The Billings Gazette back issues from July 2007:
Fights flare over subsidies in Farm Bill
Jul 01, 2007; ... The Bush administration has provided Congress with its ideas for national farm policy over the next five years. So far, lawmakers have basically ignored the president and his policymakers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. And last week, a U.S. House agriculture subcommittee ...
City payroll expanding with new fiscal year
Jul 02, 2007; ... The city of Billings' total work force will increase by the equivalent of 19.3 employees in fiscal year 2008, with all the growth coming in departments that receive most of their funding from special assessments, fees and other charges. The city's total budget for the new fiscal year, ...
Tip-Top Shape
Jul 02, 2007; ... There are no more buckets to collect dripping water in the gym of the Bair Family Club House Boys and Girls Club. Thanks to support from the community and hard work by contractors, the clubhouse on Orchard Lane is in tip-top shape, interim Professional Officer Brian Dennis ...
He helps employers reach beyond their borders
Jul 02, 2007; ... It's history's oldest business advice: Find a need and fill it. With unemployment in Billings hovering around 2 percent, the tightest metro labor market in the nation, skilled workers are hard to come by. At the same time, skilled workers in other countries can't fmd enough ...
Industrial service firm plans Billings branch
Jul 03, 2007; ... A firm that provides maintenance services for oil refineries and other industrial facilities has opened a regional office that will bring up to 300 energy-related jobs to Billings. Pat McMahon, chief executive of Timec Co. Inc., will be on hand July 12 when the company holds a news ...
Hospital drops nursing-home, child services
Jul 03, 2007; ... COLUMBUS - Recent decisions by the Stillwater Community Hospital will affect two age groups. As of mid-June, a handful of nursing-home residents and parents of children attending the hospital's child care facility were notified that the hospital will phase out both services. "The ...
BBI-NWE tab Montanan as utility's CEO
Jul 03, 2007; ... HELENA - If their merger is approved, Babcock & Brown Infrastructure and Northwestern Energy said Monday that they will name a longtime Montana utility engineer as chief executive officer of what would be a new standalone company in Butte. Tabbed for the job was David G. Gates, 51, ...
Parking by hospital still an issue
Jul 04, 2007; ... A garage that added more than 400 parking spaces to the St. Vincent Healthcare campus has not eased congestion on nearby residential streets, neighbors to the hospital say. But a St. Vmcent official says the parking deck, open less than two months, hasn't had time to achieve its full ...
Bikers return for friendly welcome
Jul 04, 2007; ... The effects of thousands of bikers riding into Billings started to show themselves Tuesday as the MetraPark parking lot filled with motorcycles of every color, and bars saw a spike in sales - Dilly bars, that is. At Wing Ding 2007, a gathering of Honda Gold Wing riders from around the ...
Deadline set for BBI comments
Jul 04, 2007; ... HELENA - The state Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to give parties until July 12 to comment on whether the regulatory board should reopen the case in an Australian company's proposed purchase of NorthWestern Energy. In May, the PSC voted 5-0 to reject Babcock & Brown ...
No motel room, no problem for riders
Jul 07, 2007; ... With 15,000 riders in town for Wing Ding 29, it's no wonder that some of the Gold Wingers opt to camp out in their host city. Three Canadian couples are doing just that in Lockwood. The couples, equipped with camping trailers, aren't exactly roughing it. But they are saving on ...
Wing Ding rings up successful Billings run
Jul 08, 2007; ... Jenny Johnson took a week's vacation from her "real job" to be at the Wing Ding Rally Johnson met hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts and sold them some essentials from the Montana Honda and Marine booth at the rally. Johnson's dad is a part-owner of the business, so she agreed to ...
Lobbying efforts ring up $6M bill
Jul 08, 2007; ... HELENA - Businesses, unions, trade associations, government agencies and other advocacy groups spent slightly more than $6 million trying to influence legislators in the regular and special sessions this year. The final tab came to $6,000,555, according to reports filed with the state ...
HAIR TODAY
Jul 08, 2007; ... After 40 years of business, the College of Coiffure Art has been sold But the 17 cosmetology students who were enrolled in the school aren't in danger of becoming beauty school dropouts. Students spent their last day at the building on 1423 Wyoming Ave. on June 23 before ...
Red Lodge-based outfitter finds water thrilling
Jul 09, 2007; ... If you talk to Marek Rosin on his cell phone this time of year, chances are your conversation win be cheerful but short. Rosin runs Adventure Whitewater, and this is peak season. And, he's loving it. "I have always been fascinated by and attracted to moving water," he said. After ...
