K96 FM: Wide Open Country

Special Olympics State Games – Results

Anne James — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:18:20 +0000

Congratulations to the following Special Olympians from Toole County who won medals in events at the Montana State Games in Billings:

For Softball Throw:

Gold medals went to: Gavin Gristy, Madisyn Lords, Lauryn Brown, Major Harris, AJ McKamey Silver went to William McDougall Bronze went to Hans Eklund Jessica Tomsheck placed 6th

For Bocce Doubles:

Gold medals went to the teams of:

Gavin Gristy and Madisyn Lords

Hans Eklund and Major Harris

Lauryn Brown and Cole Brown

Jessica Tomsheck and Satyn Tomsheck

William McDougall and Krystal McDougall, AJ McKamey and Logan Lybeck

For Bocce Team:

Gold Medals went to the teams of:

1-Madisyn Lords, Gavin Gristy, William McDougall and Lauryn Brown

2- Satyn Tomsheck, Jessica Tomsheck, Hans Eklund and Krystal McDougall

Silver Medal went to the team of:

AJ McKamey, Major Harris, Logan Lybeck and Cole Brown

Our thanks to Laura Jo McKamey for passing these results on to us. We’d appreciate hearing from local teams as well. Email your team’s results to me at annejames@townsquaremedia.com, or to garygoodan@townsquaremedia.com .

It's A Whopper!

Jerry Puffer — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:02:19 +0000

Did you hear about the rainbow trout Cut Bank’s Justin Byers caught last Saturday? It weighed in a 9 pounds (!) and I’m NOT exaggerating. Justin caught this beauty from the boat up at Mission lake and I’ll be mentioning Justin’s feat this weekend on our “Old Fishing Hole” program on both KSEN AM and K 96 FM. There’s a ton of fishing activity going on over the weekend here in north central Montana. Down in Fort Benton, the annual Spring Classic Fishing Derby kicks off tonight (Thursday) at 6:30 at the Front Street Levee and runs until 1 Sunday afternoon. $500 in prizes will be awarded for adults and children. Children also get the chance to win in the longest game fish category and prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and third place winners. More than 100 rod and reel combos will be given away as well. Funds raised will be donated to the Dedman Foundation Animal Shelter. Give Tommy Wilson a call at 406 621 5592 for more info on this “Fort Benton Fun Frolic. The Craig Caddis Fest kicks off at 2 this Saturday afternoon and there will be a parade, food vendors, children’s activities, a barbecue contest and live music. The event is a fundraiser for the Craig Volunteer Fire Department. For more information, contact the fire department at 406 235 3424. Speaking of Craig…CRAIG Hallack is presenting a Walleye Fishing seminar at Missouri River Marine on Lower River Road in Great Falls Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 and the admission is FREE! We’ll see you this weekend on the Old Fishing Hole…Grant Beep will be joining us from Browning, Bob Kovatch at Lake Francis-Valier, Dallas “Bait & Red Wing Shoes” Denter from Tiber, and Rovin’ Don Groven at Fresno/Havre. As Craig Hallack told me this morning, “fishing is fun even if you don’t catch anything. We’ll let the fish decide”!

Back To The Bakken

Jerry Puffer — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:20:02 +0000

Who’s NOT talking about the oil boom these days? There’s a documentary on Montana-PBS this evening (Thursday) at 7 and it should be worth watching for all of us here in the Golden Triangle and on the Rocky Mountain Front. With thousands of folks flocking to eastern Montana and western North Dakota, looking for work in the Bakken oil boom, students in the University of Montana Department of Radio-Television journeyed to the Williston basis this spring to document the boom and bring the story to viewers across the state. Towns like Sidney, Montana and Williston, North Dakota are struggling to deal with the increase in population, crime and traffic. What’s going to happen out HERE in the coming months and years? 13 Students talked with oil workers and landowners, bartenders and cops, school teachers and children to learn how the boom has impacted their lives. They met long-time locals who call the boom a double-edged sword, bringing both jobs and money along with drugs and crime. The film makers met newcomers to the area, anxious for jobs but finding no place to live in the struggling towns. I’m looking forward to tuning in this evening and I only wish that our Shelby mayor, Dr. Larry J.”His Worship” Bonderud and/or Jim Anderson from Grizzly Sports in Choteau would have had a part in this film. Both these guys have their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening oil-wise in the Golden Triangle and on the Rocky Mountain Front. Bonderud has referred to me a time or two as a “nodding donkey”! That said, I’m sure the 7 o’clock hour this evening on PBS will be worth watching for all of us.

