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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
‘The
’ ! l a c o L Best at
Established 1985 - Locally owned & independent
Volume XXXIV, Number 29
Labor of love
Wednesday, February 6, 2019
Christensen remains out on bail pending appeal
By Michael Howell
Jasmin Shinn, founder of 1 Horse at a Time, and Denise Vietz, board member, spend some time with Clay, one of the draft horses that was saved through the program. The group’s mission is “to save unwanted, neglected and abused draft horses from going to slaughter.” Christin Rzasa photo.
Saving ‘1 Horse at a Time’
By Christin Rzasa
For Jasmin Shinn, the process of founding and running a non-profit organization that helps unwanted draft horses has taught her many things, and not just about these giant equines that have always held a special place
in her heart. She’s had to learn hard lessons about the potential expenses associated with the care of rescued horses, the legal aspects of charitable organizations, how publicity and social media can build you up and knock you down, and the generosity and cruelty of human nature. Through it all, her
ardent desire to keep as many of these horses from ending up at a slaughterhouse as she can has been a steadfast catalyst in her life, even if she’s only able to save one of them at a time. In fact, that is the name Shinn and
See RESCUE, page 15
Bottom drops out of cardboard recycling
By Michael Howell
Volunteers at Ravalli County Recycling (RCR), a non-profit recycling center located on Highway 93 north of Hamilton, are still graciously accepting corrugated cardboard, compressing it and baling it for shipment, but it is not certain how long they will be able to continue. Chip Britting, a board member who serves as a liaison for the board with the workforce, estimates that there are between 50 to 60 tons of cardboard bales currently piled in the center’s loading area awaiting
transport. Britting said that recycling cardboard has been marginal since the pulp mill in Missoula closed down. Currently, the closest plant to process recyclables is on the Washington coast. He said it is the cost of transportation over that kind of distance that cuts into the profitability of the enterprise. Another big factor, according to Britting, is that most of the cardboard destined for recycling in recent years was bound for China, who had monopolized the market. But a year and half ago, China determined that the cardboard
was too contaminated and rather abruptly quit accepting it. “This is not the only place in the country that bales of cardboard are piling up,” said Britting. Britting said that they are trying to keep the bales dry and wait things out for a bit and see if the price comes back to some feasible amount. But the bales are susceptible to deterioration even when placed on wooden pallets and covered. So, last week he did call in a truck from Pacific Recycling in Missoula to take a load off See RECYCLING, page 3
Janice Lee, Board President of Ravalli County Recycling, stands in front of some of the bales of compressed cardboard that are piling up in their loading area as the price of cardboard has tanked to the point it doesn’t pay to ship it to the recycler. An estimated 50 to 60 tons is stacked and waiting to go. Pacific Recycling recently hauled off 22 tons for free. Michael Howell photo.
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After being convicted at a jury trial on November 20, 2017 on two counts of negligent homicide, eleven counts of criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and nine counts of criminal endangerment, former Florence doctor Chris Christensen remains free on bail as he pursues an appeal of his conviction in the case. State prosecutors object to any continued delays. On February 2, 2018, seventy-year-old Christensen was sentenced to serve 20 years in Montana State Prison with 10 years suspended for the crimes he committed, all related to overprescribing of opioids and involving at least two deaths. The imposition of sentence was stayed, however, and Christensen was released on bond, pending the outcome of an appeal to the Montana Supreme Court, which the defendant’s attorney, John Van de Wetering, indicated would be filed. A notice of appeal was finally filed on May 29, 2018, but since then there have been several delays in the process as the defendant has yet to file the necessary transcripts of the District Court case at the Supreme Court. The responsibility and the cost for filing the transcripts rests with the appellant and his attorney. Last August, Christensen was granted an extension on the deadline for filing the transcripts and given until September 25, 2018. In October, the deadline was extended again, this time to December 31, 2018. In January 2019, Christensen made another request for an extension and the
Chris Christensen state filed an objection to the motion. In a lengthy affidavit, Ravalli County Attorney Bill Fulbright outlined in detail the delays in the process since charges were first filed back in August of 2015, that he claims were unnecessary. Now, he claims, the appeal is languishing because of Christensen’s failure to timely pay for the transcription costs for which he is personally liable. “While the State in the vast
majority of other appeals is usually more than willing to provide opposing counsel with a reasonable extension requested, and even commonly consent to the late filing of motions,” wrote the State in its objection to the recently requested delay, “the State here believes the additional 81 days, on top of the 147 days previously granted, is simply not necessary… At 70 years old, Christensen’s attempt to delay the appeal should be viewed with suspicion. This is reasonable considering Christensen’s many attempts in district court to delay the proceeding needlessly.” On January 15, 2019, the Court ordered Christensen to submit the transcripts by February 19 or show up in court and explain why not. On the same day, the Court received a motion for leave to file a response to the state’s objections. That motion was denied the next day. That denial was immediately followed by a motion to reconSee CHRISTENSEN, page 3
Trial date set for Robbins Gulch Road lawsuit By Michael Howell A bench trial in Federal District Court in Missoula has been scheduled for March 16, 2020 in a lawsuit filed by two landowners along Robbins Gulch Road seeking to close the road to public traffic. The road is located east of Hwy 93 south of Conner Cutoff and accesses Forest Service land beyond the private properties that it traverses. In their lawsuit, Larry Wilkins, who owns a 9.8-acre parcel and Jane Stanton, who owns a 12.43-acre parcel, “object to the current and ongoing excessive use of the Robbins Gulch Road by a wide range of parties, and the failure of the U.S. Forest Service to manage, patrol, and maintain this road in accordance with the intended limited use of the road for U.S. Forest Service administrative purposes.” The 1962 easement for the Robbins Gulch Road was granted by the predecessors in title of Mr. Wilkins and Ms. Stanton through two conveyances dated April 30, 1962 and May 11, 1962, to the United States. The landowners claim that
in recent years, the Forest Service’s management of the road has enabled the road to be utilized for general public access purposes and encouraged public use with signs such that the use of the road has become excessive and disruptive
to the Plaintiffs’ enjoyment of their private property. They claim the increasing excessive use of the Robbins Gulch Road has caused serious traffic hazards, road See ROBBINS, page 14
Robbins Gulch Road shown in red.
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