Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 2089
As winter gives way to spring, recreationists are taking advantage of the warmer weather to get outside. However, this is also the time of year bears are emerging from their dens and conflicts with people tend to increase. Swan Valley Connections Conservation Director Luke Lamar posted on social media that he observed the first grizzly bear tracks of the season March 24. As bears begin foraging for food, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is asking residents to remove or secure food attractants such as garbage, bird feeders and pet food. The most c...
SEELEY LAKE – At their March 14 meeting, the Seeley Lake Community Council reviewed the new template from Missoula County for community councils, received updates on the Seeley Lake Ranger District and discussed the next steps regarding the RV Dump Station at Clearwater Junction. Missoula County Community and Planning Services Office Manager Laurie Hire presented the April 2021 by-laws template for community councils in Missoula County. She recommended the Council review these and update their by-laws since they have not been changed since t...
OVANDO – More than a dozen people dressed in fur enjoyed an evening out at The Stray Bullet in Ovando at the end of February. While most would agree it was an unusual sight, that is exactly the reason Trapper Bob Sheppard and his wife Terry started the annual Fur Dinner nearly 10 years ago. "It is a fun way to promote the benefits of fur and a good reason to enjoy a meal at a local restaurant, during a dark cold evening," Terry wrote in an email. The Sheppards were the only people at the f...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) winter sports awards banquet was held March 15 at Seeley-Swan High School. Boys and girls basketball players were recognized for their participation and performance during the season. Each player receives a letter after participating in the required number of varsity games or meets. They receive a pin for every activity for which they meet the varsity requirements. For every year they meet the varsity requirements after receiving their pin in a specific activity, they receive a chevron....
SEELEY LAKE – With vinyl records suspended from the ceiling and hung as a backdrop, the intimate club atmosphere Sunday afternoon set the stage for LP and The Vinyl 2 Valleys Stage concert in the Seeley Lake Community Hall. The four San Diego-based musicians took the audience on a journey through the decades offering arrangements from favorite artists including the Beatles and Stevie Wonder, jazz standards and original compositions. As they sipped on their beverage of choice and enjoyed hors d...
POTOMAC – With only seven girls out for the Potomac School Girls Basketball team not only did they see a lot of playing time, Head Coach Beth Copenhaver said there was a lot of improvement. The Pioneers finished sixth in the Copper League Tournament. "I've been most proud of the effort that they put on the court," Copenhaver said. "At the end of the day, if you go out and put everything out there and you work your hardest, that is what matters, that is what we count as a win – that we put our...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Fire Board voted March 15 to increase the base rates for ambulance service from $600 - $750 to $1,177 - $1,339 depending on the level of care. With this adjustment in rates, the board also approved Fire Chief Dave Lane to increase the base pay he is offering for the paramedic/firefighter position outreach from $40,000 to $50,000. The board also heard comments from the public regarding unprofessional conduct and a request to develop a strategic plan. Ambulance R...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary Eagles finished the season as the Copper League Champions after beating Bonner for first place March 17. Head Coach Bradley Miller said it was a great season, with a lot of improvements. "I was a very, very lucky coach this year," Miller said. "I did a lot and I had to do a lot but they made it really easy towards the end of the season. They all figured it out and got together as a team and decided what they wanted to do and they went out and did it. That m...
BILLINGS, MONTANA – Seeley-Swan High School Business Professionals of America (BPA) Club competed at the State BPA Leadership Conference in Billings March 13 – 15. Five SSHS students joined 91 chapters and over 1,000 top competitors from across Montana. SSHS BPA Advisor Michele Holmes said she is very proud of all the students that attended as well as the team's fourth place finish in Global Marketing and Club President Tru Good's top 20 finish in National Promotional Photography. This is the se...
SEELEY LAKE – Raymond "Ray" Cebulski, not yet 18-years-old, was riding a green colt up a hill when a half-blind dog ran into the back of it. The colt turned around and started bucking downhill. "It is dang hard to ride a bucking horse downhill because you keep gaining altitude," Cebulski said and laughed. "Finally I went over his head and laid on my hands and knees right in front of him. It sounded to me like he was hitting the ground right between my legs. I was jumping just like a bullfrog -...
SEELEY LAKE – "Mom those little raccoons grew up, climbed down from the tree and ran away a long time ago," Keith told his mother Betty Vanderwielen after she told him she was finally going to finish writing the raccoon book she had started years earlier. She said she replied to him, "'They can't. Until I have Lance rescue them, raise them and release them, they are always up in that tree waiting to be rescued.' Whether the book ever gets published or not, I have to write it for my own peace of...
SEELEY LAKE – At their March 8 meeting, the Seeley-Swan Hospital District discussed the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) requirements as it applies to contractors, vendors and the Hospital District Board of Trustees (Board). Partnership Health Center (PHC) asked the Board to sign a letter acknowledging that the board members entering PHC facilities on official business are vaccinated or have an approved medical or religious exemption. The CMS mandate does not apply to the public. The CMS Mandate states, “In order to best prote...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley Lake Elementary Junior High Band and Choirs took the state with the Seeley-Swan High School Choir and Band in an early spring concert March 8. Many of the selections they will be performing at the District Music Festival in April....
