News briefs

Mission PD gets overtime pay

ST. IGNATIUS — The St. Ignatius Town Council voted to compensate its police department with overtime pay of time-and-a-half at its Jan. 4 meeting.

“We decided instead of comp time, we’d just pay them overtime,” Mayor Charlie Gariepy said, noting that it doesn’t happen often, but has happened, and the council prefers to pay for the additional service up front.

The department remains at just one full-time officer and one part-time officer as the final word involving officer Scott Sciaretta, currently on paid administrative leave, is still pending, Chief of Police Tony Buff said. However, he believes the Department of Criminal Investigations report has concluded.

“We’re waiting to hear where they’re going to go from here,” he said. “The wheels move slowly.”

Overtime pay was approved for the Public Works Department in December, and Scott Morton has since replaced longtime Public Works Director Ray Frey, who Gariepy said was looking forward to working on his own schedule.

-Reporter Ali Bronsdon

Marijuana arrests

RONAN — On Jan. 15, at approximately 6:28 p.m. Ronan Police Officer Troy Rexin stopped a car for a routine traffic violation. During the subsequent investigation, 32 grams of marijuana, sandwich bags and a digital scale were recovered. Some of the marijuana was already packaged for sale and the remainder was in bulk. The two occupants of the vehicle, Jonathan Couture, 22, and Shayla Cote, 19, both of Ronan, were arrested and booked in the Lake County Detention Center on a charge of distribution of dangerous drugs, a felony. The vehicle they were in was impounded and is pending forfeiture procedures. Also assisting on the stop were Asst. Chief Art Walgren and Tribal Officer Casey Couture.

-Courtesy of Art Walgren,

Ronan Assistant Chief of Police

BPA state qualifiers

RONAN — The following members of the Ronan High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) qualified for state with top places at the regional competition Jan. 10 at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell: Layton Tallwhiteman, 1st Computerized Accounting, 9th Fundamental Accounting, 2nd Global Marketing Team; Gordon North Piegan, 4th Prepared Speech, 5th Banking and Finance; Jack Humphreys, 3rd Small Business Mgmt. Team, 2nd Fundamental Accounting, 8th Banking and Finance; Brittney Drake, 1st Payroll Accounting, 2nd Admin. Support Team, 3rd Small Business Mgmt. Team; Levi Talsma, 2nd Cisco Systems, 2nd Administrative Support Team, 3rd Information Technology, 4th PC Servicing and Troubleshooting, 9th Administrative Support; Keenan Hall, 1st Entrepreneurship, 2nd Global Marketing Team; Alex Dulmes, 2nd Administrative Support Team, 3rd Management/Marketing/HR, 3rd Small Business Mgmt Team, 9th Medical Office Procedures; Amber Taber and Thomas Oschmann, 2nd Presentation Mgmt Team; Kristian Andersen, 2nd Global Marketing Team.

-Courtesy of Ron Hanson

Polson BPA heads to state

Members of the Polson High School Chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA): Samantha Irvine, Alysia Fairchild, Nina Araos, Larissa Hanson, Sara Robinson, Preston Alexander, Daryl Conko-Camel, Laura Rost and Clint Cooper participated in the BPA Regional Leadership Conference on Jan. 10, at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell. Approximately 110 students in BPA chapters from 10 area high schools participated in 73 competitive business skills events. The PHS Web Site Development Team with Clint Cooper and Laura Rost finished in first place. Cooper also placed 2nd in Computer Network Technology. Other top finishers were Samantha Irvine (1st in Fundamental Accounting) and Larissa Hanson (2nd in Advanced Word Processing Skills and 2nd in Management/Marketing/Human Resource Concepts). Students who qualified will attend the state leadership conference in March in Billings.

-Courtesy of Dennis LaBonty