Giving a boost to veterans causes

Local generosity has helped an organization that itself is known for its generosity to veterans.

The Northwest Montana Veterans Food Pantry recently received the much-needed gift of a commercial refrigeration unit from the Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund.

The cool gift was engineered by retired Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely of Bigfork. The memorial fund honors his late son.

Vallelys philanthropy is a big boost for the food pantry, which provides food and clothing for veterans in need.

Veterans Day is a time when many people turn their attention to American veterans, and were heartened to see people like Vallely paying attention to the needs of the food pantry.

But every day is Veterans Day for Allen and Linda Erickson, who run the food pantry as a labor of love to serve those who served our country.

Their dedication to veterans is legendary and extends far beyond the food pantry to events such as the annual Stand Down that benefits veterans.

This is an ideal time to help the Ericksons in their mission. Donations of cash, pies and staples such as coffee and sugar are needed for holiday baskets for veterans. The food pantry also could use some more volunteers.

Want to help?

Call 756-7304 or stop by the pantry at 1527 Montana 35.

Also of interest on this Veterans Day is the move by Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana to try to establish an independent commission to investigate claims that chemical and biological weapons were tested on U.S. service people during the 1960s and 1970s.

Locally, Navy veteran J.B. Stone has been a tireless crusader on behalf of himself and other veterans who continue to suffer ill effects that they are convinced stem from secret testing with deadly agents. He has helped to educate this newspapers readers, as well as our congressional delegation, about the wall of silence that has greeted veterans when they tried to get help for their illnesses.

It is about time that the government gets to the bottom of the story of Project 112 and the Shipboard Hazard and Defense Project. As Rehberg said, Truth is what these brave veterans have asked for, and truth is what they deserve.

Theres a new traffic light in town and its in operation none too soon.

The traffic signals are finally working at the intersection in front of the new Costco store on U.S. 93. And these lights, we hope, will help harried motorists negotiate the everincreasing traffic load at the growing retail megaplex on both sides of the highway near West Reserve Drive.

In the last few weeks an extra 170,000 square feet of retail space has opened for business, attracting a new surge of traffic.

And theres undoubtedly more to come when the new high school and another shopping center open up in the next couple of years.

Advice for drivers negotiating U.S. 93 and Reserve: Be patient and be careful.

That same advice goes for the traffic situation on U.S. 2 near the old Costco store. Remember those long-awaited traffic lights that finally went in at Birch Grove and Rose Crossing?

The lights are still there, but so is the bizarre 70-mph speed limit between the signals another cause for caution on the highway.