled Legislature had ended or revised those practices. They were in effect for

the June primary.

Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen has appealed the judge’s ruling, but for voters it meant longer lines at some county voting offices and the hiring of additional election judges who had to be trained in the changing rules.

Several election administrators across the state said the run-up to Election Day was hectic but their staffs handled the challenges efficiently. In Lake County, election administrator Toni Kramer said she spent most of her time training election judges but the day itself, though long, ran smoothly.

“The election went very well,” Kramer said. “It was my first go at training (election) judges and we will be prepared heading into the 2024, 2026 elections.”

In Yellowstone County, Kevin Gillen has served as interim election administrator since fall. He said the most pressing matters ranged from long lines to small technical issues to just plain bad weather.

All things considered, Election Day “was not too bad,” he

said, adding that late results mattered less than making sure officials counted all the votes accurately.

“That was the mission,” said Gillen. “It’s so crucial being more accurate than fast.”

In Gallatin County, officials said the major hiccups came down to staffing and not having results sooner. Missoula County reported minor technical issues that led to late results.

So far, no concern has been expressed about the accuracy of the results locally or statewide, where Republicans captured both congressional seats and built a supermajority in the Legislature.

The party’s only statewide casualty was James Brown, the candidate scores of state GOP figures had endorsed for a seat on the nonpartisan Montana Supreme Court. He lost to incumbent Justice Ingrid Gustafson in a spendy race that attracted big donations from outside groups supporting both candidates.

One minor incident in this year’s voting occurred in Great

Falls when several election skeptics in cars showed up at the election’s office to ask why it was closed on the Veterans Day holiday and took pictures of election officials’ license plates.

According to reports, a local Republican official who was monitoring ballot counting inside told the group the work was proceeding fairly and efficiently and that their actions were frightening officials inside. The affair ended without incident.

Jeremy Johnson, a political science professor and analyst at Carroll College, said he expects Republicans to continue to push for changes in how Montanans can vote. “And that, generally in recent years, has included some restrictions about voting,” he said.

For now, that issue is up to the Montana’s Supreme Court, though GOP lawmakers have already requested several proposed constitutional amendments dealing with how they think the state’s elections should run.

Montana NRCS accepts Agricultural Conservation Easement Program applications

BOZEMAN — The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Montana is accepting applications for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) enrollment option and the Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE).

While NRCS accepts easement applications year-round, applications for the current funding cycle must be submitted by Dec. 30.

ACEP-ALE provides financial assistance to eligible entities, including land trusts and state and local units of government, for purchasing easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation

values of eligible land by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Landowners interested in an ACEP-ALE easement must enter into an agreement with an eligible entity to be considered for enrollment into the

program. Find a list of entities eligible to hold ACEP-ALE easements in Montana and additional information at: www.nrcs.usda.gov/ montana by clicking on the ACEP option under State Programs and Initiatives.

Ranking dates for all programs and states are available at: nrcs. usda.gov/staterankingdates. Applications

received after ranking dates will be automatically deferred to the next funding period.

To learn about ACEP opportunities and other technical and financial assistance available through NRCS, visit: www.nrcs. usda.gov/montana. Find NRCS contact information at: nrcs. usda.gov/contact.

help veterans and their families in this and a multitude of ways, always listening to the needs of veteran families. They offer services such as equine therapy, transportation, and even assistance getting dental work, along with more lighthearted offers such as free boating fun on Flathead Lake during the summer.

“We love doing these kinds of things for people to put a smile on their face and kind of make it a better day for them,” Jeannie explained. “Because it’s rough … But we have a platform now, so we’d like to help out as best we can where we can for the veterans.”

The Gold Start Christmas tree can be found on the second floor of the courthouse, where it has been and will be each year, sparkling gold and safe from the elements.

Those interested in learning more about the Butlers’ nonprofit, donating, or getting involved can do so at: welcomehomevet.net.

“It takes time to get acclimated,” Jeannie said. “(But) they’re not in the dark, they’re not left behind. We want to be friends, and we want to help as best we can.”

News from USDA

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consoling a young snowball

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Community, culture, connection celebrated during Native American Heritage Day

By Taylor Davison / Valley Journal

POLSON — Teachers and community members came together at Polson Middle School recently to celebrate Native American heritage.

The school’s seventh annual Native American Heritage Day was held the day before Thanksgiving break. Teacher and organizer Amy Williams explained that days before vacation are often filled with movies and missed learning time. “We wanted to take a day that might’ve been not much of anything and turn it into a valuable learning experience, bringing our community in and having our students be teachers as well,” Williams said.

With that in mind, Williams, former librarian Louanne Krantz, FCS teacher Terry Calahan, fifth grade teacher Valerie Rogers, community members and Indian Education Committee members organized and volunteered at the annual event. With rotating activities each year, the teachers looked to Knowledge Keepers to see what they would like to bring to the classrooms.

Knowledge Keepers Rosemary Caye and Elder Myrna Dumontier participated in this year’s activities. In the morning, Caye worked with sessions of seventh and eighth graders on small weaving projects that could be completed by the end of the class, and Dumontier came in to help.

“My grandmother and my teachers always said that when you’re learning something new, you don’t start off knowing how to do something well. You keep at it,” Dumontier said.

Having to undo weaving and start over trained the muscles in her hands, her brain, and her arms. She said it taught her to get a feel for the kind of tension needed and got her familiar with the materials.

As students wove their baskets, Caye and Dumontier talked about where they go to get materials, how to harvest them, and what tribes had their meeting places in different parts of the region. Weaving increases hand eye coordination and muscle memory that trains the body for other tasks too. “Weaving isn’t just weaving and artistry, it’s also training your body to become more flexible and more utilitarian.

More calm,” Dumontier stated. “It’s teaching kids to think about their whole world, not just their school world or their world at home.”

“When you sit down and go to work, everything else kind of goes away. It helps you keep a perspective on things,” Caye added.

With the fifth and sixth graders, the Knowledge Keepers played a Ksanka language game similar to Simon Says called “Skinku¢ Qakinni –Coyote Says” that integrates sign language. The educational game teaches native language while encouraging dance and play. “We had a great time, it was lots of fun,” Caye laughed.

Many other community members also contributed to the day’s activities. PMS math teacher Carrie Lapierre, someone Williams stated was

instrumental since the beginning, spent extra time outside of school to help with planning and preparation, and incorporates Indian Education into all her classrooms. Tribal Education Department Head Michelle Mitchell and Elder and Culture and Language Studies Program Director Tim Ryan, Salish language instructor Linda Ferris, and their cultural apprentices Jane Gardipe, Giddy Woodcock, John Stevens, and Salish language teacher Malia Vanderberg also jumped in and taught sessions for students, gave out prizes, and provided support throughout the day. Over 30 student leaders helped support the community presenters and teach sessions. With five teacher leaders for sessions throughout the day, and parent and Indian Education Committee volunteer D’Arcy Ellis donating over two days of time, Williams said the meaningful day was able to happen entirely thanks to group effort, support, and guidance from so many adults and youths.

“You can only learn so much

COURTESY PHOTO

COURTESY PHOTO

in a book, but when you have our cultural experts and our knowledge keepers that’re right here with us, why not sit down and have a conversation where we’re learning together? Everybody can be the student, and everybody can be the teacher,” Williams commented.

“We’re sharing our culture, and we’re bringing together everyone, not just our own people. We’re sharing and learning, and getting to know one another,” Caye said. “We’re breaking down barriers, and to me that was really exciting, and the kids absolutely loved it … It helps build connections and friendships, and that’s what we need to do. Build community.

We’re all alike, we all have knowledge to share.”

Dumontier agreed.

“We’ve got other tribal kids from other tribes, descendants from other tribes, we’ve got non-tribal people who are very interested in knowing and understanding Native culture.

It’s a time of growth and reinforcement of identity, it’s a time of introspection to just come to understand each other better, to appreciate each

other better.” she said. “It affirms our community has reached the level of acceptance and wellness to do the right thing for each other. And acknowledging each other is really important, and holding each other in high esteem … The only way our children are ever going to learn how to do that is if we as the teachers, the adults in the room, are practicing and living that ourselves.”

Local named ‘Coach of the Year’ by Montana Coaches Association

MONTANA — The Montana Coaches Association is pleased to announce that Chris Eichert was selected, by a vote of member coaches, as “Coach of the Year” for Boys Cross Country 2022.

Eichert, along with others, will be honored at the 2023 MCA Awards Ceremony, at 11:30 a.m. on July 27 at CMR High in Great Falls.

COURTESY PHOTOS

News from Montana Coaches Association

“

It’s a time of growth and reinforcement of identity, it’s a time of introspection to just come to understand each other better, appreciate each other better.

- Knowledge Keeper and CSKT Elder Myrna Dumontier

Brockie pleads guilty to possession

POLSON — A Spokane woman admitted to trafficking the dangerous drug fentanyl into Lake County from Spokane, Washington. Amanda Jean Brockie, 51, entered a guilty plea to criminal possession with intent to distribute at District Court in Polson on Dec. 7. The plea was entered as part of a plea agreement that will dismiss at sentencing a tampering charge and an unrelated simple possession charge.

According to court records, on Oct. 25, Brockie was a passenger of a car that had traveled into Lake County from Spokane. Law enforcement had received “confi-

dential but reliable” information that Brockie had gone to Spokane specifically to bring drugs back to Lake County. When the Silver Ford Edge that Brockie was in returned to Lake County, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on it and detained Brockie on an outstanding warrant. Brockie was transported to the Lake County jail and placed in a holding cell. In a video surveillance recording of the holding cell, detention officers observed Brockie making motions consistent with removing something from the waistband of her pants and dropping it behind a bench of the cell. The item that

was dropped turned out to be a plastic candy dispenser containing 102 blue pills with the ‘M” and “30” stamp on them. These pills are known by law enforcement to be a form of counterfeit Oxycodone pills that contain the deadly drug fentanyl. Text messages made by Brockie that were recovered from a mobile device allegedly revealed Brockie’s intention to distribute the pills in Lake County.

Judge Molly Owen set a sentencing date of Feb. 1. The plea agreement calls for a joint recommendation of ten years with the Montana Department of Corrections with half that time suspended.

Final weekend! Christmas wagon rides

Folck pleads not guilty to 10 charges

POLSON — A Polson man could be facing a possible lifetime behind bars. That was the warning Judge Molly Owen gave to Timothy Preston Folck during his arraignment hearing on 10 different criminal charges at District Court in Polson on Dec. 7. Folck, 50, entered a plea of not guilty to misdemeanor charges of violation of an order of protection, criminal contempt, and criminal possession of drug paraphernalia. He also pleaded not got guilty to felony charges of violation of an order of protection, stalking, criminal possession with intent to distribute, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, use or possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture and criminal production or manufacture of dangerous drugs.

From our Logan Health family to yours, we wish you a happy, healthy holiday season. May peace, joy, hope and prosperity follow you into the new year.

Stories by Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

Folck

According to court records, on Aug. 25, a woman, identified by the initials D.E. was granted a temporary order of protection against Folck. Folck allegedly called her two days later and left five voice mails. He also allegedly sent messages via Facebook. On Sept. 13, Folck allegedly arranged for a third party to contact D. E. On Nov. 10 a hearing on the order of protection was held before Judge Deborah “Kim” Christopher. At the end of that hearing Judge Christopher ordered Folck to surrender all firearms as he admitted to violating the order of protection. Folck did not comply to the order to surrender his firearms, prompting deputies with the Lake County Sheriff’s office to search Folck’s residence on Nov. 14. The deputies say they located weapons and much more, including more than two pounds of methamphetamine, 50 marijuana plants that were apparently part of a grow operation, 1.4 ounces of psychedelic mushrooms, various drug paraphernalia and $24,000 cash. Folck was allegedly in possession of a small amount of methamphetamine when he was booked in the Lake County jail.

Judge Owen set the case for trial June 5 and denied a bond reduction. Folck remains in the Lake County jail with bail set at $250,000.

