Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
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It’s often said that Montana is like a small town with long streets. Montanans may be separated by hundreds of miles but it’s amazing how many mutual friends you find you have after talking with someone for five minutes in this giant small town. A defining characteristic of small towns is that people care about one another and rally together in challenging times. Chances are you’ve attended at least a few community benefits to raise money for medical bills or to help a family that had some other misfortune strike. Today...
One year as mayor, boy did it go fast! Some of the things we accomplished this year were: • Replaced some outdated sewer pipe under the bridge; • Put a new furnace in the Town Shop so that it can be heated more efficiently; • Reduced water loss; • Had our first audit with new auditors; • Initiated steps to resolve the disagreement regarding the Ekalaka Volunteer Fire Department; • Repaired Mormon Avenue; • Implemented the city limit bow hunting; • Developed a facility use ag...
by Matt Rosendale, Dr. Al Olszewski, Kristin Hansen Everyone agrees that the high cost of prescription medications is a huge issue, but there hasn’t been a serious attempt to solve the problem in Montana. We’re changing that by bringing forward legislation we estimate will save Montanans about $8 million in the first year alone. Allow us to explain. Prescriptions make up about 20 percent of health care costs, and they’re one of the fastest-growing cost drivers in health care. While there are many reasons for this, a prima...
I have a crazy idea, I am a crazy idea sort of guy. Anyway, you know how we used to have several news columns from various parts of the county. Now we are down to Capitol News. How about having a news column about people who used to live in Ekalaka, but live somewhere else now, like me. I talked to Eric about it and he was willing to try it, but is skeptical whether we would get enough news to make it worthwhile. So am I. I would write it unless someone else wanted to do it. Obviously, people would have to give permission...
Have you had any medical expenses so far this this year that weren’t covered by your health insurance policy, a flexible spending account (FSA) or your Federal Health Care Savings Account (HSA)? If so, you can still open a Montana Medical Care Savings Account (MSA) by Dec. 31 and cover those expenses. If you deposit up to $3,500, (the maximum in 2018) you can reduce your Montana adjusted gross income by that amount. Doing so will result in a tax savings of about $242 that is, if you have taxable income above $17,900. This i...
On a daily basis we are inundated on both the local and national level with news of how the opioid epidemic continues to infiltrate communities across this country. Previously, over-prescription of chronic pain-relieving opioids was believed to be the main cause of this crisis. This lead to state and federal regulations applied to industry and government that have largely controlled the prescription pill abuse issue. However, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, opioid overdose deaths were still 30...
To the citizens of Ekalaka, As members of the Town Council, we would like to keep the public informed of the status regarding Mormon Avenue. We realize that the condition of Mormon continues to be a concern. We have explored several options in how to repair the road so that it remains cost effective, but no final solutions have been reached. This is due to, but not limited to, money, our remote location, lack of accessible resources, man power and road equipment. At the November 7 meeting, a motion was made to have the...
Veteran affairs are a matter of growing concern as Montana’s veteran population is both growing and aging. This is no doubt a key reason why Jon Tester has made advocating on behalf of Montana’s heroes and wounded warriors a central feature of his mission as a Senator. Perhaps because many of these Vets are likely to be Republicans, Matt Rosendale has recently jumped on the bandwagon. About a month ago—pretty late when it comes to this current political cycle—Rosendale announced his plan to double-down on Veterans’ issues, v...
When I first thought of applying for the CEO position at Dahl Memorial, it was the possibility of building a new facility that excited me the most about the opportunity. When I left Ekalaka 20 years ago, I didn’t think my career path would take me into healthcare administration and back home. Here we are, and happy to be here. The experience I have in healthcare started in Forsyth on July 2, 2007 with the thought of someday becoming CEO and providing some sort of stability in that position to Rosebud Health Care Center. In M...
What is a Christian? Someone who has opened their heart to Jesus Christ and has accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. Are Christians perfect? No, only one man was perfect and led a sinless life, Jesus Christ. In today's society there seems to be a common misconception that Christians are perfect-that they never do anything wrong-that they never sin. This is not true! We are still just human beings just like everyone else. We struggle with the same issues that everyone struggles with: gossip, drugs, pornography, lying,...
A vote for the continued support for 6-Mill Levy (LR-128, SB-85) would again help keep our most precious natural resources, our children, from looking for lower educational costs out of state. Some would like you to believe that 6-Mill is a new tax and unnecessary. It is neither. It is a 70 year Montana tradition approved by voters every 10 years without increase. There is strong bipartisan support including both current US Senators and organizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and the Farm Bureau. Consider these facts....
What does compassion have to do with civic engagement? This is not an idle question, but—seeing as I am a political candidate for the first time in my life—it is one that came home to me with particular force recently. The scene was a cocktail party, the kind of affair where one spends most of one’s time shooting the breeze with total strangers about relatively inconsequential things like sports and the weather—and of course, at this time of this midterm election year, politics. My conversation partner was a middle-...
Nicole Haffely of Hillsboro will be inducted into a bowling hall of fame later this year. We know this because she was featured in a front-page feature story in the Hillsboro Banner. In Mayville, the Riverwood Addition development site is nearly sold out as more people build homes there. That news was on the front page of the Traill County Tribune. The Devils Lake Journal noted that the local Sons of Norway lodge recently won a statewide award, and the Walsh County Press reported that Park River is the first city to receive...
