2025 Was Year To Remember
April
Wolf Point School officials held informational meetings at three schools regarding moving grade levels. A proposal is having thirdgrade students attend Northside Elementary School and sixth-grade students attend classes at the junior high school. Board chair Roxanne Gourneau explained the proposal hasn’t come overnight and that school officials have been considering changes for a decent amount of time.
C& B Operations played host to grand opening festivities Thursday, April 3, in Culbertson. Service writer admin Dixie Berwick told the Community News that approximately 400 people attended the luncheon event, which included a ribbon cutting, tours of the facility and several special presentations. The brand new facility is located on the north side of U.S. Highway 2 next to Hi-Line Inn & Suites.
When filing opened for municipal elections in Roosevelt County on Thursday, April 17, Wolf Point Mayor Chris Dschaak filed for re-election. “One more time if it’s wanted,” Dschaak said of his decision to seek a fourth term. Dschaak explained it was a tough decision, but he feels his leadership is needed with the city going through a large sewer project and new leadership in some departments.
As part of their desire to reduce suicides in the area, Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board members have announced the establishment of a transitional living unit in Poplar to assist juveniles. The facility features eight beds for males, eight beds for females and four flex beds. No timeline has yet been set for how long the juveniles can stay at the transitional living unit.
Selected Bainville’s prom queen and king were Miah Pippenger and Trevor Robertus.
By an unanimous vote, Wolf Point’s trustees approved changing schools for certain grade levels during a meeting on Monday, April 14. The approved plan moves the third grade from Southside to Northside starting next school year. Sixth-grade students, meanwhile, will attend school at the junior high instead of at Northside.
May
Wolf Point city council member Lance FourStar discussed the role and requirements of a new community patrol during a Wolf Point Community Organization’s meeting. FourStar said the patrol is a possible “solution to the murders and violence happening in Wolf Point.”
Terrance “TJ” Lafromboise was one of the speakers who offered hope during the 988 Tribal Mental Health Summit held in Poplar. “If you can provide hope, you can possibly save a life,” Lafromboise said regarding a suicide prevention message.
The grand marshals for the 2025 Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede were a couple who has spent most of their lives around rodeos. Roger and Ruby Nygaard were selected for the honor. Ruby shares that Roger’s uncle was the famed Marvin Brookman, who is a member of the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame and the Stampede stadium is named after him. “We’ve been going to rodeos since we were babies,” Ruby said.
Liara Braaten and Verlin Steppler were winners in contested school board elections in Roosevelt County. Braaten won elected to a one-year position on the Wolf Point School Board. She defeated current trustee Robert Manning by a margin to 110 to 25 votes. Steppler won election to a three-year term in Culbertson. Steppler unofficially received 148 votes to win the three-person race. Heather Carlisle received 66 and Chris Newbill had 48 votes.
A structure fire claimed a building owned by Andy Ullmer at 20 Broadway Ave. in Culbertson. Ullmer said that the building was used for storage and worker apartments. Culbertson Fire Department Chief Mike Olson said that smoke was observed at the address by a local resident, who called dispatch at 3:49 p.m. No neighboring structures were affected and no major injuries were reported, though one community member was treated for smoke inhalation.
The Roosevelt County commissioners hired Derek McNabb as the county’s road foreman during their meeting on Monday, May 12. Mc-Nabb has been serving as interim road manager since the death of longtime road foreman Ken Norgaard in April.
Lustre Christian’s Johnslee Pierre won championships in the 300-meter hurdles, long jump and triple jump at the Class C state track meet.
June
The Wolf Point Volunteer Fire Department responded to a shed on fire on West Blaine Street on Friday, May 30. The fire spread and destroyed a house as well. Mutual aid was provided by firefighters from Valley County and Poplar. There were no injuries. The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board approved Val Moran on Friday, May 30, to serve as the acting director for the Fort Peck Housing Authority. Moran has been serving as the administrative assistant at the housing authority. She has worked with the housing authority for 30 years.
