LIFESTYLE & LOCAL PERSPECTIVE

Sunrise and Sunset Times

Date                       Sunrise        Sunset

September 23          7:32 a.m.     7:35 p.m.

September 24          7:33 a.m.     7:33 p.m.

September 25          7:35 a.m.     7:31 p.m.

September 26          7:36 a.m.     7:29 p.m.

September 27          7:38 a.m.     7:27 p.m.

September 28          7:39 a.m.     7:25 p.m.

September 29          7:40 a.m.     7:23 p.m.

Movie of the week

“Hitting the Apex”

Directed by: Mark Neale

The inside story of six fighters – six of the
fastest motorcycle
racers of all time – and of the fates that
awaited them at the peak of the sport.

Movie of the week courtesy of moviefone.com

  • Cashier /15 hours per week
  • Registered Dental Hygienist / Full-Time
  • Log Pressure washer/Peeler of Logs
  • Log home construction Onsite / Full-Time
  • Database & Revenue Cycle App Analyst / Full-Time
  • Physical Therapist / Full-Time
  • Physical Therapist /  PRN
  • Benefits Specialist / Full-Time
  • Laundry/Housekeeping / Part-Time/ PRN

 

Job Service Libby’s doors are not open to the public, but we are here to assist you in your hunt for a new job.  All listed jobs can be found on the board in the foyer at the Job Service, 417 Mineral Ave, Suite 4, Call 293-6282 or email LibbyJSC@mt.gov.  Do you have a job-related question? Knock on the door, but in order for us to assist you we ask that you are wearing a mask.  If you don’t have one, we will offer you one.

Do you like what you see? Are you lacking training and/or experience? call the Job Service to see if you qualify for opportunities for training.

Job Postings can also be found on Montanaworks.gov

There are 113 jobs posted and don’t forget to check out Job Service-Libby Facebook page.

 

Simons Weekly Weather Update

Issued Sunday September 20, 2020 – 7:15 p.m.

 

Wednesday( September 23) Increasing clouds with a chance of rain in the afternoon. Lows in the mid 30s to mid 40s with mid 40s around 5000 feet. Highs in the mid 60s to mid 70s with mid 50s around 5000 feet.

Thursday (September 24) Breezy to locally windy with rain and high elevation snow likely. Lows in the mid 40s to lower 50s with upper 30s around 5000 feet. Highs in the mid 50s to mid 60s with lower 40s around 5000 feet.

Friday and Saturday (September 25 & 26) Cooler and locally breezy with a chance of valley rain showers and higher elevation snow showers. Lows in the mid 30s to lower 40s with mid 30s around 5000 feet. Highs in the mid 50s to mid 60s with lower 40s around 5000 feet.

Sunday (September 27) Mainly dry and seasonal except for a slight chance of showers along the Canadian border. Lows in the lower 30s to lower 40s with near 40 around 5000 feet. Highs in the lower 60s to lower 70s with near 50 around 5000 feet.

 

For the most up to date information visit https://www.simonsweather.org/forecast

Word of the week

  • Insouciant•

Pronunciation: uhn·soo·see·uhnt
Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: free from worry, concern, or anxiety.

 

Letter to the Editor: To the
person who took my wheelbarrow

To the person who took my wheelbarrow: the sign read “Free Zucchini” not “Free Wheelbarrow.” I would appreciate having the wheelbarrow returned, no questions asked.

Submitted by Vicky Lawrence, 804 California Ave, of Libby, Mont.

Letter to the
Editor: What the Coronavirus
Pandemic Can Teach Us About Climate Change

The coronavirus pandemic provides insight into another crisis: climate change. Because something cannot be seen does not make it less of a threat, and the recent horrific wildfires are evidence that the “disease” of climate change is upon us. Our country has learned the hard way with COVID-19 that a speedy and organized response is critical to preventing disease spread and mortality.  In the same way an urgent and coordinated response is required to combat climate change.

The coronavirus pandemic has spotlighted the critical importance of peer-reviewed science in guiding public policy. Science informs us as to how the virus spreads, how we can best protect ourselves, which treatments are most effective and which vaccines will work. Sometimes we may not like what the science is telling us, but that does not make it any less valid. We also need to remember that science is not static. As scientific understanding evolves, we will undoubtably need to modify our response.

Other important lessons COVID-19 offers us in confronting climate change include:

Good governance is essential; governments at all levels must work together for the most effective solutions.

