Senator Jon Tester, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, helped write the rules in the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. The Credit CARD Act overwhelmingly passed the Senate and was signed into law last year.

“For most Americans, credit card companies haven’t exactly been good business partners,” Tester said. “These common sense rules will help put the credit card industry back on the side of hardworking Montanans who are tired of getting squeezed and pushed into debt. I encourage folks who use plastic to learn about these new reforms.”

The Credit CARD Act will save American credit card holders billions of dollars by reining in fees and unfair interest rate hikes.

The new rules:

• Ban unfair interest rate hikes. Interest rate hikes on existing balances will be prohibited unless the cardholder is more than 60 days late in making a payment.

Give cardholders an extra week to pay their bills. The Credit CARD Act requires credit card statements to be mailed three weeks before the bill is due.

• Require more notice. The bill requires companies to give cardholders 45 days notice of interest rate, fee and finance charge increases.

Stop credit card companies from exploiting young Americans. The bill requires most credit card applicants under the age of 21 to get a signature from someone willing to take responsibility for the debt, and limiting credit card offers to customers between the ages of 18 and 21.

• Make statements clearer. Billing statements will clearly display payment due dates and late payment penalties, and credit card agreements must be posted on the company’s websites. Monthly statements will also warn cardholders about how long it will take them to pay off their balances if they only make the minimum payments.

More information about how the Credit CARD Act will benefit Montanans is available online at tester.senate.gov/card.

Ravalli Head Start, Inc. celebrates start of remodel on new Early Head Start facility

Ravalli Head Start, Inc. (RHS) has announced that it will use a portion of the $915,532 grant received from the federal Administration for Children and Families Office of Head Start to renovate space in the existing modular building at the Westview Education Center to create a state of the art infant/toddler education facility to be used by 72 children and their families in Ravalli County. Besides its impact on 72 new families, the grant, which is a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, will create nineteen new jobs.

To create facilities for the new program in Hamilton, RHS will use a portion of the funds to renovate the existing modular building at the Westview Education Center. The Hamilton School District is leasing the modular space to the Ravalli Early Head Start program. The renovation will create three Infant/Toddler rooms, a kitchen, and bathrooms. Office space for the 19 new employees will be in leased classroom space in the Westview Center. We anticipate moving in to this space in early March. Other start-up funds will be used to create outside playground space and furnish the facility.

After the start-up phase is completed in late April, Ravalli Early Head Start will provide home-based services to 50 infants or toddlers and six pregnant women and their families. Ravalli Early Head Start will provide Center-based services to 16 infants or toddlers and their families. With this expansion, RHS will attain its long-standing goal to provide the full array of Head Start services from prenatal to age five for disadvantaged children in Ravalli County.

Early Head Start was created in 1995 by the United States Administration for Children and Families after national research demonstrated the importance of early intervention services for children in disadvantaged families. Early Head Start provides a strong support base for those children and families most in need by allowing parents to gain enhanced knowledge, skills, and opportunities, allowing children to become more attached to their parents, and coordinating access to community resources so that the families will become more active in the program and the community.

The mission of RHS is to identify and meet specific needs of low-income and other eligible children and families in a manner consistent with federal Head Start regulations and best practices. As a result of these efforts and services, children and their families will enter the future as more productive, confident, self-reliant, and successful members of society. RHS is an award-winning non-profit organization that provides comprehensive early childhood services.

For more information, contact Brittany McKenzie, Ravalli Early Head Start Director, 81 Kurtz Lane, Hamilton Montana, (406) 363-7412, HYPERLINK "mailto:brittanym@ravalliheadstart.org" brittanym@ravalliheadstart.org or John Filz, Executive Director, Ravalli Head Start, Inc., 81 Kurtz Lane, Hamilton, MT 59840, (406) 363-1217 x12 johnf@ravalliheadstart.org.

County to apply for bridge grant

In 2008, Ravalli County submitted an application to the Treasure State Endowment Program (TSEP) to obtain grant funding for the replacement of the four culverts carrying Sweathouse Creek under Pleasant View Drive near Victor. That application was a success and grant funding allowed the Ravalli County Road and Bridge Department to replace the culvert structure with a single-span bridge in 2009. The County is now ready to try again.

Ravalli County will be submitting an application to TSEP in April of this year to request bridge replacement grant funding once again. This time, the County is considering the replacement of two bridge structures – one on Black Lane over the Corvallis Canal and one on Willoughby Lane over the Supply Ditch.

Several factors have influenced the county’s decision to select these projects, including the current condition of the structures, both of which have weight limits, as well as other structural, safety and environmental concerns. Ravalli County’s continuing priority is to provide for safe and efficient access through the Black Lane and Willoughby Lane corridors for area residents and businesses, and for public and emergency service providers.

Ravalli County currently owns and operates over 100 bridges throughout the county. The TSEP program offers an important resource in helping to fund replacement of these bridges, some of which date back to the 1940s. With the funding package as proposed, there will be no additional direct cost to Ravalli County landowners for this project.

The support of area landowners, businesses, civic groups and others is important to Ravalli County and to the success of this grant proposal. Public support will directly aid in the acquisition of funding for bridge replacement projects. The County would like to share more project details and hear your comments, so please plan to attend the public information meetings scheduled for each bridge location:

Black Lane at Corvallis Canal: Tuesday, March 2 at 7 p.m. at the Corvallis Grange Hall at 130 Dutch Hill Road in Corvallis

Willoughby Lane at Supply Ditch: Wednesday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Stevensville Fire Hall at 206 Buck Street in Stevensville

WGM Group, Inc. of Missoula is the engineering consultant for this project. If you would like to submit comments about this project before the March 31st deadline, send correspondence via email to jgass@wgmgroup.com or mail to WGM Group, Attn: Jon Gass, 1111 East Broadway, Missoula MT 59802.

