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Havre, MT - Northern Montana Health Care (NMHC) is proud to announce that Garrit Ophus, NMHC’s Director of Information Services, has been selected to serve on the Board of Directors for MUSE, a national community of health care organizations that use the MEDITECH electronic health record system. Ophus will serve a three-year term on the MUSE Board through December 31, 2028, with the opportunity to run for additional terms. His selection reflects both his individual leadership and NMHC’s lon...
In late December, the Big Sandy Food Bank received a much needed injection of support thanks to the generosity of the community of Big Sandy. The annual Big Sandy Schools’ paper products drive and First Bank of Montana Community Food Drive were a great success. The infusion of goods and capital were particularly well timed given the extra weight the Food Bank was subjected to last year with the freeze on SNAP benefits combined with the typical holiday stress. Terry Grant, who runs the food bank,...
Sunshine Snippers 4-H Club members met on Sunday the 11th for our regularly scheduled monthly business meeting at 1:00 p.m. During the meeting, members discussed several upcoming plans and activities. Committee members Garrett, Owen, Bailey, and myself shared a slideshow about our club's Care & Share Project. Be sure to keep an eye out for more details on this exciting opportunity for our club to give back to the community by supporting a couple of local organizations that play important roles...
HELENA, Mont. (January 7, 2026) – The Montana Stockgrowers Foundation (MSF) is excited to share the recipients of its recently launched education grant program, the Explore Agriculture Classroom Grant. In the Foundation’s first round of funding, the program provided a total of $3,000 in grant funding to six Montana schools. These grants will support educators who integrate agriculture into their classrooms, helping an estimated 450 students better understand the role Montana agriculture plays in everyday life. The Explore Agriculture Cla... Full story
Great Falls, MT - The Montana Wheat and Barley Committee (MWBC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Bjelland of Conrad, MT, and Logan Anderson of Chester, MT, as the newest board members, bringing experience and fresh perspectives to the governor-appointed board of directors. They will represent districts three and two, respectively. Bjelland and Anderson have farmed for a combined 57 years. Each member is looking forward to representing Montana grower dollars dedicated to market...
Ninety-four years ago, on December 26, 1931, Robert Boettcher was born in Big Sandy, Montana, in a private home to Walter and Ligna Bergly Boettcher. From the very beginning, his life was shaped by hard work, communi ty, and a deep sense of purpose. Robert grew up on the family farm, helping with all of the work that needed to be done. His early education took him through three different country schools—an experience that instilled both resilience and appreciation for the people who helped g...
The Producer Partnership has completed processing of more than 100 pigs that were running uncontained in Phillips County. The animals were safely trapped and delivered to Producer Partnership’s USDA federally inspected, nonprofit owned and operated processing facility, where processing was completed earlier this month. As a result of this effort, a semi-load of 12,160 pounds of donated USDA-inspected pork is being delivered to the Montana Food Bank Network to support food banks and local communities across the state. “This donation rep...
As January approaches, Big Sandy prepares to celebrate a remarkable milestone: one of its own turning 99 years old. Nearly a century of living has given this community member a perspective few are privileged to hold-one shaped by hard winters, hand-drawn water, family devotion, faith, and an enduring belief that life, while never easy, is always worth the effort. Born in Big Sandy during a winter "of lots of snow," he entered the world in Mrs. Bertha Smith's house, just north of Christ Lutheran...
The Montana State University-Northern’s Fall semester Dean’s List contains 377 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. Students that received a pass, incomplete or “F” during this semester are not included on the honor roll listing. The following list of students is organized alphabetically by hometown (please note that many students give a Havre address instead of a hometown address, and thus are listed in the Havre listing). Big Sandy MT Reinha...
Big Sandy Medical Services Foundation was established to foster better healthcare in the Big Sandy community. Their way of doing this is to encourage and assist young people who wish to pursue training in the healthcare field by offering scholarships to Big Sandy High School graduates and Big Sandy Medical Center employees. The BSMS Foundation relies solely on donations to continue to offer these scholarships. Scholarship amounts for the 2026-2027 college year will be a minimum of $500.00 each, one to a graduating senior, one to a college...
The Montana Association of Clerks and Recorders is sponsoring two statewide $1,000.00 scholarships. All graduating seniors who will be attending an in state school are eligible to apply. Applications will be accepted until March 13, 2026. Application forms are available at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office at the Courthouse in Fort Benton or from the Guidance Counselors at the Big Sandy, Fort Benton, Geraldine, and Highwood High Schools. The application requires a short essay (250-500 word max) explaining four ways that local government i...
Montana Technological University, the state’s STEM university, is reminding high school seniors that the deadline for many major scholarships awarded by the University is January 15. Montana Tech awards more than $1 million in scholarships to students annually. “Montana Tech is incredibly proud of the scholarship dollars we can award through generous gifts from our alumni and industry donors,” Executive Director of Admissions and Enrollment Leslie Dickerson said. “It speaks to the value they place on a Montana Tech education and the quality...