Wall pleads guilty to DUIs

By Jeff Smith of Anderson Broadcasting for the Valley Journal

POLSON — A Polson woman was committed at District Court in Polson on Dec. 7 to the Montana Department of Corrections for a total of 15 years with all that time suspended for felony DUI’s number six and seven. Marcia Rose Wall, 59, pleaded guilty to the charges during an earlier court appearance.

According to court records on Jan. 29 Lake County emergency dispatchers took numerous reports of a possibly impaired driver in a Toyota Rav4 on U.S. Highway 93 between Ravalli and St. Ignatius. The calls led to a traffic stop on the Rav4. Wall was identified as the driver. She had a blood alcohol content of .274 and was arrested. Then on April 8, an employee at the Polson

Liquor store reported to law enforcement that an intoxicated woman had just left the store in a Toyota Rav4. Polson Police located the Toyota Rav4 a short distance away and initiated a traffic stop. Officers identified Wall as the driver. The bumper of the Toyota Rav4 was pressed up against the bumper of the vehicle in front of it. The officers could see a bottle of vodka on the

floor in the back of the vehicle and a box of wine on the back seat. The court records didn’t cite a blood alcohol content. DUI number six was pending when the April 8 incident occurred.

In addition to the 15 year suspended sentence, Judge Molly Owen ordered Wall to be accepted to and successfully complete the Lake County Drug Court.

Charlo man admits illegal killing of grizzly bear

News from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana

MISSOULA — A Charlo man who admitted on Dec. 9 to illegally killing a grizzly bear in 2018 was ordered to pay $5,000 restitution and sentenced to two years of federal probation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Kevin Moll, 31, pleaded guilty to an information charging him with unlawful taking of a threatened species.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided.

The government alleged in court docu-

ments that an investigation began on Sept. 26, 2018, when a sow grizzly bear’s collar went to “zero,” indicting the grizzly bear was dead. Law enforcement located the dead grizzly bear on a bone pile at the Perry Dairy near Charlo and found that the bear’s collar and ear tag had been removed.

Moll admitted he shot the grizzly bear from his vehicle and knew it was a grizzly before taking the shot. Moll shot the bear a second time in the neck. After walking up to the bear, Moll saw it had a collar. Moll used a front-end loader to pick up the grizzly and drop it on the bone pile. Ap-

proximately two days later, Moll saw biologists searching for the grizzly bear from a helicopter. He admitted he returned to the grizzly bear he’d killed, cut off the collar and ear tag and threw the items into Crow Creek. Law enforcement recovered the bear’s collar. Moll acknowledged he knew grizzlies were protected before pulling the trigger, and that he did not have a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to kill the grizzly bear.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the U.S. FWS.

valley views

Daines cannabis banking reform bill helps align federal, state law

I’m not a pro-marijuana guy. I voted against Montana’s adultuse cannabis initiative (I-190) in the 2020 election. However, since Montanans approved the initiative and recreational marijuana has taken effect in our state, I’ve been committed to following the will of the voters and making sure our new system works safely and effectively.

One of the biggest barriers to that objective is outdated federal law that causes problems for states that have legalized cannabis. In America, our system of government works best when federal and state policy are aligned and work toward common purpose. The fact that federal law, since 1970, still classifies cannabis in league with

letters

Thank you doesn't seem adequate

Editor, On behalf of the entire volunteer staff of the Polson Loaves and Fish Pantry, Inc. and our clients, we would like to thank those of you in our community as well as several donors outside of our area, for your amazing support. Because of all of you, we were able to make our goal set

heroin and cocaine is emblematic of misalignment with Montana law.

The good news for Montana and the nation is that we have forward-looking federal lawmakers like Steve Daines serving in the U.S. Senate. He understands why and how federal and state cannabis policy are misaligned. Senator Daines’s co-sponsorship of the landmark SAFE Banking Act to reform and modernize America’s unworkable cannabis banking laws is reportedly advancing in the U.S. Senate. There, it has languished despite passing the U.S. House of Representatives seven times.

Legislative Notes

The SAFE Banking Act wouldn’t legalize cannabis at the national level, but it would finally lift the ban preventing banks from providing legal medical and adult-use cannabis businesses access to the full range of services offered to every other industry. Legal state cannabis businesses should have access to basic business bank accounts, lines of credit and market-rate loans. These services are fundamental prerequisites to the ongoing viability and success of any business. Besides needed sunshine on the industry and more transparency,

the SAFE Banking Act would require federal banking regulators to provide uniform guidelines for cannabis-related business accounts. Depository institutions would be protected from civil and criminal sanctions for providing financial services to legally-operating cannabis firms.

Notably, the Montana Bankers Association joined 49 other state banking leaders in sending a letter to the U.S. Senate endorsing the SAFE Banking Act. In a separate letter to congressional leadership, the Cannabis Regulators Association—of which Montana is a member—noted that “access to traditional banking services would provide our regulatory agencies

with greater insight into licensed operators and could help in efforts to prevent diversion and criminal enterprises.”

Finally, and perhaps most important, the SAFE Banking Act will improve public safety by allowing businesses to stop holding so much cash. Dispensaries in other states, mostly on the West coast, are a constant target for violent criminals because Congress has been too slow to act. Robberies are commonplace and caravans of armed thieves target cannabis businesses. Some people have even died.

The SAFE Banking Act is commonsense legislation that will reduce crime, save lives, and benefit Montana business. We owe Sen. Daines a debt of gratitude for his

persistence in pressing forward with his bipartisan bill.

Montanans should hope the U.S. Senate passes the SAFE Banking Act before the end of 2022.

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.

by the Town Pump Charitable Foundation and will receive their matching funds. Without all of this help, we would not be able to keep our doors open, or be able to serve over 100 families a week, more than triple the number of families we served last year. This allows us to buy local fresh produce, eggs, margarine, bread, flour, and sugar as well as other food staples. We also purchase as much as we can through

the Montana Food Bank Network. We all want to be able to provide more nutritious chooses for our clients. And as everyone knows everything is more expensive currently. We strive to help anyone in need of food to be able to obtain it.

With the Town Pumps support we are also able to help support the children in need with our backpack program with applying and receiving a grant from

Town Pump. None of us wants to see any child go hungry and not have adequate food so that they are able to learn, thrive, and succeed.

We would like everyone to know how very much we appreciate your support from the smallest donation to the largest! Please know this thank you comes from the bottom of our hearts.

Deborah Chapman Treasurer of Polson Loaves and Fish Pantry

Come together

Editor, “Prejudice is the emotional commitment to ignorance.” - Dr. Nathan Rutstein

The increase in racism, incivility and violence in recent years is a cultural swerve that is not only disheartening but morally egregious.

Thanks to the Port Polson Players and a stellar see page 11

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.

Sen. Jason Ellsworth SD 43

letters

cast for bringing “The Diary of Anne Frank” to center stage as a timely reminder of the Jewish Holocaust. The wisdom and love of a 15-yearold girl shine a light of hope during this holiday season. Listen to her voice, “Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.”

It’s time we came together as Americans. Thoughtful people everywhere are hungering for a return to a grounded moral compass, decent behavior, and political moderation.

The beautiful hodgepodge of different faiths, ethnicities and lifestyles makes us diverse and unique. We are all “others” to someone else.

Let’s celebrate that. As young Anne told us, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Nancy Teggeman Polson vj

Final weekend for ‘Lights Under the Big Sky’

RONAN — Giant reindeer with illuminated antlers are popping up on the Ronan Lake County Fairgrounds, and the Grinch is swinging from wreaths on the Horticulture Building. It’s time for Lights Under the Big sky, the annual winter lights extravaganza. Thousands of lights made their debut Friday, Dec. 9. The event will also welcome visitors on Dec. 16 and 17 from 5 to 9 p.m.

As a special fun The City of Ronan’s Parade of Lights began at 6 p.m. on Dec. 9 and made its through Ronan to end at the fairgrounds, where the Chamber of Commerce held its Holiday Treasures Drawing.

Guests can walk around the fairgrounds, lit up with millions of LED lights and flickering fire pits here and there for hand warming and visiting with friends. Santa will be in

his house every night talking to children about Christmas wishes from 5:30 to 8:30. Find selfie spots for family photos or admire the vignettes. Kids can go to the Horticulture Barn for activities and to the animal barn for story time.

Inside the Community Center there’s a grove of Christmas trees, decorated by locale non-profit organizations, and everyone gets to vote for his or her favorite. The three trees who get the most votes win prizes.

To kick off the holiday season, the Community Center is also home to a Christmas market with unique gifts and seasonal treats to tempt everyone. Also there will be music to enjoy every night of Lights Under the Big Sky.

Bring the whole family; it’s $4 per person, families of six or more $20, with four-year-olds and younger free.

7th

Rowan

We love you kiddo!

- Mommy, Daddy, Finn & Gracie

SUMMER GODDARD / VALLEY JOURNAL

Unique dog rescue organization in Arlee prioritizes both humans, animals

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

ARLEE — A non-traditional dog rescue in Arlee is growing to help both animals and their communities overcome a cycle of trauma.

The Arlee Rehabilitation Center (ARC) was founded by Executive Director Filip Panusz, a former employee of both the Missoula Humane Society and the Mission Valley Animal Shelter. Throughout his career, Panusz said he saw times when people made assumptions that dogs were neglected, abused and abandoned because people just didn’t care about them. “My sense at the time from just having relationships with people and observing reality that this was kind of a misplaced assumption, that the truth was more complicated than that,” Panusz explained. “(People) find themselves in situations which are often dictated by socioeconomic conditions … and people who are struggling and have sustained trauma, including historical trauma, they most often love their animals very, very dearly. They simply don’t have the means to care for them.”

From these observations, ARC was developed with a different model from the traditional animal rescue or shelter, aiming to be present

within the community to help address trauma.

Panusz pointed out that rescuing an animal out of a situation leaves the rest of the situation in place, and the trauma involved with a situation remains.

“You can’t bring healing to the animals unless you bring healing to the people. You can’t separate those two issues. When people suffer animals suffer, when animals suffer people suffer,” Panusz stated.

One recent case of ARC’s he cited as an example, started with a dog he’d heard about that may have had puppies wandering in a remote area seeking food. Pursuing this led him to a remote home that had 53 dogs residing there.

The family had only started out with five or six dogs, but when they ran into some major family challenges that required their focus, the dog population just exploded.

“They’re dealing with this family situation, then on top of that they had this spiraling situation with these dogs, one feeds into the other and vice versa,”

Panusz said. “The human element, the fact they had these challenges with the family, certainly impacted the fact they didn’t have the resources, or the time, or the emotional strength to give attention to the dog situation and stop it from spiraling. They were occupied with more im-

portant things, like (caring for) their kids.”

While it was becoming a disaster for the family, Panusz explained, it would have become a disaster for the community as well had they not received help. Some of those 53 dogs were already pregnant - leading to a final total of 77 dogs for ARC to help handle - a population that would have escalated into the hundreds within a few months without interference. This would have impacted vet clinics, nonprofits, and the broader community in the area as well, absorbing the resources of that

population. “It was going to pretty quickly spiral into disaster if we hadn’t stepped in,” Panusz stated.

In total, this case cost them around $10,000 to spay and neuter the animals, get them vaccinated, provide food and transportation and take care of some other medical necessities as well for the dogs. Some dogs and puppies from that case are still looking for homes, all of which can be found under the organization’s name on PetFinder.com

In addition to their casework within the community, ARC held

two “Pawsitively Healing” summer camps for kids this year to bring kids, who in many cases have experienced trauma, together with animals. The animals help to teach them about building resiliency, stress management, and the importance of humane communication.

