Glendive Ranger-Review Thursday, May 6, 2021•Page 2Glendive
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GLENDIVE RANGER REVIEW Thursday, May 6, 2021 • Vol. 59, No. 36 • Glendive, Montana $1.00 Levies pass, school board gets big makeover By Jamie Ausk Crisafulli elementary school districts. Ranger-Review Staff Writer Elected Tuesday to fill the three three-year positions on Voters approved two Glendive the board were Beau Gibbs Public Schools’ mill levies on (1,008 votes), Cole Smith (961) Tuesday, allowing both districts and Frank Ceane (787). Other – Glendive Elementary and candidates for three-year posi- Dawson County High School – tions included Jon Fitch, Sandy to maintain budgets similar to Johnson, Kari Keller, Kristine previous years as state funding Mothershead, Caitlin Orcutt and is expected to decrease due to Jason Sasse. Beau Gibbs student enrollment drops in the Following his election to district. the board, Gibbs thanked the * Successful candidates in bold type Voters approved a $70,923 community for supporting the levy for the elementary dis- school levies and his candidacy HIGH SCHOOL MILL LEVY GUSB 1-YEAR TERM ELKS’ INVITE: trict and a $44,142 levy for the to the board. For 1375 Joel Basta 1059 high school district. With the “Our district has weathered DCHS was among 20 approval, the school districts some unprecedented challeng- Against 961 Meghann Gambee 848 teams competing in the will operate with approximately es, but we also have plenty to ELEMENTARY MILL LEVY 60th annual Elks’ the same budgets as this year. tackle with existing issues and Glendive Superintendent Ste- developing pandemic-induced DEER CREEK ELECTION For 1261 Cole Smith Invitational Track Meet phen Schreibeis expressed his paradigm shift in public educa- (2) 3-YEAR TERMS Saturday, appreciation for the communi- tion. I’m excited to get to work,” Against 776 ty’s support of the mill levies. Gibbs said. Gregory Temple 127 Page 7 “I am grateful for voters Smith also expressed his grat- passing this so we can contin- itude to voters in commenting GUSB TRUSTEE ELECTION Paige Oakland 110 ue to provide great services to about his election to the board (3) 3-YEAR TERMS 2-YEAR TERM our students,” Schreibeis said Wednesday morning. Wednesday. “We have a lot of work ahead Beau Gibbs 1008 Joy Undem 110 “I know that this has been a of us, (I’m) looking forward to a really tough year on every- some positive years to come,” Cole Smith 961 Michella Dey 34 one in many aspects. One thing he said. Frank Ceane 787 Frank Ceane this year has taught us, we can “Thank you for trusting me WEST GLENDIVE FIRE DIST. always do better and be better with your vote and I will do Jason Sasse 764 and that’s what we’re are going my best to represent the values Sandy Johnson 626 Mike Mills 509 to strive to do,” he added. of our local community,” Ceane The composition of the Glen- said in a statement following his Kristine Mothershead 587 Blake Rieger 360 dive Unified School Board will election to the board. Darran Ryan 337 look quite different in May, Joel Basta was elected to a Caitlin Orcutt 344 with four newly elected board one-year term on the GUSB. Jon Fitch 334 John Unruh 121 members joining three other He won the position with 1,059 trustees. The 10-member board votes over Meghann Gambee Kari Keller 301 also has three vacant seats in positions representing outlying See ELECTION, page 2 Joel Basta By Hunter Herbaugh body else has to do that job when workers’ comp representative, accord- Ranger-Review Staff Writer they’re gone. Say it’s somebody at the ing to Gehnert, who received a let- County prison, they have to put on overtime ter congratulating the county on the Dawson County employees have offi- or something to cover that shift,” she achievement. EXTENSION AGENT: cially gone over 1,000 days without a said. Of course, this also means work- lost-time accident, passing the mile- As for why county employees have ers’ comp rates have remained down, Dawson County stone on Friday, April 30. This means been so careful, Gehnert believes it has saving the county some money in the Extension Agent marks there have been no severe on-the-job been a number of factors. Primarily process. County Commission Chairman injuries that have resulted in lost work though, she thinks that it’s because the Dennis Zander noted that this means announces resignation, hours at the county for a little over two reminder to stay safe has been at the the taxpayers have also managed to Page 10 and a half years. forefront of everyone’s minds. This is save some money. 