After attending the National Association of Counties’ conference held in South Dakota, Roosevelt County Commissioner Gordon Oelkers feels the county should add a visual crisis program that allows law enforcement to connect people in crisis with mental health officials. The system, already used in Montana by Custer County, gives individuals in crisis the chance to communicate through an iPad to obtain fast assistance.
The Wolf Point Education Association and Wolf Point School Board came to a tentative agreement during a contract bargaining meeting. The contract is for three years. The salary schedule will feature a base salary of $38,396 for a 5 percent pay increase for 2025-2026. The salary increase would be 3 percent for 2026-2027 and 2 percent for 2027-2028. Under the agreement, it is believed that no teacher would be paid less than $41,500 annually.
The Wolf Point School Board decided to accept a bid of $1.495 million for a post-tensioned track by Tarkett Sports on Wednesday, June 4. The motion, which ended up being unanimously approved, was made by trustee Michael Holen and seconded by trustee Liara Braaten.
Brandi Burshia was hired as the new principal for Southside Elementary School during the Wolf Point School Board meeting. Burshia said at the meeting, “I’m really forward to working with everybody. I’m really excited.”
The Culbertson Women’s Club was organized in September 1924 by Kate Whitcomb and her sister Mary Franklin. They put an article in The Searchlight for all women interested in forming a women’s club to meet at the school on a certain evening. To quote Mrs. Whitcomb, “Their purpose was to form an organization of women who would work together for the good of the community.” Twenty-three women responded and they organized, adopted a constitution and by-laws, elected officers and appointed committees. The officers elected were Kate Whitcomb, president; Mary Stahl, vice president; and Jeanette Brooks, secretary/ treasurer. In May 1925, they joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.
Roosevelt County commissioners approved funds for a building at the Culbertson airport and various delivered meal programs during their meeting on Tuesday, June 10. Commissioners agreed to provide $37,500 for a snow removal equipment building for the airport in Culbertson. The winning bid for the project was $1.099 million from Corland Construction. FFA pays 95 percent of the costs for the building while the county and city split the remaining 5 percent.
Roosevelt County commissioners will request a speed study on Highway 2 after a request was made by Wolf Point Mayor Chris Dschaak. Commissioners received a letter from Dschaak that asked for a highway study for the east entry of Highway 2 coming into Wolf Point. Dschaak said he has received a few complaints regarding the speed of traffic coming into Wolf Point. Due to the speed zones, the concern pertains to the hill coming into Wolf Point.
Although many people might not even know the nationally respected West Electronics is located in Poplar, the Fort Peck Tribes’ company is celebrating its 50th year of existence this year. Rodney Miller of Fort Peck Tribes Economic Development acknowledges the longevity and achievements of West Electronics. “In economic development, we don’t celebrate our successes enough. This is a great one,” Miller said of West Electronics. “It’s basically the best kept secret in America.”
Betty Hendrickson served as grand marshal for the allschool reunion in Medicine Lake. She was a member of the class of 1951.
Roosevelt County’s elected officials will see an increase of $2,600 to their salaries for the fiscal year, after a meeting of the county’s compensation board. The increase amounts to $1 an hour or 2.3 percent for employees in deputy positions. The base salary for the clerk and recorder’s position increased from $71,237 to $73,837. Other elected officers’ salaries are based on the clerk and recorder’s salary.
July
Shakespeare in the Park held its performance in Wolf Point. Prior to the play, a new local jazz group Northern Lightning entertained the audience.
The Wolf Point School Board approved having sixthgrade students play tackle football.
Cities and towns in Roosevelt County experienced small population declines between 2023 and 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Wolf Point’s population decreased from 2,554 in 2023 to 2,522 in 2024, a decrease of 32 residents. Poplar also went down in population slightly from 731 in 2023 to 722 in 2024.
