The Billings Heights Water District has selected Peyton Brookshire as its new manager, following a search for candidates that brought over 40 applications of which four were interviewed by the board. read more
Feb112022
Feb72022
Obituary: James Grosskop
James “Jim” Allen Grosskop
James “Jim” Allen Grosskop, 69 of Huntley, Montana, died on January 29th, 2022 at his home on the farm. He was born on August 26, 1952, in Billings Montana to Harold and Lou “Madeline” Grosskop
He graduated from Billings West High School in 1970, attended MSU Bozeman and studied Ag Business/Economics. From 1972-1974 he was in the Peace Corp in Nepal working on the “Farm Seed Project.” Jim worked as a loan officer at Yellowstone Bank for seventeen years. He then worked for Hulcher Services as a laborer on a train wrecking crew. On this job he made some life-long friends, who he viewed as family and shared many great adventures with them on the job. read more
Feb42022
2022, Good Year for Montana and Yellowstone County
Economically, Montana had a “fantastic” year in 2021, and 2022 is being forecast to be much the same, but there are challenges.
At the forefront of his forecast, Montana’s premier economist, Dr. Patrick Barkey, Director of the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, is projecting a decline in the seven percent inflation rate – “a stunning number” — to something closer to 3.5 or 4 percent, which is still “a lot of inflation.” Skyrocketing energy prices are contributing the most to the inflation rate. Some commodities have actually declined in price. read more
Feb42022
METRA: Private versus Government
Dear Editor:
METRA
There certainly seems to be a lot of views, opinions and disagreement regarding whether or not to keep the Metra Management under the guidance of the County or to Privatize? When one of the commissioners asked me about my personal thoughts, here’s what I shared with him. read more
Feb42022
Double Homicide Investigation Continues
Billings Police sent an update Friday, January 28th, releasing additional public criminal justice information to clarify developments in the double homicide investigation. read more
Feb42022
Commissioners May Extend Response Time for MetraPark Management RFQ
Two of the companies that are likely to submit proposals to manage MetraPark have asked for more time to prepare their proposals – a request that the county commissioners put on the agenda for next week. indicating a willingness to extend it by two weeks. The deadline is currently Feb. 4. read more
Feb42022
Signal Peak Energy Fined $1 Million
The Department of Justice released information on January 31, relating to Signal Peak’s failing to report injuries, and improperly disposing of mine waste. Signal Peak Energy, LLC (SPE) was sentenced to three years of probation and slapped with a $1 million-dollar criminal fine. read more
Jan282022
How Much Longer does Heights Need to Wait for Fire Station
Dear Editor:
On Wednesday, January 19, there was a house fire in the Moon Valley area of the Alkali Creek neighborhood. KULR-8 reported a woman was trapped inside the home and Billings police officers helped her escape. Their story also said “emergency resources in the Heights were sparse and busy responding to other emergencies during this fire.” How much longer do the 30,000-plus Heights residents need to wait for the City to build a second fire station? read more
Jan282022
Property Tax Cap Petition Can Continue Gathering Signatures
Signature gathering on a petition that would cap property taxes may continue.
The Montana Supreme Court refused last week to take up a lower court decision that halted signature gathering on a petition for an initiative that would cap the rate of property tax increases, saying it couldn’t hear the case any sooner than could the District Court. On Tuesday, the injunction against signature gathering was lifted by a lower court while the case advances based upon the merits raised by the Plaintiffs. read more
Jan282022
2-Dead,1-Injured
The Billings Police Dept. released information pertaining to a suspected double homicide in Billings that occurred on January 25th. At approximately 3:00 AM Billings Police Dept. was dispatched to the 300 block south of 37th St., to a motor vehicle accident. Upon arriving, and initial investigation, it was determined that there were two male occupants of the vehicle who were unresponsive and not breathing. read more
Jan282022
Governor Listens to Problems by Local Crime Fighters
Pictured are Governor Greg Gianforte (L), Dennis Bear Don’t Walk, Member of the Crow Nation, Barry Usher, State Representative, Bryan Lockerby, Director of Crime Investigation, during a roundtable discussion about crime held in Billings last week.
With the next state legislative session looming on the horizon, one of the biggest issues before it will surely be the issue of crime, which is especially true for Yellowstone County and Billings where crime has been escalating at a faster pace than the rest of the state. read more
Jan212022
Obituary: Helen Hoerner Geck
Helen Hoerner Geck passed away peacefully on January 9, 2022, surrounded by her family. Helen was born on the family farm in a stone house on March 25, 1938, to Valentine and Monica Hoerner, in Glen Ullin, ND. She attended a one-room schoolhouse until 8th grade and graduated from Glen Ullin High School.