Frank Moravec recently marked a remarkable milestone-his 95th birthday-bringing with it nearly a century of lived history, hard work, and quiet wisdom shaped by family, service, and community. Frank was born on December 29, 1930, in Havre, Montana, and grew up on a country farm. His early years were shaped by farm life, country schools, and what he recalls as "horse and buggy days," where education and a strong work ethic went hand in hand. Daily chores were simply a part of life, as were lesson...
Chouteau County and its elected officials were sued by the Chippewa Cree Indians of the Rocky Boy’s Reservation and two individual tribal members for allegedly violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. The County filed an Answer asserting defenses related to several cases pending before the United States Supreme Court and filed a Motion to Dismiss the Chippewa Cree Tribe as a party. Chief United States District Court Judge Brian M. Morris ordered the parties to attend mediation with United States Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston. At m...
The Big Sandy High School is in the early stages of installing a ceramics studio for the art education program. The long planned move is part of a larger facility upgrade for the program, which will eventually include a move to a larger classroom space. The ceramics studio is projected to be finished by the end of the calendar year. The efforts have been paid for by community fundraisers held last year, donations, and adult education funds. The space for the new studio is the back room of the library, which has served as a sort of “catch all” s...
The Big Sandy School's music program showcased the progress of students in their music education with the annual Christmas concerts this week. The High School and Elementary School concerts took place last week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30. The High School auditorium filled to the brim with parents, teachers, and locals, who gathered to greet the holiday season with songs and watching their kids and grandkids perform in the program. The High School concert opened with the annual...
BIG SANDY, MT — The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has granted $500,000 to help Big Sandy Medical Center (BSMC) complete construction of a building to house its computer tomography (CT) scanner. Construction on the facility began in spring 2025, and crews poured cement and erected the building’s walls by the fall. But as project costs nearly doubled, the hospital upped its fundraising efforts to offset rising costs. Helmsley’s grant will ensure that CT scanning is offered locally, providing patients faster diagnoses, improved t...
By Your Accidental Journalist On Thursday, December 11, 2025, an Arctic cold front moved southward across central and eastern Montana, bringing a rapid drop in temperatures, strong winds, and winter weather conditions to the Big Sandy area and surrounding region. What is an Arctic Front? An Arctic front is a mass of very cold, dense air that originates from the Arctic or polar regions. These fronts are known for causing sudden and dramatic drops in temperature, often accompanied by strong winds...
In 1984, Leo Bitz started Agri-Prairie Insurance and sold some of the first multi-peril crop insurance policies in the state. More than forty years later, the business is staying right where it began–rooted within the family. Leo’s grandson, Matt Myers, and his wife Julie have taken over Agri-Prairie, carrying the family legacy into a new generation. When asked what he loves most about this community, Matt’s answer was heartfelt. “It was a great place to grow up. It’s a great place to live and...
HAVRE- The results are in from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Havre check station for the 2025 hunting season. The check station was open for eight weekends from Oct. 11 (the opener of general antelope and pheasant) through Nov. 30 (the end of the deer/elk general season). Overall, hunter numbers were about the same as last year and the long-term average. Except for antelope, big game numbers were well below average, and upland bird harvest was mixed. Biologists gather a lot of valuable information and biological data on game animals...
Big Sandy was truly rockin’ around the Christmas tree on Saturday, December 6th, as the community gathered for the annual Christmas Stroll—an all-day celebration filled with holiday cheer, hometown traditions, and the unmistakable small-town magic that has long defined the season here. From dawn to dusk, Main Street and the surrounding venues buzzed with activity as families, friends, and visitors moved from event to event, taking in the lights, laughter, and Christmas spirit that flowed thr...
Big Sandy Schools’ music program has a busy December in the works. The High School and Elementary School Christmas concerts are coming up next week. In addition, the honors band and choir concert took place on the 1st and 2nd at Choteau High School. The Christmas concerts are a highlight of the holiday season for many locals, who look forward to hearing and seeing the young people of our community singing and performing Christmas classics. The festivities kick off with the High School band and choir concert on the 16th at 6:30 PM. TJ Bond, w...
Each December, as winter settles over the Hi-Line and Main Street glows with holiday lights, the community of Big Sandy pauses to remember an event far from home but forever woven into our nation’s story. Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of December 7, 1941—the morning when a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base in Hawaii claimed more than 2,400 American lives and propelled the United States into World War II. Though thousands of miles from Montana, the impact of that day reached families across the prairie. Young men fro...
MONTANA – Cutting your own Christmas tree can be fun for all ages, and six Bureau of Land Management field offices in Montana are making it simple and inexpensive to get a permit. Personal-use Christmas tree permits issued by the Butte, Dillon, Lewistown, Malta, Miles City and Missoula field offices cost only $5 per tree and can be applied for online. Contact the North Dakota Field Office at 701-227-7700, and/or the South Dakota Field Office at 605-892-7000 for information about Christmas tree a...
On winter nights in Fairfield, when the band is thundering and the student section is shaking the bleachers, it’s easy to focus entirely on the athletes on the floor. But behind every well-run game stand the people in stripes—officials who keep the contest moving, fair, and safe. In Fairfield, six of those officials have a story worth telling. All six began in the 127 Sports Intensity Junior Referee program. Today, they are fully registered members of the Montana Officials Association (MO...