Apr302021

Gianforte Signs Bill Allowing Patients to Pay Doctors Directly

Politics

Left to right: Dr. Cole Whitmoyer, Dr. Jennifer Fowler, of Flex Family Health DPC in Billings, and Montana State Auditor Troy Downing posed for a picture with Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, center, after he signed into law Senate Bill 101, sponsored by Sen. Cary Smith (R-Billings). Senate Bill 101 authorizes direct patient care (DPC) agreements in Montana. DPC allows patients to enter into agreements with doctors and pay them directly for health care services, rather than going through an insurance company. (Photo by Jonathan McNiven)

At a direct patient care facility in Billings, Governor Greg Gianforte today signed a bill expanding access to affordable, high-quality health care.A bill that will allow patients to pay their doctors directly rather than having to go through an insurance company was signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte last week. The bill, SB -101 was sponsored by Sen. Cary Smith (R-Billings).

“We’re committed to making affordable, high-quality health care more accessible to Montanans by increasing choice, eliminating regulations, and promoting competition,” said Governor Gianforte. “This new, commonsense law will help bring down the cost of care while strengthening the patient-doctor relationship.”

SB-101 authorizes direct patient care (DPC) agreements in Montana. DPC allows patients to enter into agreements with doctors and pay them directly for health care services, rather than being required to go through an insurance company. read more

Apr302021

Billings Standoff Ends with Two Dead

Top Stories

Yellowstone County Sheriff Deputies, a Laurel officer and MHP Troopers set up a perimeter at the beginning of the standoff off Ridgewood Lane South on the West End of Billings. (Photo courtesy Sheriff Mike Linder)

On Friday, April 23, 2021, several calls regarding suspicious activity resulted in a nine-hour standoff on Billings’ West End that ended with the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, a dead body in a van, and an additional suspect in custody. In the morning hours, a Yellowstone County Deputy responded to reports of a suspicious van trespassing on property belonging to the railroad. The vehicle was no longer on the property when the deputy arrived. At 12:30, Laurel Police Department responded to another call of suspicious activity at the business Wood’s Powr-Grip, a vacuum-handling equipment business. Two subjects, a male and a female, were attempting to place a tarp on the same silver van. Officers arrived and made contact with the male subject. He was uncooperative and evasive, and ultimately re-entered the van and fled the scene. Officers did not have enough time to ID the suspects before they fled. read more

Apr302021

Let’s Go Fishing! No More Limits at Lake Elmo

Local

State Record Bass Snagged

Brandon Wright displays his record large mouth bass after pulling it from the water at Lake Elmo in Billings Heights Saturday. (courtesy photo)

Beginning on May 1, 2021, fishing limits will be temporarily lifted at Lake Elmo in Billings Heights. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) will lift the limits on number and fish-length on the lake starting May 1 ahead of plans to completely drain the lake in October. Anglers will be able to catch and keep as many fish as they want this summer at Lake Elmo. 

FWP has plans to drain Lake Elmo beginning in October 2021 and leave it dry next winter in order to eradicate invasive Asian clams found in 2019. Biologists believe the destructive clams are limited to Lake Elmo. Searches upstream and downstream from the 60-acre irrigation reservoir found no invasive clams. Biologists plan to freeze, starve and dry the invasive clams by draining the lake and leaving it dry for the winter. While the lakebed is dry, FWP fisheries and parks officials also are planning construction to improve fish habitat, angler access and visitor convenience. read more

Apr232021

Obituary: Patricia Calderwood

Obituaries

Patricia Calderwood

Our dearly loved Mom always seemed to do a number of things in her life her way and this day would prove to be no different.  Mom started her day as each day previously, however, on this particular day things would turn out to be things done her way.  On a day that some decisions were to be made regarding her care, little did her children know, her prayers would be answered and as a grandson put it, “she was done having decisions made for her.”  And in the early morning of March 25, 2021, she got her wish to go home.

Patricia A. Calderwood, 89, of Whitehall, MT  passed away March 25, 2021 at The Springs Footsteps in Butte, MT.

She was born January 8, 1932, in Devils Lake, ND, the daughter of E. Claude & Beatrice Nash.  She was raised in Devils Lake and attended school there through the eighth grade.  She completed her education (her way) through a GED correspondence course while living in Whitehall, MT. read more

Apr202021

Billings Area Funeral Services & Death Announcements:

Obituaries

These are the current funeral Services and Death announcements in the Billings, MT area for all the Funeral Homes that have been submitted to the Yellowstone County News.

