The Billings Gazette (Billings, MT) articles from December 2004

The Billings Gazette (Billings, MT) archives from December 2004

Bismarck, N.D., utility MDU Resources expects record year for 2004.
December 1, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Dec. 1--While two of MDU Resources' fellow utilities have crept into bankruptcy, investors in the Bismarck, N.D., corporation have been smiling. In an upbeat call with analysts Tuesday, MDU Board Chairman and Chief...

U.S. wool producers must be ready to export.
December 4, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery Dec. 4--Wool producers in Montana and the United States have dwindling opportunities to sell their wool in the United States and must be prepared to market it overseas, an industry leader said Friday. "Most of it...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad column.
December 5, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Dec. 5--TEXAS MEETS MONTANA, SO TO SPEAK: During a Thanksgiving family get-together at my brother and sister-in-law's new home north of Austin, Texas, we went shopping at the fabulous Central Market, a huge grocery...

Belfry, Mont., garden sprouts international herb business.
December 5, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya Dec. 5--Maybe it's the Montana sunshine, or the rich soil left from an ancient lake. Whatever the secret, fresh herbs and garlic grown on a small patch of garden east of Belfry are making quite a stir....

Holiday gifts for pets a booming business for Billings, Mont.-area retailers.
December 5, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya Dec. 5--When Christmas morning dawns at Glen and Sheila Huffman's home in Roundup, there's a frenzy under the tree. The fun begins when the contents of six Christmas stockings -- three for the dogs, three for...

Former Miles City, Mont., car dealer to serve 3 years for bank fraud conviction.
December 9, 2004... Byline: Clair Johnson Dec. 9--A former Miles City car dealer who took nearly $1 million from banks in a scheme to save his failing business will spend more than three years in federal prison. Walter Dean Mork, 41, former president of...

U.S. cattle industry hits prime period as consumer demand takes off.
December 10, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery Dec. 10--BILLINGS, Mont. -- Here is a simple equation: Beef = $$$$. Retailers and cow/calf operators -- the vast majority of Montana's cattlemen -- are at the top of the market right now. In 2003, it was the...

Project aims to improve private grasslands is unveiled in Montana.
December 11, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery Dec. 11--A project to improve the quality of private grazing lands was unveiled Friday at the Montana Stockgrowers Convention. "This is about setting an example," said Bob Lee, of Judith Gap. "Showing by doing,...

NBC, CBS refuse to air Billings, Mont., church ad.
December 11, 2004... Byline: Susan Olp Dec. 11--A 30-second television ad produced by the United Church of Christ to tout its open-door policy got turned down by two of the major TV networks as being too controversial. On Friday, pastors and other members...

Holiday shoppers find thrift-store bargains in Billings, Mont.
December 11, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya Dec. 11--Debbie Rice of Sheridan, Wyo., was eyeing the Christmas decorations with discretion. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but would know it when she saw it. And she knew she'd get it for a good...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad column.
December 12, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Dec. 12--LOCAL INTERNET SERVICE EXCELLENT: After the hassles of resolving complaints of poor telephone service with one company recently, the service and attitude of a local Internet company stood in sharp contrast. ...

Night-vision goggles aid Billings, Mont., hospital helicopter pilots.
December 12, 2004... Byline: Diane Cochran Dec. 12--Eric Strom can see in the dark. Strom is one of four pilots for St. Vincent Healthcare's HELP Flight helicopter who trained last week to fly with new military-style night-vision goggles. "This allows...

Large-scale, coal-fired power plant takes shape in Hardin, Mont.
December 12, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Dec. 12--The skyline of Hardin is changing. The steel skeleton framing the generation building is up at MDU Resources' coal-fired power plant just north of Hardin. Four huge towers are placed amid the steel...

Pioneering Montana lawyer Doris Swords Poppler dies at 80.
December 13, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Dec. 13--Doris Swords Poppler, a pioneering Montana lawyer who later served as the state's first female U.S. attorney, died early Sunday in Billings. She was 80. Poppler, a Billings native, graduated from the...

Billings, Mont., clock repairer fixes, improves courthouse timepiece.
December 14, 2004... Byline: Ed Kemmick Dec. 14--Phil Paguio was out for dinner in downtown Billings a couple of months ago when he happened to look up at the clock on top of the Yellowstone County Courthouse. The clock wasn't working, and if there's one...

Laurel, Mont., day-care owner arraigned in death of 1-year-old.
December 14, 2004... Byline: Greg Tuttle Dec. 14--Speaking softly but in a firm voice, the owner of a Laurel day care accused of causing the death of a 1-year-old boy pleaded not guilty to negligent homicide and other charges Monday in District Court. ...

Lockwood, Mont., trailer park landlord did not violate campaign finance laws.
December 14, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard Dec. 14--The owner of a Lockwood mobile home park used poor judgment when he promised to cut his tenants' rent if a $13 million sewer bond passed last February. But state Commissioner of Political Practices Linda...

Billings, Mont., school district seeks funding boost from legislature.
December 14, 2004... Byline: Mary Pickett Dec. 14--School District 2 hopes that the 2005 Montana Legislature increases funding for each student and creates a statewide health-insurance program for school employees. Those were two of several issues that...

Zoning plan clears Billings, Mont., council on 10-1 vote.
December 14, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard Dec. 14--Property owners who had expressed misgivings about the new Shiloh Overlay District got most of the changes that they asked for when the City Council approved the plan on second reading Monday night. "This is...

Credit agencies offer free consumer reports, but erect hurdles.
December 19, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Dec. 19--Tom Molyneaux gets irritated when banks or car dealers charge him as much as $35 for his own credit report and then refuse to show it to him. So he was happy to hear that Congress changed the law to permit...

Meth Watch program for businesses, public awareness to begin in Billings, Mont.
December 24, 2004... Byline: Clair Johnson Dec. 24--Coffee filters, rubbing alcohol, matches, aluminum foil, cold and asthma medicines are all readily available household items. They also happen to be among the ingredients for making methamphetamine, a...

Montana-based Stillwater Mining broadens focus.
December 30, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya Dec. 30--As Stillwater Mining Co. employees moved boxes and arranged furniture in their new Billings office this week, a new trend in jewelry was taking hold half way around the world. The two scenarios...

Smokers in Montana stock up before higher tobacco taxes set in.
December 30, 2004... Byline: John Fitzgerald Dec. 30--Tobacco products are leaving store shelves in a hurry in anticipation of an increase in the state sales tax that begins with the new year. "It's been a little crazy in here," said Tobacco Country...