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The usually quiet little mini-metropolis of Saco, Montana, is banding together to prepare for the one big hurrah the community has been known for for years. Labor Day weekend the town brings out the young and the old, and friends and neighbors from other communities to put on a gala affair that is now the 61st Annual Saco Fun Days in the Hi-Line community. The events will be held at various locations across town, all of which probably anyone in town can point you in the direction of. Keeping wit...
Last week Phillips County Sheriff Jerry Lytle sent a letter to the Phillips County News and to social media that understandably caused some concern. The PCN caught up with Sheriff Lytle to talk more about the letter, urging locals to contact the Phillips County Commissioners in regards to higher pay for his deputies and dispatch; this has been ongoing since he took office in 2019. The situation has gotten more severe for PCSO because after the letter was released on Monday, August 19, Sheriff...
At the Malta City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 13, a good-sized crowd was in attendance, with various issues and concerns to be addressed. Present at the meeting were Mayor John Demarais, Council members Bonnie Wiederrick, David Rummel, Laura Pankratz, and Bill Hicks, City Clerk Lorie Bond, PWD Jim Truelove, Compliance Officer John Wright, Marilyn Taylor, Dennis Simpson, Eric Maxie, Tony Simonsen, Christian Simpson, and Jonathan Simpson. The pledge to the flag was recited and business got underway. Mayor Demarais opened the meeting for...
A grazing permit operator and BLM employees from the North Central Montana District earned special recognition Aug. 16 for their actions to prevent a BLM dam near Harlem, Montana, from potentially failing during the unusually high-flow spring runoff season in 2023. Sonya Germann, BLM-Montana/Dakotas state director, presented the State Director's Award for Safety to Frank Baldik, BLM grazing permit operator; Abby Hall, rangeland management specialist; Ben Hileman, field manager; Ken Koncilya,...
In 1862, Abraham Lincoln signed the original Homestead Act into law. He reportedly said, “This will do something for the little fellow”. This Homestead Act allowed a person to claim up to 160 acres of public land to make a home for himself. He had to reside on the land for five years and make improvements. Before Montana could be homesteaded, the land had to be surveyed, which started in 1867. The first land settled in Montana and in Phillips County was along creeks and rivers, springs, and waterholes. In 1909, the Enlarged Homestead Act was...
The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is investigating an officer-involved critical incident that occurred late Saturday night in Valley County. At approximately 9:19 p.m., deputies from Valley and McCone County Sheriff’s Offices were responding to a disturbance call occurring at Roundhouse Point Campground. While en route, a McCone County deputy, working under contract with Valley County, encountered an adult female and male (the involved parties) arguing outside their vehicle near mile marker 3 on Montana Highway 117. As the M...
Many visited the Phillips County Community Foundation (PCCF) booth at the Phillips County Fair! Your interest and support mean so much to us as we work to make a lasting impact in our community. Did you know PCCF is building an endowment? An endowment is a permanent fund that helps support our local programs and initiatives for years to come. We’re partnering with the Montana Community Foundation (MCF) as part of their Incentive Challenge, and we need your help! Our goal is to raise $7,500 in 2024, and by reaching this goal, MCF will award us a...
1 yrs ago Aug. 20, 2014 The Mustang Foundation held its annual banquet and thanked those who have invested time, money and life with Malta’s finest… its students. The Malta Trails, Inc. will be hosting a Radio-a-thon to continue their two-phase plan for a trail walk that is safe and healthy. The Mustang Foundation started it out with a $5,000 donation. The Malta High School District voted to change the Top 10 to a Top Eight and weigh AP classes heavier. They also purchased a 58-passenger bus at a cost of $19,500. The Phillips County 4-H Cou...
From the "Plains" to the prairies, J. F. Hewitt, the new Elementary Grade School Principal for Malta, brings a new, fresh approach, probably a new idea or two, and undoubtedly has more than a handful of talents and skills he has acquired in his career and lifetime. Hewitt was born and raised in Missoula, Montana, and started his career in Polson teaching K-4th grade, with his degree in music. After two years, he moved to Noxon to teach; then moved back to Missoula where he taught general music...
The Duvall Bridge on the west end of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge will be closed until further notice due to safety concerns. An alternative route to access the Elk Viewing Area and refuge is available using the north Auto Tour entrance between mile markers 98 and 99 on US 191. Please visit the refuge website to view a map of the alternate route. During a routine inspection, staff determined the bridge had become unsafe for use. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considers...
In 1918, a wildcat oil rigger testing in the area for oil struck a gushing well of hot water at approximately 3,100 feet. Gas also flowed from the well so drilling was abandoned. Over time water bubbled out from around the old casing and formed a pool. Elbert Davison, a Saco rancher on the Great Falls Ranch had a son stricken with polio. He built a box out of planks around the hot mineral well and would bring his son there to soak in the hot flowing water. Other people soon began bathing in the water so a larger box was built out of railroad...
Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks is seeking public input for a proposed public shooting range project in Glasgow. A public scoping meeting will be held at the FWP Region 6 headquarters in Glasgow, in the Quonset building meeting room, on Thurs., Aug. 22, at 5:30 p.m. Written comments on the proposal must be received by Aug. 31. FWP is seeking to lease property from the City of Glasgow where the current Glasgow public shooting range is located, approximately one-half mile north of Glasgow off...
The PCN apologizes for the absence of the Archives. Due to a computer issue, the prepared ones for this week could not be accessed. We apologize and will make accommodations next week. Thank you for your understanding....
Great news: thanks to the new prescription drug law, the Inflation Reduction Act, in 2024 people with Medicare may qualify for even more savings through the Extra Help program. This program helps some people pay their Medicare drug coverage (Part D) costs, like premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and other costs. In 2024, the program will expand and you may qualify. How does Extra Help lower my costs? In 2024, everyone who qualifies for Extra Help will pay: • $0 for your Medicare drug plan premium. • $0 for your plan deductible. • A reduc...
Marko Manoukian planned to go to Washington, D.C., in July to testify on the House Bill related to the Ft. Belknap Water Compact that U. S. Representative Matt Rosendale was carrying, but due to a microsoft issue he was not able to make the trip. “I do know that all the bills including (MT. Representative Ryan) Zinke’s have been approved out of committee, but the House is unsure what they are going to do with them and they need the full vote of the House now to move forward.” Manoukian said the good thing about Rosendale’s bill, which is the...
If walls could talk, the pistachio green surface of Sally Austin's kitchen would instantaneously have you settled in over a cup of steaming Folgers. A gallery of framed photos, some slightly askew, tells the story of the 70 years Austin has lived on the ranch. Tucked among them, funeral programs and a well-worn flyswatter remind you of life's unvarnished realities. Legacies experience loss. Ranches have bugs. Perched atop a cushioned kitchen chair, Austin reflects on the history of the 125...
Hi, I was asked to write a bit about our contest in Malta Gardeners Group. We always have really fun things to do in this group and the primary reason for this group is to get people back into gardening and back into the great outdoors. We would also like to get farmers' markets started in this area and get more people starting businesses by selling what they produce. There is nothing more rewarding than growing your own food and teaching the next generation how to grow, cook with, and preserve...
On Tuesday, August 6, a large group of former Malta Mustang basketball players met at "The Red Door" in Billings, Montana, to honor Coach Bill Ryan on his 89th birthday. It was under Coach Ryan's leadership that the Malta Mustang basketball team won their first ever State Championship in 1971. In 1972 they repeated this feat and the 3M Company claimed "back to back" State Championships. The Mighty Malta Mustangs, a name coined by the Great Falls Tribune sports writer Rich Ferrell became the "3M...
Last Saturday was the last day of open swim at the Malta Municipal Pool, but the Hi-Line Future Foundation is hoping that the pool can open its doors in 2025 and beyond! In conjunction with the final swim of 2024, the Hi-Line Future Foundation hosted their first big fundraiser for the pool and raised a total of $5,343.35. The event provided local youth and onlookers with much to smile about as educators at Malta Public Schools took pies to the face, and Julie Snellman of Arts Furniture & Carpet...
The staff and students of Malta High School welcome Miss Erika Siegelin to the halls of the Mustangs and M-ettes as the new social studies teacher. She fills the vacancy of Mr. Wilson who moved on. Siegelin hails from Polson, Montana, where she graduated. She has taught in Custer County and Pretty Eagle Schools (a Catholic Indian School). She recently moved here from Hardin. She has also lived in Michigan and Indiana. She received her education at Montana State University-Bozeman. Her field of s...
Malta's Jim Fauth landed a state record Chinook Salmon last Friday at Fort Peck Lake. The fish officially weighed 32.62 pounds by the time it reached an official scale and was confirmed on Saturday morning. The previous record was a fish caught by Greg Haug in 2020. Haug's fish weighed 32.05 pounds....
In the early to mid-1900’s many towns and communities could be found on Phillips County maps. One of those towns was Lovejoy, which was located approximately 30 miles northwest of Malta. In 1910, W.C. Lovejoy from Indiana was looking for a place to homestead. After several long days of looking for land, Mr. Lovejoy said, “This is it. I’m tired and I’m not going any farther.” The place he stopped at became the town of Lovejoy. In 1911, W.C.’s oldest son, Harry moved to the area and built a store that sold groceries, clothing, and hardware. S...
1 yrs ago Aug. 13, 2014 Saco graduate, Scott Haynes, has written and illustrated two children’s books this year. His stories and illustrations depict life on the Hi-line of Montana. Now living in Wyoming, he also has had a contract with Leanin’ Tree for cards. Esther Martin states she is not yet retired…in her younger years, she worked for the telephone company. She enjoys hearty chicken and dumplings, loves horses and any kind of good ol’ love story is her favorite for books and movies. Esther enjoys dancing. Mike Morser, a local border...