Cut Bank has themselves a new State Champion as local junior Mariah Wahl dominated the field at the first Montana All-Class Girls Wrestling Tournament. Wahl spent just 1:39 on the mat as she pinned all four of her opponents to earn the first championship awarded at 138 pounds. 

It is wrestling tournament time in Cut Bank! That is good news, mostly because it was not a given, based on the pandemic the country has been dealing with for almost a year now, that post-season tournaments would be allowed. But tournament time it is!

The Montana Department of Administration (DOA) confirmed last week it is withholding over $525,000 from Glacier County because “corrective measures identified from prior audits have not been adopted.” The payments being withheld date back to November 2019.

According to Public Information Officer James McNeely, in meeting with reps from Blackfeet Community Hospital and the Southern Piegan Health Center, approximately 4,500 vaccinations have been administered to residents of the Blackfeet Reservation, with around half of those having received bo…

The Glacier County Libraries in Cut Bank and Browning will be opening–soon. On Thursday, Feb. 18, the Glacier County Commissioners voted to re-open the libraries, taking “one step at a time…I asked you to come with a solution and you did,” stated Commission Chair Mary Jo Bremner during the C…

It is that time of year again–time to purchase your Lions Club Bonus Card. What? You don’t know about the money-saving Cut Bank Lions Club Bonus Card?  

It was first reported by the Toole County Sheriff’s Office on Feb. 9 that two fishermen from Missoula County had gone missing the evening of Feb. 8. The two fishermen and one other friend had been camping on the north side of the Marias River, down below the Adamson Road in Southeast Toole C…

We are less than two weeks away from Transmittal, which is the halfway point of the legislative session. This is the deadline by which all general House bills must be voted on and sent to the Senate and Senate bills to the House, or they die in process.

Many have been following the amazing story of Jason Preuss, the baby diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a rare disease that if left untreated is fatal. The last update on Jason was a good one, with him at home after receiving his “designer genes,” Zolgensma, and making great progr…

Bills seeking to establish Indigenous Peoples Day in Montana resurfaced for the third time in the Legislature with renewed support from advocates who said it’s time to celebrate the history of the state’s Indigenous peoples.

Cut Bank was one of only a handful of rural airports across the United States selected recently to host a “General Aviation Advancing America” interactive forum facilitated by the National Air Transportation Association (NATA). The forum was designed to brainstorm ideas on how community lead…

Town Pump, a 15-year sponsor of the annual MTN Chevy Raffle to benefit Special Olympics Montana, will be striving for new heights in ticket sales this year.

Last fall, the average participant in the Glacier County Extension Total Money Makeover (TMM) book club paid off $2,250 in debt, cut up two credit cards, and saved $750 towards their emergency fund or retirement throughout the class!  The TMM, by Dave Ramsey, provides a practical and inspiri…

Don’t lose twice this bear season! Glacier county is, “one of the hardest hit areas in the state” when it comes to livestock lost to predators, according to Montana Live-stock Loss Board Director George Edwards. This year be sure to have reimbursement coverage for livestock killed by bears, …

Big Sky Bagels owners & Hallie and Bette Brown

Cut Bank Schools is advertising for a new elementary school principal for the 2021-22 school year. After 22 years, Venus Dodson is retiring from her position as principal. Cut Bank Superintendent Wade Johnson said the district is currently advertising for the position. The school board forma…

“The House that Rob Built,” a documentary about the University of Montana (UM) women’s basketball program, will be released nationwide on Feb. 23. It is available for pre-order now. The movie is co-directed by Jonathan Cipiti, and UM alum Megan Harrington.

The bell rang once to signal members of the Montana House of Representatives to punch in their votes, and the result was a dead heat: 50 for “yes,” 50 for “no.”

Toole and Glacier County residents  have a new opportunity to enroll in health insurance for 2021 on HealthCare.gov, but only for a limited time. This new COVID-19 open enrollment period starts on Feb. 15 and ends on May 15. 

Forty of Montana State University’s top seniors and their faculty and staff mentors will be recognized Tuesday, Feb. 16, at the 39th annual Awards for Excellence. This year’s event will be held online. Among those to be honored is Browning’s Danielle Antelope, College of Education, Health an…

The Shelby Promoter reported in last week’s edition that President Biden’s executive order regarding private prison contracts would not affect Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby. A recent email from CoreCivic Director of Public Affairs Amanda Gilchrist states their comment may have bee…

The discord and chaos surrounding the fall 2020 election cycle destroyed public confidence in the integrity of the election process. I have been asked by numerous constituents whether Montana elections are secure. While there is no Montana evidence of significant voter fraud, there are obvio…

Ah, love. An emotion and a feeling felt by people of all ages. It comes in varying degrees and sizes and might have been felt for more than a few decades, a number of years or perhaps, as with young love, for a brief moment of time.

When Kacie Fey started her own coffee shop in April of 2012, it was in a small concession trailer placed on a semi-empty lot located by Cut Bank Auto Body on Main Street.

