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

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

Montana Officials Look at Ways to Finance Infrastructure Projects.
May 1, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery May 1--Wyoming's governor will soon appoint a five-member board to oversee the construction of power transmission lines. The board also will have the authority to issue up to $1 billion in revenue bonds to finance...

Billings, Mont., Couple Draws on Nostalgia to Open 2-Screen Drive-in Theater.
May 6, 2004... Byline: Susan Olp May 6--Riley Cooke recalled Wednesday how much he enjoyed the times he spent as a kid going to drive-in movies. "I can remember going with my babysitter to the dusk-to-dawn movies," he said, standing with wife Vickie...

Montana Car Buyers Showing More Interest in Gas-Electric Hybrid Models.
May 8, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 8--Hybrid cars are still a rarity on Montana roads, but local dealers say Montanans will be seeing more soon. Michael Morgan, salesman at Prestige Toyota, said demand has been high for Toyota's Prius...

Billings, Mont., Couple Revved Up Over Hybrid Car.
May 8, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 8--What's got two seats, 180 D-cell batteries and can squeeze 60 miles out of every gallon of gas? It's a sleek silver hybrid car parked in the garage at Walt and Mary Peets' Billings home. "If...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad Column.
May 9, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 9--COFFEE QUEEN BRINGS ROASTING BACK TO MONTANA: As she builds her coffee empire, Becky Reno has found a way to bring a pretty big chunk of business from Washington state back to Montana. Her seven City Brew...

Boyd, Mont., Residents Fight for Post Office, Town Identity.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Becky Shay May 11--BOYD, Mont. -- The days of a hometown post office in this small Carbon County town appear to be numbered. About 50 people crowded into the Boyd School on Monday evening to voice their concerns about losing...

Sioux Falls, S.D.-Based Utility Asks Bankruptcy Court to Block Montana Probe.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Johnson May 11--HELENA, Mont. -- Accusing the Montana Public Service Commission and its consumer counsel of trying to disrupt emergence from bankruptcy, NorthWestern Corp. has asked a bankruptcy judge to halt a PSC...

Monsanto Co. Retreats from Introducing Genetically Altered Spring Wheat.
May 11, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery May 11--Monsanto Co. Monday backed away from introducing genetically modified spring wheat for commercial production, citing better business opportunities for its GM strains of corn, cotton and oilseeds. In a...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad Column.
May 12, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 12--You can't just pull out a few large boxes and some tape, back up the pickup and go to it. When moving day involves a lumber yard, things get a bit more complex. So how many tons does Joe Martin, owner of...

Forum to Discuss Medically Uninsured; Nearly 1 in 5 Montanans Are Not Covered.
May 12, 2004... Byline: Susan Olp May 12--Joe Hoerster was sick for a month before he sought treatment. The 40-year-old Billings man felt tired all the time. He battled headaches and dizziness and lost his appetite. At first Hoerster, figured it...

Candidate for Montana Governor Fingers Opponent on Sales Tax.
May 12, 2004... Byline: Allison Farell May 12--HELENA, Mont. -- After suffering a series of TV ads characterizing his tax policy as "liberal," Republican gubernatorial candidate and Secretary of State Bob Brown pointed out Tuesday that his attacking...

Montana Panel Objects to Utility's Proposal to Emerge from Bankruptcy.
May 12, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Johnson May 12--HELENA, Mont. -- The Montana Public Service Commission voted Tuesday to formally object to NorthWestern Corp.'s proposal for emerging from bankruptcy, even as the two sides continue to negotiate...

Laurel, Mont., Volunteers Make Aviation and Technology Week Fly.
May 13, 2004... Byline: Becky Shay May 13--LAUREL, Mont. -- It may be the B-1 bomber rumbling overhead that catches the most attention during Aviation and Technology Week, but it is the volunteers toiling quietly who make the events a possibility. ...

Montana Panel Accuses Park County of Bias against Worker with Criminal Record.
May 13, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 13--A recent Montana Human Rights Bureau report alleges Park County discriminated against a Native American man hired to clean the county courthouse because of his criminal history. Bryan Has The...

New Bozeman, Mont.-Based Advocacy Group Focuses on Environment, Business.
May 13, 2004... May 13--More than 100 members have joined a new regional business group that wants to foster a sustainable economy alongside a healthy environment. "There's been good interest so far," Janice Brown, director of the Yellowstone Business...

Montana Cities Offer $1.3 Billion for Bankrupt Sioux Falls, S.D., Utility.
May 13, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Johnson May 13--HELENA, Mont. -- A nonprofit corporation made of five Montana cities on Wednesday submitted a $1.26 billion bid to buy bankrupt NorthWestern Corp.'s electric and natural gas systems in the state. The...

Billings, Mont., Development Agency Won't Endorse Plan for New Baseball Park.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard May 14--A $17 million bond issue for a new Cobb Field and a Heights aquatic center won't carry the endorsement of the board of the Big Sky Economic Development Authority. On Thursday, Big Sky EDA commissioners...

