LOCAL NEWS

Co-op celebrates Earth Day with almost 40% of
Members Choosing Paperless Bills

Submitted by Courtney Stone, Flathead Electric Co-Op

Flathead Electric Cooperative is marking Earth Day with an invitation to all members to join its paperless efforts.

“In addition to reducing paper waste, going paperless is good for Co-op members’ wallets, as paperless choices saved the member-owned Co-op $293,500 in 2021. That helps to keep electricity bills as low as possible,” reflected Katie Pfennigs, Community Relations Manager for the Co-op. “It is fantastic on every level to see an increasing number of members choosing to go paperless.”

2021 paperless efforts by the numbers:

38.7% of Co-op members chose paperless bills, meaning they access their billing statements through the Co-op’s Smart Hub app, website, or email

$277,000 – saved in bill printing and mailing costs for paperless bills each year

$16,500 – saved in statement printing and mailing costs each year by applying most capital credit payments directly to members’ accounts

In 2022, the Co-op is continuing its paperless efforts by offering electronic voting for the first time. The Co-op is democratically governed by a board of nine trustees. Each year, three of those seats come up for election. All of the Co-op’s 56,000+ members are eligible to vote in each election, so members who opt-out of paper ballots and choose to vote electronically make a significant difference. Electronic voting is expected to save the Co-op thousands of dollars in printing and mailing costs this year, with increased savings predicted in the following years as more members opt for electronic ballots.

Flathead Electric Cooperative offers an automatic $0.50 monthly bill credit to members who choose paperless billing. To go paperless, log into your online account at flatheadelectric.com, go to “My Profile” (or “Settings” on a mobile device), and click on “Update My Paperless Settings.” Use the slider to turn the paperless bill status to “ON” next to each account for which you no longer want to receive a paper bill. For assistance, please call 406-751-4483 during business hours.

Submitted by Rich Cloyed

The annual National Day of Prayer May 5th 

 

The annual National Day of Prayer is an occasion for all Americans to gather and call out to God on behalf of our country. The 2022 theme stands as an invitation and call to worship: “Exalt the Lord Who has Established Us”. Scripture tells us again and again that our fervent prayer is effective. At this crucial time for our nation, we can do nothing more important than pray. This year’s National Day of Prayer Observance in Libby is Thursday, May 5th at 6:00pm at Lee Gehring Legion Baseball Field which is located on West 2nd St. This hour long event sponsored by LEAP (Libby Evangelical Association of Pastors) will include speakers, music and prayer.

For more information call Pastor Rich Cloyed at 406-293-6916.

U.S Congressional Candidate, District 1 to visit Libby

Ryan Zinke, Republican, U.S. Congressional Candidate, District 1 will be the guest speaker at the Monday, May 2 meeting of the Republican Women’s Club for Lincoln County.

Meet & Greet with Zinke begins at 11:30 a.m. at The Timbers Lodge, 101 Julian Drive in Eureka. His 30 minute presentation begins at noon. Lunch is available for purchase at The Timbers. Club members only are asked to stay for the business portion of the meeting after.

 

Submitted by Rebecca Dupre

Thank You to The Crew and Staff

To the gal that insisted I go to the emergency room (right away)!!, To the crew at the Cabinet View that took such wonderful care of me. To the crew in the helicopter who flew me to Kalispell, and To the crew at the Kalispell Regional in the emergency and Second floor who took great care. They gave me a second chance at life again, my family and I are very grateful. Thank you. God Bless you.

-Roberta Nelson, of Libby