Bridge Builder
Jul 09, 2007; ... JULIE SEEDHOUSE IS on her way to making 25,000 new friends. And it has nothing to do with a MySpace account. Seedhouse, who recently became the new director of Alumni Relations at Montana State University-Billings, has made it a priority to cultivate new relationships between the alumni ...
Mine union again rejects contract
Jul 10, 2007; ... COLUMBUS - Union members were tight-lipped coming away from the polls Monday, but by 10 p.m. the results were in. They had rejected the second contract proposal with Stillwater Mining Co., setting the stage for a strike that is expected to begin when the current contract expires at 12:01 ...
More fish in park lose struggle against heat
Jul 11, 2007; ... Hundreds more dead and dying fish have been found in Yellowstone National Park as a result of a recent heat wave and decreased stream flows. A Park Service biologist on Monday found hundreds of dead fish along Pelican Creek, which drains into Yellowstone Lake. Last Friday, several ...
Stillwater union hits picket lines
Jul 12, 2007; ... COLUMBUS - Union solidarity ran strong in Nye, Columbus and Billings on Wednesday as members of the United Steel Workers International 11-0001 entered their first day of a strike against Stillwater's Mining Co. "We're here for as long as it takes," said Bruce Kelley, who was picketing ...
Amazon Woman
Jul 23, 2007; ... Little by little, Wilma Shupal's house is shrinking. As the Absarokee woman adds more and more books to her inventory, each additional bookshelf takes another bite out of her floor space. "My family just shakes their heads and works around them," she said, smiling. "As long as we ...
Council to review stadium bid
Jul 23, 2007; ... Construction on the new $12.5 million downtown baseball stadium could start as soon as this week if the City Council decides to award a construction contract during tonight's council meeting. The council will consider a construction contract and a separate demolition contract at the ...
Love of animals launches in-home care business
Jul 23, 2007; ... Growing up on a farm in northeastern Montana, Shauna Johnson realized early on that she felt closer to animals than most people. "I was kind of the local shelter, always rescuing the injured or orphaned and giving a home to every stray that crossed my path," she said. And as an ...
Rocky moving aviation school from Laurel to Billings airport
Jul 23, 2007; ... After five years at the Laurel Airport, Rocky Mountain College's flight school is moving to a hangar owned by Edwards jet Center at Billings Logan International Airport. Dan Hargrove, director of aviation for Rocky, said the move is being made for several reasons, including reducing the ...
Casinos can now file electronic reports
Jul 23, 2007; ... HELENA - It has taken 13 years, but the state Gambling Control Division is finally putting into place a voluntary system for owners of estimated 18,000 video keno and poker machines to file their reports and pay their taxes electronically. It's been a long, convoluted journey with lots ...
Refinery services firm sees Billings as natural fit
Jul 13, 2007; ... Pat McMahon feels right at home in Billings. McMahon is the chief executive officer of Three, a company that specializes in maintenance, turnaround and construction services for refineries and other industrial facilities. He said Timec's new regional headquarters in Billings represents; ...
In Bridger, ranchers start last roundup of tainted cows
Jul 14, 2007; ... Ordinarily, a roundup on the Morgan ranch would happen in the fall. Jim and Sandy Morgan, along with Sandy's parents, Connie and Bruce Malcolm, and perhaps a few neighbors, would head into the hills behind the red butte south of Bridger and bring in the cows and their ...
Mine, union negotiators hammer out new proposal
Jul 14, 2007; ... Around noon Friday, after a day and a half of negotiations, representatives from Stillwater Mining Co. and the United Steelworkers International Local 11-0001 came to a tentative agreementon a third contract proposal. Union members will vote on the new contract Monday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at ...
As contract ends, miners prepare to strike
Jul 11, 2007; ... COLUMBUS--With Monday night's contract rejection, union workers at Stillwater Mining Co.'s Nye mine and Columbus support facilities prepared to go on strike for the second time in three years. The strike was set to began at 12:01 a.m. today. Jim Williams, president of the United ...
ONE BED AT AT TIME
Jul 15, 2007; ... Billings hotel and motel owners have agreed to tax their guests 75 cents per bed per day to raise money to attract more conventions and meetings. Under a law passed last spring by the Legislature, Billings could see its budget to attract tourists and conventions quadruple. To ...
Corps takes close-up view of river
Jul 18, 2007; ... Top officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently boated the Yellowstone River near Billings to get a firsthand look at the longest free-flowing river in the lower 48 states and the issues it faces. John Paul Woodley Jr., the Corps' assistant secretary for civil works in ...