DEATH NOTICES & SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Dahl Funeral Chapel:

Sott– Tiffany, 34 along with infant daughter Carmella Hinebauch of Billings, viewing Friday 4-8p.m. Funeral service Saturday, April 19 at 1 p.m. at Dahl Funeral Chapel, 10 Yellowstone Ave. Burial at Huntley Cemetery.

read more

Apr162021

Dump/Cancel/Kill HR-1

Opinion

Dear Editor,

The Indian Health Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the FBI on our reservations have consistently gotten bad press in Montana.  What we’ve seen reported is frequent incompetence, slow service (or no service).  We’d seen some of the same lack of service in the recent past from the Department of Veterans Affairs (I’m told it is better now).  read more

Apr162021

Pictograph Cave State Park Reopens to Public

Local

Pictograph Cave State Park reopened Wednesday, April 14, 2021, two months after it was closed by a rockfall which blocked the access road and several trails. In the months following the rockfall in January, employees and contractors for Montana State Parks have worked tirelessly to clear the road and trails and assess the threat of future rockfalls from the sandstone cliffs that form part of the park. read more

Apr162021

THE FINANCIAL FOCUS: Will Investors Change Behavior after the Pandemic?

Features

The COVID-19 pandemic may end up changing our lives in some significant ways. To cite one example, it’s likely we’ll see a lot more people continue to work remotely, now that they’ve seen the effectiveness of tools such as videoconferencing. Education, too, may be forever changed in some ways. Perhaps just as important, though, is how many people may now think more about the future – including how they invest. read more

Apr132021

Obituary: David Glenn Rich

Obituaries

David Glenn Rich

David Glenn Rich, age 64, passed away on March 18, 2021. David was born in Billings MT on Thanksgiving, November 22 1956. David attended multiple schools in rural Montana, graduating in Rygate in 1975.His early years were spent working in the oil fields and several years offshore drilling in South Africa. He later began truck driving and spent several years driving across the United States. David met and married Patrice Becker of Ballantine. The Two then started PBR Trucking Inc. David is proceeded in death by his wife, Patrice Rich. read more

Apr122021

Loveridge, Billings Businessman, Files for Council Seat

Politics

Lifelong resident and businessman, Charlie Loveridge has been the first to announce his candidacy for the Billings City Council.

Charlie Loveridge

Loveridge will be challenging incumbent Denise Joy in Ward 3, should she run for re-election. There will be five city council positions and the office of Mayor open for election on November 2, 2021.

Loveridge said he decided to run for city council after having spent time watching the city’s budget proceedings on the city’s “zoom” meetings, and decided “the process did not hold my Montana values.”  He wasn’t happy with decisions that were made and decided “I am going to run for this and bring some common-sense leadership from my ward.” read more

Apr92021

New Leadership at Worden Fire

Local

Outgoing Fire Chief Lance Taylor, right, hands over the reins to newly elected Fire Chief Philip Hackmann, left. (Photo Katrina McNiven)

Following a mass shakeup in the leadership at the Worden Fire Department in solidarity with a probationary EMS provider who was dismissed from the department in February, on Monday, April 5, 2021, new leadership was elected. Chief Lance Taylor, who has served as the Fire Chief in Worden for 13 years, had announced his retirement, but, he said, “I don’t plan on disappearing. We have grants and other things in the works. I’ll still be around a bit.” read more

Apr92021

Easter Day Controlled Burn out of Control

Local • Top Stories

A controlled burn by a landowner near the 3000 block of Wing Shooter Trail near Huntley blew out of control Sunday evening. Wind whipped the flames up the side of the hill.

This fire twister, also known as a fire whirl or fire tornado, was captured while flames were marching up a hill between Shooters Bluff and Shadow Canyon area in Huntley during the Easter Day brush fire. It is an indication of unstable air in the atmosphere. A big watch out situation for wild land firefighters. These can cause the fire to spread fast in unpredictable directions, according to Retired Caption Robert Guenther of the Lockwood Fire Department. (Photo by Robert Guenther, retired caption of the Lockwood Fire Department)

read more

Apr52021

Heights Water District Needs Change

Opinion • Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor,

In August 2020, the Yellowstone County Commissioners appointed me as the county representative to the Heights Water Board. One of the commissioners specifically said he had heard multiple complaints from business owners about the fees charged; business owners told him the Heights Water District and board are “impossible to work with.” I affirm that those statements are true. read more