Your trusted local news source since 1910
Your trusted local news source since 1910
Sorted by date Results 1 - 18 of 18
So, what do you know about December? There’s more to the month than Jolly Saint Nick and the Christmas story. Shall we do a little December Trivia to see if you are that December whiz King and for fun and games? Some will find these easy as we want the season to be a bit Merry and Holly Jolly. Which of the following awards are traditionally handed out in December? a. Academy Awards b. Nobel Prizes c. Grammy Awards d. Juno Awards What is the birthstone for December? a. Garnet b. Turquoise c. Opal d. Emerald If you were born on December 26th, w...
December brings snow, twinkling lights, festive songs, and the magic of St. Nick. But beyond the celebrations, the month has witnessed historic phenomena and events worth remembering. The 1807 Meteorite Shower: Space Invaders of the Past On December 14, 1807, in Weston, Connecticut, a blazing fireball lit up the early morning sky. Witnesses described it as two-thirds the size of the moon, with sounds resembling cannonballs rolling on a wooden floor. Explosions followed as the meteor shattered upon entering Earth’s atmosphere at 65,000 mph, s...
American pantomimist, radio and television comedian, host, and star performer: Richard Bernard Skelton. If you were fortunate enough to listen to The Red Skelton Show, you were among the thousands mesmerized by the antics of this funny, boyish, teddy-bear-like, lovable, open, sincere, and often loony human being. Skelton solidified his fame with the debut of his national NBC radio show in 1941. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Army and performed numerous comedy shows for troops. In 1951, he helped popularize television with The Red Skelton...
Some history is in order as we begin preparations for Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was observed in 1621 by the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The traditional version of the first Thanksgiving is that the stalwart Pilgrim settlers were giving thanks for the harvest and included the Wampanoag tribe which had taught the newcomers how to grow corn, beans, and wild rice and also provided turkey for the feast. That’s fairly accurate but leaves out a few d...
Shame on us. In our political discourse, we throw the “isms” around willy-nilly, without really discussing—or understanding—what they actually mean. Liberalism, socialism, Marxism, fascism, conservatism, libertarianism… At election time, we employ these labels to blast or to boast about a given candidate. But words have meaning beyond being political hand grenades. Fundamental philosophies of government pace the course of human history and cast the die of our destiny, for good or evil. We fight over government policies and practices, and that...
The Great American Smokeout is November 21st. It is a day to encourage smokers to give up tobacco for a day and think about quitting permanently. However, quitting on your own can be very difficult. QuitNowMontana offers free help to Montanans who want to quit using tobacco. It provides free nicotine replacement therapy and free or low-cost medications. QuitNowMontana is open and ready to help you quit tobacco. Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit QuitNowMontana.com. There has never been a better time to quit....
You may have seen members of your local Friends of the Library group without even realizing it. Perhaps you’ve purchased books at one of their sales, not knowing that the volunteers were part of a group dedicated to supporting your library. But what exactly is this group? Friends of the Library organizations are nonprofit groups that champion libraries within their communities. Run by volunteers, these groups exist in the US, Australia, France, South Africa, and the UK. It’s important to understand that Friends of the Library groups are ind...
Wedsworth Memorial Library extends an enormous thank you to everyone who attended our recent book sale. Your generosity was overwhelming, and we deeply appreciate your support. It is so encouraging to see that the community values the Library and the services we strive to provide. Thank you for making us feel like an important part of the community. We couldn’t have accomplished the sale without our wonderful volunteers. They were outstanding, dedicating countless hours to bring the sale to life before anyone even stepped through the doors. A...
So many ghosts. Chilling stories and frightening first-hand accounts. Let’s travel to where real ghosts live—not far to go. A short tale away for bone-chilling stories of encountering the paranormal. Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art [The Square], a former school, is number one on our list. The top haunting tale of The Square is of a young boy who drowned in the pool in the basement. “What pool??” Some debunk it, but the creaky old floors and cranky boiler tell a different story. Unseen children playing in the halls or singing from the music r...
"Bronc to Breakfast" is one of Charlie Russell's most famous paintings. The iconic scene of the life of cowboys of the old west, features a horse and rider bursting through the camps morning gathering. The painting depicts the bucking cayuse endeavoring to lose the rider as they crash through the fire and gathering of range riders having a quiet breakfast. In the process the fry pan and its contents empty into the fire, the lid is knocked off the Dutch oven, the water kettle is dumped and the co...
The USS Zuni was a United States Navy Cherokee-class fleet tugboat, formerly known as the Navajo class. It was named for the Zuni, the popular name given to a tribe of Pueblo Indians indigenous to the area around the Zuni River in central New Mexico near the Arizona state line. Launched on July 31, 1943, she was deployed as a Navy tug to the war-torn Pacific. Hopping from island to island, she towed torpedoed warships to safety and performed routine missions, assisting broached landing craft and laying submerged fuel pipes as the U.S. drove...
We have rocks— all kinds of rocks. Rocks that sparkle. Rocks that are misshapen. Rocks that are perfectly round, square, and oblong. Rocks that are just a bit different. So, if you’re missing a few, stop by the library and see if yours might have rolled in. Check out our display for your rock. Have you ever taken a moment during a hike to admire a uniquely shaped stone or felt fascinated by a jagged cliff looming overhead? If so, you’ve dipped your toes into the world of geology. Rocks are more than just the rigid, passive materials they appea...
We hear it on the radio. We see it on TV. We get the fliers in the mail. We see the billboards. And you know, through time the mudslinging and questionable actions have always been a tad bit ugly and often quite malicious at times. If you think it is bad now, try taking a look at the viciousness of the past. Alexander Hamilton, the man whose image graces our ten-dollar bill, was born out of wedlock in 1755. A number of his political opponents made sure to remind the world of the circumstances of his birth. Perhaps foremost among these...
The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s. Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and they still smelled pretty good by June. Since they were starting to smell, brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married. Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the p...
We Promised. We promised never to forget. Yet, around the world the descriptions and messages of textbooks and curriculums vary widely. In the U. S. memories and details are fading away. An ever-growing number of Americans have no personal memory of that day, either because they were too young or not yet born. Americans watched in horror as the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The enduring power of 9/11 is strong and vibrant for those who...
Boom towns have come and gone in Montana. Most are forgotten and do not exist except in the annals of time and history and a few old photos. Ever been to Demersville, Montana?? The town of Demersville emerged 130 years ago and quickly developed into a vibrant boomtown that laid the roots for the modern Flathead Valley. It was the first incorporated town in Northwest Montana. The once vibrant boomtown has long been reassigned to the history books. It was located near what’s now the city of Kalispell. Dillon Tabish wrote in a 2021 story for ...
My email gives a ding. The subject line reads “Placement needed”. Already my mind is going through the different families I have on my caseload. The number of them who can take in a child at that moment is low and as I read through the email it quickly gets lower. Many of the foster families on my caseload simply don’t have the capacity, be it physically or emotionally, to take on another child. Those I have to offer are only able to do a short-term placement. They’re meant for the emergencies. The calls coming in the in the middle of the nig...
Remember the Green? It was all available if you just had enough of the green. Those little paper books filled with the valuable green stamps. "S&H” symbolized the Sperry & Hutchinson Co, which Thomas Sperry and Shelley Byron Hutchinson established in 1896. S&H Green Stamps became the most popular trading stamps across the United States. They were found in many households from the 1930s to the 1980s, but it was during the 1960s and ’70s that these stamps reached their peak. The S&H stamp story began in 1896. Salesman Tomas Sperry noted that a s...
