Missoulian back issues from January 2009:
Healthy business
Jan 02, 2009; ... "No more man boobs, Missoula." That's the slogan on a billboard near the intersection of Brooks and Russell streets showing a most unflattering black-and-white photograph of a hairy, unfit male chest. Go to the listed Web site and you'll soon discover it's an advertisement for ...
Montana in 14th place for population growth
Jan 03, 2009; ... It doesn't seem like a lot, but Montana's 1.13 percent population growth last year made it the 14th-fastest growing state in the nation. Utah led the population race with a 2.7 percent increase between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2008, according to the latest U.S. Census figures ...
More than law
Jan 04, 2009; ... A Missoula lawyer has been recognized as one of the top young attorneys in the northern Rockies. But while being recognized as a Mountain States Super Lawyers' Rising Star is a nice feather in the cap of Matt Hayhurst, the 35-year-old doesn't plan on using the resume-padder to move up to ...
Downhill boom
Jan 04, 2009; ... RED LODGE - About one month into a new ski season, Red Lodge Mountain Resort is reaping the benefits of $2.5 million in improvements made over the summer. Two Saturday's ago was the fifth-best day in the history of the 49-year-old resort - with 2,600 skiers - and the whole Christmas ...
Pharmacies forced to ratchet up security measures
Jan 04, 2009; ... A string of drugstore burglaries prompted Karen Dove to invest in a sophisticated security system at her Seeley Lake pharmacy, transforming the small business into a fortified compound. At night, motion sensors, surveillance cameras, a security gate, reinforced walls and metal studs help ...
The Long Wait
Jan 04, 2009; ... Dana Richardson got her dream job in July, when Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. called and said she was one of 30 people - out of more than 1,000 applicants - to land a job at the Frenchtown linerboard plant. Richardson, 40, had waited nearly three years for an opening with the ...
Not all giving up on construction in economic downturn
Jan 08, 2009; ... Dentist Josh Green opens the doors Jan. 19 to a brand-new office in Hellgate Meadows. Green, who currently practices at a dental complex on Southwest Higgins, is among a select group of people who are building in a down economy. Hellgate Meadows is a neighborhood of homes and shops going ...
Developers eye hotel for Riverfront Triangle
Jan 09, 2009; ... A coalition of developers wants to build a hotel at the Riverfront Triangle. That was the only full response Thursday to the Missoula Redevelopment Agency's call for proposals to develop the land just west of downtown. The two-parcel property - some of the last developable riverfront ...
345 to be laid off in Flathead: Plum Creek cuts affect five sites
Jan 09, 2009; ... KALISPELL - Nearly 150 employees are being laid off at Montana lumber mills by Plum Creek Timber Co., bringing total recent job losses at the company to more than 250. They are the latest in a long string of northwest Montana layoffs, which since summer have affected the mining, ...
345 to be laid off in Flathead: Semitool announces loss of 280 jobs total
Jan 09, 2009; ... KALISPELL - Yet another round of layoffs swept through Kalispell-based Semitool Inc. on Thursday, with about 280 people - most of them in the Flathead - expected to lose their jobs worldwide. Some 200 will be let go from plants in Kalispell and Libby. The remaining 80 jobs will be lost ...
KPAX-TV lays off Marquand
Jan 06, 2009; ... Longtime Montana journalist Ian Marquand was laid off Friday from KPAX-TV. "That's a hit to journalism in Montana, and nationwide, frankly," said David Cuillier, Freedom of Information chairman with the national Society of Professional Journalists. "He's been influential in opening up ...
Plum Creek withdraws road plan
Jan 06, 2009; ... Plum Creek Timber Co. has abandoned its controversial forest road negotiations with Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey, citing strong public opposition. "We've been thinking about it for a while," company spokeswoman Kathy Budinick confirmed Monday "The controversy just seemed to be ...
Economy looms large as Legislature opens
Jan 05, 2009; ... HELENA - Under gathering economic and budget storm clouds, the 2009 Montana Legislature convenes Monday, and a dozen state officials - including Gov. Brian Schweitzer - will be sworn in at the state Capitol in Helena. The swearing-in ceremony, set to begin at 10 a.m. in the Capitol ...
