Opinion
20-year corrections veteran named Montana State Prison warden
Published
13 years agoon
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AdminMontana Department of Corrections Director Mike Ferriter said Tuesday that Kirkegard was selected from among three finalists for the job who had been pared from almost 60 applicants. Kirkegard, 52, succeeds Mike Mahoney, who retired in August after 16 years as warden.
A native of Circle, Montana, Kirkegard has had a two-decade career with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s Detention Services Division. He held that job for five years before being promoted to sergeant. Four years later, he became a lieutenant and was promoted to captain in 2004.
Three years later, he was named deputy chief of the department’s Detention Services Division, which is responsible for more than 3,400 inmates and has a budget of $174 million and 1,200 employees, making it one of the largest jail systems in the nation. Currently holding the rank of captain, Kirkegard manages the Staff Operations Bureau, which is responsible for inmate classification and court transports, and serves as the liaison to the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Kirkegard attended Montana State University for a time, later earning an associate’s degree in criminal justice from New Mexico State University in 1990 and a bachelors’ degree in criminal justice from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in 1999.
Kirkegard, who starts his new job Nov. 14, will oversee the state’s male prison system, which has about 2,300 inmates housed in four facilities: Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge, Crossroads Correctional Center in Shelby, Cascade County Regional Prison in Great Falls, and Dawson County Regional Prison in Glendive. Montana State Prison, which will be under Kirkegard’s direct supervision, has almost 1,500 inmates and a staff of more than 600.
Kirkegard, who grew up on an eastern Montana farm, said he has several family members living in Montana and is looking forward to returning to the state. “I can’t be more excited,” he said. “The whole 30 years I’ve been gone, I have always gone home for vacations. Montana is such a great state; once you step across the borders of Montana, you feel like you’re home.”
In addition to his extensive correctional experience, Kirkegard said he brings to the wardens’ job a clear understanding of the commitment made by Gov. Brian Schweitzer, Director Ferriter and all department employees to maintain 80 percent of offenders outside prison walls.
“That’s a lofty goal, but the interest generated across the state to get offenders ready to go back into the community is great,” he said.
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Feeling worn out from the winter? Feeling bloated, low energy or foggy in the mind? Maybe it’s
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Feeling worn out from the winter? Feeling bloated, low energy or foggy in the mind? Maybe it’s just time to have a reset and boost your immune system!
It’s that time of year again, to refresh, renew and revitalize!
The community cleanse utilizes the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda in order to help detoxify the body and reboot the digestive system, plus going through the process with a community of others makes it all that much easier to get through it successfully. It is not a time of starvation or deprivation, we eat 3 (or 4) meals each day and take specific herbs to assist the process of releasing toxins. It is designed to be a two-week cleanse, but it can be customized to the length of time that you are able to commit to and dates can be flexible if need be. You are also welcome to do it from a distance if you won’t be in Big Sky this spring!
What it includes: digestive herbal supplement and body oil (specific to your needs), 4 cleansing and rejuvenating herbal formulas, 7 days of the Ayurvedic cleansing food, a booklet of information on the step-by-step process and some recipes, weekly meetings and daily email support through the process.
Investment: 1st Timers ~ $370 Repeat Cleansers ~ $340 | Register by Apr. 17th and Save $25
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1 (Wednesday) 12:00 pm - 14 (Tuesday) 12:00 pm
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Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
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Feeling worn out from the winter? Feeling bloated, low energy or foggy in the mind? Maybe it’s just time to
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Feeling worn out from the winter? Feeling bloated, low energy or foggy in the mind? Maybe it’s just time to have a reset and boost your immune system!
It’s that time of year again, to refresh, renew and revitalize! The community cleanse utilizes the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda in order to help detoxify the body and reboot the digestive system, plus going through the process with a community of others makes it all that much easier to get through it successfully. It is not a time of starvation or deprivation, we eat 3 (or 4) meals each day and take specific herbs to assist the process of releasing toxins. It is designed to be a two-week cleanse, but it can be customized to the length of time that you are able to commit to and dates can be flexible if need be. You are also welcome to do it from a distance if you won’t be in Big Sky this spring!
What it includes: digestive herbal formula and body oil (specific to your needs), 4 cleansing and rejuvenating herbal formulas, 7 days of the Ayurvedic cleansing food, a booklet of information on the step-by-step process and some recipes, weekly meetings and daily email support through the process.
1st Timers ~ $370 Repeat Cleansers ~ $340 | Register by Apr. 17th and Save $25
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1 (Wednesday) 5:30 pm - 14 (Tuesday) 5:30 pm
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Santosha Wellness Center
169 Snowy Mountain Circle
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Join us on May 10 – 12 to pick up pet waste and seasonal trash to keep our rivers and trails clean.
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Join us on May 10 – 12 to pick up pet waste and seasonal trash to keep our rivers and trails clean.
During spring runoff, pet waste left behind by a long winter has the potential of making its way into our local streams and eventually into the Gallatin River if not picked up and properly disposed. Join the Gallatin River Task Force and our community partners the Big Sky Community Organization (BSCO) and the Big Sky Sustainability Network Organization (SNO) for a community clean up to keep pollution out of the river.
With pet waste representing the fifth-largest source of water-quality degraded pollution across the upper Gallatin River, we need your help! Join us in an effort to keep these harmful pollutants from reaching the Gallatin. Get a group of friends together and sign up to participate.
We will be at the Big Sky Community Park for supply pick up from 9am-5pm, and then you/your team can choose from some of BSCO’s beautiful trails to help clean.
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Big Sky Community Park
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Gem, Jewelry, Mineral, Fossil and Bead Show May 11th, Saturday, 10 am-6 pm and May 12th, Sunday. 10 am-4 pm Adults $3.00
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Gem, Jewelry, Mineral, Fossil and Bead Show
May 11th, Saturday, 10 am-6 pm and May 12th, Sunday. 10 am-4 pm
Adults $3.00 with children under 10 free
Gallatin County Fairgrounds
25 Gem & Mineral Display Cases
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Silent Auctions, 19 Vendors
Sponsored by the Bozeman Gem and Mineral Club
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may 11 (Saturday) - 12 (Sunday)
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Gallatin County Fairgrounds
901 North Black Bozeman, MT