Frigid winter wave finally breaks in eastern Montana Staff Report After more than ten days of sub-zero temperatures and strong winds hammering southeastern Montana, there will be a warmer weekend in Fallon County. According to forecasters, Baker and Fallon County were slowly starting a warming trend earlier in the week, but would climb to 31 degrees by Friday. That warming trend would continue over the weekend, with climbing to just under 40 degrees over the weekend. With a predicted high of 44 degrees Monday and 40 degrees Tuesday, the temperatures will be slowly dropping to 31 degrees by Friday (Feb. 26) and 27 degrees by Saturday (Feb. 27). The National Weather Service issued a wind chill advisory through Tuesday (Feb. 16) for Fallon County which warned of wind chills between 20 and 30 degrees below zero through midday. It included Baker, Plevna, Webster, Ekalaka, Alzada, Hammond and Belltower. The advisory also warned that the dangerously cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as ten minutes.
The cold air would also be dangerous for young livestock and pets. The region had hit a low of minus 42 degrees with windchill after midnight on Feb. 14, measured at the airport in Baker. The wind chill would stay in the minus 30s for most of Saturday, Sunday and Monday until it started warming. The Billings office also issued a warning of the problem created for rivers and streams in the region. “Arctic air in place over the region for the last several days has led to ice development on area rivers and streams. While temperatures will gradually warm this week, they are expected to stay below normal, allowing for further ice development. Ice jams can result in rapid water rises and localized flooding where they occur. Those with interests near rivers and streams should move equipment and livestock to higher ground, away from waterways and adjacent low lying areas. Once the ice becomes established on rivers and streams, the threat of flooding from ice jams will diminish,” the office explained in its hydrologic outlook. The southeastern Montana area received some snowfall
fraud calls/mail
By Sheriff Trenton Harbaugh
during early February, but most of the snow was focused more to the west. “Most locations across the west half of our forecast area received between 10 and 15 inches of snow. There were some higher reports, including 18 inches at Red Lodge and a few miles west of Reed Point. Eastern parts saw some snow but much less accumulation,” the office announced online. The Billings office also stressed how cold the recent weather had been in the state. “Most locations saw high temperatures stay below zero for about a week. The string of seven straight days with highs below zero at Billings tied for third longest since records began in 1934, and was the longest since
1985. Baker Municipal Airport, a station with a period of record beginning in 1998, reported its overall record cold temp with -34 degrees.” But in Montana, it was Ingomar that reported the coldest temperature when it recorded 44 degrees below zero. Roundup recorded a temperature that was one degree warmer, while Brandenberg had a minus 40 degree reading. Mizpah, Hysham and Springdale recorded temperatures of minus 38 and minus 37 degrees. Miles City ended the cold spell near record cold. The community had six straight days of high temperatures below zero and eight straight days of lows of minus 15 degrees or colder.
Humor, family fun focus of new ZED comic By Brad Mosher
bmosher@countrymedia.net Cartoons are a passion for Duane Abel. He has been drawing a comic strip for 25 years. Now the 41-year old artist has added Montana to his list of two dozen small town weekly newspapers, from as far as away California, to New York and even to Alabama. “I target small town newspapers because I live in a small town in Ohio. I started in a small Ohio weekly newspaper and I love small towns. I love small town newspapers,” he said. When it comes to his cartoons and strips, Abel says he doesn’t have to look far for in-
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spiration. “I am not as confined as Charles Schulz was. When he started to draw Peanuts, he had to draw in four boxes. It (Peanuts) was sold to papers as a space saver. It could be run horizontally. It could be run vertically. It could be run in a square. “I can do whatever I want. If I want to do it in two panels, I can do it in two. If I want to do it in three, I can do it in three. “If I want to do it in one single panel, I can do it that way. The great thing about being a cartoonist is you are the one who is in charge,” he explained. “Even with 2020 being a difficult year on everyone, part of it is what you can control and part of it is what you can’t control. I just try to focus on what I can control. Truthfully, as 2020 goes, I had one of my best years as
a cartoonist because I was able to tap into some other avenues that I had not done previously,” he explained. “I have been selling more gag cartoons to national magazines. I just wrote and illustrated a children’s book that is going to be out this June,” he said. He also has gotten involved with more than 1,000 schools in 41 states around the country. “That is an estimated half a million students in my career,” he said. “The goal is to reach all 50 states within the next year. “Sadly to say, most of that is going to be done with virtual assemblies. I may not be able to travel, but I can still speak to a lot of schools.” He did add that if he ever was able to have
With these unprecedented times I would like to take this opportunity to warn the citizens of Fallon and surrounding Counties of multiple scams that are out there. Things you should know.... The IRS/Federal/State/Local or other Agencies will NEVER: •Call to demand immediate payment, nor will the agency call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill. •Demand that you pay taxes without givng you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe. •Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes or bills, such as a prepaid debit card. •Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone. •Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying. •Require you to give your Social Security number or other private or financial information over the phone. •Lotteries, Fake Publisher’s Clearing House, and all Entities that promise you money should be considered fraud - You Should never send Money to receive Money. •Don’t send money or pictures to unknown individual’s over the Internet to avoid being scammed or blackmailed!! •RULE OF THUMB - IF IT SOUNDS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT IS A SCAM!! If you suspect that it is a scam, do not give out any information and Hang up immediately. Remember there are many forms of written and phone scams out there today, lRS is just one of them. Please be diligent in protecting your personal and financial information. If you feel that you have been scammed please contact the proper law enforcement agency and take the steps necessary to protect yourself from further fraudulent activity.