Larry Bomar, who was convicted and then sentenced in Glacier County District Court for sexually assaulting a six-year-old, is returning to Glacier County this week. Bomar, who has spent the last 15 years in the Montana State Prison, is scheduled to be released on Feb. 11. His freedom, howeve…

Aviation, civic, community and business leaders are invited to attend an upcoming General Aviation Advancing America gathering at the Cut Bank International Airport, 2705 Valier Highway, on Wednesday, Feb. 10, from 1-2 p.m. The meeting is intended to create an interactive forum for comments …

There will be a shelterbelt and tree care workshop on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Glacier County Annex conference room (1210 E. Main, Cut Bank, MT 59427).  There is no cost to attend but an RSVP to glaciercountycd@gmail.com or 873-2239 is requested.

Get your calendars marked for Beers for a Cause located at Cut Bank Creek Brewery on Tuesday, Feb. 9! A portion of all drinks bought between 6–8 p.m. will be given to Cut Bank Trails to help fund the Anna Jeffries to Sports Complex Trail. 

The COVID-19 pandemic brought a flood of new orders and guidelines from local health departments for businesses across Montana, including particularly tricky ones for owners and employees on mask use. Jim Edwards, the owner of Pattee Creek Market in Missoula said his business adapted, puttin…

Two bills aimed at changing the way Montana runs its elections is moving through the Montana Legislature, though one measure is drawing criticism from election administrators and county commissioners who worry the state’s election processes might be further politicized.

“Throughout this school year our teachers and staff have met the challenges we have been forced to face with a ‘will do’ attitude, and our students have followed instruction very well. This will be another test for us all, and we hope it is the last time we must take such a drastic measure,”…

Mike Hedges will seek a second term on the Cut Bank school board. Hedges submitted his filing paperwork to District Clerk Linsey Milender last week. Also filing for the local school board was Robert Winkowitsch, said Milender, adding two seats on the board are up for election this year. 

Jigsaw puzzles have become all the rage as of late. With more of us staying home and finding entertainment within our own four walls, jigsaw puzzles have taken center stage now more than they ever have before.

Sometimes the first profession we choose, is not the one we were really called to do. Cut Bank graduate Naomi Light, M.D., OB-GYN, will attest to that being the case in her own life.

Maverick Bench was an eight-year-old little boy from Kila, a small town outside of Kalispell, Mont. In May 2020, he was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia. This is a very rare condition in which the body stops producing enough new blood cells. He was transported to Colorado where he went through…

Glacier County officials are still researching the feasibility of purchasing property in Browning to house a permanent Glacier County Satellite Office. The Glacier County Commissioners continued the discussion at their Jan. 21 meeting in Cut Bank. 

First Presbyterian Church in Cut Bank will begin a community fine arts outreach program in 2021, and the first installment is the creation of the Glacier Children’s Choir (GCC) under the direction of Lisa S. Screeton, Director of Music for the church. Children throughout northwest Montana in…

The Cut Bank Lady Wolves wrestling squad made history last week as they not only competed in the first Montana High School Association sanctioned all-female mixer in Shepherd, but the three grapplers went undefeated on the day. 

In 2021, FAST Blackfeet will begin a new Food Pharmacy Program in the Blackfeet Nation. It will expand on the food distribution success of the O´yo´•0´ Food Pantry. Participants will get specialized food from the pantry that is healthy for people at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and…

Preface: I am writing this article not only as a health care professional, but also as a fellow human. I am right here with you. 

The Independence Bank Scholarship application deadline is quickly approaching. Applications for the scholarship must be received in the MSU-Northern Financial Aid Office by Feb. 5. The Independence Bank Scholarship is open to incoming freshman students planning to attend MSU-Northern. 

 Three bills that would continue the work of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force had their first hearing in the House Judiciary Committee Thursday.

Chuck Gatzemeier proudly announced the recent sale of his business, CG Ag Consulting in Cut Bank, to Helena Agri-Enterprises. Gatzemeier and his warehouse manager, Dave Henderson, will be assisting in the transition process. Gatzemeier founded the company in 2002 and Henderson joined him in …

It is always nice to know the faces of your hometown pharmacists. And now, for Cut Bank residents, there are two more pharmacists added into the good group already established here.  Quinn Spinler and Shreya Patel are the new “kids” in town, working at Osco Pharmacy in Albertson’s.

Cut Bank’s Addisyn Bengtson is famous for her cake decorating skills, and she’s putting those to work with her “Cupcakes for a Cause” project. As her 4-H Teen Leadership Project, Addisyn is organizing Glacier County 4-Hers to bake and decorate Valentines cupcakes that will be delivered Feb. …

Producers of pulse crops in the Golden Triangle area received some good news last week with the re-opening of the processing plant in western Glacier County. The Pardue Grain facility, formerly owned by Roger and Lisa Sammons, is back in operation. AgroLink, LLC, has acquired the grain eleva…

The Shelby Lions Club is a relatively new organization whose mission is to serve the community. As such, the Lions Club will be hosting a Drive Through Chili Benefit for the Preuss Family. 

Glacier County Com-missioners Michael Des-Rosier and John Overcast were joined with incoming Commissioner Mary Jo Bremner at the Jan. 12 meeting at the Satellite Office in Browning. Roads Supervisor John Evans also attended, along with Treasurer Don Wilson, CFO Chancy Kittson and HR Director…