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

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

Billings, Mont., Officials Give Plans to Change Arterial Street Cool Reception.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard Feb. 3--City officials said Monday that they're reluctant to alter the preferred alignment for the proposed Arlene Corridor extension. But homeowners who live on Whitewater Circle, a residential area just east of...

Yellowstone County, Mont., Voters May Receive Cultural-Levy Request.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard Feb. 3--A proposal to boost taxpayer support for museums and other cultural organizations will likely head to Yellowstone County voters during the June 8 primary election. The Billings Cultural Partners plan to ask...

Utility Bills Present 'Crippling Burden' for Low-Income Montanans, Expert Says.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Johnson Feb. 3--HELENA, Mont. -- Increasing utility bills pose "a crippling financial burden" for low-income Montanans, a national consultant said during an AARP summit Monday. Roger Colton, a Belmont, Mass.,...

Yellowstone National Park Gets $1 Million More, May Spend It on Road Repair.
February 3, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 3--The Bush administration budget for 2005 adds nearly $1 million and eight employees for Yellowstone National Park to deal with a network of deteriorating roads. The spending boost for roads is the only...

Colorado Cattle Buyer Wins Lawsuit in Billings, Mont.
February 13, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 13--There will be two Leachman cattle sales this spring: One in Montana as usual and one in Colorado. Both will be called Leachman sales. On Wednesday, Yellowstone District Judge Susan Watters ruled that...

Montana Creators of Ski Rack Systems for Pickup Trucks in It for Long Haul.
February 13, 2004... Feb. 13--About six years ago, James Shorb of Powell, Wyo., started hauling his skis in the back of his pickup truck. It was convenient, but he didn't like his skies knocking around back there and he was worried one might fly out and be lost. He...

Billings, Mont., Native Designs Fleece Cap That Will Not Muss Long Hair.
February 14, 2004... Byline: Vince Devlin Feb. 14--It's so simple you'll wonder why you didn't think of it: a stocking cap for people with long hair. Just put it in a ponytail, slip it through a slot in back of the hat, and you're free to blast off into...

New Harley-Davidson Dealership in Billings, Mont., Turns Heads on I-90.
February 14, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 14--A trio of politicians visiting Billings for the Montana Association of Counties convention played hooky for an hour or so last week to drool over the bikes at the just-opened Beartooth Harley-Davidson/Buell...

Pharmaceutical Industry Retiree Becomes Substitute Teacher in Billings, Mont.
February 14, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya Feb. 14--Jim Nichols, 66, says he's finally found his calling. After 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry he's working as a substitute teacher in Billings. And he loves it. For the past year and a...

Billings, Mont., Oil Executive Buys Denver Oil, Natural Gas Company.
February 17, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 17--For the third time since 1987, Billings executive Steve Durrett has formed a group of investors to buy an oil and natural gas company with the intent of building it up, selling it and then starting over. ...

What's 'Old' Is What's New at Annual MontanaAgri-Trade Exposition.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery Feb. 18--What's new at the MATE is the perennial question Jerry Hanson has to answer. This year "the new is 'what's old,' " said the Montana Agri-Trade Exposition producer. "After 28 years, it is hard to find...

Build New Stadium or Lose Billings, Mont., Baseball Team, Experts Say.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Ed Kemmick Feb. 18--Supporters of building a new Cobb Field don't have much trouble persuading people that the existing baseball stadium is in bad shape. The grandstand at Cobb Field was built in 1938, and the bleachers were...

Wandering Bison in Montana Captured for Testing.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 18--In the first action of its kind this winter, 18 bison were captured outside Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday and were being tested for brucellosis. Those that have signs of the disease will be sent to...

CORRECTION: Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to Build First Montana Store in Billings.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 18--The story slugged BX-KRISPY-KREME, which was filed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News for Feb. 18, contained an error in the headline. Please delete or kill that version and use the following corrected...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad Column.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 18--NEW SPORTS BAR NEARLY READY: Construction should be done this weekend, then Fiddler's Green Sports Bar & Grill just needs the sign off on a few permits to open, perhaps as early as next week. Owner Kevin...

