Jun 3, 2009 | Great Falls Tribune
Shrinking schools: Statewide student decline takes extra toll on rural communities
Bozeman school administrators plan $80 million in building projects over the next four years, while Roy's superintendent must cope with having no music program, no business classes and no home economics class to offer his students.
CHESTER - Ernest Joseph Gagnon, 96, a lifelong Liberty County area farmer who enjoyed reading, music, woodworking, remodeling and building projects, died of natural causes on Saturday at his farm home south of Chester.
U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., recently announced that his congressional field representative Mike Waite will be conducting traveling office hours in Chester on Tuesday.
Rural medical staff recruitment a constant challenge
Sometimes they come up empty; sometimes they wishthey had come up empty; and sometimes they get lucky.
Physician recruitment reaches critical condition
Dr. Anna Earl grew up in Fort Benton and knew at some point after medical school she wanted to come back to northcentral Montana.
Many of state's rural hospitals on financial life support
A couple of years ago, Liberty County Hospital in Chester was struggling to stay open and operating at a loss.
Showdown over Property Tax Mitigation Comes to a Head
It is the nature of the Montana Legislature that issues which simmered throughout the session heat up to a boil in the final days.
Are rural dams really terrorist targets?
Every day since the Sept. 11 attacks, a deputy or a federal employee patrols Hi-Line reservoirs searching for terrorists.
The Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks is trying to find out just who is killing Montana's raptors.
FWP investigating raptor killings in Chester area
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials are continuing to investigate the shooting of several raptors, including two golden eagles, east of Chester recently.
Hi-Line town of Chester reaps benefits of wind energy
Wind energy has been in the news often in recent months, but Liberty County is something of an alternative energy pioneer.
Man charged with shooting undersheriff officer's ear
A Liberty County man was charged Monday with attempted deliberate homicide for allegedly shooting the county's undersheriff in the ear.
Liberty County's Christmas Festival moved to Sunday due to weather
Liberty County's Christmas Festival, originally planned for Dec. 14 but sidetracked by last weekend's blizzard, has been rescheduled for Sunday.
Tinker away, lawmakers, but make it fair and legal
Money is tight for state and local governments right now, and property values in Montana are up - way up.
Christmas festival in Chester features trees, shopping, dinner and a concert by Aaberg
Chester shows its Christmas spirit this weekend with a festival and a concert by Philip Aaberg.
Legislators grapple with options on property values
Lawmakers began looking at ways to mitigate big increases in property tax bills in the wake of an analysis that shows large property value increases in most parts of Montana.
Montana drivers used less gasoline as gas prices topped $4 a gallon last summer.
Property values up average of 55 percent
The value of Montana residential property has jumped an average of 55 percent statewide over the past six and a half years, the state Revenue Department's latest reappraisal numbers show.