Museum was a labor of love for Lolo couple
Jan 05, 2009; ... LOLO - Travelers' Rest State Park is close to the hearts of Bill and Ramona Holt, and not only because it lies outside their kitchen window across Highway 12. "It should be near and dear to all Montanans, in particular western Montanans, because of what it represents," Ramona Holt said ....
Browning legislator has sights on economic independence
Jan 05, 2009; ... Editor's note: This is the second in a nine part look at Indian legislators serving in the 2009 Montana Legislature. Rep. Shannon Augare, D-Browning, enters the 2009 Legislature as one of the state's top House leaders, a representative who would like to help low- and moderate-income ...
No time to relax
Jan 05, 2009; ... LOLO - Under a heavy blanket of snow and the muffled meanderings of Lolo Creek, it's winter serene here again. But these aren't restful times at Travelers' Rest State Park. The park that marks the site of a Lewis and Clark camp and centuries of American Indian comings and goings ...
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Jan 12, 2009; ... ALBERTON - Grace Doyle went out walking one day last summer with Little Orphan Annie in the park by the old Milwaukee depot. A train passed by on the tracks of the "other" railroad across the river, sounding its warning whistle as it neared the Lothrop crossing. Annie, a sweet ...
Supply beats demand
Jan 11, 2009; ... Even in a strong economy, Missoula may not be able to support all the retail business the city anticipates. An analysis conducted in tandem with the Missoula Greater Downtown Master Plan raises the question of whether the city can sustain as much retail as it has planned. According to ...
State seeks to shut down broker of Canadian drugs
Jan 14, 2009; ... HELENA - Tom Kennedy. whose Billings business helps Montanans buy lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada, acknowledges that he's been ignoring a 2004 court order that says he's breaking state law and should halt his business. But it's taken until this week for the state Board of ...
Montana, national builders seek help
Jan 16, 2009; ... KALISPELL - Homebuilders from Montana and across the nation are asking for $150 billion in taxpayer assistance to prop up their flagging industry, saying the stimulus would bolster not just builders but also the broader economy. "A bad housing market impacts every single person in the ...
Billings man fined for drug import business
Jan 16, 2009; ... HELENA - A state judge Thursday found Billings businessman Tom Kennedy in contempt of court for helping people buy law-cost prescription drugs from Canadian pharmacies. His fine: $4,000. District Judge Kathy Seeley of Helena said Kennedy could avoid arrest by paying the civil ...
Report: Smurfit-Stone weighs bankruptcy
Jan 16, 2009; ... Roy Houseman kept his chin up Thursday, even as reports swirled that the company that owns the mill that laid him off in November is girding for bankruptcy. "I like to stay as positive as I can. The Missoula mill is a very key location for Smurfit-Stone," said Houseman, president of ...
3 state-employee unions vote to freeze pay
Jan 16, 2009; ... HELENA - A majority of three state-employee unions has voted to ratify a pay-plan agreement that freezes pay for many workers for the next two years and grants only a $450 lump-sum payment to those earning $45,000 or less annually. Eric Feaver, president of MEA-MFT, which represents ...
EPA may reconsider emergency declaration
Jan 15, 2009; ... KALISPELL - The change in White House administrations could mean more money for asbestos cleanup and health mire in Libby, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may again consider an emergency declaration there. On Wednesday, Lisa Jackson - nominee to head EPA under an Obama ...
Legislator pushes $1M for food banks
Jan 17, 2009; ... HELENA - A Missoula legislator urged a House committee Friday to appropriate $1 million to help food banks and pantries nourish growing numbers of families across Montana. "Food banks and pantries serve families in crisis - families whose money has run out and whose cupboards are empty," ...
Backers of mall site for museum miss deadline
Jan 17, 2009; ... HELENA - The Schweitzer administration on Friday said a parking lot across the street from the current Montana Historical Society is the best site for a new museum. Administration Director Janet Kelly said backers of the rival site, the location of Helena's Capital Hill Mall, failed to ...