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to Build First Montana Store in Butte.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 18--Kelly McLean is a Krispy Kreme doughnut virgin, having never eaten one. But he's happy to hear Krispy Kreme plans on building its first Montana store next door to his business, Cactus Creek Steak...

Bush Plan to Cut Medicaid Fraud Could Hurt Hospitals in Helena, Mont., Area.
February 18, 2004... Feb. 18--HELENA -- A Bush administration plan to curtail Medicaid fraud nationwide could end up costing Montana's nursing homes and county-owned hospitals millions of dollars next year, while saving the federal government $1.5 billion. ...

Judge Orders Park Service to Defend Actions on Snowmobiles in Yellowstone Park.
February 18, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 18--A federal judge in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday raised the possibility of holding the Interior Department in contempt of court for its handling of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park this winter. U.S....

U.S. Interior Secretary Explains Positions on Energy, National Parks.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 19--The Powder River Basin will be an important source of natural gas in coming years but development shouldn't overrun local landowners, Secretary of Interior Gale Norton said Wednesday. "We've taken a strict...

Smell of Fire Forces Evacuation of Billings, Mont., Sheraton Hotel.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Dan Carter Feb. 19--A fire alarm and the acrid smell of "burning tires" caused the evacuation of the Sheraton Billings Hotel Thursday morning. No injuries were reported and as of noon, Billings' firefighters were completing a...

Agency Refuses to Ban Snowmobiles in National Parks.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 19--The National Park Service won't stop grooming roads in the winter or try to prohibit snowmobiles throughout the park system, federal officials said Wednesday. Craig Manson, the Interior Department's...

Montana Agency Sends Ten Bison Showing Signs of Illness to Slaughter.
February 19, 2004... Byline: Mike Stark Feb. 19--Ten bison from Yellowstone National Park were sent to slaughter Wednesday after being captured outside the park Tuesday and showing signs of brucellosis. Eight bison captured at the same time tested negative...

NorthWestern Corp.'s High Legal Fees Prompt Questions by Bankruptcy Judge.
February 20, 2004... Byline: Jennifer McKee Feb. 20--HELENA, Mont. -- Legal fees and other expenses in the NorthWestern Corp. bankruptcy case are consuming millions of the insolvent company's money, prompting the judge in the case to consider bringing in an...

Medical Center to Be First New Building in Downtown Billings, Mont., in Decade.
February 21, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad Feb. 21--Work begins Monday to transform the last empty block in downtown Billings into a two-story brick medical center. The building will be on the vacant lot on Fourth Avenue North across from Tiny's Tavern and...

'Performance Underwear' Offers Variety of Styles for All Types of Activities.
February 21, 2004... Byline: Brett French Feb. 21--It's hard to imagine sexy long underwear. But long underwear isn't what it used to be. Now called "base layers" or "performance underwear," many of these products use technologically advanced fibers...

Registered Nurse Has Seen Many Changes in Billings, Mont., Medical Services.
February 21, 2004... Byline: Susan Olp Feb. 21--Cheryl Christensen went to work in the emergency department of what was then Deaconess Medical Center when the department opened in 1979. Then, in 1993, the hospital merged with the Billings Clinic and...

Statewide Sales Tax Seen as Montana Schools' Savior.
February 24, 2004... Byline: Allison Farrell Feb. 24--HELENA, Mont. -- As local property taxes increase to compensate for declining state support for schools, some educators said Monday that bold new tax measures -- such as a statewide sales tax -- are needed....

Tribe Sues Bureau of Land Management over Montana Coalbed Methane Project.
February 26, 2004... Byline: Clair Johnson Feb. 26--The Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe is suing the federal Bureau of Land Management, saying that the agency failed to consult with it on cultural resources that may be affected by an expansion of a coalbed...