City looks to cut cost of ballpark
Jul 18, 2007; ... City officials hope to trim more than $500,000 from the cost of a new downtown baseball stadium as they try to bring the project into balance. Meanwhile, the city and baseball supporters plan to launch a private fundraising drive to help pay for additional features that aren't covered in ...
BBI makes pitch for new vote on NWE buyout
Jul 19, 2007; ... During a visit to Billings on Wednesday, Mike Garland, who heads Babcock & Brown U.S. Infrastructure in San Francisco, admitted that his company's first effort to buy NorthWestern Energy flopped. And he said the Montana Public Service Commission should vote next week to reconsider ...
City officials alter plans for ballpark
Jul 20, 2007; ... Officials have identified more than $500,000 in budget cuts that will bring the cost of the new downtown baseball stadium into line with the available money. On Monday, the City Council will decide whether to award construction and demolition contracts for the $12.5 million stadium, ...
PSC's staff recommends panel consider BBI's revamped plan
Jul 20, 2007; ... Four staff members of the Montana Public Service Commission have unanimously recommended that the five commissioners consider the revised offer by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure to buy the state's largest utility. After a year of testimony - and analysis, the PSC on May 22 ...
Future doctors get on Billings Track
Jul 20, 2007; ... After two years of lectures and textbooks, medical student Jillene Casey is thrilled to be getting some practical experience. "It's really refreshing to be out doing what we're supposed to be doing," said Casey, who recently began a six week pediatrics rotation at the Children's ...
Red Lodge shopkeeper strings together a career
Jul 16, 2007; ... Shortly after moving to Red Lodge in the early '90s, Australian transplant Kate Scott couldnt find a job she could turn into a career. So she made one up. Scott had been working as a waitress at the same time she was starting to create her own beadwork and jewelry. Customers ...
$3.2M grant will improve housing
Jul 17, 2007; ... LAME DEER - The Northern Cheyenne Tribe has received a $3.2 million grant from the Indian Housing Block Grant program to improve housing on the reservation. Tribal President Eugene Little Coyote said the tribe has identified goals to improve housing, and, with the help of Montana's ...
Mine workers approve new contract
Jul 17, 2007; ... Union members approved a contract with Stillwater Mining Co. on Monday night, effectively ending a six-day strike affecting the Stillwater Mine in Nye and smelter project in Columbus. "We just got word the latest tentative agreement was ratified, but we don't have any details beyond ...
St. V's plans remodeling of newborn area
Jul 17, 2007; ... Women planning to have a baby at St. Vincent Healthcare in the next few months may not notice that a major renovation of the section of the hospital caring for new mothers and babies is under way. Most of the first phase of the project to remodel the mother and newborn care center and ...
PRESERVING RED LODGE: Active groups, volunteers make Red Lodge a can-do town
Jul 29, 2007; ... When something needs doing in Red Lodge, someone is always there to do it. It's a grass-roots kind of community activism where often all city government has to do is sign off on a done deal, said City Councilwoman Tera Reynolds. "They come to us with all the work done," she said ....
Companies prey on delinquent taxpayers
Jul 29, 2007; ... In the past, when a property owner got a bit behind in taxes to Yellowstone County it was mostly a private affair. Perhaps business cash flow was tight in May and paying some interest and penalties made sense until summer sales picked up. All that has changed with the arrival of ...
BIA boss confident despite hurdles
Jul 26, 2007; ... The national director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs knows his agency is facing challenges, especially in its justice divisions, but he said he's confident that front-line staffers are doing their best to keep order in Indian Country. BIA Director W. Patrick Ragsdale is in charge of an ...
Craft retailer leases space on prime corner
Jul 26, 2007; ... A religious-based hobby store with headquarters in Oklahoma City, Okla., reportedly has leased the vacant Rimrock County Market building at the corner of Central Avenue and 24th Street West. Hobby Lobby Creative Centers is one of the top craft retailers in the United States and has 391 ...
Warm welcome
Jul 22, 2007; ... High temperatures didn't keep the crowds away from the first farmers market of the summer, as hundreds of people - many of them wearing Big Sky State Games T-shirts - wandered from vendor to vendor Saturday morning. But the heat did make certain booths especially popular, as lines for ...
Bud & baseball
Jul 22, 2007; ... For his entire adult life, Ralph Nelles mixed his business of distributing Budweiser beer and other Anheuser-Busch products with his passion for basseball. Nelles started Intermountain Distributing Co. of Billings in 1949. In 1974, he was elected president of the Pioneer League ...
