by Michael J. Marino
A coalition of 22 states, led by Montana Attorney General (AG) Austin Knudsen, called on the federal executive branch to withdraw its vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on Thursday, Nov. 17. read more
Nov252022
by Michael J. Marino
A coalition of 22 states, led by Montana Attorney General (AG) Austin Knudsen, called on the federal executive branch to withdraw its vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on Thursday, Nov. 17. read more
Nov252022
Dear Editor,
Lonnie Bell will be dearly missed. I’m writing this to thank Ed McIntosh for the wonderful tribute he orchestrated on his Lonnie Bell Show, Sunday morning (Nov. 13) from 8am to noon on 790 KGHL radio. read more
Nov192022
Gerald ‘Jerry’ Wayne Ferrell, age 76, of Billings, MT, formerly of Petersburg, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, November 9, 2022.
Jerry is preceded in death by his father, Adren Newton ‘Slim’ Ferrell, and mother, Marian Breeden Ferrell, his sister, Janice Ferrell Whitley, and her husband, Henry ‘Bubba’ Whitley, as well as his in laws, Earl, and Kay Fake. Jerry is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carol Ferrell, daughter, Rebecca ‘Becky’ McAllister, son, Michael ‘Mickey’ Ferrell, daughter-in-law, Dawn Ferrell, granddaughter, Catalina ‘Lina’ Ferrell, and grandson, Jameson ‘Jamie’ Ferrell. Jerry is also survived by a niece, Sarah Whitley, her partner, Sarah Sunde, and their children, Bennett, Emerson, and Caroline as well as a brother-in-law, Steve Fake, and his children Brenda Fake, Brian Fake, and Pam Stevens.
Jerry grew up in his beloved town of Petersburg, Virginia. He graduated high school from Petersburgh High School in 1964 and enlisted in the United States Air Force from 1966 to 1970 during the Vietnam War. While serving, Jerry was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Montana where he met the love of his life, Carol. Not long after, Jerry and Carol were married at St. Pius the X on September 14, 1968, and honeymooned at the Yodeler Motel in Red Lodge, Montana. read more
Nov192022
Richard Edward Fick, 82, of Billings, MT, passed peacefully at home on
November 9, 2022. He was born March 11, 1940, in Stafford, Nebraska, to Edward and Alberta (Pond) Fick. He started first grade at age four in rural Nebraska. Looking for better opportunities, the family moved to Billings, Montana, in 1949 where they had family living and a new job at Saunders Lumber. Richard also started working at the lumberyard at age 14, counting inventory and unloading rail cars by hand.
He attended Pine Hills, Lockwood, and Senior High Schools, graduating in 1957.
He attended Eastern Montana College and graduated with a Bachelor of Science
in Education in 1961. He then taught mostly 5th and 6th grades for 39 years. He taught at Taft, Orchard, Highland, and Sandstone Elementaries. He retired from teaching in June 2000. His love for teaching was unimaginable. He made a difference in so many children’s and families’ lives. He took his students fossil hunting in the back of his pickup in the Pryors, walked to PAYS to watch sales, outdoor ed at Riverfront Park, and many more adventures. He had posters of John Wayne, Native Americans, the U.S. Presidents, and, of course, an American flag hanging in his classroom. He wanted to teach and expose his students to as much history and real world experiences as possible. read more
Nov192022
by Michael J. Marino
History was made as both Shepherd and Huntley Project’s volleyball teams advanced from the Divisional round to the State Class B Championship Tournaments held on Saturday, Nov. 12 at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana. read more
Nov192022
by Evelyn Pyburn
Billings attorney, Gene Jarussi is persisting with his challenge against Yellowstone County regarding the RFP they issued for the private management of MetraPark, despite the County’s decision to discontinue the RFP (request for proposals) process. Jarussi has asked the Court for permission to file an amended complaint in which he additionally questions the process in which Yellowstone County entered into an entertainment booking contract with OVG in July 2021, and asks that that contract be declared invalid. read more
Nov192022
Dear Editor,
Thank you YCN [YCN Sports] for the intense commentary on the Shepherd / Huntley volleyball game. I was quite entertained and on the edge of my seat! Bravo!! And great job to the players!