Stillwater County, Mont., Ranchers to Seek Federal Drought Aid.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 14--COLUMBUS, Mont. -- After suffering from six years of drought, a group of Stillwater County agriculture producers is ready to rattle some chains. The producers have hauled water, sold livestock,...

Montana Lawmakers Seek Reversal on Grounding of Firefighting Planes.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Ted Monoson May 14--Montana Rep. Denny Rehberg and some fellow House members are aiming to reverse a Bush administration Monday decision to ground 33 tankers used to fight wildfires. Although they could try to pass a law...

Billings, Mont., Business Park Plans to Add New Wingate Hotel.
May 14, 2004... May 14--Matt Brosovich said he has landed a major hotel to anchor his Broso Valley Park, the new business park next to the Shiloh Road interchange on the West End. A Butte-based developer of the hotel, a Wingate Inn & Suites, could begin...

Adviser to Governor Says Montana May Not Appeal School Finance Ruling.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Allison Farrell May 14--HELENA, Mont. -- The state likely won't ask the Montana Supreme Court to overturn a recent District Court ruling declaring state support for public schools unconstitutional, because the legal move could...

Federal Regulators Find Securities Violations by Great Falls, Mont., Firm.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 14--A regulatory agency of the U.S. Treasury Department has found that Davidson Trust Co. of Great Falls violated securities laws in one account by allowing late trading and marketing timing. The Office of...

Montana Agency Objects to Utility's Proposed Bankruptcy Emergence Statement.
May 14, 2004... Byline: Charles S. Johnson May 14--HELENA, Mont. -- The Montana consumer counsel this week filed objections to NorthWestern Corp.'s proposed disclosure statement that describes how the company hopes to emerge from bankruptcy. The...

Billings, Mont., Automotive Service Manager Has Hands-On Experience.
May 15, 2004... Byline: Jim Gransbery May 15--Working with his hands on the family farm near Sidney came naturally for Troy Edam. Working with people took a while. Even now, not being able to repair a machine that's broken, leaving the owner upset or...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad Column.
May 15, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 15--CASHING IN ON LEWIS & CLARK: When Glenn Myers Sr. was having trouble convincing German dog breeders to sell him a couple of long-haired Weimaraners, he got creative -- and that was the start of a Billings...

Montana Seems to Lack Self-Esteem, Economist Tells Gathering of Civic Leaders.
May 21, 2004... Byline: Ed Kemmick May 21--Larry Swanson deals with economics and demographics, but when he talks about trends and the prospect of change in Montana, his conclusions have a psychological ring to them. You could summarize his position...

AT&T Surcharge Spawns Lawsuits.
May 22, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 22--Bob and Alice Lyon, who live near Four Dances Natural Area in Lockwood, have never joined the AT&T family. So, Bob was quick to notice an extra page in his March telephone bill with AT&T thanking him for...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Business Profiles Column.
May 22, 2004... May 22--Technically, Denise Hash is a house painter. She covers walls in paint. More accurately, she's an artist. "I have always enjoyed painting, including artwork for friends and family," Hash said. "I think of my work as art, only...

Communications Firm to Open Operations Center in Billings, Mont.
May 22, 2004... Byline: Tom Howard May 22--Bresnan Communications' new regional operations center in Billings will help the company remain competitive in an industry that sees new competitors and new products almost daily. "Our industry is changing...

Billings Gazette, Mont., Jan Falstad Column.
May 23, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 23--DIAMONDS CAN BE A DOWNTOWN'S BEST FRIEND: After 14 years of absence, Montague's Jewelers of Montana is moving back downtown, but is keeping its Rimrock Mall store. Jay Montague and his son, Chris, say they...

Albertsons Reorganizes Mountain States.
May 26, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 26--Albertsons Inc. has asked its six store directors in Billings and apparently other top leaders throughout the Rocky Mountain region to reapply for their jobs. Some will be offered new positions. Some won't....

Greyhound Cutting Bus Service; Chicago-to-Seattle Route Reduced.
May 29, 2004... Byline: Jan Falstad May 29--Instead of expanding runs to handle the busy summer tourist season, Greyhound Bus Lines is cutting daily east and westbound bus runs on its Chicago-to-Seattle route. During the summer, tiny towns and cities...

Gasoline Prices Not Yet Impacting SUV Sales in Billings, Mont.
May 30, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 30--Car salesman Brett Simpson isn't seeing a rush of people trading in sport utility vehicles for passenger cars yet. But, if used SUVs start flooding the market, "it will be a snowball running...

Billings, Mont.-Area Commuters Cringe as Soaring Gasoline Prices.
May 30, 2004... Byline: Linda Halstead-Acharya May 30--Every day that 21-year-old J.C. Hungerford drives to Billings to work, he writes off an hour's salary. The Carroll College junior returned home to Columbus for the summer but found employment in...