ARC also offers three programs year-round: the Canine Healing Experiment, Paws on the Ground, and the Spay/ Neuter Taskforce. The Healing Experiment provides rehabilitation for Reservation dogs while also providing animal-assisted and culturally-specific therapy to both children and adults. Paws on the Ground aims to empower underserved communities through community liaisons and volunteers working to identify local residents and animals in crisis and connect them to ARC support services. Finally, the Spay/Neuter Taskforce primarily carries out a trap and release program with bimonthly spay and neuter clinics for community cats on the Reservation, while also offering additional low-income veterinary support. These programs, Panusz said, bracket the overall mission of ARC, and none can function without the other.

While they were able to recoup some of their costs, from what Panusz

described as “an intense year,” during the recent Giving Tuesday in which they received around $15,000 in donations, ARC is still in need of support.

While ARC is moving in the direction of having their own facility, they currently operate on a foster care network, and are always in need of help fostering their dogs. Applications to foster are available on their website at: k9arc.org. Tax-deductible donations are also accepted on the website year-round.

On Feb. 11, ARC will hold its second ever fundraiser gala. They’ll be selling tickets, needing volunteers, and looking for item donations for auctions held during the event. The previous year saw them bring in about $30,000, which empowered them to do things for the community throughout the year. This year, they hope to raise $50,000 to do even more.

Updates for the fundraiser can be found on their Facebook page at: facebook.com/ArleeRehabilitationCenter. Updates about an upcoming distribution of pet food to low-income families can also be found on their Facebook page.

“This is a unique model,” Panusz stated. “It’s as much about the humans as it is about the animals … We appreciate all the support we get.”

COURTESY PHOTO

RHS students make All-Northwest music program

MONTANA —

Outstanding music students from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming have received top honors by being selected to participate in one of our 2023 NAfME All-Northwest performing groups. The students listed below will join over one thousand other outstanding high school student musicians in this gala event.

NAfME All-Northwest high school bands, orchestras and choirs will meet in Bellevue, Washington on Feb. 17-18. They will rehearse and perform in concert under the direction of world-renowned conductors. These All-Northwest musicians were selected from nearly 3000 students who auditioned to participate in this

outstanding event, which is managed by the Washington Music Educators Association.

Many professional musicians credit their All-Northwest experience as crucial in their decision to choose music as a career. Thousands of others whose career paths took them in different directions have great memories of participating in this inspiring and moti-

vating musical experience and claim that it was a life-changing experience for them.

Well-known Northwesterners who have participated in past years’ All-Northwest groups include trumpeters Doc Severinson and Allen Vizzutti, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and columnist David Horsey, 2008 National Teacher of the Year

Andrea Peterson, and jazz saxophonist Kenny G.

Students from Ronan High School participating in the upcoming All-Northwest include Heidi Webster in the orchestra on string bass, Zander Becker in choir as a bass, Gordon Stewart in choir as a tenor, and Grace Heiner and Mollie Sydnor in the choir as sopranos.

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

News from NAfME

COURTESY PHOTOS

Polson’s 11th Annual FLIC Film Festival moves to February

News and Photos from FLIC Publicity

POLSON — The Flathead Lake International Cinemafest (FLIC) has made a move from the last weekend in January to the last weekend in February.

FLIC celebrates its 11th winter film festival during the weekend of Feb. 24-26 at the Showboat Stadium 6, 416 Main Street, Polson.

FLIC screens full-length narrative and documentary features, shorts, animation, and student films. FLIC 2023 once again offers a diverse selection of domestic and international films, featuring entries from fifteen countries as well as many homegrown Montana films.

As with previous years, many filmmakers (and an Olympic gold medalist, no less) plan to travel to Polson to participate in the festival in person. FLIC has become a destination film festival for all the right reasons, chief among them being that FLIC’s enthusiastic local audience is so supportive of independent cinema. Spirited discussions between audience members and filmmakers cap off most screening blocks, and friendships take root between screenings as film lovers from across the globe converge in Polson to connect over the warm glow of cinema.

FLIC’s judges enjoy discovering each year’s cinematic gems. Included among them this year is the documentary feature film Mavericks, directed by FLIC alumni Scott Sterling. Mavericks, the screening of which is fittingly sponsored by The Maverick Men’s Threads and Gifts, tells the fascinating story of Montana’s freestyle skiing

legacy, through the struggles, victories, and journeys of some of the state’s most renowned skiers. The adrenaline-charged film features clips from international freestyle skiing competitions, home videos, and original cinematography. Mavericks will kickoff FLIC 2023 at 6 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24. Mavericks producer/director Scott Sterling, producer/writer Kelly Gorham, and Olympic gold medalist Eric Bergoust all plan to attend.

“This will be a first for the Flathead Lake International Cinemafest.” according to FLIC Director David W. King. “We’ve hosted many fascinating guests over the years, but never an Olympic gold medalist - who also won 15 World Cup events, was the 2002 overall freestyle World Cup champ, and twice

won the World Cup aerials title. In 1999 Bergoust added a World Championship in the aerials to his Olympic gold medal. Seeing Eric in action in Mavericks, then hearing directly from him and the film’s director and producers will be great fun and will get FLIC 2023 off to a stellar start.”

FLIC 2023 also features a full slate of exceptional short films. One narrative short is the Montana-made film Touch, a story about the power of love -- and how we pass that love from one generation to the next. In another short film, The Magician, a desperate woman’s life is forever changed by and unexpected encounter with kindness in the form of a quirky park mime. About her film The Magician, Director/Actor Sarah

Jane-Potts shares, “There is no love without connection and there is no connection without kindness. This film is my ode to kindness, and kindness is magic.”

FLIC 2023 gets underway at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24 with an informal “Taste of Polson” gathering in the lobby of the Showboat Stadium 6, 416 Main Street, Polson. Many of Polson’s local eateries will offer samplings of their food fair as filmmakers and FLIC attendees mingle. FLIC screenings then commence at 6 p.m. on multiple Showboat Stadium 6 screens.

On Saturday, Feb. 25 at 9:30 a.m., FLIC and the Polson Rotary Club offer their traditional free animated children’s film (title TBA) and egg burrito breakfast. The Polson Rotary

Club will serve breakfast in the Showboat Stadium 6 lobby beginning at 9:15 a.m. Festival film screenings then resume at 12:30 p.m. and continue on multiple screens into the evening. There will be a break in screenings from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for an informal filmmaker/ attendee mixer at The Durham, located at 49494 US Highway 93, Polson.

On Sunday morning, Feb. 26 at 9:30 a.m., The Good Coffee Roasting Company, 214 Main Street, Polson, is hosting a light breakfast mixer for filmmakers and festival attendees -- who can purchase a wide variety of drinks and delicious fresh baked food. This will provide a fun jumpstart to FLIC’s final day of weekend screenings.

The FLIC 2023 weekend draws to a festive close with an Awards ceremony and dessert reception from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., free to the public. The Audience Award will also be given to the FLIC audience’s overall favorite film.

If you miss FLIC weekend, the Showboat Stadium 6 will host FLIC 2023 encore screenings from 7 p.m. Sunday evening, Feb. 26, through Thursday evening, March 2. The encore screenings schedule will be posted on FLICPolson.com in January.

All films, times and events are subject to change. In late January, the FLIC 2023 screening schedule will be available to view at FLICPolson.com, where festival passes and individual screening tickets may also be purchased. FLIC is also on Facebook, where information is updated regularly. Email: contact@flicpolson.com.

P.E.O. provides warm clothes for students

POLSON — Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) Chapter CA members, Ramona Mahoney, Linda Bone and Janice Donovan purchase warm winter clothing and boots for students at Cherry Valley and Linderman schools. P.E.O. Chapter CA members elected to replace their Christmas gift exchange for a cash collection to purchase the clothing for the children. This year, over $1,300 was raised by the members. P.E.O. is philanthropic educational organization which provides scholarships and low-interest loans for woman.

Thank You

On Behalf of the St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce

we would like to thank all of our sponsors and helpers for this year’s Christmas Carnival, Tree lighting and Parade of Lights. These events could not take place with out the help of so many. We have a great community and businesses that dontate to this every year and we are very thankful. So many people in the community enjoy these eventsespecially the kids at the carnival. We just want to say thank you to all of the sponsors and people who help out. We had one of the best carnivals ever, and a great Tree Lighting with one of the best turnouts for the event we have ever had. We had a great Parade of Lights with over 11 vehicles and floats. I can’t say enough about how amazing it was to see the streets filled with people and people outside their homes and pulled over on the side of the roads through the whole route. It was great seeing the residents of the assisted living center (Pines of Mission) looking out the window this year watching the parade. We do this for the community and we are so thrilled to see so many people this year partake in the events.

Thank you!: S & K Technologies, Blackfoot Communications, CSKT Reason To Live Native Program, Murdoch’s Polson, Rugged Horizons, Valley Bank of Ronan, Stuart’s Home Town Auto, Mountain View Cenex, Allard’s stage Stop, Rod’s Harvest Foods, Ty’s Malt shop, Three Chiefs Culture Center and gift shop, Simple Simon’s Pizza, Kuefler Lightning, Two Rivers Auto Body, Mission Valley Properties, Mission Dental, The Kapi Shop, Ninepipes Lodge, Cenex Ronan, 44 Outwest Bar n Grill, and Hunts Timbers, Walmart Polson, Corner Stone Faith Center. D & J meats, J & K Town and Country.

The Chamber and community are very grateful to all of these businesses that donated to this year’s Christmas Events. We also want to shout out to Janis Heffern and Chris Heffern, Marie Torosian, Reason to Live Native staff, Mariah Hamel, JP Thomas and family, Randi Gariepy, Kelly and Dusty Nagel, Fred Gariepy, Stuart Morton, Candy Faroni, Wendy Orr, Steven Gore, Connie Pierce, Rose Knott, Melinda Umphrey, Heidi riddle, Gary & Barb Plouffe, Jack And Havila Helmsing, Sarah Bird, Cassidy Orr, Leo Pierce, Jake Helser, Abbie Orr, Ray Cordier, Early Childhood services, Brittany Gillingham, Live Oak Belgiums Kenn McCarty, Braydin Polinsky, Scott Morton, Mission Police, Mission Fire Department, and St. Ignatius Schools. Everyone else that I might have missed who helped make the Christmas Carnival, Tree Lighting and Parade a success, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We have a great community filled with great people. Thank you as well to everyone who came out and braved the cold weather and enjoyed the Festivities!

- The St. Ignatius Chamber of Commerce

News from Suz Rittenhouse

$309 million in broadband grants headed for Gianforte’s approval

The program includes $110 million for Charter Communications projects, drawing ire from competing Montanabased providers.

News from Eric Dietrich Montana Free Press

MONTANA — A state commission advanced grant recommendations Wednesday for a massive, $309 million rural broadband connectivity push, moving a previously delayed grantmaking process forward despite concerns voiced by Montana-based internet companies about the amount — approximately $110 million — slated for telecom giant Charter Communications.

The list of ConnectMT awards, funded by federal stimulus money, now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Gianforte for his approval.

“Is this perfect? No. And I don’t think anything ever is perfect. But what this does is it serves Montana best. And I’m proud to say that I think with the work that we’ve done that we’ve gotten to that point,” said Communications Advisory Commission chair Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton.

Charter’s combined grant amount to subsidize 17 broadband projects in different parts of Montana would be a historic award for state government, which normally works with sums of money at least an order of magnitude smaller.

In comparison, a grants list

maintained by the Montana Department of Commerce indicates the department’s awards in fiscal year 2019, before pandemic-era stimulus dollars flooded into state coffers, totaled $79 million across 421 projects, with the largest single award being $10 million. A contract with a consulting group hired to oversee the struggling Montana State Hospital signed by the state health department earlier this year totals $7 million.

The broadband commission, which includes Gianforte administration officials as well as Republican and Democratic legislators, capped the amount it recommends allocating to Charter projects at approximately 35% of the total broadband program.

That cap, however, wasn’t enough to quiet objections raised by smaller, Montana-based telecommunications companies that want more of the money to expand their own networks. Several have argued this year that the scoring system the commission developed to rank grant applications gave Connecticut-based Charter an unfair edge in places where it and local internet service providers proposed competing projects.