Blackfeet Grazing Seminar

Julie — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:00:26 +0000

The 8th annual Blackfeet grazing seminar will be held on Thursday at South Wind Lodge of the Blackfeet Community College Campus. Registration at 8am for more information call 338-2650.

Wanna Live Longer? Drink Coffee

Don Deane — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:24:28 +0000

Thinkstock

Coffee drinkers no longer need to fret over health concerns and their beloved beverage, according to a new study by the National Cancer Institute. In fact, feel free to pour an extra cup in the morning because, the study suggests, coffee may actually prolong life.

Over the course of a 14-year study, researchers found that men who drank at least six cups of coffee a day had a 10 percent lower chance of dying than those who drank none. Women had a 15 percent lower chance.

“I would say it offers some reassurance to coffee drinkers,” said Neal Freedman, a nutritional epidemiology researcher and one of the authors of the study. “Other studies have suggested a higher risk of mortality with coffee drinking and we didn’t see that in our study.”

The study looked at the coffee habits of 229,000 men and 173,000 women from 1995 to 2008. It found that even people who drank between two and five cups of coffee daily seemed to have a lower risk of mortality. This applied to both regular and decaffeinated coffee.

It’s important to note, however, that the study highlights only a potential connection between coffee and decreased risk of death. Simply put, researchers aren’t quite sure why their findings highlight an uptick in longevity.

Still, Freedman said, it’s entirely possible that coffee may be beneficial in some unknown way. “Coffee has more than 1,000 compounds and we really don’t know what effects those compounds have on health,” he said.

[MSNBC]

USFWS Says "Thank You" to Veterans on May 19th

Anne James — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:13:18 +0000

To show appreciation for those who serve in the U.S. Military, on May 19 – Armed Forces Day – the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin issuing an annual pass offering free entrance for active duty military members and their dependents to the National Bison Range and every unit of the Refuge System, as well as National Parks and other public lands.

“Through the years, military members, especially those far from home in times of conflict, have found inspiration and rejuvenation in America’s wild landscapes. Their dedication enables all Americans to enjoy these special places in safety and security,” said Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “This new pass gives us a way to thank members of the Armed Forces and their families for their service and their sacrifices.”

Active duty members of the U.S. Military and their dependents can pick up their pass at the refuge: National Bison Range, 58355 Bison Range Road, Moiese, MT. Please call (406)-644-2211 for pass pickup details. They must show a current, valid military identification card to obtain their pass. More information is available at http://store.usgs.gov/pass/index.html.

Currently, 35 units of the National Wildlife Refuge System charge entrance fees. This military version of the America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass also permits free entrance to all of them, as well as to sites managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Forest Service that charge entrance fees. The pass is also available through these Federal agencies.

“We’re proud to open our refuge to the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families,” said Project Leader Jeff King. “Refuges across the nation offer outstanding outdoor recreation opportunities, and we hope they’ll be able to relax and have fun with their families on this or any of our other outstanding refuges.”

The Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System and the military have strong ties. More than 200,000 acres of the Refuge System are former military lands, and nearly 50 of the 556 units in the Refuge System include lands transferred from the military to the Service. Following World War I and all subsequent conflicts in our nation’s history, returning veterans took advantage of hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational opportunities on refuge lands – and thousands continue to enjoy these activities. Today, the Service employs some 1,400 veterans in full-time and temporary positions, equal to nearly 20 percent of the agency’s workforce.

Another Ban for Kids? You won't believe it!

Shauna Wright — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:08:12 +0000

gozalewis, Flickr

For the past few years, language purists have bemoaned the way “text speak” like LOL and OMG has wormed its way into written communication.

