News

CHS senior gets U.S. Naval Academy nomination

Columbus High School senior Nathan Palmer has received two congressional nominations to the United States Naval Academy. U.S. Congressman Greg Gianforte and Sen. Steve Daines made the announcement recently. Palmer

Commissioners talk burn permit system, growth policy and judge agreement

The following business was conducted at Tuesday’s regularly scheduled Stillwater County Commissioners’ agenda meeting: GROWTH POLICY A resolution of intent to adopt an amended version of the 2018 Stillwater County

Former Columbus man elected North Dakota sheriff

Former Columbus resident Frank Eberle is the new Bowman County sheriff in North Dakota. Eberle took the race 45 percent to 33 percent against his challenger. He is the first

Walk Through Bethlehem Wednesday night

A special kind of Christmas fun for the entire family will take place on Wednesday night, Dec. 12, when the Stillwater Youth Center (SYC) in Columbus presents its 2nd Annual “Walk Through Bethlehem.”

Park City woman nets state judicial branch award

Exemplary work as a court administrator responsible for overseeing three criminal and civil schedules in three counties netted Park City’s Kathryn Stanley the 2018 Montana Judicial Branch employee of the year award.

Stanley was presented with the award last month by Montana Supreme Court Chief Mike McGrath at a ceremony in Helena. Also present was 22nd Judicial District Judge Blair Jones, who nominated Stanley for the award. It was one of four presented.

Stanley has served as the 22nd Judicial Court Administrator since its inception 19 years ago.

CFR gets gold Pediatric EMS service recognition

Columbus Fire Rescue (CFR) has been recognized by a state organization for its multi-faceted approach in providing pediatric care training, services and prevention programs.

CFR is now a IV Gold Level Pediatric EMS Service with a safety plus endorsement, according to a press release from Montana’s Emergency Medical Services and the Child Ready MT Project.

CFR’s three ambulances each have pediatric supplies and equipment, as well as a pediatric ambulance restraint device. Other pediatric-geared elements identified in the press release include the following:

CFR firefighter featured in California magazine

Columbus Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Travis Hansen was one of a handful of locals who have answered the call for mutual aid to neighboring states to help fight wildfires in recent months.

In August, he spent 14 days on the Mendocino Fire in northern California — a wildfire that killed one firefighter, injured four other firefighters, burned 459,123 acres, destroyed 280 structures and caused at least $267 million in damages before fire crews contained it in September.

Absentee voters make strong showing at local and state levels

The official statistics showing exactly how locals voted in the November general election have been released by the county following its election canvass.

Here is a snapshot of how Stillwater County voters compare to the entire state.

 

VOTER TURNOUT

As was the case across the nation, the most recent general election produced a relatively high number of citizens casting votes in Montana and Stillwater County.

Absarokee’s Snowflake Festival this Friday

Absarokee is the place to be this Friday, with the celebration of the Snowflake Festival.

The fun starts at 10 a.m. and goes until midnight (see schedule below). The predicted high Friday is just 34 degrees, but as of Wednesday, no snow or rain was expected.

Pick up a Snowflake Map and collect 15 or more participating merchant stamps to be eligible to win $50 Absarokee Area Merchants Association (AAMA). Collect all the stamps for a chance to win $500 AAMA.

The schedule of events is as follows:

Federal investigation of train derailment continues

The federal investigation into the derailment of 40 rail cars carrying coal through Columbus has entered its third month.

“The FRA (Federal Railroad Administration) investigation is still ongoing to our knowledge. They have not issued a final report yet. It can take a while for them to finish up their investigation and to release their findings,” said Montana Rail Link Information Officer Jim Lewis.