Powder River Examiner -

Thursday, January 19, 1989

Johnstone bowls perfect game

Don Johnstone has made local bowling history. Johnstone recently became the first person ever to bowl a perfect 300 score at Powder River Lanes in Broadus.

Johnstone threw a perfect 12 strike game while competing in a non-sanctioned 9-pin tourney here on January 7, quite a feat considering it was a first in the 23-year history of the local bowling alley.

As the score was bowled during a non-sanctioned event, Johnstones’s feat will unfortunately go unrecognized by the ABC or Brunswick, according to Powder River Lanes owner Jim Vivian.

Local ranch reports 500 sheep as stolen

State Livestock and local authorities are continuing to seek leads into the theft of 500 lambs and ewes taken from the Perry’s Bug Ranch. The theft took place between May 1 and July 1 of last year, according to Gary Gatlin of the Montana Department of Livestock.

The theft was the telling blow to the ranch already stressed by years of drought and economic pressures. The Perrys, community leaders here since moving over the hills from Otter Creek over a decade ago, are leaving for a ranch near Big Timber where Mr. Perry has accepted a position.

A reward of up to $1000 is offered for the information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the crime.

Turkeys at large

There are surprisingly few highway fatalities in the flock of 150-200 wild turkeys that winter on Katherine Stabio’s “sheep corn” and pick their necessary gravel from along the sides of State Highway 212, just south of the town of Broadus. That many turkeys “at large on the highway” is a bit startling as well as interesting.

Local drivers as well as through motorists usually slow down for the wild turkey crossing, but probably one or two a month meets the pavement, in pieces. In the early morning, when the big, black birds fly from the tall trees by Mrs. Stabio’s house to glide across the road, a driver gets the impression that they could come through the windshield and meet face to face. No such incidents have been reported.

Mrs. Stabio says she feeds 50 pounds of corn a day to the sheep and turkeys combined and “it isn’t enough, as the turkeys look a bit undernourished but it’s all I can afford.” She said Karen Stevenson, who lives some distance down the East Powderville Road has been bringing wheat as she comes to work at the Soil Conservation Office, and scattering it for supplemental feeding.

Instead of going to the nearby Powder River to get gravel the birds seem to prefer the areas adjacent to the highway, and it is a credit to the wily fowl that so few are killed.

“The game warden has discussed putting up Turkey Crossing signs,” Mrs. Stabio said. “He also planned to move about 100 birds elsewhere and I wish he would. That was some time ago and nothing further has been mentioned.”

The few turkeys killed on the highway are minor compared to the coyote kills in more isolated spots. Here they winter in comparative safety, and with hand feeding and adequate shelter, most of them survive to return to other areas in spring for nesting. Those people wishing to supplement the turkey’s feed should get permission from Mrs. Stabio and then feed in spots other than immediately adjacent to Highway 212, it is suggested.

Apple “cart” tips: 60000 lbs. distributed

Ask anyone locally if they would like a few pounds of apples, chances are there won’t be any takers.

Around 60,000 pounds of the tasty fruit, the undamaged portion of an 80,000-pound truckload, were distributed to the public following a truck wreck near here last week. Even many of the damaged apples were used - as a tasty and nutritious addition to the diets of locally raised hogs.

The apples were the gift of the trucking company after the driver - apparently drunk - crashed his fruit laden load near here early Saturday morning.

Investigating offer Brett Tabolt said that at the time of the crash, 40-year old Gale D. Vickery was driving east with the load of apples. The truck left the highway around seven miles east of Broadus on Highway 212, at about 1:15 a.m. Saturday. The rig went off the north side of the highway, and went down about a 12-foot embankment. It traveled a total of around 600 feet before coming to rest, on its side, jammed in between two trees.

There were no brake marks or other signs that the driver attempted to slow the rig, Tabolt said. The officer ticketed Vickery for driving while under the influence of alcohol and for driving while his license to do so had been suspended. Montana Highway Patrol Truck Safety inspector Jack Westrope of Miles City, who assisted with the investigation, filed additional charges of carrying alcohol in a truck that was not part of the cargo and for making false entries in a driver’s log book/possessing two log books with the same date entered.

Bond on the tour citations totals $1,390.

Vickery, at press time, was still hospitalized in Miles City, with extensive injuries, Tabolt said. He will be transferred to Broadus later in the week to answer the charges.

Fines, collections up

Revenues collected in 1988 by the city/county Justice Court far exceeded that taken in during the previous year, according to information received by the Examiner.

In 1988, 1485 cases were handled by Judge Peggy Deibel-Jones, and a total of $76,309 in fines was collected. That compares with 1146 cases the previous year, when $48,259 in fines was collected.