One small telecom company owner, Robert Bialecki of Great Falls-area provider KDS Fiber, wrote in an email to the commission this week that awarding public money to Charter would jeopardize his business by providing a public subsidy to a competitor that wasn’t previously focused on building in his coverage area.

“KDS was rolling out fi-

ber to rural neighborhoods, households, and small businesses in Cascade County as an upgrade from wireless services before the federal subsidies came available,” wrote Bialecki, whose company’s application was outscored by a Charter proposal.

“ARPA was not designed to crush locally owned, small businesses in our communities,” Bialecki wrote.

Scoring the Proposals

The small telecom companies argue the state’s grant scoring system has allowed Charter to “cherry-pick” projects that serve comparatively profitable urban centers with less distance between customers while excluding less-profitable rural areas. In some cases, the smaller providers say, their proposed projects rely on those higher-density areas to balance otherwise unprofitable rural expansion — meaning rural customers could be left out if the state forges ahead with Charter-proposed projects that improve connectivity in more constrained areas.

In a Wednesday letter to the broadband commission, Nemont Telephone Cooperative CEO Mike Kilgore wrote that his organization had applied for two grants to help fund broadband expansion east of Billings around Huntley Project and Worden through a subsidiary, Project Telephone Company. Charter, he noted, had put in for grants to expand its network in some of the same territory.

Because Charter’s applications were scored higher than Project Telephone’s in the

commission’s rankings, its proposed projects take priority in the overlap region, leaving the Montana-based company with a partial grant award.

However, Kilgore wrote, Project Telephone is already the region’s Public Service Commission-regulated telephone service provider and has been offering broadband service in the Huntley and Worden exchanges since 2002. As such, he said, his company is obligated to provide service to all customers in the region and has proposed broadband projects with broader coverage.

“The applications of Charter represent the expansion of their Billings network limited to the eastern suburbs of Billings while excluding the highest cost, most difficult to serve locations,” he wrote.

Kilgore also argued the commission’s scoring criteria violates the state law that created the broadband program last year. That law requires the scoring criteria to give “the highest weight or priority” to factors including “the length of time the provider has been providing broadband service in the state,” “the extent to which government funding support is necessary to deploy broadband service,” and “the extent to which the project does not duplicate any existing broadband service infrastructure in the proposed project area.”

Those criteria, Kilgore wrote, don’t appear to have been included on the ConnectMT program’s official scoring matrix.

Department of Administration spokesperson Megan Grotzke said in an email

Thursday that the department didn’t receive Kilgore’s letter until after Wednesday’s meeting began. She also noted that the scoring criteria went through a formal public comment process last year.

Grotzke didn’t provide an explicit response to a question about whether the statutory criteria singled out by Kilgore had been accounted for as grant applications were scored.

“While making a historic investment to bridge the digital divide in Montana and increase Montanans’ access to affordable, reliable broadband, CAC’s process and recommendations comply with state law,” she wrote, referring to the Communications Advisory Commission.

Charter, which offers internet service in Montana under the Spectrum brand, has lobbied the broadband commission extensively. The company’s Montana Government Affairs Director, Bridger Mahlum, said at Wednesday’s meeting that the company supports the current recommendations.

“We are looking forward to getting our shovels out and getting access to Montanans who don’t have it,” Mahlum said.

Where the money comes from

When the state broadband program was launched last year, its champions described it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make a transformational investment in modern internet connectivity in parts of rural Montana where access has lagged.

sports shorts

Basketball St. Ignatius

SHELBY — The St Ignatius Boys and Girls varsity basketball teams traveled to Shelby to open their respective seasons Dec. 9 and 10.

The Lady Bulldogs opening game was against the Fairfield Lady Eagles, rolling to a 52-37 victory. St. Ignatius ran out to a 26-12 first half lead and never looked back. Cora Matt and Kooper Page led the scoring with 12 points apiece, while Izzy Evans and Kason Page added nine points and eight points, respectively. The Lady Bulldogs next faced the Cut Bank Wolves in a very tight game and came out winners 59-52. Matt and Evans had outstanding individual performances, scoring 17 a piece and ensuring the girls went home with a perfect start to the season.

The Bulldogs endured a more difficult start to their season, losing to Fairfield 73-42 and to Cut Bank 60-50. Zoran LaFrambois led all scorers in both games with 35 points against the Eagles and 22 points against the Wolves. Both the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs next travel to Big Fork to face The Vikings on Dec. 17 at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Arlee

ARLEE — The Warriors and Scarlets hosted the Drummond Trojans Dec. 10 for their first home games for the season. The Warriors kept their perfect start to the season with their third straight win, overcoming Drummond 65-55. Dallas Swab led the scoring for the Warriors with 16 points, while Ben Old Per-

son-Harlow and Ethan Fiddler adding 14 and 9, respectively.

The Scarlets led a great fourth quarter comeback after trailing most of the game only to come up short, losing 37-34. Princess Bolen led the scoring for The Scarlets with 13 points and Raven Parson added 11 of her own.

The Warriors and Scarlets next host Missoula Loyola Dec. 16 starting at 6 p.m.

Polson

FRENCHTOWN — The Pirates and Lady Pirates traveled to Frenchtown to play Dillon and Corvallis in their opening games of the season Dec. 9 and 10. Both the girls and boys teams struggled against the Dillon Beavers, with the Lady Pirates losing 17-43 and the Pi-

rates losing 42-78.

The Lady Pirates won their second game of the weekend against the Corvallis Blue Devils 46-34. Mila Hawk and Grace Simonich led Polson’s scoring with 12 a piece while Addyson Gallafin scored 10 of her own to round out their trip to Frenchtown on a high.

The Pirates were also able to win their next game, overcoming the Blue Devils 63-56. Although Corvallis was able to race out to lead the first quarter, Polson came back strong at the end of each half with a 21-point second quarter and a 24-point fourth quarter. The Pirates and Lady Pirates next host the Hamilton Broncs Dec. 13, starting at 6 p.m.

Charlo

CHARLO — The Lady Vikings and Vikings traveled to Deer Lodge Dec. 9 with both coming out on top.

The Vikings fell behind in the first quarter to the Wardens but led 33-28 at halftime. After still only being up three at the end of the third, Charlo outscored Deer Lodge 20-8 in the fourth to run away with the 66-49 victory.

The Lady Vikings lead the entire game, dominating on both the offensive and defensive sides, winning 52-31.

Ronan

FRENCHTOWN — The Chiefs and Maidens traveled to Frenchtown Dec. 9 and 10

with each playing the Hamilton Broncs and the East Helena Vigilantes.

The Chiefs kicked off their season against the Broncs, coming up short of the victory 59-67. Marlo Tonasket led the team with 17 points and Josiah Misa added 16 of his own. Elija Tonasket was also in double digits with 12 points, while Kplby Finley scored 9 more.The Chiefs were able to bounce back against the Vigilantes, winning 61-45. E. Tonasket led the team with 15 points, while Ted Coffman scored 12 in what was a great team performance.

The Maidens also fell in their opening game against the Broncs 45-72. Olivia Heiner led the scoring for the Maidens with

Stories by Porter Counts / Valley Journal

BOB GUNDERSON PHOTO

Mila Hawk

BOB GUNDERSON PHOTO

Jarrett Wilson

“Too many of our communities, particularly in rural and frontier Montana, don’t have access to reliable broadband,” Gianforte said in a release as he signed the program into law in May 2021. “Greater access to broadband will increase opportunities for Montanans, whether in ag or high-tech or other Montana industries, but we need to get more cable in the ground.”

The money fueling the program comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, a coronavirus pandemic stimulus measure that was passed by the Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress over opposition from most congressional Republicans.

When the act passed in March 2021, Gianforte, a Republican, called it a “fiscally irresponsible progressive wish list” in a tweet from his official account. His office has since said he’s committed to ensuring that Montana’s relief money is put toward effective long-term investments.

Last year’s Montana Legislature followed the federal bill with its own laws implementing a spending framework for the roughly $2 billion that the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, allocated to state government. That framework dedicated funding to water infrastructure, public health efforts, economic development and broadband expansion.

Lawmakers created a system of public-facing advisory committees including the broadband commission, but delegated final authority for most spending decisions to the governor.

As it sketched out parameters for the ConnectMT broadband expansion effort, the Legislature chose to create a

grant program through which internet service providers would receive public money to support projects that expand coverage to underserved corners of Montana and, in theory, wouldn’t be economically viable without a subsidy. The ConnectMT law also included a grant challenge mechanism intended to give existing providers a way to fend off subsidized competition from companies that wanted to use the grants to move onto turf where existing providers had already invested.

The Legislature specified the effort would be housed within the Montana Department of Commerce, the agency that handles most of the state’s economic development grantmaking. The Gianforte Administration later determined the program would instead be managed by the Montana Department of Administration. The heads of the two departments signed a memorandum of understanding between the two agencies formalizing the transfer in June 2021.

“Commerce recognizes that the DOA’s Architecture and Engineering Division (‘A&E’) has the necessary financial, procurement, human resources, and construction expertise to implement the program,” the memo reads in part.

The Department of Administration and its director, Misty Ann Giles, moved ahead with the broadband effort, hiring

- Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton

program staff, developing the scoring criteria with input from the advisory commission and unveiling a state broadband coverage map to guide decisions about where to focus expansion efforts.

Sen. Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, and Montana Department of Administration Director Misty Ann Giles at a Dec. 7, 2022 meeting of the ARPA Communications Advisory Commission. Credit: Montana Public Affairs Network

The state’s broadband coordinator, Chad Rupe, left his post in May 2022 after six months with the program to take a job at a California telecom company. In an email to advisory commission members announcing Rupe’s departure, state ARPA Program Director Scott Mendenhall said the state had contracted with an outside engineering firm, CTC, to review grant applications and wrote that Giles would continue to lead the program.

Industry news outlet Fierce Telecom quoted Rupe last month discussing the challenges facing states like Montana as they try to develop new broadband grant programs.

“You look across the nation and there’s a lot of state offices that are getting stood up and they lack the personnel, they lack the expertise, they lack the track record and so do the state legislatures and different gover-

nor administrations. There’s just not a lot of depth of knowledge and expertise in these arenas,” Rupe told the outlet. “And so what you get is you get a whole bunch of cooks in the kitchen who don’t really know how to cook and they all want to put their own recipe into the mix. So, it’s really a challenge.”

The challenges facing the Montana broadband program came to a head in August, when the broadband commission, led by Giles and Ellsworth, had planned to forward its grant recommendations to the governor. However, an initial grant application ranking that proposed awarding Charter nearly half the program’s funding drew criticism from small telecom companies, some of whom alleged their applications had been scored improperly.

State officials responded by convening a new committee to conduct what they called an “independent review” of the grant scoring by a group of state employees. That review, which found some categories had been left unscored in the initial pass, resulted in adjusted scores for 76 of 85 applications, in many cases bumping projects up by 20 or more points out of 100.

“Going through this process and getting everybody a complete and accurate score, that was our goal. And that’s always been our goal,” Ellsworth said at a Nov. 1 meeting where the revised scores were presented.

That revised ranking, with the addition of extra funding from a separate pot of stimulus money and the 35% cap limiting the amount of money granted to any single entity, was the basis for the grant awards recommended by the broadband committee this week.

In addition to Charter’s $110 million for 17 projects, large

proposed recipients include Blackfoot Communications, which is slated for $60 million to support seven projects in western Montana, and Grizzly Broadband, which is slated for $48 million to support six projects in the Bitterroot Valley. Seventy-three projects are recommended for award in total. Project Telephone, the eastern Montana Nemont subsidiary, is on the books for a $4 million allocation. Bialeki’s KDS isn’t currently slated for a grant award, but remains eligible for alternate funding if higher-ranked companies pull their projects out of the program.

While they await final action on the current grants from the governor, broadband committee members are looking ahead to a fresh round of federal money heading the state’s way from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That amount, Ellsworth said this week, could total as much as half a billion dollars.