See ZED COMIC Page 2
Montana COVID-19 cases continue dramatic drop as vaccinations rise Staff Report
Montana continues to see a drop in Coronavirus cases as officials have more than 52,000 fully vaccinated. The Treasure State’s pandemic battle is on two fronts, with 121 new positive cases reported Monday and counties continuing to follow vaccination plans, according to information posted on the state’s COVID web site. In Fallon County, 178 people were reported as fully vaccinated by Monday, while 624 doses had been given. In neighboring Carter County, 91 people had been fully immunized by Monday, with 283 doses given out. The two counties along the southeastern edge of the state, have a total of seven active positive cases between them. Carter County has four cases, while Fallon County has three. The Fallon County Health Department announced two new cases of COVID-19 in Fallon County residents Thursday, bringing the total to three. At the same time, the department posted on Facebook that 277 county residents had recovered and no one was currently hospitalized. Since the year started, Fallon County has had a total of 282 cases and two deaths listed related to COVID-19. The department also advised residents that masks were still required. Just two days earlier, the county was reporting just one active case. According to the health department, the fully vaccinated persons who meet criteria will no longer be required to quarantine following an exposure to someone with COVID-19. There are additional considerations for patients and residents in healthcare settings. There are reduced quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated persons in community settings. Vaccinated persons with an exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not required to quarantine if they meet
all the following criteria: 1. Are fully vaccinated (i.e., ≥2 weeks following receipt of the second dose in a 2 -dose series, or ≥2 weeks following receipt of one dose of a single-dose vaccine) 2. Are within three months following receipt of the last dose in the series 3. Have remained asymptomatic since the current COVID-19 exposure Persons who do not meet all three of the above criteria should continue to follow current quarantine guidance after exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19. When it comes to vaccinations, the county is still in Phase 1B. That includes people over the age of 70 , also American Indians and other people of color who may be at elevated risk for COVID-19 complication, persons aged 18-69 with high-risk medical conditions. North of Fallon County, Wibaux County has just one positive COVID case, while Powder River County along the border with Wyoming also had one positive. Positive cases The state had a reported 2,735 active cases as of Monday with a total of 92 active hospitalizations. The state also has listed 93,476 as recovered since the pandemic began almost a year ago. The state has had 97,539 cumulative cases. Statewide, 1,328 fatalities have been recorded as COVID related since the pandemic began early in 2020. In mid-November, the state had a high of more than 1,600 active positive cases reported in one day for the high point of the pandemic in the state. Vaccinations As of Monday, the state had reported that 181,572 doses of vaccines had been administered, with Yellowstone County administering the most – 30,353 doses. Missoula County followed with 20,245 doses, followed by Gallatin County (15,145), Lewis and Clark County (14,364), and Cascade County (12,749).
The Cenex station in Baker will have shorter business hours on Sundays, closing at 7 p.m. The pumps will remain open.
Local station changes Sunday hours
Staff Report The times are a-changin’ – at least on Sunday at the Farmer’s Union Cenex gas station in Baker. The station has announced that it will be closing earlier on Sunday evenings. The station is open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 5:45 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturdays. However, the station will now be closing its convenience store at 7 p.m. on Sundays. According to Tonya England, the assistant general manager at
the station, the hours were reduced because of a drop off in business recently. “We cut back an hour. With the pipeline crew not here we are just not busy. Nobody’s coming in,” she said. “The pumps won’t be shut down,” England added. The change in status with the pipeline has been the biggest hit for the station, according to England, although she admitted the recent 10-day stretch of sub-zero weather may have also had an impact. She also said that when the business increases again, the hour will be added back on the schedule for Sunday evenings.