Juli Fields
Shepherd
Nov192022
HELENA, Mont. — This week, the State Board of Canvassers convened at the State Capitol to complete the random-sample audit selection for the 2022 General Election. read more
Nov132022
Dear Editor,
Mae Woo, your commentary in YCN (10-28-22) is right on about David Crisp only reading the lies of the liberal lefties news. What does Crisp know about medicine? And for Crisp to disparage Dr. Kerns is akin to a garbage collector training a heart surgeon. Dr. Kerns is a well-respected doctor and member of our community. Dr. Kerns, I stand beside you and will continue to admire your work. read more
Nov122022
Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter on behalf of the Worden Fire Dept. Volunteer depts. are vital to small communities like ours. They provide emergency services that most take for granted and hopefully will never need. read more
Nov112022
June 20, 1937 – November 6, 2022
Claudette Hanson: dedicated mother of five, grandmother of 17, great-grandmother of 44 and eternal love of one, passed away peacefully on Sunday, November 6, 2022.
Claudette was born on Father’s Day, June 20, 1937, to Russell Ward & Amy Neilson Smith in Cowley, Wyoming. She was just three years old when her loving Mother passed away. Two years later, her father married Margaret Pryde Crowder. The newly married couple and their blended family grew from seven to eleven. Claudette was raised on the small family farm in Cowley learning invaluable lifelong lessons. She attended Cowley schools, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and treasured her growing up years in their small community.
On June 4, 1954, Claudette married Kent Hanson in the Idaho Falls Temple. They were blessed with five children: Cozette Partridge (Rod), Russell Kent, Charles Dan, Gary J and Chris K (Donna). Kent and Claudette celebrated almost 64 years together at the time of his passing on April 19, 2018. read more
Nov112022
The mid-term elections of 2022 have been called a “political tinderbox” by pundits and citizens alike. Campaign dollars flew toward “mud flinging” ads across the board, as sensationalism has become the new normal for our political environment. Locally, one abnormality became evident just before the primaries this past spring: there were seemingly no Democratic contenders on Yellowstone County’s ballots, leading both Republican and Democrat voters in Yellowstone County to ask, “Where did the Democrats go?” read more
Nov112022
Having dropped the process of finding a company to manage MetraPark, Yellowstone County Commissioners are taking up the search for a manager for the county-owned facility. The need to replace the former manager, retiring Bill Dutcher, was put on hold, a year ago, as the commissioners explored the possibility of hiring a private company to manage the entertainment venue. In the interim, they advanced Assistant Manager Tim Goodridge to the position of temporary manager. read more
Nov112022
Nov112022
Given the polls and chronic predictions, the outcome of elections in Montana were probably not much of a surprise for most people. Voter turnout was probably lower than anticipated given all the hype prior to Election Day. Statewide the voter turnout was 55 percent – 425,637 voters. read more
Nov112022
Dear Editor,
Politicians have been forecasting the insolvency of Social Security for years. This makes little sense because the unbroken string of Social Security surpluses start year 1 and run through 2018 ($3.1 billion that year). What happened to all the surplus money? read more
Nov82022
by Michael J. Marino
Montana State Prison (MSP) recently launched a new workforce training program that helps incarcerated individuals prepare for reentry into society by teaching them in-demand job skills and offering post-release support. Provided by non-profit organization, The Last Mile (TLM), the program touts a zero percent recidivism rate among its graduates. read more
Nov82022
If you were among the early birds to get out to vote in the Shepherd and Huntley Districts, you may have been turned away. Ballots were, unfortunately, late on arrival to those locations. Those who were denied this morning are welcome to return to their District’s voting location to cast their votes. Ballots did arrive around 10am today.
Nov82022
Dear Editor,
Once again Evelyn Pyburn has gone out of her way to report false information. In her October 21, 2022 article on MetraPark she states, “Jones and Pitman launched their exploration of the privatization concept outside of any public hearings or public discussions.” That is false! I did not start my exploration until after Commissioner Ostlund, during a meeting in August 2021, stated that “it’s (privatization) never worked out anywhere that its ever happened”. read more
Nov72022
Dear Editor,
I used to attend a meeting of people interested in politics pretty much on a weekly basis. Some of our elected officials would occasionally attend also. Around election time a number of candidates for various offices would attend and invite questions from the audience. read more