Coal-fired power plant closing in Sidney

SIDNEY — MDU Resources Group, Inc. of Bismark, N.D., announced Tuesday plans to retire three coal-fired energy plants and build a new natural gas turbine to meet energy needs.

The Lewis & Clark Station in Sidney is expected to close around the end of 2020, the Sidney Herald reported. The other two are in Mandan, N.D. 

The utility company weighed low-cost natural gas and wind energy against the continued operation of the coal plants.

Fort Benton folks leave $682,000 to Northern

HAVRE — Montana State University-Northern alum Oliver Carnahan Sanborn and her husband Elmer Sanborn left a $682,000 bequest to Northern's alumni foundation, one of largest gifts in the school's history.

“This is a legacy gift in every way,” MSU-Northern Chancellor Greg Kegel told the Havre Herald. “This endowment will allow MSU-Northern to help future teachers attain their degrees for generations to come.”

Elmer, a farmer near Loma, died in 1994, and Oliver died at 98 in 2016.

One good turn that deserved another

CHESTER — Dena Fritz submitted a photo of a slice of life in agriculture (a tot "driving" during lentil seeding) to DS Art Studio in a promotion, and won a Don Stewart print.

She asked the artist if it would be OK to donate the print for Chester-Joplin-Inverness FFA, and he included three more prints. 

A chance is $1 and a drawing for the winner is Feb. 23, the last day of National FFA Week, the Liberty County Times reported.

Volunteer fire department brings home new ambulance

LINCOLN — A self-funded volunteer ambulance organization serving 2,600 square miles has a new/used ambulance thanks to luck and a generous donor.

The Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance desperately needed a new ambulance but has been denied grants year after year, LVA president Aaron Birkholz told the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch.

They found a 2006 ambulance with only 65,000 miles on the odometer for sale in Virginia and, to Birkholz's surprise, had the winning bid with $35,000, most of it covered by a $30,000 anonymous donation.

Montana is middling for senior safety

Montana ranks 20th among states for senior safety, according to a recent study. 

The United States has nearly 50 million seniors, a record number of people 65 and older. And, a record number of seniors have filed for bankruptcy. 

Recessions have eroded savings, lives are longer and some seniors are the victims of fraud and violence. 

Looking at fraud, housing costs, seniors living in poverty and violent-injury deaths, TheSeniorList.com found Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Utah the safest places for seniors.

Arizona, Washington, D.C., Nevada, Delaware, New Mexico and Florida are the most dangerous. 

Among Montana's neighbors, South Dakota ranked the third safest state, North Dakota was sixth, Idaho 11th and Wyoming 22nd.