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Angel Johnson, PHN, Chouteau County Public Health wrote the following letter: “To all Big Sandy Senior Parents--Currently, we do not have an answer as to when the Governor will move the community into Phase II of the re-opening plan. Unfortunately, this makes scheduling events to celebrate your student’s graduation tenuous at best.” “In phase 1 of the Governor’s plan, places of assembly are to remain closed. This would include the Senior Center, Church halls, community halls, and any other gathering place. We received clarification on 5’7’20...
The Big Sandy Barracudas are planning on a swim season. They are hopeful the Governor will move us into Phase II of reopening Montana before June 1st. They are holding swim registration on May 21st at 5:00 pm at the football field concession area. This will allow for the correct social distancing and still be able to have everyone attend to obtain the information they will need for the swim season. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Heather Pleninger or Diana Labuda....
Last Thursday at the Big Sandy City Council meeting, they learned Big Sandy had won the Montana State Park and Recreation grant for a Walking Trail (sidewalk). The Walking Trail would start at the F.E. Miley and connect the school with the sidewalks already along Johanson street, the main street downtown. It was funded at $50,500, which was $10,000 short of the requested amount. However, Rotary has already met and is willing to pay for the rest of the money. The total project was bid at...
The Big Sandy Food Bank staff and food bank recipients have expressed great gratitude for the support of the local community that has given dollars to help provide food to those in our community. There has been some increase in need. Terry Grant said, "There have always been those that have anonymously contributed to the Food Bank account at The Grocery Store. This acknowledgment includes all the time Deb puts in receiving and keeping track of the donated funds so that we can keep the shelves st...
The school board voted to keep the school closed and continue online learning for the rest of the school year. In the interest of transparency, I will be quoting from the Big Sandy School district COVID-19 Emergency Policies as voted on. Please note these are not minutes just a quick update of the decisions of the Board concerning further education and educational activities at the Big Sandy School.” “The Board of trustees and its staff are operating under unusual, even unprecedented circumstances by virtue of the declaration of a sta...
To open the local restaurants, there are several rules they must follow. The Mint will be opening while following these guidelines as well as Ma's in Loma. Peps will not be opening and will continue to serve the community as they have over the last month. Ma's will also be open only by reservation if you want to sit inside, as Greg Bouchard reported he is removing six tables and will not be able to allow anyone in once the tables are full. Please call ahead for reservations at 406-739-4400 or...
The full school board met along with guests on Google Meet for the school board meeting on April 21. They also met on Monday, April 27, but that meeting took place after the printing deadline of Monday morning, therefore, we were not able to cover that meeting till next week’s Mountaineer. During old business, they showed pictures of the upgrade to the storage room at the FE Miley Grade School. This was the former stage area. The project came $3,500 under budget. The pictures showed a well-organized area with lots of room for storage. Travis B...
Severin Heimbigner, a member of the Big Sandy FFA, has won an SAE Grant from the National FFA. He won one of the 176 SAE grants given nation-wide. Severin received $1,000 to support his lawn mowing business. Severin started applying in September 2019 but he didn't get it done until mid-Nov. Severin plans to buy some equipment and repair some of his old equipment with his dad's help. I asked him if he was surprised he won and his smile told me everything. We were doing the interview outside at...
Earth Day came and went without a mention from me. Surprisingly, because right now, walking outside is what brings normalcy to my life. My granddaughter was the one that brought it to my attention. She said to me, "yesterday on the 22nd was Earth Day. We don't have to celebrate the day, because we take care of the earth every day. Because we are farmers!" She's only six but the truth none the less. Every year on April 22, Earth Day is celebrated. This year marks 50 years of celebration. The...
During this COVID-19 crisis, the Internet and our cell phones have been a lifeline. The technology we currently have has allowed us to connect. The school, though different as continued to be able to teach students long distant. You can take free tours of famous museums, learn how to paint or how to play the guitar. You don’t have to step foot into a bank, order anything you may need online. However, maybe the most important thing is you can talk to and visit with anyone anywhere in the world. We must have these abilities, and we are very t...
Editor's note: OK, so during these times, there isn't much news, but it is also true that during these times when we need to pull together as a community. Get to know one another better, reach out and celebrate who we are. Find ways to support each other. With that regard, I decided to run a series of articles to do just that. We started the interview over FaceTime. A first for me as I needed to take notes instead of recording the conversation. Larry said I had to excuse him because he had homem...
The community is the first responder and the first line of defense. The public is responsible for stopping the spread of COVID-19, and it is going to be harder to continue social distancing the longer it delays. Recently there was an internet conference call with local medical personnel and city and county officials. Those present were Shaud Schwarzbach, Big Sandy Mayor; Darin Schuster, County Commissioner; Heather Wolery, Principal of Big Sandy Public Schools; Leah Griffith, CEO of Big Sandy...