Helen taught school, worked at the Bank of Glen Ullin, and lived on the family farm in North Dakota until she married Richard Geck on Sept 2, 1958. From this union two sons were born, Dan and Darrin. They traveled to many different locations with road construction and made many good friends along the way. In 1982, they moved to the family farm in Pompeys Pillar, MT. read more
Jan142022
Masks Reduce Infection Rates!
Dear Editor:
Masks Reduce Infection Rates!
The article headlined “Data Shows: School Mask Mandates Make No Difference” in the Jan. 7 Yellowstone County News draws a conclusion that isn’t supported by the “data” it quotes. The numbers presented don’t answer the question of whether masks worn in schools help reduce the spread of COVID-19 virus.
This flawed argument fails to take into account the rates of mask compliance and COVID-19 testing within the schools. Without that information, the statistics on enrollment and case totals tell us nothing.
read more
Jan142022
City Loses Franchise Fee Case
The City of Billings has lost a case filed against it for charging illegal franchise fees for 26 years on utility services it provides city residents. Filed by six city ratepayers, the case has been on-going for over three years, after having been a contentious issue since the city imposed the fees in 1992. Both residents of the city and some public officials frequently challenged — to no avail — the fees before a city council which kept re-imposing the 4 percent charge on bills for water, sewer, garbage, etc., collecting an estimated $50 million over the years.
As soon as the Plaintiffs filed their suit in 2018, the City ceased collecting the fees. read more
Jan142022
Both Pitman and Morse File for Office
Dennis Pitman
Mark Morse
2022 is an election year that will see a vacancy open for election of the Board of County Commissioners for District 2.
Incumbent County Commissioner Denis Pitman, who has announced that he will be filing for re-election, already has a Republican primary contender in Mark Morse, who is also vying for the position. Filing for election to local and state political offices in 2022 will open in Yellowstone County Thursday, January 13. read more
Jan142022
Huntley-Yellowstone Water & Sewer District Receives Improvement Grants
At the January 10th Board meeting it was noted that there is nothing more important to Huntley-Yellowstone Water & Sewer District (HYWSD) than providing access to pure, clean water. This basic community need is easy to take for granted, but the reality is that ensuring reliable access to safe water can be a complex, expensive undertaking. Aging infrastructure, new regulations, and escalating expenses can create a precarious budget balancing act. read more
Jan142022
Montana Rail Link Relinquishes Control of BNSF
In a letter to Montana RailLink (MRL)employees, Derek Ollmann, President of MRL, shared the news that MRL will be concluding their long-term lease with BNSF Railway. BNSF will be resuming operations and maintenance of MRL, which will provide long term sustainability, predictability and opportunity for employees and customers. read more
Jan72022
Obituary: Gary Dale Foss
10/12/49-12/31/21
Gary Dale Foss was born October 12, 1949, in Sheridan, WY, and was raised at Decker, MT. He graduated from Sheridan High School in 1968. January 2, 1971, he married Phyllis Schuman and added George and Mollie Schuman and 4 brothers to his family. Gary and Phyllis had three children. He was a GREAT Dad but an even better Papa. His family meant everything to him.
He is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 51 years; children – Monica, Melanie (Jonathan) and Gary; eight grandchildren – Tanner (Lindsey), Trey, Tyler, Kyle, Mollie, Morgan, Gavin and Cayden; three great grandchildren; sister – Lola (Rick) Ellis; brothers (in-laws) – Don, George (Doris), Les (Shirley – his best buddy), and Gerald (Joann) Schuman.
Funeral services are Jan. 12th, 11:00 a.m., at Dahl Funeral Home in Billings, MT. Memorials can be made to RiverStone Hospice, American Cancer Society or donor’s choice.
Dec312021
County Auditor Position Consolidated
With the end of his term next year, Scott Turner will be Yellowstone County’s last full-time elected auditor. In the future the position will be melded with that of the County Clerk and Recorder. County Commissioners voted at a public hearing on Tuesday to eliminate the full-time position and place those duties that are necessary by the office, to be performed by the Clerk and Recorder. Jeff Martin is the County’s Clerk and Recorder.
Dec312021
Super Spreaders of Fear
Dear Editor:
Fear. We have nothing to fear but the fear mongers themselves. We are being told how the Covid surge is as high as it was in its prime. The news is reporting how bad it is. Over the last several months we haven’t seen or heard of any long lines to get tested. It was almost like the testing sites disappeared. Now they are showing lines and lines of people waiting to get tested. If there were 100 people getting tested before and 3 had Covid, then when panic sets in and 100,000 people get tested and 3000 have tested positive, the news can tell us that the infected rate is 100 times bigger than it was. Yet it is still the same 3%. From what has been reported on this latest variant, the sky is falling. We are all going to die. We are told to follow the science. Well, from what I have been hearing, Omicron should be called Omicold. read more
