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Covering the Bitterroot Valley – “Where Montana Begins!”
’ ! l a c o L t at
June 29th, 2019
s e B e h T ‘ June 28th & 29th!
Volume XXXIV, Number 46
Welcome home!
Established 1985 - Locally owned & independent
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Anaconda Job Corps Center slated for closure – Trapper Creek slated for privatization
By Michael Howell
Montana’s U.S. Congressmen are moving quickly to try and reverse the planned closure of the Anaconda Job Corps Center. Having been under the control of the USDA since its inception in 1966, authority over the Job Corps was recently transferred to the Department of Labor. According to a report in the Montana Standard (May 25), the Department of Labor reviewed the performance of the nation’s 25 Job Corps Centers and decided to close nine of them. Anaconda Job Corps is one of those nine and slated for closure in August. Operation of the remaining 16 centers, including Trapper Creek Job Corps Center south of Darby, would be through private contracting or partnerships. Senator Steve Daines and Representative Greg Gianforte
sent a joint letter to the DOL expressing their concerns over the closure. They urged the DOL to keep the Anaconda center running “or provide a suitable and equivalent alternative.” Senator Jon Tester also wrote both the Department of Labor and the USDA, expressing his strong objection and calling the plans “irresponsible.” Daines said in an interview on Montana Public Radio on Tuesday, May 28, “There’s not a good rationale. Sometimes they use that D.C. mentality that forgets about what it’s like to be in more of a rural state like Montana, and they’re being penny wise but pound foolish.” He said the closure of the center would be “devastating to the local economy.” “We’re just now starting to come out of some tough times
in Anaconda, where real estate values are finally starting to come up a little bit,” Daines said. “There’s never a good time to get this news, this is a horrible time to get this news, and so we’re going to do everything we can to reverse this decision.” On Thursday, Tester announced that he was introducing a bill to prevent the closure or transfer of the Anaconda and Trapper Creek Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers. “This reckless, gutless decision to close and undermine Montana’s Job Corps programs is dangerous to our state and our rural economy,” Tester said. “That is why we have to act, and I urge folks on both sides of the aisle to get behind my bill to save the Anaconda and Trapper Creek Job
right for shoppers looking for unique items and for garage sale bargains. Positive comments from buyers and sellers in previous years should encourage both to participate again this year. Buyers have reported great success in finding desired items and surprise purchases, and sellers have appreciated the opportunity to sell personal and business items as part of this valley-wide event. In its fifth year, the sale is organized by an all-volunteer committee of local business leaders. It is building on the successes of previous years and promises to offer something of interest for both
seasoned veterans of the event and for those who will be participating for the first time. Veteran sellers know that they can either join a Hot Spot at one of the designated Bitterroot Valley participating businesses or set up their own individual sales at their home or business. The expected 300 sellers have been accumulating desirable and interesting items all year, knowing that the sale draws many people from the Bitterroot Valley, all parts of Montana, and from approximately 10 other states and Canada. Buyers come to supple-
See JOB CORPS, page 2
50 Mile Garage Sale for veterans, newcomers alike By Gary Garthwait
Casey and Leah Blanchard and family arrived back in Stevensville a little early on Saturday and didn’t get a chance to see some of the many folks who did turn out to wish them a welcome home. Photo courtesy of Montana Department of Justice.
Shooting victim returns home
By Michael Howell
Shooting victim Casey Blanchard has returned to his home in Stevensville from the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City where he received treatment for severe gunshot wounds. He was shot on the evening of March 14, 2019, in Missoula when he exited his vehicle to check on a motorist who he thought needed assistance. His mother Julie was wounded in the same incident and his friend Shelly Hays was killed. Later Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer, also from Stevensville, was shot attempting to locate the suspect involved in the shootings that injured Blanchard and his mother and killed Hays. An hour after authorities began looking for the suspect’s white SUV, Trooper Palmer found the vehicle near Evaro and was shot three times as he approached the rig parked on Highway 93. He
and Blanchard were both stabilized at Providence St. Patrick Hospital before being flown to Utah. Palmer, who was shot three times in the head, neck and face has not yet been able to speak yet due to his injuries. Blanchard was shot eight times and wounded in the left arm, right chest, spine, abdomen and both legs and has undergone ten surgeries. On April 16, 2019, he was moved to the hospital’s rehabilitation care unit. He and his wife Leah drove home last Saturday where he will continue with rehabilitation therapy. Johnathan Bertsch, 28, of Arlee, was arrested without further incident not far from the scene where Palmer was shot. He is charged with one count of deliberate homicide and three counts of attempted deliberate homicide. His bail remains set at $2 million. In a statement released by the Department of Justice, the Blanchards said before leaving Utah, “These past few months, we’ve been surrounded by a strong
For those who have participated in the Bitterroot 50 Mile Garage Sale since its inception four years ago and for those who are hearing about it for the first time, much fun lies ahead as the two-day event is being planned for the fifth year. The sale is scheduled for Friday, June 28 and Saturday, June 29 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at multiple locations between Lolo and Darby. The event has the potential to make sellers of antiques, vintage and traditional garage sale goods happy, because their sought-after items are just
See 50 MILE, page 2
medical team here at the University of Utah that kept us moving at every hurdle. Although Casey is now a paraplegic and has other limitations, we are both adjusting to this huge change to our lives and we are continuously improving every day. “We want to thank Casey’s medical team, along with the amazing troopers who let us in with open arms during our stay here. We also want to thank our hometown for all the support, love, and prayers that have been sent our way. We truly couldn’t have come out as strong as we have without you guys.” The DOJ announced that the Blanchards would be arriving in Stevensville around 7 p.m. on Saturday but the drive home apparently got ahead of schedule, causing many people who came to welcome Blanchard home at the highway turnoff to Stevensville to miss the event. “I can’t recall an incident See BLANCHARD, page 2
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