They were framedDawn Marie Wagner and Britt Malmberg were all smiles at the Law Enforcement Gala held on October 12 at the Deer Lodge Elks. The event was very well attended and a number of the officers in the Deer Lodge Police Department and Powell County Sheriff’s Office were honored. See photos pages 10 - 12.
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North Powell wants money, not supplies
by Michael Stafford
What the representatives of the northern areas of Powell County said they would like from the ambulance levy is a board to govern the ambulance on which they would be represented.
They would like the return of some of their tax money from the levy to the fire districts through which the quick response units (QRUs) of the county operate. They would also like to see some of the tax money go to the Lincoln Ambulance Service which responds to many calls in northern Powell County.
But commissioner Rem Mannix said he didn’t think all of that was going to happen.
He and the two other commissioners do want to provide something to the northern reaches of the county through the contract they are beginning to draft with the Deer Lodge Medical Center, but more than likely it will be a donation to the Lincoln ambulance as well as supplies and training to the QRUs, not a return of the tax money to fund them.
“Now we are trying to provide something for you up there. There is nothing that says you guys have any right to anything up there. I mean, you’re paying taxes, yes, but that doesn’t mean you get something for it. Like I said, we pay a lot of taxes that we don’t personally get anything for. It’s for the good of the community, the good of the county, the good of whatever that’s being done,” Mannix told those at the meeting, “but we want to try to do whatever we can up there for you to help you guys out and that’s what we’re working on, that’s what we’re trying to get in the contract.”
On October 9 a group of seven people from the areas of Ovando, Helmville and Elliston met with the Powell County Commissioners in Deer Lodge to discuss the ambulance levy that was passed by voters last November. That levy will provide 14 mills, which is approximately $250,000 this year, for the operation of the Powell County Ambulance Service.
The service was in danger of not being operational any longer due to a decrease in transports from the Montana State Prison and due to lack of volunteers.
see County page 13
What the representatives of the northern areas of Powell County said they would like from the ambulance levy is a board to govern the ambulance on which they would be represented.
They would like the return of some of their tax money from the levy to the fire districts through which the quick response units (QRUs) of the county operate. They would also like to see some of the tax money go to the Lincoln Ambulance Service which responds to many calls in northern Powell County.
But commissioner Rem Mannix said he didn’t think all of that was going to happen.
He and the two other commissioners do want to provide something to the northern reaches of the county through the contract they are beginning to draft with the Deer Lodge Medical Center, but more than likely it will be a donation to the Lincoln ambulance as well as supplies and training to the QRUs, not a return of the tax money to fund them.
“Now we are trying to provide something for you up there. There is nothing that says you guys have any right to anything up there. I mean, you’re paying taxes, yes, but that doesn’t mean you get something for it. Like I said, we pay a lot of taxes that we don’t personally get anything for. It’s for the good of the community, the good of the county, the good of whatever that’s being done,” Mannix told those at the meeting, “but we want to try to do whatever we can up there for you to help you guys out and that’s what we’re working on, that’s what we’re trying to get in the contract.”
On October 9 a group of seven people from the areas of Ovando, Helmville and Elliston met with the Powell County Commissioners in Deer Lodge to discuss the ambulance levy that was passed by voters last November. That levy will provide 14 mills, which is approximately $250,000 this year, for the operation of the Powell County Ambulance Service.
The service was in danger of not being operational any longer due to a decrease in transports from the Montana State Prison and due to lack of volunteers.
see County page 13
Law enforcement gets advanced trainingby Michael Stafford
It doesn’t happen as frequently as in large cities or metropolis areas, but crimes involving hostage situations, negotiations, securing a perimeter and responding to emergency situations beyond the scope of normal law enforcement work does happen in Deer Lodge and Powell County. And while the law enforcement agencies can call upon the resources of larger cities to help respond, there’s a wait time for those specialized and advance-trained personnel to get here. However, now there are five officers here within the Powell County Sheriff’s Office and Deer Lodge Police Department that have advanced training and can be readily available should an out of the ordinary situation develop. Recently in the first week of September Powell County Sheriff’s deputies Jared Piilola and Brandon Ayers, along with Deer Lodge Police officer Mike Schmidt underwent a week long SWAT basic training course hosted by the Montana State Prison. Each of them now have their basic SWAT certification and join Powell County Sheriff undersheriff Kim Micu and Captain Austin Micu with having that advanced training. see Officers page eight |
Working toward partnerships and preventionby Michael Stafford
“We want a better community. We want a healthier community as a whole,” said Amanda Bohrer. “We really want to recruit people that want to be part of this coalition,” said Gina Tracy. Both Tracy and Bohrer are prevention specialists for Powell County and are working to form partnerships in the community and relationships by which aspects of youth prevention, parenting and other issues here can be addressed in time. They work through a coalition called Butte Cares and their job is to help bring evidence based programing to the county. “Our job is about building relationships,” said Bohrer. They also are working toward developing a coalition here in Powell County which will have representatives from many different aspects of the community and which can help guide decisions on what programs, activities and spending will do the most good. It’s a long-term goal of theirs to make that coalition happen and continue for years into the future, but they have already made progress by meeting with several governmental agencies, schools and other organizations and asking what they believe will help in their work. see They page 17 |
More on this and the other issues grabbing this week's headlines
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
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