Oops! Your faithful but flawed bulletin editor found her notes this morning, tucked under yesterday's crossword puzzle. She neglected to include news about the noon club's most recent blue badge award (see related story and photo below). Mea culpa.
She also neglected to report that the club has sent flowers in memory of Dick Bennett, whose daughter Cari Yturri is our President-elect. Mea maxima culpa.
So here is the newsletter as amended. Enjoy! Except for this story and the beginning of the next one, it's the same as the newsletter you received yesterday. And remember, if you can suggest people you think would be good presenters for a future Rotary meeting, please let Kurt Baltrusch know. A club with more than 100 members has incredible outreach, so let's take advantage of that to learning more about community, state, national, and global issues.
Last Week at Noon Rotary
At last week's noon meeting, Shandy Petersen, shown here with her mother and fellow Rotarian Heidi Hockett, traded in her red badge for a blue one. Shandy has been the director of the Young Parents Education Center since 2015. She and her husband have three children.
The meeting featured an information-packed presentation by Great Falls' own Brian Lockerbie, representing the office of Montana's Attorney General, Tim Fox.
Brian oversees the Division of Criminal Investigations, which involves a broad array of programs that support law enforcement in Montana. The division manages criminal records; provides specialized expertise in homicide, narcotics, and human trafficking investigations; and conducts investigations in all officer-involved homicides in Montana. In addition, the division oversees the Amber alert system, motor vehicle registration, the law enforcement academy, and the highway patrol.
The major emphasis of the Department of Justice in this session of the Montana legislature is Attorney General Fox's Aid to Montana initiative, which involves a package of bills designed to address Montana's substance abuse problem more effectively. These bills are designed not only to prevent drug trafficking, but also to provide better treatment for abusers through such innovations as drug courts.
In other news, the membership was presented for the second time with the name of a new applicant for membership, Kevin Langkiet, who is the Director for Emergency and Critical Care Services at Benefis. The board approved his application at its meeting that night.
On a sadder note, Glenn Lambert notified us that, with his retirement, he'll be withdrawing from the noon meetings. He hopes to be able to stay active as a Rotarian through the evening meeting option. Glenn has always been a source of humor and good will at our meetings. His presence will be missed.
Last Week at Evening Rotary
At last week’s evening Rotary meeting, Jennifer Creed received her blue badge from new board director Joann Gogo in the traditional ceremony.
Jen is a physical therapist employed by the Great Falls Public Schools, where her primary role is to improve participation in the school environment for children with disabilities. She works with teachers, administration, and other healthcare professionals to develop strategies or obtain adaptive equipment that allows disabled children to participate in learning and recreational activities at school.
Jen has a passion for recreation so when she moved to Great Falls in 2014 she was thrilled to have access to a 60-mile trail system. She has a B.S. in Public Recreation from SDSU and a M.S. in Occupational Therapy from the University of South Dakota.
The featured presenter at last week's evening meeting was Tammy Lacey, Superintendent of Great Falls Schools. Tammy will retire at the end of this year and encouraged members to go to the Meet-and-Greet on Sunday (Jan. 13) at 1 p.m. at Paris Gibson Education Center to meet the three finalists for our next superintendent. The school board will make its selection later this week.
Tammy also provided an update on all the construction in the school district, thanks to the bond request that the community approved in 2016. Exciting stuff! On a more somber note, the trend of failing mill levies is a concern. The district's budget has not kept pace with inflation, and with more levies failing than passing in the past 7 years, the district has been forced to cut staff and programs. Great Falls spends less per pupil than all the other AA districts and all but one of the A districts in Montana. We also tax less than all other AA districts.
This Week at Rotary
This week at noon we'll hear from Sandy Filipowicz about what's going on at the YWCA. There will be no evening meeting this week, but next week (Thursday, Jan. 24 at 5:30) the evening meeting will be a tour of Jeremiah Johnson Brewery, which will no doubt include sampling the wares. All members are welcome to attend.
Milestones
Just one birthday this week, but it's a good one! On Friday, Bob Wigdorski celebrates another trip around the sun. Although Bob is a relatively new Rotarian, he's already proven himself to be a valuable addition to the club and to the community. So we celebrate you with you, Bob!
Weekly Wisdom: This Week in History
Jan. 12 – In 1980, Haiti was hit by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake … devastating.
Jan. 13 – In 1957, P Wham-o made the first Frisbee.
Jan. 14 – In 1934, the Loch Ness Monster was spotted. (Then why didn't they call it a dalmatian?)
Jan. 15 – In 1943, the Pentagon was completed.
Jan. 16 – In 1991, Operation Desert Storm began in Iran.
Jan. 17 – In 1949, the first VW Beetle arrived in the U.S.
Jan. 18 - In 1967, the Boston Stranger was sentenced to life in prison.