Citizens need to be engaged and support efforts to meet the challenge.

Solutions will need to be flexible to meet the needs of different communities.

On the positive side COVID-19 has shown us that we are capable of profound collective action. Many countries and people around the world have successfully protected themselves, their families and communities.  People in government, health care, education and business are working hard to design and implement community solutions. We must not let naysayers and provocateurs keep us from taking constructive action to protect our communities and the nation. Likewise, the climate crisis requires us to think long term and big picture, and work together for the good of all.

Submitted by Kris Newgard for the Kootenai Climate Group, of Troy, Mont.

Letter to the Editor: Letter in support of Bryce

Bennet

Perhaps as much as any other time in Montana’s history, now is the time for honest, disciplined, effective and experienced leadership in Helena.  Bryce Bennet is prepared to bring these attributes to the office of Secretary of State.

Of these qualities, experience is the quality that best predicts the long-term success of our next Secretary of State and is especially important because the person we choose will serve for at least four years.  Bryce Bennett’s unbroken and unblemished governmental record began in 2011 and he has served over those 10 years in both the Montana House and Senate with honesty, distinction and honor.

Montana needs Bryce Bennett as Secretary of State where he can apply these rare and valuable character traits to build and even better and stronger Montana.

Submitted by Robert Gilbreath, of Ronan, Mont.

Letter to the Editor: Know your PSC
candidates and choose wisely

As I wrap up my eight years on the Public Service Commission, I think back on all that I have learned.   Having previously run an employment agency for 37 years, it’s second nature for me to ask, “What are the most important qualifications for being a good commissioner?”  As a life-long Republican, my answer may surprise you, because the stuff that makes for a great PSC commissioner is uniquely different from other political offices.

Truthfully, the nature of the job – the wise regulating and rate-setting of utility monopolies – has almost nothing to do with a commissioner’s political party.  But there are three basic qualities a voter should look for when selecting the person to represent them – and the greater public good – on the PSC:

  1. The ability to put the public interest ahead of personal politics, ambitions and agendas.  Most PSC candidates come with the baggage of previous political experience and partisan involvement.  While this isn’t an immediate disqualifier (I myself am one), seasoned politicians generally have a harder time checking their egos and their politics at the door, avoiding intra-commission alliances and keeping their minds open to all evidence and all points of view.  A 5-person commission can only serve the public interest when all commissioners are willing to respect, listen to and learn from the others – as well as from the PSC staff and the public at large.  They must be willing to deliberate on each docket with an unbiased, well-informed and open mind.

The willingness to devote long hours to the job, and possessing the intellect to understand what’s said and read.  The PSC commissioner job offers a unique opportunity to cheat your employer – the public – if that’s your goal.  Commissioners who lack a work ethic can get by doing very little to earn their $109,000 salary.  Unfortunately, I have seen multiple examples of this. To these commissioners, the “work” is in the getting elected.  After that, they flaunt their title and do little else.  Good commissioners, with an active conscience, put at least 40 to 50 hours a week into the job, and do an enormous amount of reading for each case that comes before the Commission.  They have an intellectual curiosity for all areas that the PSC regulates, and are constantly striving to self-educate, self-improve and gain a stronger grasp on the many responsibilities the job entails.

Integrity, fidelity, transparency and adherence to the law and to the established policies of the PSC.  It cannot be emphasized too strongly, the legal and fiduciary responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of every Public Service Commissioner.  The work of the Commission impacts many millions of dollars and the lives and businesses of every resident in the state.   Persons who are inclined to play it fast and loose with the truth, or who are drawn to game-playing and deal-making out of the public eye have no place on the Public Service Commission.  Both the internal and statutory rules commissioners are required to follow are there to protect the ratepayers and the integrity and credibility of the Commission itself.  They cannot be compromised.  It follows that any commissioner who has a problem with openness and total public transparency is a commissioner who is in the wrong job.

Currently, the PSC is a mess, guilty of everything from spying on colleagues to intimidating staff, abusing law enforcement, slandering, lying and flagrantly violating agency rules.  I have sounded the alarm, but all my appeals have fallen on deaf ears.  To one degree or another, all four commissioners are responsible for the train wreck, either by their own shameful actions or their failure to act when duty called.

There are three PSC seats up this election cycle, so the control of the commission hangs in the balance.  I will make no endorsements.  I ask only that you consider the job qualifications I’ve listed, learn about each candidate, and choose wisely.