But according to parents, a Georgia elementary school went too far when it made students sign a pledge stating they wouldn’t use acronyms when signing each other’s yearbooks.

Teachers at Birmingham Falls Elementary School in the town of Milton circulated the pledges among the pupils, who had to sign them before being given copies of the school’s yearbook. Anyone who violated the pledge was told they’d be sent to the principal’s office and have their yearbook taken away.

When parents found out, they were furious.

One mom, Patti Silva, posted about the pledge on her Facebook page, alerting other parents and eventually the media. “I thought ‘Really, you’re kidding me? Why we didn’t hear about it. Why can’t we draw a smiley face?’ That’s what we thought,” she said.

Her daughter added, “Freedom of speech — that’s one of our amendments, people. No one really liked it. I thought it was kind of stupid.”

Silva and some other Milton parents told their kids to ignore the pledge and sign their classmates’ books however they wanted — and the school has since backed down on enforcing the pledge.

[WSBT]

I've Been Called A "Dinosaur" A Time Or Two

Jerry Puffer — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:49:36 +0000

You don’t have to tell me about dinosaurs…I’m often been called one by my younger colleagues! I’m even older than my friend Jim Anderson down at Grizzly Sports in Choteau! Speaking of Choteau, the grand opening of the Two Medicine Dinosaur Learning Center over in Bynum is set for this Saturday. There’s going to be a ton of activities for children throughout the day on Saturday along with an audio/visual presentation by famed paleontologist and author of “Becoming Dinosaurs”, Dave Trexler. The dinosaur activity and fun in the Bynum area is just another one of our many gems here in the Golden Triangle and on the Rocky Mountain Front, yet I’d be willing to wager that there are many, right here in the area, not all that familiar with what’s in store there. Why not get into the “family bus” and head to Bynum this Saturday. I’ll be honest with you, I really don’t know all that much about dinosaurs…most of my knowledge comes from watching the Flintstones on television for years!

If You Can Grill, You Can Smoke

Jerry Puffer — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:36:23 +0000

New York Times Best Selling cookbook author and James Beard Award Nominee, Jamie Purviance will be joining me at 4:45 tomorrow (Thursday) afternoon on the Puffman Show. (I might lead into this interview with the old Platter’s tune, “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes” or perhaps “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”. “Smokey Mountain Rain” or “Smoke From A Distant Past” are also possibilities). Chef Puviance is considered one of the nation’s top grilling experts and his cookbooks have sold millions of copies worldwide. He’s written several cookbooks for iconic grill maker Weber Grills, and his latest book, “Weber’s Smoke” is dedicated to the art of smoke cooking. I’ll be giving away TWO copies of “Weber’s Smoke” right after the interview. It’s a neat book which includes 87 recipes-each one with a color photo-that range from low and slow favorites like brisket and ribs, to grilled foods like steak and fish where just a hint of smoke is added. The book retails for $21.95 and if you’re not one of the TWO winners tomorrow, I suggest visiting weber.com/cookbooks. The book is considerably longer than my interview…my eyes start watering when I get around smoke too long!

Shelby School Retirement

Julie — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:59:48 +0000

A retirement celebration this afternoon from 4-6 for some wonderful teachers and staff memebers that are retiring from the Shelby Public Schools. Stop by the Shelby Elementary Cafeteria to enjoy refreshments and wish them your best. They will be missed!

Don't Sign Anything….Yet.

Anne James — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:31:40 +0000

Landowners that are considering selling water that they have on their property for oil and gas development or other business use will want to attend a very informative workshop scheduled for Wednesday, May 23 at 1 pm at the Pondera Center in Conrad. Kraig Van Voast and Matt Miles from the DNRC in Havre will lead the discussion and answer questions on the rules and processes to follow to legally sell water. Call the Pondera County Commissioners at 271-4010 or the MSU Pondera County Extension at 271-4054 for more details. Workshop is free and open to everyone.

Choteau Anthem Singer Needs Your Votes!

goodan — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:42:56 +0000

The Big Sky State Games has selected Choteau’s Whitney Sherrard as one of five finalists to sing the national anthem at this summer’s Big Sky State Games opening ceremonies. They are asking the people of Montana to decide which of the finalists will perform July 20.