SEELEY LAKE – Even though the day ice fishing on Seeley Lake started slow, things picked up when Dani Sexton, 17 of Seeley Lake, and her friend Tristan Whitney of Missoula hooked into an eight-pound brown trout Friday, March 4. Caught on a tip-up baited with smelt, the pair expected a nice pike but instead pulled up the 27-inch trout. While Sexton enjoys fishing in the summer, she does not care for the cold so she rarely goes ice fishing. She said Whitney is an avid fisherman and hunter. He brou...
SEELEY LAKE – Thursday, March 3 the Seeley-Swan High School Drama Class took to the stage for the debut of "The Play." SSHS Senior Oskar Murphy wrote the production which he helped direct along with senior Crystal Lopez and Drama Teacher Katy Pellett. The production opened in the throne room of King Eildue (Oskar Murphy). His kingdom had been attacked. While Prince Freddrich (Tyler Neher) was eager to fight, he was not of age. King Eildue threw him in the dungeon for his over-zealous defense o...
MISSOULA – With the implementation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health care worker vaccination rule that went into effect Feb. 14, Seeley-Swan Medical Clinic and the other Partnership Health Center facilities report that more than 99% of their staff are in compliance with the mandate. PHC Director of Communications Eric Halverson was pleased to report that PHC will not see any diminished services and they have not lost any staff at the Seeley-Swan Medical Center and everyone will remain employed. He added it is unc...
POTOMAC – At their March 1 meeting, the Greenough-Potomac Fire Board and Developer John Richards discussed their needs and concerns regarding building a fourth fire station on the Fire Department’s property on Blanchard Creek. Several questions were identified that Richards and the Board hope to address at the Board’s April meeting. The Greenough-Potomac Board of Trustees and Richards signed the original agreement Sept. 4, 2007. The agreement stated that the Department would exchange their property on Sperry Grade for at least an acre and a...
SEELEY LAKE – From painting to commercial fishing, plumbing to electrical, and construction to excavating, Seeley Lake resident John Mills is putting his diverse experience to work in the area. He started General Building Repairs Handyman Services last spring in the Swan Valley. After moving to Seeley Lake last fall, he is expanding his services to Seeley Lake, Potomac and Ovando with customer satisfaction as his number one priority. Mills' father was a painter. He learned most of his p...
SEELEY LAKE - The Board of Supervisors for the Missoula Conservation District approved three grants from their winter grant cycle to support local conservation. Among the recipients was Seeley-Swan High School. SSHS received a $500 Operation Mini Grant for students in high school science classes to continue water quality monitoring of Morrell Creek near the high school. SSHS Science Teacher Gretchen Watkins applied for the grant after they lost the funding from the Seeley Lake Sewer District this past fall. The Sewer District originally signed...
SEELEY LAKE – "Has any one been offered money from the Nigerian Prince?" Missoula County Sheriff's Office Detective Garrett Van Hoose asked Seeley-Swan High School students. While his question was met with laughter, Van Hoose continued with a serious conversation about child exploitation through the Internet, cyberbullying and their effects at a presentation at SSHS Feb. 22. In his nearly 20 years in law enforcement and the last five with the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force,...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School Senior Tegan Mauldin was voted the Missoulian's Prep Athlete of the Week March 2. Mauldin tallied 44 points over four divisional basketball games in Frenchtown, including 16 in a loser-out game and 12 in the third-place game, both team highs. Mauldin did not starting playing basketball at Seeley Lake Elementary until junior high. "I didn't want to be in front of people, that was terrifying," Maudlin said. She decided to go out for the team in seventh grade...
SEELEY LAKE – When Blaze Vandine, owner of Spartan Kennels in Seeley Lake, read the article about the Swan Valley Neighborhood Watch, he could not help but reach out to offer another solution for property and home protection. "No one mentioned dogs," Vandine said. "It is up to people what they want to do but this is an option if they want instant protection." While there are several breeds of dogs that can protect property, Vandine has fallen in love with the Caucasian Ovcharka, also known as a...
SEELEY LAKE – With the sun high in the sky and temperatures reaching into the mid-20s Saturday, Feb. 26, runners returned to the traditional course for the 43rd annual Snow Joke Half Marathon around Seeley Lake. While the field of 350 racers was primarily from Montana, the footrace also drew runners from Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. With only a few local racers, this year's winner Layne Ryerson and brother Clayton spent summers in Seeley Lake as youths. Running in t...
SEELEY LAKE - "We take pride in what we do," said Arrowhead Condos Head Housekeeper Amy Jorgensen. "I don't think you can go anywhere in Missoula and find as clean of an establishment as we [have] here." While Jorgensen makes a bold statement, her claim is backed with the prestigious RCI Silver Crown Resort® award, a recognition Arrowhead Condos has received for the past 12 years after receiving ratings above 4.8 of 5 from visitors. "The Silver Crown means we have met or exceeded the...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School board addresses correspondence and received updates from Superintendent Josh Gibbs at their Feb. 22 meeting. The school board received correspondence from a Seeley Lake resident and retired teacher asking if the school was teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT). The board reviewed the state Attorney General’s opinion on CRT that stated it was not to be taught in schools. Gibbs added the Office of Public Instruction gave them the same direction earlier in the year. “It is nothing we are teach...