Despite economy, Missoula airport sees record number of passengers
Jan 17, 2009; ... Despite the lowly state of the U.S. economy, things have been looking up at Missoula International Airport. In fact, a record number of passengers passed through its gates in 2008, bucking a national trend that saw 1.6 percent fewer fliers in the wake of last summer's surge in gas prices ...
University union looks to avoid salary freezes
Jan 17, 2009; ... The state's largest university-employee union hopes to avoid salary freezes, and in fact wants to raise the entry-level wage for workers such as custodians and clerical staff from $8.25 an hour to $10.32. "The time is past to change this," said Kathy Crego, representative of the Montana ...
Birth Center still in talks about possible merger
Jan 18, 2009; ... Negotiations continue between Community Medical Center and the Birth Center. The two Missoula businesses had hoped to reach an agreement on a plan for Community to buy or partner with the Birth Center last week. but Community spokeswoman Karen Sullivan said the deadline has been extended ...
The Dogs' Advocates
Jan 18, 2009; ... Call them what you will: puppy mills or irresponsible commercial breeders. By either definition, these businesses are an unsavory side of American culture that a handful of Missoula-area residents hope to quash in Montana. Spearheaded by veterinarian Patti Prato and pastry chef ...
'News from the Street' offers snapshot of Flathlead economy
Jan 18, 2009; ... KALISPELL - The Flathead Valley has been particularly hard hit by recent economic downturns, and on Tuesday business leaders there will receive a rapid-fire update on eight key industries. The thumbnail reports - on agribusiness, construction, finance, health care, real estate, high ...
Last hurdle before trial tlhis week
Jan 18, 2009; ... A legion of dark suits and litigation bags will converge Wednesday at the Russell Smith Courthouse in Missoula as dozens of lawyers begin hammering out critical evidentiary details in one of the most far-reaching environmental crimes prosecutions every brought by the federal ...
Comparing Billings hospitals' profits vs. charity care
Jan 22, 2009; ... HELENA - St. Vincent Healthcare of Billings had the highest profit of any hospital in Montana in 2007, clocking in at $38.6 million, a 13.5 percent margin on its income - while providing about $5 million in charity care. Its cross-neighborhood competitor, the Billings Clinic, had a more ...
Hospitals earning nonprofit tax status
Jan 22, 2009; ... HELENA - The community benefits provided by Montana's major hospitals were at or above the value of then nonprofit tax exemptions for 2007, a new report says - sometimes, quite a hit above. The annual report issued this week by the Montana attorney general's office also looked at the net ...
Community colleges lobby Helena, citing economy
Jan 22, 2009; ... HELENA - Roger Pillsbury started college at age 53. Don Skare was 49 when he first set foot in a college classroom. Both men are former Flathead Valley millworkers, forced into school because of layoffs and closures at the shuttered Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. and Owens & Hurst ...
Patients can research costs on new Web site
Jan 22, 2009; ... HELENA - Wondering how much it might cost for knee replacement surgery in Montana? A baby delivery? Heart bypass surgery? Thanks to a detailed new Web site, you can now look online for costs at hospitals across the state, for scores of procedures and afflictions. "We knew our old ...
Costs of getting clean
Jan 22, 2009; ... City trucks this week began dumping clean dirt into a hole on the Northside's White Pine Sash site. The fill is the foundation for a city park and replaces contaminated soil removed from the area last year. As weather allows, trucks will haul some 8,000 cubic yards of dirt donated by ...
Health studies questioned as hearing opens
Jan 22, 2009; ... An expert witness in the government's case against W.R. Grace & Co. testified Wednesday that researchers relied on well-founded science when determining the scope of Libby's asbestos contamination, including decades-old "historical studies" overseen by the company itself. Dozens of ...
80 picked for W.R. Grace & Co. jury pool
Jan 23, 2009; ... Attorneys in the environmental crimes case against W.R. Grace & Co. received the names of 80 prospective jurors Thursday as the final legal sparring match paving the way for trial came to a close. Housekeeping matters, logistical details and a tide of evidentiary issues were raised ...
Difference makers
Jan 23, 2009; ... TROY - Workers at Troy Mine will not be laid off as planned next month, thanks to higher metals prices, increased ore production and falling operational costs. "We're going to stay open, as long as we can remain profitable," said Carson Rife, vice president of operations at Revett ...
