Page 190 - Bigfork News Today

Capt. Jeff Newton is new Great Falls chief of police City officials made the announcement Monday afternoon. Newtons position is effective immediately. Newton is a 22-year veteran with GFPD and has served as a captain in all the bureaus of the department. He is from Bigfork and was born and raised in Montana, although he has done law enforcement work outside the state. He has a wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and hunting. Newton holds a bachelors degree in sociology and a masters...

Windy Boy receives education award from Office of Public Instruction   Jonathan Windy Boy A local legislator was honored by the Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction this morning for his work in closing achievement gaps in education. Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, was invited to receive a Montana Learn award this morning, presented by Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen during the final Education Caucus meeting of the season, with awards presented to legislators w...

The Itasca County Board of Commissioners officially opposed the parole of James Shane Swanson this week and recommended his continued incarceration.  The recommendation came during the county board’s work session on Tuesday, April 20. The board felt the release of Swanson “would create an extreme safety risk.”  Swanson was convicted of four counts of first degree murder and one count of kidnapping on Dec. 14, 1994. Swanson and his co-defendant admitted to the killing of Car...

Northland specialists hope increased access to opioid treatment will break stigma Six years ago, only one Northland doctor was certified to prescribe the opioid-use disorder treatment drug Suboxone. Now, access to the medication is increasing as recovery specialists work to fight the opioid epidemic. Written By: Laura Butterbrodt | × Brad Hoder, of Duluth, has used suboxone since 2018 and now helps others by using his recovery experience as a certified peer recove...

The Itasca County Board of Commissioners approved settlements of 2021 salary appeals with both Sheriff  Victor Williams and Auditor/Treasurer Jeff Walker last week.  During their regular meeting on April 13, commissioners approved an agreement reached by the county and Williams, resolving the 2021 salary appeal. Williams filed an appeal of his 2021 salary in December 2020. The agreement sets the 2021 salary for Sheriff Williams in the amount of $127,633.48. The sheriff salary was set at $...

Bemidji area robotics teams compete for the first time in a year The first-ever Northern Minnesota Robotics Conference invitational event was put together for the robotics teams of the region who otherwise would have gone without a competition season. he tournament held, Saturday, April 17, featured 24 teams from around the area. 2:43 pm, Apr. 20, 2021 × Bemidji’s William Coan, left, and Avery Gieser set up their robot to compete on April 17, 2021, at the Northern Minne...

Itasca County has seen a continued rise in cases of COVID over the past week and, unfortunately, an additional COVID-related death, a male in his 80s. Newly diagnosed cases of COVID-19 rose by 114 between April 9 and 15, a rate of increase not seen since late fall 2020.  The 14-day case rate per 10,000 Itasca residents is up to 48 from 42 in just one week.  Cases are highest among 30- and 40-year-olds and school-aged children.  “I know we are all tired of the pandemic and talking ...

1911 April 19, 1911-The St. Paul Mine in Keewatin opened; the Roberts and Platt mines in Nashwauk also opened for the season. April 19, 1911-There has been a great influx of settlers to Itasca County this spring and the number is steadily increasing, particularly, Grand Rapids has received many who have purchased lands and who have settled in the immediate vicinity. 1921 April 20, 1921-Good progress is being made for improved highway construction in Itasca County. Clearing was started on the Bl...

Essays Written  in School In 1904, the Deer River School consisted of about three dozen students.  In February, the sixth graders were assigned to write an essay about President Lincoln. Two were selected to be printed in the newspaper. Roy Belcher’s essay was about a half a column and here is the first paragraph. “Not long after the Boones crossed the mountains to Kentucky, a man by the name of Abraham Lincoln followed their example and brought his wife and children with him.�...

All three COVID-19 vaccines are now flowing through Itasca County’s network of health care facilities, pharmacies and public health clinics in a local race against variant-fueled spread of the coronavirus. Over the past seven days, 71 new cases of COVID-19 were identified among Itasca County residents, following 108 identified the previous week.  The 14-day rate per 10,000 Itasca residents is 42.  “It is clear that the highly contagious B.1.1.7 variant is blooming in our county,...