Voting will be open May 15-21 and can be accessed online through the Big Sky State Games Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bigskygames or on the Big Sky State Games webpage at www.bigskygames.org under the BSSG ‘Special Events’ tab. The winner will be announced by May 30, 2012. Good luck, Whitney! Vote for her and help her win!

This Weekend: Grand Opening at the Old Trail Museum

Anne James — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:15 +0000

Old Trail Museum 2012 Grand Opening

(CHOTEAU) Saturday, May 19 is the date set for the 2012 season Grand Opening for the Old Trail Museum (OTM) located at the north end of main street in Choteau, MT. OTM continues to work closely with Choteau elementary and DeLaSalle Blackfeet students to promote exchange and the connections between Choteau, the Blackfeet and Metis cultures. The DeLaSalle Blackfeet and Choteau students and teachers have been working on the design and painting of a new Blackfeet tipi for display at OTM. It will be erected at OTM during the Grand Opening activities.

OTM Grand Opening activities will begin at 10:00 am with the Choteau Boy Scouts flag presentation, followed by the Holy Star drummers and singers presenting the Blackfoot Confederacy flag song. A welcome will be given by Choteau’s mayor, Jay Dunckel. DeLaSalle Blackfeet students will have drum and dance groups performing. Choteau students will teach tipi design and a traditional Blackfeet game they learned during their April visit to Browning. The Northern Rockies Métis group will play music during the opening and DeLaSalle Blackfeet students will help erect the new outdoor tipi exhibit. Sign up for Old North Trail tours in June will also be available during the day’s activities.

All of the museum exhibits and buildings will be open to the public for viewing during the Grand Opening. The Ice Cream Parlor will not be open for business until Memorial Day weekend.

OTM Board Chairman Stewart Merja and OTM Manager Julie Ameline invite everyone to come and spend the day or even part of the day. OTM is looking forward to the 2012 season. The museum will open for the season on May 26 with regular hours of 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. A Wednesday evening campfire program will be offered most weeks during the summer at 7:00 pm. Three weeks of summer day camp for grade school students will also be offered at OTM this year. Registration forms for these camps will be available during the grand opening.

OTM is a non-profit organization that depends totally on the donations from its friends and visitors each year. The OTM board encourages everyone to take advantage of what OTM has to offer and support the museum complex.

Professional Sports Teams With Insect Mascots

goodan — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:45:19 +0000

Don’t get me started on team mascots. I won’t get anything else done for the rest of the day.

As his sports trivia question today, Mark asked what was the first professional sports team to have an insect as a mascot or team nickname. Randy Gramm (of course) jumped right in and answered “Charlotte Hornets”, which was a good answer, but made my spidey sense tingle. I remembered the Cleveland Spiders of 1899, maybe the worst baseball team ever, and also remembered the National League Boston Braves had changed their name to the Bees in the late 1930s before changing it back to the Braves around 1940. So now my mascot curiosity is aroused. There goes the day.

The oldest insect mascot my research turned up was the Binghamton Crickets of the old New York State professional baseball league of 1886, which would be a full year before the American Association Cleveland Spiders began play in 1887. Binghamton actually had one of the more normal nicknames in their league, which would become the International League. The Crickets played against the Jersey City Skeeters (another insect mascot! in 1887), the Utica Pentups, and the Oswego Starchboxes! Not to mention the addition to the league of the Scranton Coal Heavers in 1895, and the Troy Washer Women in 1894! Now that’s not a timid mascot!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

Jerry Puffer — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:55:19 +0000

There will be this evening (Tuesday) when I’m back up at the Marias Heritage Center reading Montana History. I’m excited today because tonight, we start reading a brand new book about a lady doctor in the old west. She’s Dr. Mary Babcock (Moore) Atwater-Dr. Mollie. This female medical practitioner stepped off a train in Salt Lake City back in 1890. She knew she had to start a new life. She’d left her husband and his medical practice behind in Iowa and with only a few hundred dollars in her pocket and a great deal of pride, was hired on as a doctor to miners in Bannack, Montana. This should be quite the story…the name of the book is “Pioneer Doctor-The Story of a Woman’s Work” and the author is Mari Grana. Dr. Mollie was actually the grandmother of the author. The book promises to be not just the biography of a fascinating women. It is also the story of an era when daring women ventured forth and changed history for the rest of us. What I want to know is, why did she leave her husband and his medical practice in Iowa. Was he hard to work for? Was she difficult to get along with? We’ll find out more and get “the story behind the story” this evening at 6 during Montana History at the Marias Heritage Center.

