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The Big News from the Medical Center is we have a new medical provider; Joe Epperson PA-C. He will be starting May 10. Be watching for a complete introduction in a future Mountaineer. The Jason DeShaw concert “Serenity in the Storm.” He is a national award-winning speaker and singer/songwriter who shares his journey with mental illness and addictions and was coming to Big Sandy on April 26, 2024. He called and canceled the event because he was so sick with the flu. However, because the food was almost prepared the Medical Center decided to go...
I was taking garbage to the garbage bins in Big Sandy. This time, instead of just throwing the garbage bag, I looked at the garbage and thought about how I never think often enough about this issue of waste. I just dump. That is when I remembered reading about the theme for Earth Day 2024: Planet vs. Plastics. We just take our garbage to the bins. It’s staggering to think about the sheer volume of waste we generate. The largest portion of our garbage is food, with a mind-boggling 38-40% of the food we purchase ends up in the trash. Equally a...
This weekend, I was again reminded of the value of a person's life at a funeral and realized I must express what made it so incredible. First, Don Heikkila was an incredible man. Second, his family was incredible-one in a million-and third, his staff were incredible as well. What makes for an incredible life? Don Heikkilla was born with Cerebral Palsy and Mental Retardation, so his life was not easy. He was always required to use a wheelchair. At the age of twelve, he was moved into an...
Kyle Danreuther and his wife Jasmine live in "grandma and grandpa's, Charles and Janet Danreuther" place west of Big Sandy. Their daughter, Willa, is three years old. Kyle graduated from Big Sandy High School in 2007. So, twenty years ago, he participated in everything Big Sandy offered. He loved school here. Kyle said, "I just knew the position needed to be filled, and I wanted to help if I could. I wanted to help make good decisions for the community and the school." He becomes a school board...
Brad Moore, Chairman of the Big Sandy Education Foundation, announced the winners of the Foundation logo contest. He mentioned the Foundation has given Big Sandy education over $100,000 since its formation. While the Foundation worked with First Bank and the Big Sandy Rotary on the Backpack Project last August, they realized they needed a logo. They contacted Jessie Jaramillo, Big Sandy High School's art teacher, and asked her for help. She had her students design a logo for the Foundation. The...
Lisa Darlington mentioned on her Facebook page, “We have been hesitant to post about our events over the weekend. Saturday morning, Dana and I were sorting cows when I came across a fresh, dead calf. All that was left was his head. After endless, sleepless nights, this was gut-wrenching to find. He was our second calf born this spring, so a big, healthy steer calf. I set about taking as many pictures as I could and gathering what evidence we could find.” “Upon investigation from UJSDA Montana Wildlife Services, it was determined to be a confi...
The Big Sandy Medical Center held its monthly Board Meeting on April 18. The financial report was given, and it boils down to: "We bring in more money than we spend." Also, the draft Form 990 was reviewed. All nonprofits must send in a Form 990. It’s a very "robust report." The report also includes all "community-centered activities. “The report wants to show what a worthy nonprofit we are.” There are 18 long-term residents and five swing beds. Ron Weins gave his CEO Report: The CMS recertification survey has been completed, and the follow-up w...
The primary order of business at the Big Sandy City Council Meeting was the removal of Big Sandy’s Old Hotel downtown, which was built in 1916. It is full of asbestos, and the discussion was on removing it. Granite Peak Environment, LLC provided three alternatives to the Bear Paw Development Corporation, which has written and received a grant for its removal. Bear Paw has asked the city to provide in-kind services. There are three alternatives. One is to do nothing; the other two discuss the best time to remove the asbestos: Alternative 2...
One look at my lawn screams at me to start yard work, but my lawn mower is broken, and it made me think I should do another business highlight. Ron Baumann and his Complete Small Engine Repair business are the heroes of fixing small engines, including lawnmowers. Many people like me wait until I need my lawn mower and take it to him, wanting it fixed NOW "even if there are 10 people in front of him." So get your lawnmowers to him now. Ron also has used lawnmowers for sale. I noticed there was...
Big Sandy's Postmaster, Amanda Hoffman, is one of our new school board trustees. Kyle Danreuther is the other one and will be featured next week. Amanda has worked for the Postal Service for eight years. First, she was a clerk at the Havre post office, the low man on the totem pole, before she was transferred to Harlem for a year and a half. She was driving to work from Big Sandy three to four times a week. She was transferred back to Havre and worked as a supervisor there for about a year. She...
After the return of class skits last year, the school again had class skits. The Freshman won with a skit, Big Sandyville, a modern-day story of an old tale-Cinderella. I'm sure it won because the Freshman class only has three girls. Because it was about a formal ball, all the freshman men had to dress up in formal wear, some even wearing back high heels. I especially enjoyed the little mice-squeaking! The sophomore class wrote a skit about a lonely girl who came into her own at the annual schoo...
The Big Sandy Library is celebrating National Library Week from April 7 to 13. "Libraries give us a green light to experience something special: a place to connect with others, learn new skills, and pursue our passions." This month, they're excited to bring you a variety of events that foster community connections. Robotics are every Monday at 4:00, Story Time at 10:30 on Wednesdays, and Eating Smart Being Active at 12 pm. The Lego club on Friday at 11 am is a great opportunity for kids to...