KING OF BEERS
Jul 22, 2007; ... After looking for affordable land on the West End of Billings for three years, Intermountain Distributing Ca executives made the same decision as Cabela's: They're heading to South Billings Boulevard. The family-owned distributing business is finishing negotiations for 10 acres south of ...
Family Business
Jul 27, 2007; ... If Mary Kofstad wants a cup of coffee at work, she just asks her mom. Kofstad and her mother, Janet Reiter, both work as registered nurses at St. Vincent Healthcare. So does Kofstad's younger sister, Ann Earley. "She can always fmd me to buy her a cup of coffee," Reiter said of ...
Calls swamp A/C service firms
Jul 24, 2007; ... As the temperature remains high, so does the number of phone calls coming into various Billings heating and cooling businesses. "I feel like we're the 911 dispatch unit" said Greta White, coowner of White Heating and Air Conditioning in Billings. The phone hasn't stopped ringing ...
Grocer's donations fill shelves, stomachs
Jul 25, 2007; ... After giving Family Service Inc. more than 141 tons of food, Albertsons grocery stores put the icing on the cake with a cash donation. The Albertsons Grocery Rescue Program has donated more than 293,000 pounds of food to Family Service Inc. since last October. On Tuesday, ...
Results mixed in report on children
Jul 25, 2007; ... HELENA - Montana ranks 29th among the states for the wellbeing of its children and has the lowest infant mortality rate in the nation, a report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation said. However, Montana was near the bottom in child and teen death rates per 100,000 children, ...
Rejected again, BBI pulls our of NorthWestern deal
Jul 25, 2007; ... HELENA - The Montana Public Service Commission on Tuesday repeated its emphatic "no" to an Australian firm's proposed buyout of NorthWestern Energy, unanimously rejecting the companies' request to look at a revised offer. The 5-0 vote upholds the PSC's decision May 22 to reject Babcock ...
County offers food bank donation
Jul 25, 2007; ... Yellowstone County commissioners gave the Billings Food Bank's building campaign a boost Tuesday with a five-year, $25,000 contribution. With the county's donation, the Food Bank has raised more than $1.2 million in cash and in-kind contributions, said Sheryle Shandy, the nonprofit ...
Montana considered for race site
Jul 28, 2007; ... Montana may be the next host of a multisport expedition race that claims to be the largest in die world, according to race organizer. The 2008 Primal Quest race is set for June 21 through July 2, 2008. Organizers are looking at Montana, Colorado and Idaho as possible destinations. Primal Quest ...
Stillwater, union calm down with new contract
Jul 28, 2007; ... Jim Williams spent the past two months at the bargaining table. Now, the president of the United Steelworkers Local 110001 is just glad to see things "pretty much back to normal" at Stillwater Mining Co's Nye mine and Columbus facilities. "There was a lot of tension out there," he said ....
PRESERVING RED LODGE: Mountain town working to stay on top of growth, change
Jul 29, 2007; ... Red Lodge has come a long way since its days as a rough-and-tumble coal mining town. Its scenic location, historic flavor and proximity to Yellowstone Park have made it attractive to many newcomers. Now newcomers and natives alike are working hard to avoid the pitfalls of too-rapid development - ...
Lucky Lady: At 95, Nettie Johnson still doesn't give retirement much thought
Jul 30, 2007; ... Some people look forward to retiring at 65. Nettie Johnson doesn't see the point. The 95-year-old Billings woman punches in at Won 800 Casino & Sports Pub in the Rimrock Mall six days a week, three hours a day. She's been working at that location since December of 1979, back when it ...
As salon owner, stylist adds spa, juggles time
Jul 30, 2007; ... When LeAnne Tibesar moved to the Renaissance Salon, she wasn't much impressed with the management. But, she didn't like the thought of moving again to another shop. So, she bought the place. That was nearly eight years ago and already the shop at 2406 Broadwater has ...
Busy Building In Red Lodge
Jul 30, 2007; ... RED LODGE - From a new hospital on the north end of town to the addition of more than 600 home sites in proposed or developing subdivisions near the golf course, Red Lodge is busy building. Fueled by a steady growth of retirees and affluent families building second homes, tens of ...
Housing expensive in Red Lodge
Jul 31, 2007; ... When a young couple came into the Red Lodge Area Chamber of Commerce office looking for work last June, Executive Director Beth Hutchinson could show them half a page of job listings in the local newspaper. "But then you have to think of where you want to live," she ...