BOZEMAN – The owner of a downtown Bozeman rug gallery that was severely damaged in a natural gas explosion has filed for bankruptcy in federal court.
Jalal Neishabouri, owner of Rocky Mountain Rug Gallery, says he hopes the Chapter 11 filing will buy him some time while he reorganizes his business. According to court documents, Neishabouri owes between $10 million and $50 million to up to 50 creditors.
Health care reform shines a light on hospice care
Giving Comfort When There is No Cure
Aaron Jordan, right, watches as case manager and registered nurse Donna Nelson, left, physically assesses hospice patient Cheryl Swan during a home visit. Nelson works with Frontier Home Health and Hospice, which provides hospice care throughout the valley. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead
A couple weeks ago, Aaron Jordan lifted his long-time girlfriend, Cheryl Swan, in his arms and carried her to their second-floor bathroom in their Kalispell home.
Jordan stepped into the bathtub to help her into the water, getting his socks and pant legs wet. It didn’t bother him.
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Jordan stepped into the bathtub to help her into the water, getting his socks and pant legs wet. It didn’t bother him.
Governor blames GOP-led Senate for any problems with appraisal
Schweitzer Rejects NMAR’s Request for Special Session
Senators fill their seats on the Senate floor in Helena. - File photo by Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
A request by the Northwest Montana Association of Realtors calling for a special session of the state Legislature to address “current inadequacies” in the property tax reappraisal carried out in the 2009 regular session was immediately swatted down by Gov. Brian Schweitzer last week.
The letter, written by NMAR President Barb Funk, notes that 11 counties, including Flathead and Lake, will be “disproportionally affected by higher than expected residential property values,” and asks Schweitzer to convene a special session to immediately adopt a “stop gap” measure to solve current reappraisal problems, and establish an interim committee to deal with long-term property tax issues and draw up a bill for the 2011 session.
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The letter, written by NMAR President Barb Funk, notes that 11 counties, including Flathead and Lake, will be “disproportionally affected by higher than expected residential property values,” and asks Schweitzer to convene a special session to immediately adopt a “stop gap” measure to solve current reappraisal problems, and establish an interim committee to deal with long-term property tax issues and draw up a bill for the 2011 session.
BNSF
Political, Agriculture Leaders React to Buffett’s BNSF Purchase
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A Burlington Northern Santa Fe engine pulls cars from the Glacier Park area in this file photo. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon |
HELENA – Montana political and agricultural leaders hope Berkshire Hathaway's planned purchase of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad will lead to lower shipping costs in Montana, but they doubt much will change.
Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a farmer and rancher, said Tuesday he had spoken to both Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and Matthew Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and CEO.
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Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a farmer and rancher, said Tuesday he had spoken to both Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, and Matthew Rose, BNSF's chairman, president and CEO.
Eureka shook up after judge’s office is burned, FBI asks questions
‘It’s Put the Community on Edge’
The fire in Justice of the Peace Stormy Langston's office burned her desk at the North Lincoln County Annex in Eureka. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead Beacon
EUREKA – A late October fire here reduced a judge’s desk to ashes and scorched her robe, engulfing the entire room, melting her computer and spreading into the duct system. A quick response from the local fire department saved the rest of the building, but not before smoke crept to every corner of the 14 offices. The judge, who had previously received threats, believes she was targeted and watches her back now.
In a way, for a small town unaccustomed to major crime, the smoke still lingers.
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In a way, for a small town unaccustomed to major crime, the smoke still lingers.
Land Conservation
3 Million Acres Taken Out of Conservation Program
TRIBUNE, Kan. – Surveying undulating grasslands that disappear into the western Kansas horizon, retired farmer Joe Govert pointed out parcel after parcel no longer enrolled in a federal program that pays property owners not to farm environmentally sensitive land.
The arid, wind-swept ground stripped of topsoil by Dust Bowl storms has laid undisturbed beneath a protective cover of native grasses that took two decades to re-establish under the Conservation Reserve Program. But millions of those acres are being plowed again after the 2008 Farm Bill capped the program at 32 million acres.
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The arid, wind-swept ground stripped of topsoil by Dust Bowl storms has laid undisturbed beneath a protective cover of native grasses that took two decades to re-establish under the Conservation Reserve Program. But millions of those acres are being plowed again after the 2008 Farm Bill capped the program at 32 million acres.
Commentary: Business is Personal
Kicking Your Own Backside
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Sometimes I really wonder about where people get their competitive spirit. Or for that matter, why they're in business at all.
They don't seem to have any sort of competitive edge about them when it comes to business, but these same folks would put a hotel on Boardwalk if given the chance.
"It's just a game", they say. "It's just your business", I reply.
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They don't seem to have any sort of competitive edge about them when it comes to business, but these same folks would put a hotel on Boardwalk if given the chance.
"It's just a game", they say. "It's just your business", I reply.
BNSF
Buffett’s Big Bet: $34 Billion on BNSF
NEW YORK – The biggest name in investing is making what he calls an "all-in wager" on the U.S. economy — $34 billion to own a railroad that hauls everything from corn to cars across the country.
The acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the nation's second-largest railroad, would be the biggest ever for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway investment company.
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The acquisition of Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the nation's second-largest railroad, would be the biggest ever for Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway investment company.