“Guess what? Round two is coming. And we want to make sure we serve the entire state,” he said.

Disclosure: Blackfoot Communications is a financial sponsor of MTFP’s MT Lowdown newsletter.

This story is published by Montana Free Press as part of the Long Streets Project, which explores Montana’s economy with in-depth reporting. This work is supported in part by a grant from the Greater Montana Foundation, which encourages communication on issues, trends, and values of importance to Montanans. Discuss MTFP’s Long Streets work with Lead Reporter Eric Dietrich at edietrich@montanafreepress.org.

“ Going through this process and getting everybody a complete and accurate score, that was our goal. And that’s always been our goal.”

Polson v. Browning Wrestling Scores

BOYS

145 Daniel Peterson (Polson) over Jacob Burns (Browning) (Fall 1:03)

152 Tahj Wells (B) over Daniel O`Roake (P) (Fall 3:00)

160 Jack Sherry (P) over Isaac Flamand (B) (Fall 1:30)

170 Jaren Keene (P) over Sam Gordon (B) (Fall 1:43)

182 Kyrin Doty (P) over Zachariah Wells (B) (Fall 1:18)

285 Brendyn Whiteman (B) over Jason Burrough (P) (Fall 1:23)

103 Koal Wardall (P) over Unknown

113 Brandon Shumake (P) over Unknown

120 Pita Fish (B) over Gerardo Alverez (P) (Fall 0:17)

126 Double Forfeit 0 0

132 Alex Clairmont (P) over Yazmin Tatsey Mckay (B) (Fall 0:43)

138 La`Braun Shooter (B) over Matthew Chiramonte (P) (Fall 1:36)

145 Extra: Daniel Peterson (P) over River Boggs (B) (Fall 0:55)

160 Extra: Sam Gordon (B) over Sheamis Cobb (P) (Dec 11-4)

205 Extra: Landar Loring (B) over Durai Mahkuk (P) (Fall 0:25)

285 Extra: Brody Bulette (P) over James Whitcomb (B) (Fall 3:09)

138 Extra: Matthew Chiramonte (P) over Jack Monroe (B) (Fall 1:13)

Team Score: Polson 42; Browning 30

GIRLS

152 Joss Salois (B) over Abighail Sorrell (P) (Fall 1:37)

165 Venessa Wheeler (P) over Sadailyah Momberg (B) (Fall 1:35)

185 Pepper Featherston (P) over Beatrice Kipp (B) (Fall 2:20)

235 Double Forfeit

100 Ciri Nice (P) over Maeleigh Gardner (B) (Fall 1:15)

107 Double Forfeit

120 Ariella Mihara (P) over Rain Underbear (B) (Fall

0:40)

126 Sierra Freedenburg (B) over Shyloh Huffine (P) (Fall 0:56)

132 Cely DeBruin (P) over Madison Burns (B) (Fall 4:44)

138 Kendal Gilham (B) over Nizhoni Haynes (P) (Fall 0:33)

152 Extra: Aubriana Momberg (B) over Emma Smith (P) (Fall 0:39)

152 Extra: Abighail Sorrell (P) over Jasmine Bechel (B) (Fall 0:35)

165 Extra: Venessa Wheeler (P) over Keira Bighorn (B) (Fall 0:36)

120 Extra: Ariella Mihara (P) over Callie Wood (B) (Fall 0:37)

132 Extra: Shyloh Huffine (P) over Madison Burns (B) (Fall 3:21)

Team Score: Polson 30; Browning 30

shorts

12 points, and Leina Ulutoa and Margaret Cordova added 11 each.

The Maidens and Vigilantes played an outstandingly close game with Ronan coming out second best 55-58.

L. Ulutoa had an outstanding individual performance with 19 points and Heiner adding 14 of her own.

The Chiefs and Maidens next travel to Libby to take on the loggers Dec. 15 with games starting at 6 p.m.

from page 18 vj

Correction

In the Owen Invitational Wrestling tournament, Ronan Maiden Saellah Nomee won first place in the Girls 107-pound division. In her first match Nomee was able to pin Kaylynn Vanderpool of Corvallis and faced off against Addie Stewart of Frenchtown in the final. Nomee was able to win that match by fall as well.

CSKT Early Childhood Services Jobs Available

1 or more Contract Positions (December 22, 2022)

1 or more positions available

• Special Services Aide (Various locations) - $14.33–$16.47

• Infant/Toddler Teacher (Various locations) - $15.13 –17.39

• Infant/Toddler Lead Teacher (Polson/Ronan) $22.88 –$26.30

• Cook-(Ronan)- $14.24 - $16.36

• Head Start Teacher (Various locations) - $21.94 - $25.22

• Head Start Teacher Aide (Various locations) - $13.48 –$15.49

• Bus Driver - (Part-Time-Various locations) – Wage Negotiable

• Head Start & Early Head start Substitute (Various

• locations) - Wage Negotiable

• Head Start/Early Head Start Aide in Training (Various locations) - $10.82 - $12.44

• Infant/Toddler Lead Teacher/Supervisor (Various locations) - $23.09 – $26.54

• Head Start Teacher/Supervisor (Various locations)$23.48 – 26.99

• Cultural Specialist (Various) - $18.66 - $21.45

• Grandparent (Various) - $12.2 - $14.05

All Positions Must pass drug test and complete a Criminal Record Check including finger-printing, (no violence against children or individuals, no domestic violence, no sexual abuse or violent acts against children or any person) prior to employment and every 2 years thereafter; subject to random drug testing through the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe’s Personnel Department

Interested applicants can get a copy of the full position description at the Tribal Personnel Office or at the Early Childhood Services Admin Office in St. Ignatius (Neil Charlo Building). All applicants must submit a completed Tribal employment application. Copy of relevant academic transcript/training certifications. Copy of current valid driver’s license. Completed supplemental background questionnaire. Proof of enrollment from a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT. If claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of the DD214 must be submitted. FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION DURING THE SCREENING PROCESS

Please contact CSKT Early Childhood Services at 406-745-4509 ext. 5506, or CSKT Personnel at 406-675-2700 ext. 1295 for more information.

New community events start at the co-op

By Taylor Davison Valley Journal

RONAN — The Ronan Cooperative Brewery has started bringing in new events for the community as 2022 draws to a close.

Board n’ Brew Sunday had its first gathering earlier this week to start bringing together local board game enthusiasts. Touting that boardgames have come a long way from Monopoly, the meetup group describes it as “a great way to disconnect from screens, move tiny wood cubes around on cardboard instead, and pass a long winter in the meantime.”

While the group’s next gathering will be after the holidays on Jan. 8, they hope to build the event into a “weekly-ish” endeavor. Those interested can learn more or sign up for notifications at: meetup.com/mission-valley-gamers

Additionally, the Coop is now holding Date Nights on Wednesdays,

where patrons can get a dollar off pours from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., with the occasional live music from the Western Montana Musician’s Co-op to accompany the evening. Local musicians Coy Theobalt, Miller Campbell, and the group Good Company each have days on the calendar to perform there this month.

Each Friday will continue to offer local food options at the brewery

Walt!

He is a very sweet, loving cat who wants attention. He would be fine with other cats and/ or dogs.

as well, with both Beach Bunny Bakery and Meredith from Mere’s Magic Universe and Tea are slated to sell their goodies throughout December. Trivia Tuesdays will also enjoy a takeover from the Montana Farm Bureau at some point in the month.

To see dates for upcoming events or learn more, visit the Co-op’s social media at: facebook.com/RonanCooperativeBrewery

PHS Booster Club boosts support for students

POLSON — The Polson High School Booster Club is an organization formed to enhance extracurricular activities and enrich students’ overall school experience. It is comprised of parents, staff members, community members, and local business owners who all share the same vision of supporting school athletes and competitors. It provides fundraising, financial assistance, and countless hours of volunteer support for extracurricular events and activities. The Booster Club is an integral component of high school athletics and is currently headed by Polson High School paraprofessional Pam Carruth. She is a driving force who has been involved with Booster for eight years and its president for the past five years. “The Booster Club is made up of a great group of people who want to give back to

kids,” said Carruth. The Booster Club sponsors two major fundraising events each year. The first is a cornhole contest held in August. “It is a great way to get people back in the swing of things with athletics and socializing,” said Carruth. This year, it was held at Riverside Recreation, which generously helped sponsor it. Attendees participated in a double-elimination cornhole tournament and received a tasty barbeque meal. At the conclusion of the contest, the custom Polson Pirate cornhole boards were raffled off.

Additionally, Booster sponsors an annual dinner and auction in March at the Elks Lodge. In preparation for this event, each extracurricular team goes out into the community, seeks service and product donations, and neatly packages them up into a themed basket, which is then auctioned off at the dinner. The senior athletes

and competitors assist with the event by providing bussing and hosting services. Thereafter, they are individually recognized for their contributions to their respective sports and activities. Last year, Anderson Broadcasting radio personality, Brian Miskimins, volunteered his time as the auctioneer and added another layer of excitement to the gala gathering.

Raised funds go directly to the athletic and activities program and are used for various sporting and extracurricular reasons.

Notably, the funds helped renovate the high school weight room, including the purchasing of several new squat racks. This renovation benefited the school athletes and provided more strength training opportunities for physical education classes and student open gym time. Also, they help decrease the stress and burden of students and families who may not have the resources

to pay for expenses associated with participation in extracurriculars. “Polson activities and athletics have garnered success in large part because of the contributions made by the booster club. With their contributions to equip and financially support our students, it has allowed our teams and organizations to focus on what is important: practice and performance of their activity,” said Athletic Director Ethan Bucarey.

And the Booster Club sells Polson Pirate swag. Pirate gear is sold at every varsity home game and online on PHS’s Facebook

page.

The Booster Club and its members provide essential support that helps create a positive experience for Polson students. If you are interested in being part of the “Booster team,”

please email Pam Carruth at pcarruth@polson.k12. mt.us.

“We are always looking for new members who are willing to volunteer and promote Polson Pirate spirit!” said Carruth.

RMC announces fall semester dean’s list

BILLINGS — Rocky Mountain College is pleased to announce the undergraduate honor rolls for the 2022 fall semester. The Dean’s List includes the students who earned a grade point average of 3.60 to 3.99 for the semester. High Honors students who maintained a 4.0 GPA will be noted with an asterisk (*).

Local students are Shyanne Reum* from Charlo and Coyle Nagy*of Plains.

obituaries

Beatrice Kruse

POLSON — Beatrice Louise “Bea” Kruse, age 62. of Polson, passed away on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, at St. Luke Hospital, surrounded by her family. She was born on Oct. 25, 1960, in Glasgow, the daughter of Francis and Belva (Emeline) Morin.

She attended schools in both Saco and Malta. While attending school, she enjoyed playing baseball and cheerleading.

On July 26, 1980, she married her high school sweetheart, Robert Gunsch. They welcomed their daughter Courtney in 1982. They later divorced.

On Aug. 18, 1990, she married Dwayne “Dewey” Kruse. They welcomed their daughter Krista in 1992. They later divorced.

Bea had a passion and love of designing flowers. In 2010, she purchased her own business, Just Bea’s Floral and Gifts in Polson. She ran and worked her business until her passing.

Bea loved her children and grandchildren very much. She was especially proud of her granddaughter Bethany for graduating from Cosmetology School and bragging about her making “this old lady’s nails so pretty.” Bea loved taking her grandson Tucker on their “None ya business”

lunch date shenanigans! Bea loved it when her granddaughter Lyla and grandson Emmery would show her all of their farm animals. Bea was so excited to meet her newest grandson, Logan. They would hum together when she would hold him.

Bea had many bonus “kids” and “grandkids” that she loved dearly.