On the eastern side of the county, Culbertson saw its population decrease from 715 in 2023 to 706 in 2024. Bainville’s population went from 265 in 2023 to 261 in 2024. Froid’s population decreased by one individual, as the town went from 186 residents in 2023 to 185 residents in 2024.
A man with more than 15 years of law enforcement experience in Vermont has been hired to serve as Wolf Point’s new police chief. Wolf Point Mayor Chris Dschaak was excited about the hiring of Anthony Cambridge. “I can’t wait for him to start and get in the swing of things,” Dschaak said. “There will be a learning curve due to our location, but I’m very optimistic for the police department.” Cambridge’s experience includes serving as a police chief for about six years. He is married and the father of four children.
The Roosevelt County commissioners approved continuing with their contract with the Healthy is Wellness program during their meeting on Tuesday, July 8. Being part of the program is voluntarily for employees. The county and its health provider each pay half of the fees for the program. Cost for the county is about $1,100 a month.
The 102nd annual Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede on July 10-12 was a great ride, according to local officials. “I think it was overall really good,” said Jayden Diener, executive director of the Wolf Point Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. She noted that the Wild Horse Ranch Rodeo attracted a good crowd on Wednesday, July 9, and all three nights of the Wild Horse Stampede rodeo went very well. Diener said the community’s support of purchasing 50/50 tickets during rodeo nights resulted in $7,675 being raised. Those funds will be used to address the Stampede grounds.
The powwow presented by the Wolf Point Community Organization was a hit during Stampede weekend. “We were very happy of how it went,” organizer Wayne TwoBulls said. The community feed, featuring a chicken dinner, attracted about 300 individuals on Thursday, July 10.
For the 44th year, area farmers and producers headed to rural Roosevelt County for the Swank Variety Test Plot Tour on Wednesday, July 16. Lois (Swank) Weber explained that the farm features 26 varieties of wheat and 12 varieties of durum.
A cold spell during the middle of July was one of the highlights mentioned during the National Weather Service’s weather-ready briefing for the Glasgow and Billings stations. It was noted that several locations in the region set record low temperatures during July 1516. Record low temperatures were reported in Billings at 61 degrees for July 16, Miles City at 64 degrees for July 16, and Baker at 63 degrees for July 16.
August
Roosevelt County commissioners approved a request to prohibit guns on the third floor of the courthouse, which includes the district courtroom, during a meeting on Tuesday, July 29. District Judge Benjamin Fosland explained that since being elected he has been working with a court security coordinator out of Helena. That individual has been conducting surveys and making recommendations regarding courthouses in the state.
Fosland said that judges can put a standing order in place to prohibit guns in a courtroom, but he wanted to work with the county commissioners.
The path to recovery may very well be on a horse for some individuals. That’s what Fort Peck Reservation officials are aiming for as they hope to assist residents in their strive for sobriety. The Fort Peck Tribes recently purchased land to be used by the Spotted Bull Resource and Recovery Center for equine-assisted services training and equine-assisted wellness training. Spotted Bull will pay the lease on the property.
The Roosevelt County Community Foundation presented three donations to area non-profit organizations. Recipients included $1,000 for the Wolf Point Pound Puppies, $1,000 for the Roosevelt Medical Center and nearly $900 for the Northeast Montana Health Services Charitable Foundation.
Members of the Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board saw a recent investment first hand when they spent time at the tribal farm and ranch, located near Oswego, on Aug. 6. TEB member Roxanne Gourneau explained that former land chairman Walter Clark had a vision of having 1,000 head of cattle at the tribal ranch during the late 1990s. At that time, only 500 head could be purchased. With positive goals for the reservation in mind, the tribal executive board moved forward by securing a $2 million loan to buy 600 head this past spring.
The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board passed by a 7-2 margin a resolution to explore the exploration and development of a tribal cannabis regulatory framework and economic initiative.
Being the grand champion for market steer isn’t anything new for Froid FFA member Lilly Johnson. After winning the honor in 2023, Johnson came away with the title again at this year’s Roosevelt County Fair.
Continued In Next Issue
