2021 Review

The following are highlights from the previous year in the pages of the

Northern Plains Independent.

January

Roosevelt County Commissioner Gordon Oelkers received the oath of office from Justice of the Peace Penny Hendrickson in Culbertson Dec. 29.

Representatives from Agland Coop in Wolf Point announced Jan. 1 that the group has acquired Gysler Hardware, a longtime local business. “We’re on day three and we’re rocking and rolling,” said Agland general manager Dave Williams. Williams told the Northern Plains Independent that John Gysler was committed to keeping the business in local hands. “John [Gysler] and his kids and wife worked hard to keep the sale local,” he said. “The community has been good to him and he’s been good for the community.”

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry reminds Montanans that workers earning minimum wage should now be getting paid $8.75 per hour. The rate increase became effective on Jan. 1.

According to the National Weather Service in Glasgow, 2020 had the fourth warmest December in history for the area. The only warmer Decembers occurred in 1957, 1954 and 1999. The average temperature in Glasgow during December 2020 was 27.1 degrees. There were no days where temperatures went below zero.

On Jan. 11, Moderna, the company that produced the COVID-19 vaccine being used in Roosevelt County and on the Fort Peck Reservation, announced that protection from its vaccine should last a year. It will take a year for the statement to be proven, but this is welcome news as vaccination continues in our area and around the world.

The decision by President Joe Biden to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline wasn’t a popular one for Roosevelt County’s commissioners. “I’m really disappointed,” commissioner Duane Nygaard said. “It’s been part of everything we’ve talked about in the 10 years that I’ve been a commissioner.” Although Roosevelt County wasn’t going to experience in- creased tax revenue directly from the pipeline, commissioners noted that 27 Montana counties spanning from Phillips County to Fallon County were going to see significant impacts.

If you heard a big cheer from Wolf Point High School on Saturday, Jan. 30, it was due to the announcement that Daniel Sears earned the Class B state speech championship in the category of spontaneous oral interpretation.

February

The Roosevelt County Commissioners unanimously appointed Frank A. Piocos as the new county attorney on Monday, Feb. 1. Piocos will finish the term of Austin Knudsen, who was elected the state’s new attorney general in November.

There was a repeat winner in the Wolf Point Spelling Bee on Thursday, Jan. 29. Griffin Azure, an eighth-grade student, earned the title for the second straight year.

A total of six grain cars derailed Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Montana Highway 13 railroad crossing east of Wolf Point. Three tipped over, spilling the grain they had been hauling. The crossing was blocked Saturday afternoon until the cars could be cleaned up and removed. The main line was not affected by the derailment. There were no injuries.

Wolf Point Mayor Chris Dschaak signed a proclamation to designate Thursday, Feb. 4, as Optimist Day. The proclamation includes, “Volunteers working with young people who are our joy of today and are our hope for tomorrow, are exuberant representatives of the potential to be reached and dreams to come true. They are also unbounded in their enthusiasm to use their talents, skills and hard work to make a difference in others’ lives.”

Fifty more Yellowstone National Park bison were transferred to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes on Friday, Feb. 5 in a coordinated effort with Park staff and representatives from the Tribes. The animals had been under quarantine by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, located just north of park boundaries.

Hailey Nelson was selected homecoming queen and Josh Bushman was voted homecoming king for Wolf Point High School. The school held activities after homecoming was canceled in the fall due to COVID restrictions.

District Court Judge David Cybulski ruled on cross motions for summary judgment Feb. 18 that the Town of Culbertson and Thomas Mann Post 81 of the American Legion may now resume administering easement-based access to the 40-acre Legion Park near the Missouri River. The town and legion filed the lawsuit in 2016. Access to the park has been blocked by Knudsen Family Limited Partnership, preventing use by scouting groups and the public. Culbertson’s Austin Knudsen, recently elected state attorney general, told media he is not party to the lawsuit and is not a member of the partnership. Republican state representative Rhonda Knudsen out of Culbertson could not be reached for comment. Miles and Rhonda Knudsen are listed as registered agents for the partnership.

Nemont made the decision to stop providing TV services. Leif Handran, sales and marketing manager for Nemont, said customers will receive a letter from the company soon regarding the decision. The letters were being printed on Tuesday, Feb. 23.

March

Jim Baldwin agreed to be serve as acting while Wolf Point’s superintendent of schools Loverty Erickson is on maternity leave. “My hope is during my short time in Wolf Point is to assist the board, Mrs. Erickson during her maternity leave and the staff, students and community,” Baldwin said.

Roosevelt County’s employees will receive a one-time stipend from federal CARES funds after a decision by Roosevelt County commissioners on Tuesday, March 2. Commissioners unanimously approved giving each full-time employee a $1,000 stipend and half- time employees a $500 stipend. Commissioners noted that individuals have dealt with added expenses such as day care during the COVID pandemic.

The National Weather Service Glasgow Reported Feb. 28 that the period from December 2020 through February 2021 has brought the least amount of snow for a Meteorological Winter in the Glasgow area with only 1.5 inches. The nor- mal amount of precipitation for the period is 20.4 inches.

On Friday, March 5, the total number of Montanans fully immunized against COVID-19 surpassed the total number of reported infections since the start of the pandemic, according to data from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

The Wolf Point City Council held its regular meeting Monday, March 15. An urban renewal ordinance was given a first reading. City attorney Anna Rose Sullivan said the ordinance will require a second reading and a corresponding committee will prepare an urban renewal plan to address blight and related issues in the city. Bill Juve attended the meeting remotely and spoke to the council.“My whole interest in this is to see what can be done about these and other properties,” said Juve.