News you can use
News you can use
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The people of Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation have undergone a lot of trauma in recent years. Many prominent residents have been charged with embezzlement and other felonies. With their off-reservation cohorts, they are alleged to have plundered millions of dollars from tribal coffers. Some have already been carted off to prison. At the same time, there has been a bitter rift between two political factions, the tribal establishment and a reform group headed by Ken St. Marks. Not much can be done about the first problem. From a... Full story
Bravo to the Montana House for its approval of legislation that would further protect reporter sources. The House voted overwhelmingly — and the Judiciary Committee voted unanimously — to ban authorities from subpoenaing reporter notes kept electronically. The entire Hi-Line delegation backed the proposal. It now goes to the Senate where it will hopefully will receive an equally warm reception. Montana’s Shield Law is one of the strongest in the nation. Notes taken by reporters for news stories cannot be seized by autho... Full story
Thousands of Montanans do not have enough money to give themselves proper health care. As a result, they decline preventative health care measures, and they put off doctor visits on minor problems until they get seriously ill. This should not happen in a civilized society. Health care, in the 21st century, ought to be a right. These 71,000 Montanans fall between the cracks. They are not poor enough to be eligible for Medicaid, but they don't make enough to qualify for coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Why doesn’t the A... Full story
Laurel — Hill County officials, headed by County Commissioner Mark Peterson, are fighting to get Helena’s attention on the problem of flooding along Beaver Creek Park. Attack the federal government all you want, but the Federal Emergency Management Administration has come to the county’s rescue several times in recent years to help alleviate the effects of floods on the creek. But the feds don’t have deep pockets, and they want the county to take some action. The state doesn’t have deep pockets either, but we think the state... Full story
Despite hysterical fears that it would be the end of freedom and liberty as we know it, not much has changed since the city of Havre banned use of cellphones while driving in the city limits. Except perhaps there have been fewer accidents and near misses. Now, state Rep. Virginia Court, D-Billings, is proposing that the ban be made statewide. Montana would become one of the last states to prohibit use of cellphones while driving. Several Montana cities have joined Havre in prohibiting use of cellphones by motorists. It’s q... Full story
Dart — Some fool thought it would be fun to call a bomb threat into Havre High School Wednesday. The threat caused all kinds of problems to the school district, disrupted the education and activities for students and caused undue alarm to parents. Havre police had to drop what they were doing and oversee operations at the scene. Havre police hope they will find the responsible person. We hope courts deal with the guilty party severely. Everything went well Wednesday, but with all that kind of unexpected activity taking p... Full story
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., started his Senate career off exactly the wrong way last week when he signed on to the idea of term limits for the U.S. House and Senate. Term limits have been tried and failed in Montana, and we see no reason to extend the mistake to Washington. Under Daines’ plan, voters would be allowed to re-elect a senator once, but would be prohibited from sending a senator to Washington a third term. House members could be re-elected six times, but if voters want to put them in office for a seventh term, t... Full story
Dart — Montana prides itself in having a citizens’ government where everyday people make decisions that affect the common good. But for everyday people to be able to make decisions, they have to be trained in some of the complexities of local and state government. The Local Government Center at Montana State University in Bozeman has done that for more than 30 years. All kinds of local officials in Hill and Blaine counties have gone to those seminars. Now, funding for the center has been dropped from the proposed state bud... Full story
Laurel — Welcome to Missouri Valley offensive coordinator Aaron Christensen who will be Montana State University-Northern's head football coach. It's a great football town, coach. And few towns support the local college like we do. Best of luck. Laurel — Havreite Mike Zook told the story of how he and his wife adopted their two daughters. It was a touching story,. There is a need for more adoption in this country and this world. We laud Zook for coming forward with the story and hope it prompts others considering ado... Full story
As we end 2014, we see so many things that people of Hill County and the Hi-Line have accomplished, and yet, so much that still needs to be done. New Year’s Day is always a good time to take stock of what we have done and what needs to be worked on. See if you agree with our prognosis. Thumbs up: Hi-Line neighborliness The astronomical number of benefits, special-help programs and other ways of helping people in need continues to skyrocket in Havre and the vicinity. There is something unique to the Hi-Line here. It seems t... Full story
We in the newspaper business often spend our time covering the dark side of society — the fires, arrests and political corruption. But we also spend a lot of time dealing with some really great people. Many are the people who stay in the background because that’s the way they want it. They volunteer in the community, they go the extra mile, they help people when no one is watching. They are the last ones to want to be mentioned in the newspaper. As we look back at 2014, we reflect on just some of these people we worked wit... Full story
Hats off to Havre City Councilwomen Pam Hillery and Terry Lilletvedt for taking up what might be the politically unpopular issue of raising taxes. The two lawmakers want the city to undertake a massive effort to improve the city’s deteriorating infrastructure. That will go over well with the voters. And they are putting out options on how to best pay for that undertaking. That will not be popular. But the need for improvement to streets, sidewalks, sewers and water systems is pretty clear to anyone who travels around the city... Full story