1,000 days According to Mary Jo Gehnert, Daw- partly because she provides a monthly Still Gehnert and Zander both agreed son County Disaster and Emergency safety newsletter to all county employ- that while the financial benefits have Services coordinator, this is a pretty ees and when each department lays out been nice, the biggest upside is for the impressive feat when one considers their weekly plans at the start of each people involved. that the county employs about 150 week, she sends out a safety reminder “It’s exciting. Without lost time acci- without a people. Not only is this a large number, as well. She isn’t taking all the credit dents, you’re saving the taxpayers but many are corrections officers, road however, noting that each department money from insurance payouts and lost workers and emergency responders; in the county has been diligent about time from the workplace, but the most each of which carries above average carrying out their own safety train- exciting thing is that no one’s gotten lost-time risk for injury. ings. All of this together is what she hurt,” Zander said. Gehnert said with county employees believes gets everyone home safely at Gehnert said she hopes to provide avoiding injury and staying on the job, night. some kind of acknowledgement to the there have been benefits all around. Having gone so long without the county employees fairly soon. “It’s good all the way around because county having any issues has even Reach Hunter Herbaugh at rrreport- accident if one employee gets hurt, then some- surpassed the expectations of their [email protected]. SESSION WRAP-UP: Couple honored for dedication to foster care A look at the major By Cindy Mullet become foster parents, she abuse has been a major fac- actions taken by the Ranger-Review Staff Writer said. tor. They were one of the Their son graduated in few foster homes willing to 67th Montana For Tracy and Cindy Gab- 2002, they took the training, take in runaway children, she Legislature, which bert, who were recently were licensed in August, and said. named the Jana Elliott Memo- had their first placement Fostering was always adjourned last Thursday, rial Resource Parents of the within a few weeks. At that a joint effort as Tracy and Page 5 Year by the Department of time there were no licensed Cindy brought children into Public Health and Human therapeutic foster homes their home. Especially with Services and the Montana east of Billings. Even though the two newborn babies they Children’s Trust Fund at the they weren’t licensed thera- fostered they served as a tag annual Prevent Child Abuse peutic foster parents, Cin- team. A lot of nights Tracy and Neglect Conference, dy’s experience at Home on took the overnight shift with their 20 years as foster par- the Range gave them skills a screaming baby going ents to 70 some children has needed to take children with through withdrawal so Cindy always been a team effort. special needs and the first could sleep, she said. Each time they received 10 years they concentrated While they loved and cared a call from Child Protective on fostering those children, for each child, they also tried Services asking them to take she said. to work with the birth fami- a child, they took the limited In 2013, their oldest son lies, mentoring them, includ- information they were given, and his family with five chil- ing them in holiday meals and prayed about the child, eval- dren moved in with them so helping them plan birthday TERMINAL FUNDS: uated the risks and discerned Tracy and Cindy took a year parties and family outings. In Airport Manager says how the child would fit into and a half away from fos- the beginning, the birth par- their home before giving ter care. As soon as their ents were often angry at hav- funds needed to help their answer. That decision son was able to buy a house ing their children taken from complete new terminal was usually made within a and move into it though, they them and viewed Cindy and few hours. started up again, Cindy said. Tracy as the enemy, but over project, “I don’t remember saying Some children stayed with time those attitudes usually Page 4 ‘No,’ very often,” Cindy said. them for only an hour or two changed, she said. Cindy worked at Home on until other family members The Gabberts made a delib- the Range, Big Sky Ranch for could take them. One child erate effort to let the birth 10 years and saw firsthand was with them for 28 months. parents know they weren’t the need for foster parents Their foster children ranged trying to take their place. willing to take older, hard- in age from a two-day old Their foster children always to-place children with behav- drug-addicted baby to teen- called them Grandpa and ioral issues.