She is survived by her daughters, Courtney (Chad) Nesson and Krista (Blake) Holman, all of Polson; her grandchildren, Bethany Kruse - Nesson, Tucker Nesson, Lyla, Emmery and Logan Holman; her siblings, Raymond (MaryAnn) Morin, Paul Morin, Bill (Mickey) Morin, Tom (Wendy) Morin and Frank (Karen) Morin as well as numerous stepbrothers, stepsisters, nieces and nephews.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Bea that will be held at a later date. 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.

Patricia Rawlings

MESA, ARIZONA — Patricia “Pat” Jane (Bruner) Rawlings, passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at her winter home in Mesa, Ar-

izona. Pat was born on Aug. 24, 1928, in Myrtle Point, Oregon, to Sam and Anna Bruner(Delamater). She grew up with and was very close to her sister Virginia “Ging” Rauch. She was a graduate from Springfield High School and attended Business school in Eugene, Oregon. She was married to her high school sweetheart, Clifford Rawlings, on May 1, 1948, in Eugene, OR. Soon after, they began to start a beautiful family together and eventually a successful family business.

Pat was a beautiful, strong, vibrant, outgoing, and classy woman. She enjoyed dressing up, playing cards, golfing, traveling, dancing, a nice glass of red wine and enjoying life to its fullest. She enjoyed being around her family and friends and everyone she knew wanted to be around her and part of her life.

Pat was the epitome of “family matriarch.” Her lake house was always the center and gathering spot for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There were also many late night business meetings and card games with family and friends. Everyone looked to her for advice. She was a professional business woman but family was the most important part of her life. Her quick wit and humor kept family, friends, and co-workers on their toes. Pat was co-owner with her husband Cliff, and eventually owner of Rawlings Construction after he passed. When she wasn’t taking care of her family and her business, she worked

part-time as a professional wall-paper installer. Later in life she was the co-owner and operator of the Wash and Go laundromat and carwash in Polson.

Pat is preceded in death by her loving husband, Cliff; parents, Sam and Anna Bruner (Delamater); sister, Virginia Rauch; brother-inlaw, Freddy Cave; and her sister-in-law, Ozella Rutherford.

She is survived by her children and their spouses, Craig and Carol Rawlings, Mike Rawlings and Irma Spencer, Pam and Bill Owen and John and Judi Rawlings. Pat has nine grandchildren: Curtis Owen, Matthew Owen, Brett Owen, Nick Rawlings, Kristin McGraw, Clifford (CJ) Rawlings, Darren Bedonie, Ren Owens, and Ame Boyce. Pat also has seven wonderful great-grandchildren: Ava and Hudson Owen, Keira and Lolo Owen, Piper Owen, Alec and Alaina Rawlings and Floyd Boyce. Pat is also survived by her nieces and nephews that she deeply cared about and a sister-in-law, Hazel Cave, whom she loved as a sister.

Pat’s family would like to share this poem about her to show how much they love her and miss her:

“A wife, a mother, a grandma too, this is the legacy we have from you. The world changes from year to year, our lives from day to day, but the love and memory of you, shall never pass away.”

The family plans to have a memorial at Pat’s Flathead Lake home in the summer of 2023.

Muzzleloader season begins

News from MT Fish, Wildlife & Parks

HELENA — Muzzleloader season opens on Saturday, Dec. 10, and runs through Dec. 18. This season is for muzzleloaders only; no other means of taking game, such as archery, is allowed. Note that some areas have elk shoulder seasons through Feb. 15, where firearms and archery equipment may be allowed.

Hunters should also note that many of Montana’s Block Management Areas (BMAs), even though they are open for upland bird or waterfowl through Jan. 1, are not allowing the harvest of deer or elk during the muzzleloader heritage season. Make sure to check BMA rules before you hunt.

Find Block Management Program information at: https://fwp.mt.gov/ hunt/access/blockmanagement

In addition, although all Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) in Region 7 are open year-round, many other WMAs allowing hunting across the state are closed through May 14. If planning to hunt a WMA, see a list of WMAs and their seasonal closure dates: https://fwp. mt.gov/binaries/content/assets/ fwp/conservation/wmas/wma-openclose-chart.doc.pdf

Hunters should check the hunting regulations to make sure they are compliant with all rules and regulations for this season. Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted the following regulations, most of which are based on language from the statute:

A person may take a deer or elk with a license or permit that is valid on the last day of the general hunting season.

Any unused license-permit valid on the last day of the general season (i.e., Nov. 27) is valid during the muzzleloader heritage season.

Any license that can still be purchased is valid. For example, if a person had not already purchased a general deer tag, they could purchase one for the muzzleloader heritage season.

For more information on hunting in Montana, visit: fwp.mt.gov/hunt.

Beatrice Kruse

Patricia Rawlings

Tester kicks-off holiday with Toys for Tots event

Chairman Tester also released the following statement:

U.S. SENATE — Senator Tester, in his capacity as Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, kicked-off the holiday season on Dec. 6 by leading a bipartisan drive in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Toys for Tots—a national charitable program run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to support children in need. At the event, Senator Tester was honored with the Commander’s Award by the Marine Corps Reserve for his support of the Marine Toys for Tots Program.

Last month, Chairman Tester introduced a Senate Resolution alongside Ranking Member Jerry Moran (R-Kans.) to permit the collection of charitable donations in U.S. Senate buildings, which paved the way for the annual event. The Senators were

joined today by veterans, staff, Marines, and the Marine Corps bulldog mascot Chesty XVI.

“Toys for Tots is a special opportunity to give back this holiday season. As Chairman of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, it’s an honor to organize this year’s drive with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve—continuing the U.S. Senate’s long-standing tradition in helping support children and families in need.”

Since 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots has collected new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December to distribute as Christmas gifts to children.

This year, over two dozen counties and three tribes in Montana have active Toys for Tots campaigns.

For more information on Toys for Tots, please visit: www.toysfortots. org.

Free throw contest coming to Polson

News from the Mission Valley Elks

POLSON — The Mission Valley Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw contest will be held in the Linderman Gym in Polson on Saturday, Dec. 17. Registration and warm up will begin at 1:30 p.m., with the contest starting at 2 p.m.

The contest is open to boys and girls ages 8-13 from Polson, Ronan, and all the surrounding areas.

The categories will be 8-9 year old boys, 8-9 year old girls, 10-11 year old boys, 1011 year old girls, 12-13 year old boys, and 12-13 year old girls.

There is no cost to participate and no admission is charged. Winners of each age group will advance to the District Contest on Jan. 14, which is also hosted in Polson. There will also be free chili and hotdogs served for each contestant and their families during the shoot.

For questions and more information, contact David Rensvold at 406-250-0771.

Ed Sessa

ACROSS

French assent

South Pacific islander

Keep from falling

Mary of “The Maltese Falcon”

Unfortunate quality in a karaoke singer

Kid-lit girl with a blueberry pail

__ and paste

“In the Heights” actor Jimmy

about

Wine that comes in tiny bottles?

Lost and found, e.g.

Govt. cybersecurity monitor

Picks up

With the bow, in music

Ring event

Footnote kin of op. cit.

Painting, cinema, ballet, etc.

Couple in a boat 35 Radio host John 37 Acts

Get in shape

Case for Mulder and Scully

Game that begins with the murder of Mr. Boddy

Clocks”

Back of a hit 45 record

Tulsa sch.

Family guys

In plain view

Tale about one Corleone’s love of fortified wine?

Some calorie counters 51 Less common 52 Historic Nevada city 56 Rock group 58 Forensic series starring Paula Newsome, familiarly 61 Ben and Jerry 62 Car top 63 “__ my way!” 65 Oscar winner Mirren 66 Icon tappers 68 “Hello, ewe!” 71 Once more 73 Hebrew prophet 74 Federal org. with a flower logo 75 Sauce dispenser 76 Portfolio part 78 Small drink 82 Buttoned-up 83 Ford’s first minivan 84 Score after deuce, perhaps 85 Hogwash 86 Flows back, as the tide 88 “You gotta be kidding!” 90 Zip 92 City near Disney World 96 Sci-fi invaders 97 “Heads or tails?” 98 Equal to the task 99 Nephews’ sisters 100 Taken care of 101 Jabbers 102 Wind up 104 Thin openings 107 Hiking path 109 Sloop pole 111 “Order up!” shouter

noisily

L.A.’s region

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

WEEKLY HOROSCOPE

By: Magi Helena for the Week of Dec. 11, 2022

ARIES (March 21-April 19):

Above all things, you might value dependability and reliability. Someone may prove to be worthy of your allegiance in the upcoming week. Appreciate loyal people even when pressing issues require your attention.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Focus on actively achieving your goals in the week to come. Enlist the aid of someone who can help you attain your objectives. Key contacts may lift you with a rising tide as they climb the ladder of success.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Make better headway in the week ahead by getting more organized and making a list of priorities. You can apply practical business strategies to your personal choices too, and quickly get many tasks crossed off your list.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When the writing is on the wall, you won’t need to squint to see it. It should be obvious that a loyal partner is focused on getting ahead in the world. You could be able to share in the benefits and rewards in the upcoming week.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Your most obvious talent in the week ahead lies in fearlessly handling financial issues. Avoid wasting time on entertainments that are less than entertaining. You could be under the gun to meet deadlines later in the week.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Family friction could be a distraction you yearn to escape as the week unfolds. You have the practical skills and fortitude to complete whatever projects you begin. Do what you can to clarify a situation.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Look within instead of seeking outside. The security and affection you crave might be found within your own heart and your own tribe. In the week ahead count blessings and be contented with what you have and who you are with.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can make it to the finish line if you join forces with a partner. Both of you may be passionate about winning and support each other. Watch out for money draining from your bank account in the week ahead.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Tact and diplomacy are the best tools at your disposal to deal with family issues. In the week to come, you may find it difficult to avoid a misunderstanding. However, you can clear it up if you remain calm and centered.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Where there is a will, there is a way. In the week to come, much can be accomplished through sheer determination. Find the inner resources to execute a plan and make progress without being given instructions.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Be systematic and you can stay on track in the upcoming week. Clear out unneeded clutter from your space as well as your head. When someone else seems lost or confused, you may be able to get right to the point.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Be tolerant and meet someone halfway in the week to come. Any impulsive decisions or actions may not end well. Remember, buttons getting pushed is just a reminder of where self-work is still needed.

©2022 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC. ©2022 TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

COMICS

seniors

Polson

By Pete Mangels for the Valley Journal

The Polson Senior Center is open from 8 a.m.– 3 p.m. on weekdays. Lunch is available from 11:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. weekdays. Call 406883-4735; The Polson Senior Center is open from 8:00 a. – 3:00 p. on weekdays.  Lunch is available from 11:45 a. to 12:30 p. weekdays. Call: 406-883-4735, email: polsonseniorcenter@gmail.com; mail or visit us at 504 Third Ave. E.

We are developing a Facebook page and an active email list for our members and the community at large. This will help promote better communication to our “Tech- savvy” peeps. Sign up, including Facebook name and/or email address is voluntary, and

will be removed upon request. We will not share this information with anyone. Sign up at the center or email us if you wish. Guest Wi-Fi will be available soon.

Activities: Need a space for a get-together? Plan a party at the center. Call for information.

Bowling Fun League: pay by the daynon-sanctioned, no-tap – Tuesdays at 1 p.m.

Bingo: Fridays at 7 p.m. “Playing Card” bingo - first Wednesday and third Thursday of each month

Exercise for mobilty: M- W- F, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Pinochle: Thursdays at 12:30–3 p.m. (earlier or later if you wish)

Bridge: Tuesdays and Fridays - open for all at 12:30 p.m.

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

Veterans’ Rep: first Fri-

day (Jan. 6) and third  Tuesday (Dec. 20) of each month from 10a.m.-noon

MENU (subject to change): sit-down, takeout, or delivery, only $5 from 11:45 a.m. — Wednesday, Dec. 14: baked chicken, potatoes and gravy, carrots, veggie-Jell-O salad, German chocolate cake — Thursday, Dec. 15: hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, mixed veggies, stewed tomatoes, cookies  — Friday, Dec. 16: biscuits, gravy, sausage, muffin, pea salad, fruit cobbler — Monday, Dec. 19: chicken noodle soup, bread, green salad, pineapple cake — Tuesday, Dec. 20: meatloaf, spuds n gravy, green beans, Jell-O cucumber salad, zucchini bread — Wednesday, Dec.