Good Luck, Special Olympians!

Anne James — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:05:49 +0000

The Montana Special Olympics Summer Games begin today in Billings. Click HERE for a schedule of events.

Good luck to all of our local Special Olympians!

Roundup At Ringside

Jerry Puffer — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:54:31 +0000

The Center 4 Mental Health Advisory Board meets today (Tuesday) at noon at Ringside Ribs here in Shelby. Our board meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month September through May. Partnering to improve lives is what it is all about and we are always looking for new board members who would be willing to serve. (contact the center at 434 5285). Speaking of the Center for Mental Health, their new (relatively new) location is working out great. It doesn’t seem like almost a year ago that the Center moved over to 925 Oilfield Avenue, the old Buzybees Daycare in the Rock Svennungsen building. I’ll blog more about the Center 4 Mental Health in an upcoming Puffman Blog. I WILL mention today that the Beautiful Minds Walk (BMW) is set for next month, Saturday, June 16th down in Great Falls. Look for anywhere between 500 and 750 participants in this year’s event. This year’s theme is “Music is Healing” and the Drum Brothers will be coming over from Missoula to facilitate a drum circle near the Wellness Fair which kicks off at 11:30 on that Saturday morning. The walk is set for 1PM. The Beautiful Minds Walk is an event for anyone who is dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by serious mental illness. The Center 4 Mental Health is a nonprofit community mental health center that provides therapeutic services to over 6,000 individuals each year, more than 700 are veterans and 900 are children. Funds raised by the Beautiful Minds Walk will be used solely to support important mental wellness programs. In the meantime, see you this afternoon at noon at Ringside for our Advisory Board Meetin

State Tennis Underway Today

Wendy Nielsen — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:31:08 +0000

The State B/C Tennis Tournament gets underway this morning in Missoula and we have the pairings for you! Click on the links below to get them.

Boys Singles Bracket
Boys Doubles
Girls’ Singles
Girls Doubles

We’ll keep you up to date on the scores and how things are going.

Eastern Divisional Softball Tournament (Bracket)

Wendy Nielsen — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:14:33 +0000

The Eastern Divisional Softball Tournament will get underway on Friday morning at 9am on the fields at the Sports Complex in Cut Bank. The opener will see Shelby take on Cut Bank on field one and Glasgow meeting Shepherd on field two.

The Bracket is HERE

Conrad will meet Huntley Project at 11am on Field 1 with Stillwater and Colstrip on Field 2. This is a great opportunity to catch some great softball right here in our area, so don’t miss out!

We’ll bring you scores and updates from the tournament as well.

How Hot Is Hot?

Anne James — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:30 +0000

Near record high temperatures are expected across Northcentral Montana today. Highs are expected to be in the mid- to upper-80′s for many locations. Here are the official record high temperatures for May 15 across the Golden Triangle and Hi-Line areas, according to the National Weather Service:

 93 1897  Great Falls Intl Airport

 92 1917  Havre City/County Airport

 86 1939  Cut Bank Municipal Airport

 87 1931  Lewistown Municipal Airport

 85 2006  Kalispell (Glacier Park) Airport

 90 1917  Chester

 96 1917  Chinook

 89 1897  Choteau

 87 1939  Conrad

 81 1997  Del Bonita

 89 1944  Dunkirk 19 NNE

 92 1875  Fort Benton

 87 1924  Gold Butte 7 N

 89 1997  Harlem 4 W

 85 2006  Lincoln Ranger Station

 82 1987  Neihart 7 NW

 82 1973  Rogers Pass 9 NNE

 86 1973  Shelby

 87 1944  Stanford

 85 1936  Valier