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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
’ ! l a c o L t a t s e B ‘The
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Volume XXXIV, Number 45
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Wednesday, May 29, 2019
Community welcomes Trooper Palmer home By Michael Howell
Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer got an incredible welcome from the community last week as he returned to his home in Stevensville from the Salt Lake City hospital where he has been receiving care after being shot in the line of duty. On March 15, Palmer was shot in the neck, face and head after locating a suspect in an earlier shooting that injured two people and killed one person in Missoula. He was transported to St. Patrick Hospital in critical condition and eventually flown to Salt Lake City to receive Level I trauma care. Palmer was met in Missoula on Wednesday by Highway Patrol command staff and Montana Attorney General Tim Fox
Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer gets ready to leave the hospital in Salt Lake City Utah.
before being escorted through town by motorcade to Stevensville where law enforcement from
Tanya Novak, wife of a Highway Patrol Trooper, turned out with her family to wish a welcome to returning Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer. Michael Howell photo.
every agency in the valley showed up along with large numbers of community members who lined the roadway along the procession route all along the way. “On behalf of the Highway Patrol, the Department of Justice, and the entire Montana law enforcement community, I want to again share my profound thanks to all who have supported Wade and his family in ways large and small, seen and unseen. Let us all keep the other victims of that fateful March night in our thoughts and prayers as they continue to receive medical care,” said Fox. “We are absolutely thrilled that Wade is coming home,” said Colonel Tom Butler. “From the very beginning, he has received the best possible medical care and
Throngs of well-wishers lined the motorcade route through Missoula and the highway near Stevensville welcoming Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer home after more than a month in the hospital. Law enforcement personnel from around the state escorted Palmer through Missoula to his home in Stevensville. Michael Howell photo. I know that it saved his life. Words cannot express my gratitude to all of the health care providers in Missoula and Salt Lake City who have cared for him during these past two months. Wade has a long road ahead, but I am glad that he will be traveling that road here in Montana with his family, friends, and fellow troopers at his side.” While Palmer has as yet been unable to speak, Butler said
that when they walked out of the hospital in Utah, Palmer was “smiling from ear to ear, he knew he was going home.” He said the care that Palmer received in Salt Lake City was incredible and that from the time he entered the hospital he has made great strides in his recovery. Attorney General Fox said, “Wade is home, but he has a long slog ahead of him. He’s going
to have very serious difficulties going on.” “While the family is happy to share this news with the public, they also respectfully request privacy as they return and adjust to life back at home,” said Fox. Everyone involved had high praise for Palmer’s wife Lindsey, commenting on the strength and stamina that she has shown in dealing with the tragedy.
Stevi council appointment goes awry GSK invests $100M By Michael Howell
The Stevensville Town Council went awry last week when one of the two applicants for the vacant council position withdrew his application during the public comment period and the other applicant was, without an interview and without council discussion, unanimously rejected. Before any agenda items were considered, the mayor read some email correspondence into the record from Mark Harris. He said that he attended the meetand-greet for the two candidates and that applicant Jim Crews, “by virtue of his experience has some significant attributes of use in this Council position.” However,
Harris was bothered by the fact that Crews didn’t acknowledge that there was a serious ongoing problem between the council and the mayor and office staff. “I don’t see how he could improve the relationship between the office staff and mayor and the council because in order to solve a problem you must first admit to its existence,” wrote Harris. He said the problems were identified and documented by an attorney’s investigation. “[Dempsey] Vick has general experience appropriate to this position and has expressed the desire to help on the relationship problem. Please choose Vick for this position,” said Harris. Council president Bob
Michalson emailed a response to Harris, stating, “Thanks for the input. The attorney doing the interviews found no wrongdoing on Jim Crews’ part. It comes down to an apology by me and [the Clerk]. The only source you got for this is the Bitterroot Star. And the town attorney backed this up.” Harris wrote back, saying, “Regardless, Mr. Crews doesn’t inspire my confidence.” He urged them to vote for Vick. The mayor also read correspondence from Headwaters Wellness Center signed by six downtown business owners. They referred to past letters of urgency that they wrote entreating the council to try and work with the mayor and staff “for the sake of
Grand Corvallis tradition
Nailed it! The theme of the Corvallis Memorial Day Parade was “Celebrating 100 years of the American Legion.” These two youngsters even had noise makers with their cake. Corvallis’ Main Street was lined with hundreds of people who came to join in the many activities of the day. Jean Schurman photo.
the community.” “Since the last letter,” they wrote, “we have lost another employee at city hall. April’s [Finance Officer] reasons for leaving were that outside influence made it impossible to do the work of the town.” They said the town needed someone who was open minded and fair and added, “We do not believe that Mr. Crews is the right person for this position.” They noted that in the last vote over filling a council position in Ward 2, Michalson cited a conflict of interest due to his relationship with Crews. They said they expected the same from him this time. See COUNCIL, page 3
in Hamilton facility In a press release from its U.S. office in Philadelphia, PA, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced recently “$100 million of new investment in its manufacturing site in Hamilton, Montana to expand the production capacity of key components of the adjuvant system used in several of GSK’s vaccines, including SHINGRIX, which was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in October 2107.” The release also stated that GSK has been innovating in adjuvant systems for more
than 20 years and has developed vaccines to help prevent malaria and shingles that utilize adjuvant systems to help achieve a stronger immune response. The Hamilton vaccines facility currently manufactures components of GSK’s essential adjuvant technologies, which this investment will expand further. “For more than a decade, our Hamilton facility has supported GSK’s adjuvant system development program,” Jack Bailey, President, US PharSee GSK, page 2
Western Heritage Days to benefit kids’ food security
This year’s Western Heritage Day celebration in Stevensville is on track to raise funds for the Bitterroot BackPack Program at Stevensville and Lone Rock schools. Due to generous sponsors and the popular activities such as the Chuck Wagon meal and the beer garden, significant proceeds are anticipated this year. The committee has chosen to donate the proceeds to food security for local children. Stevensville Primary School has been a member of the Bitterroot BackPack Program since 2015, which is an official program of the National Council on Feeding America which discreetly distributes backpacks of nutritious, easy-to-prepare food to take home on the weekends for chronically hungry students in the Bitterroot Valley. According to Lee Starck, K-5 counselor at Stevensville School, the goal of this program
is to meet the needs of chronically hungry students and provide more food security so they may can concentrate and perform the complex tasks required in school. Food security allows students to engage fully in their learning environments and greatly increases their likelihood for academic, behavioral, and future success. The Stevensville Backpack Program serves 35-40 students every week. The following items are provided in a typical weekend backpack: • two servings of cereal; • two servings of fruit, typically a fruit cup or apple sauce; • two servings of juice; • two servings of lunch/ dinner, typically canned ravioli, chili, lasagna, spaghetti, etc.; • one cereal bar and one serving of condensed milk. When students are asked how they feel receiving their backpack bags for the weekend,
students most often simply smile! They share they feel happy, less worried, excited about trying something new, and/or are looking forward to being able to cook with their families. “In the short time this program has been running, Stevensville has provided incredible support for our students from community members, organizations, and local businesses who donate time, money, and supplement our backpack bags with fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Starck. “It is imperative that as we continue to grow this program (we have expanded into our Middle and High Schools), we keep an eye toward sustainability and continuing this important program. Your continued advocacy efforts and financial support are the most crucial steps in this process.” So now all those who turn See BENEFIT, page 3