Laurel — There's nothing to do in Havre? Look at the Christmas events that have been held in Havre this week and the upcoming events. Schools, college, reservations, community groups and a lot more are putting on events that are fun for the whole family. Take the opportunity to take part, Dart — Sony Studios let the civilized world down when it buckled under to terrorist cyber attackers this week. The cyber bullies, apparently people with close ties to the North Korean government, didn't like a picture. "The Interview," SON... Full story
Laurel People from senior citizens to Havre High School Key Club members are ringing the bell at Salvation Army kettles around town. It’s a tough job, standing out in the cold asking for money. But it’s a fun job. Volunteers talk to people, laugh with old friends and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping a lot of people in need. If you are interested in joining the people who take part in the activity, call the Salvation Army at 265-6411. Dart Montana Attorney General Tim Fox says Barry Beach has alr... Full story
Laurel The Havre-Hill County Library has some great programs for young people. Children in one of the programs, Story Time, stayed late this week and made Christmas cards for soldiers stationed in Liberia. It is sort of a forgotten war these soldiers are taking part in. It's the war against Ebola. Soldiers help medical professionals in the effort to stop the deadly disease from spreading. It is important work — as important to our national security as an military operation. But these military personnel are sometimes f... Full story
Laurel — Chinook Sugarbeeters worked hard all season, and after a disappointing start to the year, they bounced back to make it to the state finals in Class C 8-man football. They tried very hard to win, but it was not to be this time. But they were fine representatives of their city. We hope the team is proud of its accomplishments. Laurel — The future of Rocky Boy is in good hands. Two young people at Rocky Boy High School have been an inspiration to the rest of us. Isiah Murie and Tristen Belgrade are heading up Ope... Full story
While we each individually look at what we should be thankful for in our lives, it might be nice at this time of the year to look at what we are thankful for and what inspires us in the public life of our community. Lots of Hi-Line people have inspired us in the last year. Usually it’s not the civic and political leaders we cover daily Instead it was the courageous everyday people who go above and beyond the call of duty in their private lives. Here are some of the folks who made us proud, people we are thankful for this T... Full story
Laurel — The American Society of Civil Engineers did a study of Montana’s infrastructure. It came to the obvious conclusion. the state of Montana’s roads and public infrastructure is pretty sad. We suspect if they did a detailed study of the state of the infrastructure on the Hi-Line, the report would be just as bad or worse. Having a quality infrastructure would do much to improve the state’s chances of attracting new businesses and new jobs. It also makes life far more pleasant for residents. It’s time the federal g... Full story
Promises of the new Montana Legislature that there will be openness and cooperation in the upcoming session got off to a rocky start Thursday night. Members of the House Republican caucus met secretly in the basement of a Helena hotel to talk about priorities for the upcoming session. It seems to us that Montana law is crystal clear. In the state constitution and in subsequent Montana court rulings, it is obvious that all meetings of party caucuses are to be open to the public, no exceptions. Republicans came up with all kind... Full story
Laurel: Police are generally skeptical about speaking to the press about cases under investigation. Often, we think, this is counterproductive. Police keep quiet even if it would be in their best interests to let the public know what they are doing. This is not true of the Chippewa Cree Police Department which opened up its files about the Robbie Alexander case. Alexander has been missing more than a year, leading to all kinds of rumors on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation. Officers shared the information with the Havre Daily... Full story
Today is Veterans Day, the day set aside for Americans to honor those who have served in the armed forces over the year. Many of those honored today are not the people described as heroes in the traditional sense. It is not the day to pay tribute to those who died in service — that’s Memorial Day. Nor is it meant for those who courageously fought in a major battle. It is a time to honor those men and women who gave us two, three or 30 years of their lives to serve their country. With the advent of the volunteer Army, the numb...
On Oct. 23 a senior Havre Police Department patrol officer came into the Havre Daily News office and nominated me to participate in the Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge. Having recently moved from sunny California, I had yet to experience any form of freezing weather, let alone being engulfed by ice-cold water. What was I thinking? Nonetheless, I accepted the challenge. I felt really passionate about the cause it supported, Special Olympics–Montana. These athletes have perseve...
Two Havre Daily News reporters John Paul Schmidt and Tori Thomas took part in Saturday's Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge. Here is their account. Makeshift and classic superheroes, along with sadist onlookers and Montana Special Olympics athletes, gathered at Blue Pony Stadium to watch me and others make ourselves miserable for a cause. The Sub-Zero Super-Hero Polar Plunge had dozens of people "freezin' for a reason." People had been raising money for Montana Special Olympics...
Laurel All praise to 5,064 voters in Hill County who got to the polls and let their voices be heard Tuesday. Decisions made by the Montana Legislature probably have more impact on people’s day-to-day lives than congressional decisions. People have a right and a responsibility to express their opinions. Dart In all, 46.7 percent of the electorate did not show up at the polls and a whole lot more haven’t even registered to vote. That means a small minority of the people in Hill County will make decisions for everyone. Let... Full story
The biggest heroes in the international battle against the dread disease Ebola are the brave souls who gave up the comfort of their homes and traveled to Africa to help people most directly affected. Doctors. nurses and other aid workers have courageously put themselves at risk to fight this killer. That’s why we were a bit dismayed that the governors of New York and New Jersey imposed such draconian measures upon those workers when they return to the United States. Those returning from countries afflicted with Ebola, h... Full story