21: chef salad, assorted dressings, rolls, creamy peach salad, German chocolate cake

— Thursday, Dec. 22: Polish dogs, onion/relish, potato chips, pasta salad, cookies

— Friday, Dec. 23: Merry Christmas! birthday dinner at lunch and everyone is invited! baked ham, potato, honey carrots, roll, butter, apple pineapple salad, pie — Monday, Dec. 26: closed St. Ignatius

By Barb Plouffe for the Valley Journal

ST. IGNATIUS — Sending out wishes for safe travel, warm housing and family near. — Friday Dec. 16: lunch at noon, tater-tot Shepard’s pie, salad, fruit, rolls, chocolate chip

cookies

— Tuesday, Dec. 20: lunch at noon, pizza, green salad, fruit, Christmas cupcakes — Wednesday, Dec. 21: Christmas dinner at 5:30 - ham, scalloped potatoes, candied carrots, Watergate salad, rolls, carrot cake We plan on having music during dinner time.

— Friday, Dec 23: lunch at noon, fish, rice, veggies, Jell-O/fruit, corn bread, Christmas cookies

If you are interested in a take-out meal, please call by 10 a.m. and leave message if no one answers.

We participated in the St. Ignatius Christmas Bazaar with a bake sale. Thank you to all that came and bought goodies. The 4-H Club did a great job in sponsoring the bazaar.

On Dec. 20 Havilah Burton from CSKT Extension Dept. will con-

2023 ServeMontana Awards open with new categories

News from Montana

Governor’s Office of Community Service

HELENA — The Governor’s Office of Community Service has announced it is accepting nominations for the annual ServeMontana Awards, with new award distinctions.

In partnership with Montana’s Credit Unions, this award recognizes Montana citizens who

embody a strong commitment to others through community volunteerism, exhibit leadership through serving, and impact change outside of paid employment. The public is encouraged to nominate individuals and service groups of all ages and backgrounds across Montana. All service must be performed in Montana and by Montanans. Applications are due April

2nd, 2023.

“Each year, it is an honor to recognize great Montanans with the ServeMontana Awards. We are excited to present a fresh slate of categories for 2023 and look forward to citizens nominating their friends and neighbors who give compassionately to others across Montana.” said Sarah R. Sadowski, Director of the Governor’s Office of

Community Service.

2023 Individual nominee categories include:

— Youth (17 years old and younger)

— Young Adult (18 to 25 years old)

— Engaged Citizen (26+ years old)

— Lifetime Achievement (55+ or posthumous)

— Veteran or current Military Personnel

— AmeriCorps Alum (State & National, VISTA,

or NCCC)

2023 Group nominee categories include:

— Group Service Award (nonprofit, faithbased, general): A team of people who positively impact their community through meaningful volunteer service.

— Business Service Award (small, mid-size, large, entrepreneur/ partnership, enterprise/ corporation): A business

tinue to offer a cooking class from 4-5:30 p.m. She will be having ideas on how to eat healthy on a budget. You are invited to come and participate.

Bonnie Kiser has a Gentle Yoga class on Wednesday afternoons at 1 p.m. If you are interested in taking a yoga class, please call Bonnie Kiser at 406-2253-0171. Her rates are five sessions for $60.

There will be a Christmas Choral Concert on Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Come enjoy some beautiful holiday music.

Our St. Ignatius Senior Center is open to people renting it. If you are interested in renting it, please call 406-745-4462 and leave a message. We will call you back with the information you need.

Enjoy Christmas time with family and friends.

that has made an impact through community volunteerism or has a record of supporting volunteerism through policies and practices.

To learn more or submit a nomination, visit serve. mt.gov or go to: https:// www.surveymonkey. com/r/SMA2023.

Selected awardees will be honored at a ceremony at the State Capitol in June.

see extended calendar at www.valleyjournal.net

Wednesday, Dec. 14

Learn social media marketing

RONAN — A free workshop to social media marketing skills is offered by Mission West Community Development Partners, 407 Main Street, from 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. on Dec. 14. Call 406-6765928 or go to: www.missionwestcdp.org for more information.

Santa to visit Ronan Valley Bank

RONAN — Free pictures with Santa and treats for the kiddos will be offered at Valley Bank of Ronan between 5 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Thursday, Dec. 15

Story Time on tap at Polson library

POLSON — Join us for Story Time every Thursday from 9–10:30 a.m. in the library meeting room. This program is geared for kindergarten readiness for ages 3-5. Winter will be the theme for Dec. 15.

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius Mission will be the site for the first performance by the Mission Valley Choral Society’s Winter Holiday Spectacular. This event begins at 1 p.m. A free-will offering benefits MVCS. For more information call 406-2613304 or go to: missionvalleychoralsociety.org.

Sunday, Dec. 18

MV Choral Society performs in Ronan

RONAN — The Ronan Performing Arts Center will be the site for the second performance by the Mission Valley Choral Society’s Winter Holiday Spectacular. This event begins at 2 p.m. A free-will offering benefits MVCS.

Monday, Dec. 19

Library’s progressive sale continues

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library continues its progressive gift sale. During the week of Dec. 19 you

Saturday, Dec. 17

Grinchmas celebrated at library

POLSON — Come celebrate Grinchmas at the North Lake County Public Library. Pop in anytime between 10 a.m. and noon for some cookies, cocoa, fun games and awesome crafts. Who know, the

will receive 45% off gift purchases.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

Make cream cheese mints

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will hold a hands-on how-to class on how to make cream cheese mints on Tuesday, Dec. 20, at 1 p.m. Just in time for the holidays! Yes, your mints go home with you. Call 406-883-8225 to reserve a spot.

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Santa to visit Arlee Valley Bank

RONAN — Free pictures with Santa and treats for the kiddos will be offered at Valley Bank of Arlee between 5 and 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

Irrigators to meet RONAN — Flathead Irrigation District will meet Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022 at 1:00 PM. Mis-

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

SKC Extension Operations Manager (Part time - 12 months)

Salary Range: Bachelor’s degree - $20.17 - $23.56 per hour

Salary Range: Master’s degree - $20.73 - $24.12 per hour

Journey to Wellness Community Outreach (Full time)

Salary Range: $16.54 - $17.40 DOEE per hour Closing Date: Open Until Filled

College and Career Readiness Coach (2 positions) (12 months - Full time)

Salary Range: $17.35 - $20.17 per hour Closing Date: Open Until Filled Outreach Coordinator (12 months - Full time)

Salary Range: $17.35 - $20.17 per hour Closing Date: Open until filled

Health Promotion Practices - Department Chair (11-month term - July off)

Salary Range: $45,621 - $48,185 DOEE Closing Date: Open until filled

Early Learning Center (ELC) Lead Toddler Teacher (9.5 months)

Salary: $22.48 - $23.22/hour DOEE Closing Date: Open until filled

Administrative Assistant - Education Division (12 months - Full time)

Salary: $16.97 - $19.58/hour DOEE Closing Date: Open until filled

Clinical Instructor /Clinical Resource Reg. Nurse Part Time Nursing Department (9-month term)

Salary: $35.00 per hour 14 hours per week Closing Date: Open until filled

Nursing Clinical Resource Registered Nurse (CRRN) Asst. Instructor (10-month term)

Salary Range: Bachelor’s Degree - $45,178 - $48,677 DOEE Master’s Degree - $50,130 - $54,136 DOEE Closing Date: Open until filled

Clinical Coordinator/Faculty (Full-time 10 months)

Salary Range: Bachelor’s Degree - $45,178 - $48,677 DOEE / Master’s Degree - $50,130 - $54,136 DOEE Closing Date: Open Until Filled

Director of Human Resources (Full time)

Salary: $63,083 - $68,950 DOEE Closing Date: Open until filled

Assistant Director for Prevention & Wellness (Full time)

Salary: $41,648 - $43,448 DOEE Closing Date: 1:00 PM, Monday, December 9, 2022

Indigenous Language & Culture Specialist (Full time)

Salary: $44,310 - $49,003 DOEE Closing Date: 1:00 PM, Monday, December 9, 2022

Sales Clerk - SKC Bookstore (Full time - 9 months)

Salary: $13.53 - $14.16 per hour DOEE

Closing Date: 1:00 PM, Monday, December 9, 2022 4:00 PM

SKC Bookstore Director 12 month position

Salary : $40,789 - $45,483 DOEE Closing Date: December 16, 2022, 4:00 pm

Career Services Coordinator (Full time - 10 months)

Salary Range (hourly): $18.28-20.02/hr DOE Closing Date: December 16, 2022 4:00 PM

Custodian (Part time)

Salary Range: $13.21/hour Closing Date: Open until filled

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

Grinch may even show up. Mission Valley Choral Society to perform

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

First Street E, will hold a Candle Light Service at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24.

sion West Community Development, 407 Main Street SW. The January meeting will return to the normal day and time, the fourth Wednesday of each month.

Thursday, Dec. 22

Christmas theme planned for Story Time

POLSON — Join us for Story Time every Thursday from 9–10:30 a.m. in the library meeting room. This program is geared for kindergarten readiness for ages 3-5. Christmas will be the theme for Dec. 22.

Friday, Dec. 23

Library closes for Christmas holidays

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will be closed from Dec. 23-26 for the Christmas holidays.

Candlelight service held at St. Andrew’s

POLSON — St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 110 Sixth Ave. E, welcomes all to their Christmas Eve candlelight service on Dec. 24. They will have caroling at 5 p.m. and worship at 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 25

Episcopal Church welcomes all to Christmas Day service

POLSON — St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 110 Sixth Ave. E, welcomes all to their Christmas Day worship, on Dec. 25 at 10 a.m.

on Dec. 30. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited so call or email now to reserve your seat. Register at: info@arleecdc.org or call 406-215-5113.

Saturday, Dec. 31

Library closes for New Year holiday

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 31 through Monday, Jan. 2, to ring in the New Year.

take place on New Year’s Day at 1 p.m. at Riverside Park. Proper attire required (i.e. swimsuit and water shoes). Happy 2023!

Wednesday, Jan. 25

Join a free Business Startup workshop

Saturday, Dec. 24

Polson Community Church holds Candlelight Service

POLSON —  Polson Community Church, 814

Wednesday, Dec. 28

Craft Day planned

ARLEE — The Arlee Community Development Corporation is offering a fun holiday craft day for kids age five to ten on Wednesday, Dec. 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Kids will be making beaded candy canes, Santa faces, paintings, 2023 hand prints, and decorating Christmas tree pine cones for the Arlee CDC’s holiday open house

Sunday, Jan. 1

Take the plunge

POLSON — The 25th annual meeting of the Polson Polar Plungers will

RONAN — Mission West Community Development Partners, 407 Main St. SW, is offering a free workshop on the basic elements of getting a new business up and running, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Call 406-676-5928 or go to: www.missionwestcdp.org for more information.

Learn cash flow management

RONAN — Mission

West Community Development Partners, 407 Main St. SW, is offering a free workshop entitled, “Cash Flow Management: Cash keeps you in Business,” on Wednesday, Jan. 25, beginning at 1 p.m. and running for approximately two hours. Learn how to increase cash in the business with five basic formulas. Call 406-676-5928 or go to: www.missionwestcdp.org for more information.

Friday, Feb. 24

Flathead Lake International Cinemafest begins

POLSON — The Flathead Lake International Cinemafest has become a Destination

Film Festival for filmmakers from across the country and globe. FLIC will be celebrating its 11th year of presenting a broad slate of domestic and international films. Whether you’re a filmmaker or a film lover, make plans to enter or attend this exciting winter event in picturesque Polson.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Learn about business startup topics

RONAN — A “Business Startup Workshop” will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 25, beginning at 10 a.m. for two hours at Mission West Community Development Partners, 407 Main Street.