Workers won't be laid off
Jan 23, 2009; ... TROY - Workers at Troy Mine will not be laid off as planned next month, thanks to higher metals prices, increased ore production and falling operational costs. "We're going to stay open, as long as we can remain profitable," said Carson Rife, vice president of operations at Revett ...
Difference makers
Jan 23, 2009; ... On one of her longest bicycle deliveries for exCARgo, Valerie Coulter rode a pile of magazines from the Northside to Big Sky Brewing Co. On Thursday, both companies got props. Missoula In Motion honored exCARgo Missoula Bicycle Delivery and Big Sky Brewing for best practices in ...
Natural gas pipeline finished under Blackfoot at Bonner
Jan 24, 2009; ... BONNER - Installation is complete of a 1,000-foot section of natural gas pipeline under the Blackfoot River in Bonner. Gas began flowing through the new 8-inch pipe Tuesday evening, NorthWestern Energy said in a press release. The pipeline was exposed by runoff last spring ...
BPA puts out the call: We're looking for renewable energy sources
Jan 24, 2009; ... KALISPELL - Forget power to the people. Today, it's all about power from the people. The region's largest wholesaler of electricity knows it will need more supply in coming years, but energy from coal or gas or big federal dams. Instead, Bonneville Power Administration is putting ...
Flathead high-end real estate market comes crashing down
Jan 25, 2009; ... KALISPELL - Housing prices, and the rate of housing sales, are crashing in northwest Montana, where even the millionaires are facing foreclosure. "This is a very, very difficult time to be selling a home," said real estate appraiser Jim Kelley. 'And if you're looking to sell a property ...
Ambulance rides may cost more
Jan 25, 2009; ... A ride in an ambulance could jump $300 if the city approves a contract pending with Missoula Emergency Services Inc. If the Missoula City Council doesn't OK a fee in the latest draft of the agreement, the Missoula Fire Department will continue to subsidize Missoula Emergency Services to ...
Suppliers to resume business with plant
Jan 27, 2009; ... Smurfit-Stone Container Corp.'s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy may be good news for the network of sawmills and other businesses it works with. For those people supplying them (wood) chips or candy bars for their vending machines, it means you will be paid in full," said Todd Morgan, a ...
SMURFIT-STONE FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
Jan 27, 2009; ... Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., on Monday so that it can restructure $3.5 billion in debt. Despite colossal fiscal challenges and a depressed packaging market, there's good news for the company, which ...
High-end land values decline in Montana
Jan 28, 2009; ... HELENA - While sale prices for residential homes and land throughout much of Montana have stabilized in recent years, land values have softened in some of the most expensive areas of Montana, a Revenue Department official said Tuesday. Randy Wilkie, administrator of the Property ...
Hearing today on minimum wage freeze for tipped workers
Jan 28, 2009; ... HELENA - Rachel Conn, 27, is a waitress in Helena. She makes $1,100 a month and has $900 in monthly expenses. That leaves her $200 spending money a month, although "spending" in this case, Conn said, also includes inevitable repair bills for her old car and paying all of her medical costs out of ...
Small space, sprawling history
Jan 26, 2009; ... Ovando. The Jewel of the Blackfoot Valley. Population: About 50. Elevation: 4,100. Dogs: Over 100. Painted on rustic sign board, these abbreviated vitals are a first glimpse into this tiny town hidden just beyond a slope of hill in the upper Blackfoot Valley. It's what visitors first see ...
Stimson agrees to sell mill site to Cooney
Jan 30, 2009; ... Stimson Lumber Co. has entered into a buy-sell agreement for the Bonner mill site property with Scott Gooney's Montana Improvement Company. Jeff Webber, Stimson Lumber's vice president of manufacturing, said he could not disclose terms of the pending sale of the 170-acre site, which the ...
Experts: Big Sky headed for bigger economic swoon
Jan 31, 2009; ... Montana may continue its trend of floating a bit above the national economic crunch, but experts with the Bureau of Business and Economic Research predict the next year will still he bad for Big Sky Country. University of Montana research associate Paul Polzin used a Frederic Remington ...