LATEST NEWS

Another High School Basketball season is in the books for our Blaine County High School teams and with that comes the release of the All-Conference and All State teams. This year Chinook junior Hallie Neibauer and Turner junior Ryan Doyle each found themselves on the Northern C All-State and District 9C 1st Team All-Conference lists. Sugarbeeter Head Girls Basketball Coach Mike Jones was also named Co-Coach of the Year for the District 9C.

The Blaine County Local Advisory Council For Mental Health has put together a fun night of activities centered around family fun while focusing on Mental Health and a number of other issues affecting our communities. The goal is to provide the information in a fun yet productive manner. The Family Carnival Night is set to take place at the Blaine County Fairgrounds on March 31, 2023. A Spaghetti Dinner will be served from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. The Carnival is scheduled to run from 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Folk's attending are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or free will donations that will be given to the Chinook Food Pantry. Throughout the evening there will be plenty of games for everyone to enjoy with prizes being awarded to various age groups. All ages are welcome to attend and participate in the fun. In addition, there will be plenty of educational information and displays for parents and kids to learn from. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Many readers of the Blaine County Journal really enjoy learning about the various trials and tribulations that local residents have endured through the years. We have done stories on family ranches celebrating 100 years, to achievements of residents accomplishing great things. We have highlighted businesses, individuals and community groups that have made each of their communities great. We have done stories on the successes of endangered species reintroductions on Fort Belknap as well as academic and athletic achievements from Hays/Lodge Pole, Harlem, Turner, Chinook and Aaniiih Nakoda College. All of these stories have been great to pass on to our readers but every now and again we get word of some very interesting travels from our readers have had their own tales to share.

In partnership with the Montana State University (MSU) Extension Local Government Center, MSU Extension Blaine County and the Blaine County Commissioners are bringing a board leadership training to Chinook on March 28. Tuesday’s workshop will be held at the Blaine County Fairground’s Commercial Building beginning at 6:00 p.m.

The Blaine County Fair Board continues to work hard to bring the best entertainment to the Blaine County Fair as they possibly can. Recently the Fair Board made a significant announcement regarding the Blaine County Saturday night main draw. Country music superstar, Darryl Worley will perform Saturday night during the 2023 Blaine County Fair. The fair will run from Thursday, August 10 through Sunday, August 13.

21 year old Lane T. Allen of Harlem and 19 year old Michael J. Dess of Havre have been charged with a number of misdemeanor and felony charges in connection with the poaching of Deer and Elk in Blaine and Hill Counties. According to a press release from Montana Fish...

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has filed multiple charges connected to allegations of unlawful hunting in Blaine and Hill counties against two local men. Michael J. Dess of Havre, 19, and Lane T. Allen of Harlem, 21, had charges filed in Blaine and Hill Counties alleging their involvement in the unlawful take of deer and elk, out of season, in 2021 and 2022.

CHINOOK – During the fall of 2022, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wardens received a 1-800-TIP-MONT call detailing unlawful hunting activity in the Bears Paw Mountains. After an extensive investigation, Michael J. Dess (19), of Havre, and Lane T. Allen (21), of Harlem, had charges filed in Blaine and Hill Counties alleging their involvement in the unlawful take of deer and elk, out of season, in 2021 and 2022.

The Chinook Senior Center is offering two free presentations related to local and regional historical events. The presentations were first hosted by the Blaine County Museum in the winter. Senior center board members felt the topics would be of interest to the Center's clients as well. It was observed that many seniors, leery of the icy winter conditions and bad travel conditions, likely opted not to attend the winter programs.

The near year long journey by the Friends of the Pool & Park Foundation to create a Recreation District in Chinook to fund repairs the Ensign Sweet Memorial Park and the City of Chinook Pool have finally come to a successful end. After holding a hearing with the Blaine County Commissioners and gaining their support for the creation of the Recreation District in October, there was still more to be done. A Special Election was scheduled for voters in the proposed Recreation District to run from the middle of January to February 14 that would approve a bond measure of $750,000 for the Recreation District. Unofficial results posted by the Blaine County Election Office have the measure passing with 538 votes cast in favour and 235 votes against.

CJ Hanson is the new president of the North Central Montana Stockgrowers Association. The association is an organization that represents the growing needs of North Central beef producers and ag interests through education, advocacy, community programs and other means. The organization represents Blaine, Hill, and Chouteau Counties. I spoke with...

Cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 continue to drop this month after a short surge in January driven by the XBB.1.5 subvariant, as the U.S. announces a planned end to the Public Health Emergency later this year. The subvariant, which quickly became a dominant strain in much of the...

20 Blaine County students grade five through eight gathered in the Chinook High School Auditorium this past Thursday to take part in the 2023 Blaine County Spelling Bee. The Spelling Bee originally set to take place a week earlier was postponed due to inclement weather. Student from Chinooks Meadowlark Elementary and Junior High along with students from Harlem Elementary, Turner and Zurich took part in the contest. Due to circumstances the four Hays/Lodge Pole students that qualified were unable to attend.

The joint City-County Woltermann Memorial Airport T-Hanger project is getting a hefty boost, thanks to Blaine County. At the regularly held Stillwater County Commission agenda meeting Tuesday morning, commissioners approved an amendment letter attached to the grant application. Through something called “non-primary entitlements,” an additional $600,000 is being added to the requested grant for the project — bringing that total to $1,072,866. That additional $600,000 is being loaned by Blaine County, which has three airports. Airports receive $150,000 federal entitlement payments every year.

MSU - Northern Names Fall semester Dean’s List. The Montana State University-Northern’s Fall semester Dean’s List contains 364 students. To be included in the Dean’s List, students must carry a minimum of 12 credits and earn a grade point average of 3.25 or better. Chinook MT.

The Blaine County Chapter of Big Sky 55+ met for the second time on February 15 at the Tripe E Meeting Room of the Blaine County Courthouse Annex in Chinook. Some of their topics included Medicare Advantage fraud and an update on the Montana Legislature. Their next meeting will be held on March 15 at 2:30 p.m. in the same location.

A revealing assessment regarding Blaine, Hill, and Liberty counties was recently completed. Carilla French the Executive Director for HRDC District 4 just completed the Community Needs Assessment. She surveyed various community members to find the greatest needs within the area. Carilla shares the community needs revealed by the report. “So,...

Blaine County, MT (NMB)-The Blaine County Fair is once again home to the Bear Paw Roundup PRCA Rodeo August 11th and 12th at the Blaine County Fair in Chinook, Montana. Dennis Kleinjan, President of the Bear Paw Roundup Club, says this will be the rodeo’s 21st appearance, and the quality of the performances makes it unique to the area.

Editors note: Due to unforeseen circumstances with the printing process, the Blaine County Journal ~ News Opinion had a much earlier deadline than normal to go to press. As a result every attempt was made to gather as many results and photos from the State Swim Meet in Lewistown for this weeks paper. Additional information, results or photos will be included in next weeks edition as necessary. We apologize for any inconvenience to our readers.

The 110th Blaine County Fair is underway! The Kidss Rodeo is set for tonight. The Bear Paw Roundup PRCA Rodeo headlines the action Thursday and Friday. Saturday will feature the 4-H/FFA Livestock Sale and the Blaine County Showdown Demolition Derby. As always great food, musical entertainment add to the excitement as do the 4-H/FFA exhibits and animal shows. Come out and enjoy a great time with family and friends.