PREVENT: Read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and protect your Medicare number.

DETECT: Look for services you didn’t receive, double charges, or items your doctor didn’t order. Request a Health Care Tracker from SMP to compare appointment information with what is printed on your MSN.

REPORT: Call SMP if you suspect health care fraud, errors, or abuse, or if you would like to request a Health Care Tracker.

Call 1 (800) 551-3191 www.SMPResource.org

classifieds

Announcements

Special Notices

FREE high speed internet for those that qualify. Government program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet service. Bonus offer: Android tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free shipping & handling. Call Maxsip Telecom today! 1-866-585-6456

Wanted

Wanted: Valmar and Gandy air seeders, implement mount style. Call Paul at 763-286-2037 with model and condition.

WANTED TO BUY Guns and/or ammunition, old or new.Whole estates/ collections or single pieces. Fair prices paid. 406-207-4641

Employment

Help wanted

Operator-in-Training. Facilities Services/Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announce- ment and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana. edu/postings/33303

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

HVAC Technician (Heating/Ventilation)Facilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/33151

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Laborer/Equip Operator IFacilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: Montana State University Employment Opportunities I Laborer **Up-

dated Salary**

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Housekeeper

St. Luke Community Healthcare is seeking an energetic Full-time Housekeeper to work at a growing, employee oriented health care facility. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, dependable, and possess strong customer service skills. Prefer 1 to 2 years institutional cleaning experience. Must be available to work various shifts to include some weekends and holidays. Applications available at www.stlukehealthcare.org. For additional information call Human Resources at 406-528-5287.

Groundskeeper II or IIIFacilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/ postings/30326

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Preventive Maintenance Manager. Facilities ServicesMontana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/ postings/32290

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Custodian I - Facilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/32838

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

ACCOUNTING

tions as a Personnel Time Recorder (PTRC) and/or Equipment Time Recorder (EQTR) is preferred but not required. Must possess and maintain a valid Montana state driver’s license for vehicle operations and be insurable under the Tribes’ insurance plan. This position is subject to Pre-Hire Drug Testing Condition of Hire requirements, under the CSKT Tribal Drug and Alcohol Policy. In order to function on Incident Management Teams, a current Incident Qualifications “Red” Card is required and must be updated annually, as well as annual physical examination, as mandated by your fire position, must be completed. This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP) within the definition of the CSKT Drug Testing policy. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test. Salary is $20.94 per hour including Holiday Pay and PTO. To request an application please contact the Personnel office @ 406.675.2700, ext. 1040, or visit the csktribes.org website. Closing date will be Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

Contract Specialist. Planning, Design & Construction – Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/postings/33123. Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

postings/33016

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled.

TECHNICIAN

FORESTRY - DIVISION OF FIRE - The qualified applicant must possess a high school diploma (or equivalent) required. Three (3) or more years in either education in an accounting field, or on-the job work experience in accounting. Current Incident Qualifica-

HVAC Maintenance Technician – Air Conditioning/ Refrigeration Facilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/31898. Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Interior Designer: Planning, Design & Construction –Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/

YOUTH

BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL (1 Year Temporary Employment Contract) TRIBAL HEALTH

DEPARTMENT

A licensed PhD/PsyD in School Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Counseling Psychology, or other related field, preferred. Child-, Adolescent-, Family-focused provider preferred. Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) considered with 2 years of relevant experience. Master’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or other related field under the supervision of a licensed provider considered with 2 years of relevant experience. Must have a valid driver’s license. All applicants must submit a Tribal application and copy of academic transcript/training certificate, copy of licensure, and driver’s license, completed background supplemental questionnaire, proof of enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted. FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION DURING THE SCREENING PROCESS. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) months probationary period. Salary is negotiable. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. #1040, or personnel@ cskt.org. Tribal applications are also available online at csktribes.org. Closing date will be Thursday, December 29, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. (MST) CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

Journeyman ElectricianFacilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: Montana

State University Employment Opportunities Electrician, Journeyman Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Custodian Supervisor IFacilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: Montana State University Employment Opportunities | Custodial Supervisor I

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Weekend Stock Clerk

St. Luke Community Healthcare is accepting applications for a dependable PRN Weekend Stock Clerk. Work schedule is 6 am until duties are finished, so hours will vary. The training for this position will be Monday – Friday. Position will include entering charges and stocking. Must be detail oriented, possess strong customer service and communications skills, and have general office and computer experience. Must be able to lift 50 lbs. on a daily basis and be able to walk/stand for extended periods. Applications available at www.stlukehealthcare.org. For additional information call Human Resources at 406-528-5287.

Maintenance Painter Facilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/30461

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Irrigation TechnicianFacilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman

For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/27815

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Project Architect: Planning, Design & Construction –

Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/ postings/33010

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled.

ASSISTANT EDITOR CHAR-KOOSTA NEWS

The successful applicant must have at least two (2) years of post-high school education in a University, community college or trade program with a solid grounding in journalism basics. Two (2) years’ proven experience with media. Candidates with direct experience in writing, editing, formatting photos, designing pages and print preparation will be desirable. Proven computer ability on both Mac and PC platforms. Able to cope with an often stressful environment that often requires quick adjustment to changes in schedules, deadlines and plans. Skillful writer, editor and design person (test required). Either copies or tear sheets of work must be submitted. For edited pages, candidates are encouraged to include a narrative to explain why chosen materials were submitted. All applicants must submit a Tribal application and copy of academic transcript and/ or training certificate, proof of enrollment from a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference a copy of DD214 must be submitted. Rate of pay is $21.70 to $24.94 an hour. To apply, contact Personnel at (406) 675-2700 Ext. 1040 or personnel@cskt.org. Tribal applications are also available on-line at csktribes.org. Closing date will be Thursday, December 29, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. This position 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 pre-hire drug test.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

classifieds

REPORTER/ PHOTOGRAPHER

CHAR-KOOSTA

(May be employed under contract)

The successful applicant must demonstrate ability in writing, grammar, editing, factual accuracy, and a thorough knowledge of journalism skills including but not limited to AP style writing, interview skills, and ability to develop own story ideas, phone skills and excellent communication skills along with an understanding of the objectivity required and essential journalism ethics. At least three years of college with either demonstrable college training in journalism or the equivalent from hands-on work experience. Applicants must show skills through a portfolio or writing/editing/ photography clippings or photocopies. Must have experience in using a digital camera or a 35 mm single-lens reflex (SLR) camera to achieve

professional compositions and exposures. A skills test will be administered to applicants to determine journalism aptitude. Required to provide a valid driver’s license. Must have broad range of knowledge about the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes’ government, culture, history, issues and current events. Salary range $20.46 to $23.51 per hour, plus benefits. May be employed under contract. All applicants are required to submit a Tribal application, copies of relevant transcripts and/or certificates and Tribal enrollment verification if enrolled in a federally recognized tribe other than CSKT to the Tribal Personnel Department, 406.675.2700 ext. 1040 or visit the csktribes. org website for the application. Closing date will be Thursday, December 29, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m. This is not a Testing Designated Position (TDP) within the definition of the CSKT Drug testing policy. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug Test.

CSKT IS A TRIBAL

MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

Journeyman Carpenter Facilities Services/Montana State University - Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana. edu/postings/30789 Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Locksmith - Facilities Services/Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/hr/postings/31185 Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

CITY OF SPEARFISH, South Dakota has an opening for a Building Official. For more information, please visit the career opportunities page at www.cityofspearfish.com

Facilities Engineer Engineering & Utilities/Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs. montana.edu/postings/32010

Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Do you like helping others?

Check out Mission Mountain Enterprises! New Starting Wages $15/hr with benefits package. $500 Sign On Bonus. Apply today on our website www.mme-mt.org or contact Tony Meyers at 406676-2563. Applications are also available at our Administration Building in Ronan, 330 Main St SW, Ronan MT 59864. We look forward to meeting you!!

TCC SOCIAL ADVOCATE ( HOT SPRINGS) TRIBAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

The successful applicant must have a Bachelor’s degree in either Social Work, Health & Human Services, Community Services or related field. At least one year working in customer service. Care Coordination Certificate within six months of hire. Must have Basic Life Support for Healthcare providers within three months of employment. Must possess a valid driver’s license. All applicants must

submit a Tribal application, a copy of academic transcript/ training certificates, a completed supplemental background questionnaire (contact the CSKT Personnel Department), copy of driver’s license, proof of enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe if other than CSKT and if claiming veteran’s preference, a copy of DD214 must be submitted.

FAILURE TO SUBMIT ALL OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION DURING THE SCREENING PROCESS. Salary is $25.17 - $28.94 per hour, plus benefits, may be employed under a contract. The successful applicant, if not already employed by the Tribes must pass a pre-hire drug test and serve a mandatory six (6) months probationary period. To apply, contact the Tribal Personnel Office at (406) 675-2700, ext. 1040 or personnel@cskt.org. Tribal applications and full advertisement are available online at www.csktribes.org. Closing date is Thursday, December 22, 2022 @ 5:30 p.m.(MST)

This week's puzzle answers:

CSKT IS A TRIBAL MEMBER PREFERENCE EMPLOYER.

Mail Clerk/Carrier I. Facilities Services/Montana State University – Bozeman. For complete job announcement and application procedures, click on: https://jobs.montana.edu/hr/postings/30400 Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Farm/Ranch

Animals

Use Happy Jack® Seal N Heal® on dogs, cats & horses to close wounds with a bitter taste. Allow healing. At Tractor Supply® (www.fleabeacon. com)

Miscellaneous Furniture

Caucasian Mountain Shepherd Dog Puppies. Purebred. Born 11/03. Four males and four females. Call or Text (406) 210-4807

Crypto-Quote Solution

classifieds

Real Estate For Rent

Commercial space for rent on Main Street, Polson. 240 square feet plus lunch room/storage space. All newly re-done. Call Leslae Dalpiaz@ 406-240-1748 for details.

Public Notices

to file your written answer and serve a copy thereof upon the Petitioner’s attorney within 21 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default, for the relief demanded in the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage.

This is a dissolution of marriage action and includes a request to establish a parenting plan.

DATED this 5th day of December, 2022.

INVENTORY CLEARANCE SALE

Auto /Truck Starters and Alternators. 45% of retail.

305 units, all remanufactured and tested for earlier vehicles, prior to 2000. If you have an older car or truck, sooner or later you will need a starter or alternator. It’s their nature to fail at the worst possible time, and at this price you can afford to have a spare. They are also going to be harder to find as time goes on. I have them for the following cars and trucks:

Acura, General Motors, Mitsubishi, AMC, Honda, Nissan, Audi, Hyundai, Opal, BMW, Isuzu, Saturn, Chevrolet, Jeep, Sterling, Chrysler, Lincoln, Subaru, Datsun, Luv, Suzuki, Dodge, Mazda, Toyota, Eagle, Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen, Ford, Mercury

Call Jerry Beeks at 406-207-4641 to see if I have a starter or alternator to fit your vehicle, and I’ll give you a GREAT price!

Caet Padgett

SAFE Harbor Legal Program P.O. Box 1773 Polson, MT 59860 (406) 382-0480 caet@safeharbormt.org Attorney for Petitioner

MONTANA TWENTIETH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, LAKE COUNTY

IN RE THE MARRIAGE OF: DAWN MCNUTT, Petitioner, and JOHN MCNUTT, Respondent.

Cause No.: DR-22-22 Dept. No.: 2002

SUMMONS FOR PUBLICATION

THE STATE OF MONTANA SENDS GREETINGS TO THE ABOVE-NAMED RESPONDENT:

YOU, THE RESPONDENT, ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage in this action, which is filed in the office of the above-named District Court, a copy of which is hereby served upon you, and

Lyn

Fricker Clerk of Court

/s/ Katrine Christopherson Deputy Clerk

Dec. 14, 21 and 28, 2022

MNAXLP