Bailey Gasvoda will be one of the state's FFA officers during her first year at MSU. She doesn't know which office yet, Usually, they travel to Bozeman to be interviewed, but this year Bailey was interviewed remotely. She also watched the FFA Facebook page as her name was announced. Bailey told me it was surreal. "Honestly, this is something I have always wanted to do since the 7th grade. When I was just new to FFA, I remember going to the DLS fall kickoff, and I saw all the state officers. Ther...
Editor's note: OK so during these times there isn't much news, but it is also true that during these times when we need to pull together as a community. Get to know one another better, reach out and celebrate who we are. Find ways to support each other. With that regard, I decided to run a series of article to do just that. Terry and Twila Grant first met at Rocky Boy High school, where Terry was teaching, coaching basketball, and cheerleader. Twila worked in the office and took over the...
During this time of trial, I see a lot of caring people, reaching out to help, to bless those who are in need. But I also hear and read a lot of negativity. It is during times like this I am reminded of my favorite verses. Philippians, starting with verse "4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your...
It's Easter whether or not we have our traditions or not. It can be an incredible time for families if we use our creativity and allow for personal or family time to revisit the foundations of our faith. Sean Janssen, Pastor of Christ Lutheran Church, wrote, "The Resurrection of our Lord comes whether or not we can celebrate as we have become accustomed. We are used to coming together in our sanctuary for a great celebration. We will have that at a later time. But for this Sunday, we may find...
Reece Ophus finally made up his mind to run for Chouteau County Commissioner. "I was going to file a long time ago. I've been talking about running for County Commissioner for a while. I was encouraged by friends and people in the community to run, but there was a lot of chatter to who was going to run, so I waited till the last week to file to see how it was all going to turn out. In the end, we have three different candidates besides myself. The main reason I am running is the roads, of...
Shaud Schwazbach is First Bank's new loan officer. Shaud said, "The community has been very supportive so far, so that's awesome." It's been several years since a Big Sandy bank has had anyone, locally, who was a loan officer. April 2, was his first day. He said, "It was surreal. This whole process has been eye-opening and surreal. I have always considered myself a loyal person, so it took something special for me to consider making this move." Shaud started his banking career with US Bank,...
The Big Sandy School board held a quick board meeting over the internet. Although the governor said school need to be closed for two more weeks, the school board had to officially declare the school closed per regulations. They voted to do so. It was noted by Kelly Haaland, Superintendent, that all students can receive free breakfast and lunch from the school Monday through Thursday. All teachers, K-12, at Big Sandy schools have been teaching students remotely for the past two weeks. This will continue indefinitely until we are no longer under...
Marlene Terry has been sewing for years. What she loves doing is sewing with scraps of material, like they use to do a long time ago, "in the older days." Quilts were made out of leftover material, and that is what Marlene likes to make; she calls them "Scrappy Quilts." Luckily Marlene has good friends that supply her with lots of scraps of material from their leftovers. She has, over the years, made numerous quilts and other sewing projects from these scraps of material, many of which she...
Matthew Gullickson is a farmer, an engineer, and now a manufacturer of 3-D masks. This new COVID-19 pandemic has made him do something different. He has to try to do something to make things better. He saw on-line the face mask they have developed in Billings using a 3-D printer. Matt can make two at a time using his 3-D printer. It takes six to seven hours to make two masks. He will also create, with his 3-D printer, the little square which holds the filter into the masks. These masks are...
It seems a little ridiculous to be writing an article that celebrates who we are. We know we make the food the nation eats. We know the facts, but it doesn't hurt to remind us about how important we are. I located the following facts from the American Farm Bureau Federation: 2 million farms dot America's rural landscape. About 98% of U.S. farms are operated by families – individuals, family partnerships, or family corporations. One U.S. farm feeds 166 people annually in the U.S. and abroad. T...
Editor's note: I am working from home currently and am connecting with individuals in a wide variety of ways. I asked Daren the same questions I asked the other candidate for county commissioners. Why are you running for Chouteau County Commissioners? Daren wrote, "I'm running for re-election first and foremost because I love my job, and I consider it an honor and privilege to represent the citizens of Chouteau County and want to continue to do so." Why do you think you are the best candidate?...
For the most part, everyone knows what is happening in our state concerning the COVID-19 virus. However, it doesn’t seem logical to put out a paper without letting everyone know what is happening locally. It doesn’t hurt to mention once again if you have any of the symptoms call the Medical Center and visit with them. Krystle Kulbeck said previously, “At this time, the illness ranges from mild to severe symptoms and possible death. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.” If your symptom...
During times of stress when I struggle, when it appears there is no answer, I have always gone to the scriptures to find solace. The scriptures always give me comfort. These are challenging times. We have to wait and see, but it is my hope we can stop this virus before it rages the United States like it has other countries. The other day while reading my bible in the morning, I came across a simple scripture verse. “Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus, our Lord.” 2 Timothy 1:2 Like most, I would typically move rig...