Safety improvements proposed for Ambrose Creek Road and Old Darby Road

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is seeking comments on a proposal to install chevrons, signs, and guardrail at two county roadway locations in Ravalli County. The first location is on Route 41360 (Ambrose Creek Road), northeast of Stevensville, beginning at reference marker 0.3 and extending to reference marker 1.3. The second location is Route 41703 (Old Darby Road), north of Darby, beginning at reference marker 2.6 and extending to reference marker 3.2.

The purpose of this project is to address crash clusters identified at these locations involving speed/curve-related crashes and inattentive driving.

The project is tentatively scheduled for construction in the summer of 2014, depending on completion of all project development activities and availability of funding. No new right-of-way or utility relocations are currently anticipated.

For more information, contact Doug Moeller, Missoula District Administrator at (406) 523-5802 or Shane Stack, Missoula District Preconstruction Engineer at (406) 523-5830. For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is (406) 444-7696 or 1-800-335-7592, or call the Montana Relay at 711. People may submit written comments to the Montana Department of Transportation Missoula office at PO Box 7039, Missoula MT 59807-7039, or online at www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml noting comments are for project CN 6737000. Alternative accessible formats of this information will be provided upon request.

Victor garden plots possible

Do you need a garden plot in Victor? The school owns four acres on 5th Street, and the school board is considering a development plan for this land. Part of the field could be used for gardens for the community and school if there is enough interest. If you or someone you know would like to have a low-cost garden plot in Victor in spring, or would like to volunteer for school or community gardens, call Luci Brieger at 642-3943. The board needs to hear from you by March. Spread the word!

Info and referral service available

Leadership Montana, a statewide collaboration of higher education, community and business leaders, has begun accepting applications for the Class of 2011. This will be Leadership Montana’s seventh annual class. There are over 260 participants from 45 Montana communities who have participated in Leadership Montana.

Leadership Montana will present a seven-session program of business and policy education. Also included will be a program of leadership skill development focusing on the principles of community trusteeship, “The Integrated Work of Leadership.” Participants will be selected to ensure diversity of ideas, commitment to the long-term future of Montana, and a willingness to play a leadership role. The program will be conducted in locations across the state, beginning with an Orientation and Retreat in Big Sky on September 8, 2010. Ultimately, Leadership Montana members throughout Montana will form an important bond, creating a powerful network of energy, talent and leadership.

Funding for Leadership Montana is supported by more than ninety organizations from around the state. Leadership Montana, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization with offices located on the Downtown Campus of Montana State University-Billings, through the support of the University.

Leadership Montana provides unique experiences and opportunities to meet Montana’s leaders. Included in this year’s program have been Montana’s Governor, Justices of the Montana Supreme Court, the Montana Board of Regents and Commissioner of Higher Education, tribal leaders and business and civic leaders in wide variety of fields including education, tourism, military, agriculture and healthcare.

Programs for the Class of 2011 will be conducted in Big Sky, Butte, Missoula, Great Falls, Helena, Havre and Billings.

The seventh class of Leadership Montana will include approximately 40-participants. Tuition will be $2,500 for the seven-session program. Tuition assistance may be available on a limited basis. Applications must be received by March 31, 2010.

The application form, program schedule and more information is available at www.leadershipmontana.org.

Curves food drive

From March 1 to 31, Curves locations in the area will collect non-perishable items and monetary donations for food banks in the local area. The goal, according to Curves Founder Diane Heavin, is for the community to come together to help families in need. "At the core of our business is the message that women are stronger when they rally together, and that is the point we hope to bring home with our food drive," said Heavin. "We want to show our communities just how powerful the generosity of our members can be."

According to Heavin, members who donate a bag of groceries or make a minimum donation of $30 during the month of March will receive a reusable Curves grocery freezer bag for free. Non-members who do likewise between March 8 and 20 can join Curves for free. Curves will waive the cost to join.

For more information about the Curves Food Drive, contact Diane Johnson, Curves of Hamilton located at 924 Adirondac, at 363-0393.

Info and referral service available

Need help locating assistance with food, housing, daycare, support groups or other human services? Call 211/First Call For Help. Call 211 or 549-5555.

211/First Call For Help is a telephone information and referral service. Trained staff can analyze your unique problems and provide information or refer you to the social services designed to meet your needs. 211/First Call For Help is a service of the Human Resource Council and United Way of Missoula County.

Mushroom harvesting program proposed

The Bitterroot National Forest is proposing a personal use and commercial mushroom harvest program following the wildfires of 2009, which burned approximately 9,200 acres on the Bitterroot National Forest. Your comments on this proposal are invited.

A morel mushroom harvest is expected sometime between April and July 2010. Mushroom seasons vary depending on weather conditions and elevation. Forest personnel are considering a number of options during the development of the program based on the objectives of providing reasonable opportunities for both personal use and commercial operations.

The proposal would include approximately 2,500 acres of the Gird End Fire designated as a commercial and personal use harvest area. An additional 6,700 acres of the Kootenai Creek Fire will be designated as a personal use only harvest area.

For more information on this proposal, and for instructions on how to submit your comment, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/bitterroot/projects/ or call the Darby Ranger District at 821-3913. Comments will be accepted through March 5, 2010.

Page One •	Valley News •	Op/Ed •	Sports •	Calendar •	Classifieds •	Legals •	Links •	About Us •	Back Issues •	Email Us •	Home
©2009 Bitterroot Star This site was Done By Dooney