End of an ordeal

Volunteers move last animals off of defunct sanctuary

Volunteers brought a 42-day ordeal to a close last Monday at the now-defunct Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue in Niarada after moving the last 150 animals from the property. The effort, lead by AniMeals of Missoula, has been called one of the largest animal rescue operations ever carried out after what has come to be known as one of the largest cases of animal neglect in history.

Broncos wrestle in Dillon

The Broncs headed up to Dillon last week on Thursday and did very well. Coach Bob Henderson said that there’s a lot of energy within the team.

Red Devils excel in double OT

The Red Devils continued their up and down season with a thrilling, 82-77 double overtime win over Two Eagle River on Friday, before falling, 42-55, against second ranked Charlo on Saturday. The 3-4, 4-8 Red Devils have yet to post consecutive wins this season.

Keeping in touch: News from committees

On Friday, January 21st, the Health and Human Services Committee which I serve on held a hearing on House Bill 68.  HB 68 is “an Act Revising the Medical Marijuana Act to Create a Licensing and Regulatory System for People Who Grow, Manufacture, Distribute or Sell Medical Marijuana; Requiring Montana Residency to Obtain a Registry Identification Card or a License; Clarifying Requirements for Physicians Who Provide Written Certification; Providing Local Government Authority to Regulate Medical Marijuana Licensees; Establishing Prohibitions on the Medical Use of Marijuana by People; Expanding the Limitations on the Medical Use of Marijuana; Providing Definitions; Providing Rulemaking Authority; Creating a Special Revenue Account; and, Appropriating Funds.”

Hello from the Capitol

Hello from the capitol. This marks the end of week three which was a very busy one for all of us. I introduced three bills so far:  HB119, a bill to revise laws related to volunteer firefighter compensation; HB20, a bill to authorize a county social host liability ordinance and HB253, a bill to provide for recovery of costs for DUI conviction.  There are at least seven more in the hopper. All bills have to be introduced and heard in committee before Feb. 21st and heard on the floor before Feb. 24 or they will die, so as you can see I have my work cut out for me. Last week the hearing of HB20 was one of the highlights of my career; to watch all those kids testify on this bill was a sight to behold. I would like to thank Denyse Traeder of Superior and all the other people for all the hard work they did to put this bill together.   Committee member Liz made a special comment on the integrity and character of all the students who testified.

Residents protest on Roe anniversary

Dozens of protestors gathered in front of the Sanders County Courthouse on Saturday, commemorating the 38th anniversary of the controversial 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which effectively legalized abortion nationwide.

Red Devils best Heat

In their first matchup this season, the Red Devils left Hot Springs smoldering as they ran away with a 53-30 win over the hometown Savage Heat on Friday night.

Ornelas taking care of business

For eight weeks, Sheriff Ernie Ornelas has been heading up the Mineral County Sheriff’s Department. Of those eight weeks, he was gone for two weeks for trainings up in Helena.

Keeping in touch

One of the bills you’ve seen discussed on television news lately is a bill I am carrying on behalf of the Secretary of State’s office, a bill which has long been an important bill to the Election Administrators of Montana, House Bill 130.  HB 130 is an “Act revising procedures for conducting mail ballot elections; requiring elections other than school elections to be held by mail; provides for training of Election Administrators and Election Judges; revises procedures by which Election Administrators confirm Electors residence and mailing addresses; revises procedures for reactivating an Electors registration; revises certain absentee ballot provisions; requires counties to pay for ballots returned with insufficient postage; revises procedures for creating and approving a written election plan; provides for notice to inactive electors; provides  requirements for voting booths; provides requirements for places of deposit and official drop boxes for ballot returns: revises procedures for handling and counting returned ballots; and, repeals the requirement that Election Administrators provide for proportional voting in certain elections (13-19-302 MCA regarding votes to be cast in proportion to ownership or other factor other than one vote per person).  

Lady Panthers break even

The first round of basketball games are over for the Alberton Lady Panthers and before too long they’re going to start playing some teams that they saw earlier in the season, which will give them a chance to see how much they’ve improved and a chance to cleanup mistakes they might have made in the first game.

Food bank gets new location

Last Thursday was moving day for the Mineral County Food Bank located in Superior. Volunteers were on hand to help load food into trucks to be transported over to the new building, which is located off Fourth Street, just across the way from S & S Foods.

Lady Tigers lose big

The St. Regis Lady Tigers had a rough game against Noxon coming out of Christmas break last week as they returned to the courts. Coach Janelle Pruitt called it a “very hard” game for the team. The girls ended up losing 11-62.

Horsemen hit wall

The Plains Horsemen, 0-3 conf., 3-5 ovr. have yet to hit their stride as they fell in a pair of District 7-B games last week, extending their winless streak to four.

We the People: Taking back local control

There is so much to write about I am not sure where to start. Today we had a morning where business owners from across the state here to tell legislators what needed to be done to revitalize Montana’s economy. This is the first time an event like this has ever occurred during a session. All information was given by the public. Legislators listened, some took many notes. I was in a group of the latter.

Changes in 2011 taxes

According to Terry Stevens, the new manager at Bratz & Associates, CPAs, more than a few taxpayers may have a delay in the filing of their 2010 tax returns.  The start of the 2011 Income Tax filing season is here for the majority of taxpayers.  The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 were signed into law on December 17th, 2010.  According to the IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman, there will be a delay of processing of the following types of returns, as the IRS is in the process of reprogramming their processing systems.

A great day for a dip

A shock to the system brings in the New Year for many locals

With the sun shining and temperatures hovering around 15 degrees, people from all over the area convened in Thompson Falls to bring in the New Year with a dip in the Clark Fork River. Over 40 people made the plunge, and several more congregated on the snowy banks at Goose Landing to watch.

Concert fills house

‘Twas a few days before Christmas and all through the gym, not a seat was left open as parents and grandparents filed to watch their children perform in the annual Christmas program.

A reminder about winter wildlife

Feeding of wildlife places the animals at risk and puts them on a collision course with humans. The problem of feeding wildlife has become such an issue across the state that the 2009 Montana Legislature revised the state law  (MCA 87-3-130) governing the feeding of wildlife to specifically prohibit the feeding of ungulates—deer, elk, moose, and antelope—and mountain lions.  FWP Warden Captain Lee Anderson noted that  most people’s intentions are good, but it is against the law to feed most wildlife and probably not the best thing for the wildlife in the long run.  He also reminds people that the recreational feeding of birds (song birds, turkeys, pheasants, etc) can also be unlawful if it attracts ungulates or bears.” Anderson noted that anyone wishing to report a violation can call 1-800-TIPMONT (-1-800-847-6668) or FWP at 752-5501.

Lions Club delivers Christmas baskets

After stopping at Castles bright and early on Saturday, three trucks headed out into the different areas of Mineral County carrying food baskets and toys for families in need. One went east and one went west while a third stayed in the Superior area. Santa Claus also rode along to deliver presents to the children.

Lady 'Cats win two

Twenty-nine seemed to be a magic number for the Superior Lady Bobcats last week. They beat both Darby and Troy by 29 points.