Roosevelt County commissioners have approved the hiring of two former employees to assist with COVID vaccinations. The decision came during the weekly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12. The nursing department requested that Bonnie Wemmer and Karla Thompson be hired as temporary part-time employees to administer the vaccinations. Commissioner Duane Nygaard made the motion to approve the recommendation.

The recent passing of the COVID-19 relief bill included additional funding for Amtrak, but those funds probably won’t translate into additional route days for the Empire Builder. Amtrak’s reduction from seven days a week to three days a week for the Empire Builder went into effect on Monday, Oct. 19. Currently, the eastbound Empire Builder stops in Wolf Point on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry reminds Montanans that workers earning minimum wage should now be getting paid $8.75 per hour. The rate increase became effective on Jan. 1. An estimated 8,000 to 10,000 Montana workers — 2 percent of the workforce — received hourly wages less than $8.75 per hour in 2020 and are likely to receive higher wages due to the 2021 minimum wage increase.

Although the recreational use of marijuana became legal in Montana on Friday, Jan. 1, Wolf Point Chief of Police Jeff Harada reminds the public that some restrictions still apply regarding the product. For one, individuals over the age of 21 are allowed to possess only up to 1 ounce of marijuana under the law. It may not be more than 8 grams in concentrated form or “any type of marijuana product

House District 31 Rep. Frank Smith, D-Poplar, seeks to have the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame return to Wolf Point. Smith worked to have the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame established in Wolf Point during the early 2000s. The program was founded in 2003 and designated by the Montana State Legislature as a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. Wolf Point was the original site of the Montana Cowboy

( Publisher’s Note: The following blotter includes the activities of the Wolf Point police and fire department Dec. 28 through Jan. 3. All those cited or arrested are presumed innocent.) Citations were issued to: December 28 Bryton Redboy, 25, female, 400 block of Edgar Street, burglary, tribal court. December 30 Matthew Gustafson, 34, male, 200 block of East Main Street, warrant,

( Publisher’s Note: Each week, the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office distributes an inmate roster with the names of everyone incarcerated and persons booked into the jail during the previous week and does not necessarily mean there is a new charge or conviction.) Prisoners housed in the Roosevelt County Detention Center Dec. 29 through Jan. 4 include: Ross Breshears, 41, Billings, hold for other

Lyle Patrick Larocque Jr., 32, has been charged with four offenses including strangulation of a partner or family member. His initial appearance in district court is scheduled for Jan. 13. His bond has been set for $50,000. Larocque is facing the felony charges of criminal endangerment and strangulation of a partner or family member. Misdemeanor charges are partner or family member assault and