Welcome Josh Poole and Erynn Eveland to Big Sandy. The core of Josh Poole's role at Quinn Institute (QI) will be Research Coordinator. "My role is to make sure that all of our research projects are founded on sound science, proceed according to protocols, and are done in a timely manner." His degree is in Sustainable Food and Bioenergy Systems. That program has several concentrations or areas of focus. My concentration was in Agroecology. We are conducting scientific studies and collaborating...
This being Library Week, I thought it might be interesting to visit the world’s largest library: the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. All people can have “access to the creative record of the United States—and extensive materials from around the world—both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.” It contains “more than 162 million items in nearly every language and format—from ancient Chinese woodblock prints to digital files. Today, the Library preserves treasures s...
The Easter Bunny did arrive, but it was cold. The wind made it colder, but the kids dressed for winter and still picked up the toys and the candy. The Rotary Easter Egg Hunt was held downtown again this year. It was fun to watch. I especially love watching the youngest. They have yet to have any interest in candy. They picked up the yellow ducklings and shuffled back to their parents. There is value in celebrating traditions, even if the celebration is short because the weather dictates our...
This last week, I needed an injection in my eye. They numbed it well, so I didn’t feel a thing. They used an Eye Speculum to keep my eye open so I wouldn’t shut the eyelid. I instantly thought of the scripture in Matthew 13: “So they show that what Isaiah said about them is true: ‘You people will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not really see. Yes, the minds of these people are now closed.” Numerous times in the Old Testament, the prophets would say they have eyes, but they don’t see. The we...
Montana High School Association (MHSA) follows the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) recommendation. I visited with Brian Michelotti, Director of MHSA, and visited with him how the two associations work together. This article will conclude a three-part series about the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). I am wrapping it up with a conversation with Brian Micheotti. “We, the MHSA, are a paid membership of the National Federation of State High School Associations. NFHS writes rules. They w...
Pioneering lunches have started in the Big Sandy Schools, with meat provided by Pioneer Production Partners processed at Montana Premium Processors and paid for by North Central Stockgrowers, represented by CJ Hansen. Montana Premium Process Co-Op, out of Havre, is a USDA Certified process center for Montana beef producers. Most of the beef in the future will be processed in Lewistown because the producer partnership there will be processing it at no charge. Lewistown is a nonprofit federally in...
Continuing our discussion, let's dive a little deeper into the NFHS. If you missed last week's article about the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), you may be a bit behind, but hopefully, you can gather enough information from this article to catch up, or you can go check out their website yourself and read about what they do and their history. I would like to discuss the campaigns they support and the NFHS Network in this week's article. They have eight campaigns that they talk about and hope others will get involved...
Easter seems early this year, and I’m not ready to celebrate it. The holiday allows me to contemplate my relationship with Jesus and what it means to be a Christian. I often fall into the trap of wanting God to take care of me, to fill my needs, and not allow hurtful or difficult things to happen to me, creating a utopia where everything is good. I found this short article and wanted to share it. I thought it was so good. “I would have pulled Joseph out. Out of that pit. Out of that prison. Out of that pain. And would have cheated nations out o...
It's snowing, and it's the beginning of the track season. When I talked to Wendy Taylor, head coach of the Big Sandy Pioneer track teams, she clapped her hands and said, "I'm ready. Bring it!" "Shersteen Andreasen is our distance coach and our javelin coach. Tucker Taylor is new to us this year and will be our jumping coach for the triple, long, and high jumps. He will also help with the sprints. And then we have Charlie Klimas from Harve, who will still be our throwing, discus, and shotput coac...
The big night was, as always, a big success. The 39th Annual Rotary Club Benefit and Banquet with a Vegas Casino theme is in the books. The big prize of the $3,000 was Dr Larry Obie from Havre, who gave it to the Big Sandy Swimming Pool fundraiser. Dylan Laslovich won the Milwaukee set; Colby and Rachel Baumgarn won the Traeger Grill; Daren and Tracy Schuster won the Vortex Binoculars; Ty and Dusty Cline won the Kitchen Aid Mixer; Robin and Cinda Pearson won the Ninja Oven; Ron Wiens won the...
The press release said, “Big Sandy Organics, LLC in Big Sandy, Mont., received a (three-million-dollar grant) to increase processing capacity for organic grains and pulse crops by acquiring advanced equipment to enhance product quality, reduce labor-intensive processes, and reduce production costs. The project will also expand the organic market by promoting collaborative product development and diversification.” Heather wrote, “The grant will help us become so much more efficient, take on more business, and produce a better-quality produ...
It was a play that will be remembered! It was a musical in Big Sandy! It was a comedy with a number of fun music parts. In my opinion, the sarcasm about politicians was front and center. The play was two and a half hours long but entertaining in every 17 scenes. The amount of work they went through had to be immense. There were 41 members of the cast and 12 members of the crew, including four directors: Amanda Hoffman, Dianna Keane, Michelle Danreuther, and Stephanie Drga. It all takes place at...
We know very little about the NFHS (National Federation of State High School Associations). What most people have heard about it is the NFHS Network, where they live stream events at high schools (and at the junior high level, too). The NFHS owns the NFHS Network, but first, we are going to do a little background history on who and what the NFHS is. I am hoping to turn this into a three-part series over the next few weeks. This part of the series will be about how it got started and the multiple different facets that come with NFHS. Several...