“Everything in this newspaper is important to someone.” It’s become something of a mantra for me, in recent years. Weekly community newspapers are eclectic, to say the least. We publish photos of ribbons being cut at bakeries, and donations being dropped off at local food pantries. We print the school honor roll, the court report, and in-depth stories on decisions made by planning commissions and town boards. Sometimes we cover murders, abuse, and horrific car crashes, and when we do our community journalists often exper...
The Ekalaka Board of Trustees recently authorized the purchase of a new activity bus and high school bleachers. Both decisions were based upon the professional opinion of many stakeholders with respect to safety and operational efficiency. The Bus Depreciation Fund is a Special Revenue Fund, meaning that it is legally restricted to expenditures for specific purposes. Authorized by MCA 20-110-147, the Bus Depreciation Fund can only be used for adding, replacing or equipping buses. Our current activity bus needed to be...
It is a well-known fact that secondhand smoke is dangerous. The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act protects our residents from the harmful effects of the toxins in secondhand smoke by banning the use of cigarettes and combustible tobacco in public indoor spaces. Unfortunately, there is a new threat to our clean air: e-cigarette aerosol. People have been led to believe that the aerosol released by e-cigarettes is harmless water vapor, when in fact, according to the U.S. Surgeon General, it contains nicotine and ultrafine particles...
I-185 will save lives As a retired ICU physician, I know the end-stage consequences of tobacco use: heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, dementia, COPD, emphysema, and cancers – not just lung cancer, but also throat, stomach, pancreatic, colon, liver, kidney, and bladder cancers, to name a few. It was difficult to repeatedly see these horrible diseases, and their devastating consequences on patients and their families. Initiative 185 will place higher taxes on tobacco and vaping products. Hopefully, this will d...
It has been almost six months since I assumed office as your mayor. I started the year by taking a city government course online through MSU in Bozeman and, recently, went to a budgeting workshop in Miles City. Both were very interesting and informative. The council has had successful meetings, also learning about how city government, budgets, etc. work. The more we learn, the better we will be able to serve our community. I must thank Elston, Clayton and Kitty for keeping...
Last week, outgoing Senator Eric Moore offered in these pages “a factual perspective” on “the future of mining and Medicaid in Montana.” The picture he painted was grim, indeed: Unless the Republican-led legislature rushed in to quickly intervene, Montana’s mining industry would grind to a halt thanks to environmental extremists, while legions of lazy able-bodied welfare cheats would hijack our state’s health care system. The cause of this impending chaos? Two ballot initiatives that had generated sufficient validated signatu...
As usual, the Billings Gazette editorial board demonstrated its left wing bias and reluctance to ascertain the facts in its opinion piece opposing the opportunity for Montana voters to have a say in the fiscal future of their state. Montana legislators are considering calling a very brief special session to put two referenda before the voters dealing with a pair of ballot initiatives that will greatly effect Montana’s budget for the foreseeable future. Yes, it will cost some money. While $90,000 is a lot of money to you a...
"They have been at a great feast of languages and stol'n the scraps." So says the page to his illiterate friend, watching the writing-men at work. In "Love's Labour's Lost," the scholars are quickly revealed as fools. King Ferdinand and his court swear off women in favor of study, and they are quickly forsworn when the quick-witted Princess of France and her alluring entourage arrive on ambassadorial duty. That opening quote is from early in the play, and it seems meant...
Hello, my name is Jaelee Strangford and I am a local student here at CCHS. Earlier in the year, I got a letter informing me that I had been nominated by my former band teacher, Mr. Brad Wick, to go on a European Band Tour with Voyageurs International. I decided to accept this nomination and will be leaving for the North Dakota State University campus in Fargo on July 5, 2019. I will be touring seven countries in 16 days: England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and Lichtenstein. I will get to see the Eiffel...
A short while ago, I sent a letter to our Mayor, Mrs. Fix, stating my concerns about the Town of Ekalaka’s proposal to remove pavement from Mormon Avenue and replace it with gravel. To date, I have received no response from her. At the same time, I submitted that same letter to the Ekalaka Eagle as a letter to the editor. From that editorial, I have gotten an overwhelming response in favor of repairing the pavement from people all over town and from some county residents also. Mormon Avenue is a major street in this town t...
America is in the midst of an energy revolution and Montana is well positioned to be a major player. That was the overwhelming consensus among Montana’s and the country’s energy thought leaders at my second Energy Summit in Billings this past week. Unlike the previous Administration, the Trump Administration has pursued policies that support Western values and have shown they want to work with Montanans instead of put us out of work. Since President Obama left the White Hou...
As a lifetime resident of Carter County, I have a lot invested in the welfare of our county. I graduated from Carter County High School in 1969. I married my wife, Janet Dodd, whom is also a lifetime resident of Carter County, in 1972. We ranched in the Finger Buttes area until 1984, when the 22 percent interest forced us to move on. While ranching in the early 80s, I started working part-time under Sheriff Vernon Preuss as a reserve officer. After moving to Alzada, I worked construction in the Alzada area while continuing...
