Sorted by date Results 1 - 21 of 21
SEELEY LAKE – Missoula resident John Rice has requested year-round access to his property on Cottonwood Lakes Road, National Forest System Road (NFSR) No. 477, from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Lolo National Forest (LNF). The Cottonwood Lakes Road has been closed to wheeled vehicle travel from Dec. 1 – April 30 since January 1994. Rice seeks to ensure wheeled-vehicle access through the winter for himself and his descendants and feels the USFS is refusing to honor past contractual agreements. Rice purchased a half section of property in Powell...
SEELEY LAKE – With the exception of a few finishing touches, the improvements to Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) are complete. The improvements were funded through Missoula County Public School's (MCPS) bond. The community is invited to a Celebration of the Arts Open House April 12 from 7-8:30 p.m. to see the new auditorium, enjoy refreshments and cake and listen to a variety of SSHS students and the Seeley Swan Mountain Bells perform. Voters approved the MCPS bond in November 2015. Of the $70 m...
On Friday, March 22 Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) junior high students took their biannual trip to Helena to visit Montana Wild and the State Capitol. Students participated in three different Montana Wild programs and were able to watch the Senate in action as well as meet Governor Steve Bullock. The junior high takes this trip every other year when the legislature is in session. SLE Civics Teacher Duane Schlabach has his students follow a bill of their choice in Civics class so they understand t...
What is a REAL (NATIVE) Montanan? Reading the editorials, it seems that a Real Montanan MUST be completely honorable and trust worthy. No other person can be capable of these traits. I have looked at several reference books with little success. If one is a Montanan, is it an imperative that they are honorable and upstanding? If one is NOT a Real Montanan, I suppose that they cannot be trusted. I have found that back when Montana became a state there was already a need for ac justice system and law enforcement. Obviously, people living here in...
That was a great guest column article by Senator Fred Thomas in the March 21 edition of the Missoulian. Senator Thomas was right on target with respect to mismanagement of our public lands by the Federal Government and the tremendous waste created by senseless lawsuits filed by environmental groups. Given the facts that Senator Thomas has exposed in his article to the Missoulian, if Governor Bullock thinks the State of Montana cannot do a better job of managing our public lands, then just imagine what a competent governor that believes in his...
It may interest the voters of Montana to know that Rob Quist, the democratic nominee for the special election to the U.S. House of Representatives, is a supporter of Sanctuary Cities. He recently stated such on the statewide radio program, Voices of Montana. The practices of sanctuary cities are in direct violation of the rule of law and US immigration policy. Why would any candidate for any office support a blatantly illegal practice? If Mr. Quist doesn’t respect the rule of law, how can he uphold the Constitution? If he should be elected, h...
Have you ever found yourself performing a particular behavior and immediately repeating it, or thinking about something that was followed by a specific behavior, and repeating the combination at different times during the day or week? Or maybe there is a special routine that you perform to help you overcome anxiety or difficulties. Most people experience one, or more, of these behaviors in their daily lives. For example, you're leaving the house to meet a friend but the woodstove is full of...
SWAN VALLEY - Members of the Swan Valley Regional Planning Committee (SVRPC) discussed at length the community’s concern that the regional draft plan editing was taking too much time at their meeting March 23. They also addressed and voted on edits to the Land Use Element of the draft plan referring to community comments and edits by attorney Colleen Dowdall and journalist Suzanne Vernon. Community member Dan Maloughney said community members he talks to are wondering if this is becoming a “committee plan and not a community plan” becau...
SEELEY LAKE - Alpine Artisans, Inc. (AAI) is offering youth art grants and a senior scholarship to help young people pay for art, drama, dance or music educational activities any time through June 2018. Deadline to apply is April 26. All K-12 students attending schools, or homeschooled, in the Blackfoot and Seeley-Swan Valleys are eligible for the Youth Grants. The maximum youth grant award is $200 to help with tuition and expenses for art, drama, dance, or music workshops, camps or lessons....
Grizzly and black bears are emerging from dens, based on radio collar locations, track reports and observations. Biologists say that males tend to emerge earlier than females; with the warming weather and increasing day length, more bears will be emerging in the coming weeks. As grizzly and black bears emerge, they will be moving to lower elevations to take advantage of the green-up of vegetation. After a bear emerges, it takes a few weeks for its digestive system to get back to normal; the bear has been in the den for four to five months witho...
HELENA - Montana’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, in a special teleconference meeting this week, approved new rules for boaters at Canyon Ferry and Tiber reservoirs. The rules are part of Montana’s response to the discovery of invasive mussel larvae last fall in Tiber Reservoir and a suspected sample from Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Approved on March 22, the rules require boaters to launch and exit Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs at designated boat ramps, unless they are officially certified as local boaters by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Par...
SEELEY LAKE – The miniature cabin on Highway 83 at Bison and Bear Center will once again be offering coffee and light breakfast foods to early morning risers and others working, shopping, recreating or just passing through Seeley Lake. The former Moose B’ Mornin Espresso will open April 1 under the name Crescent Mountain Coffee and with new proprietor Gus Batchelder. A 2016 graduate of Seeley-Swan High School, Batchelder attended Montana State University (MSU) last fall. After one semester he...
MISSOULA – The Northern Region is inviting the public to help identify trails that will be part of a U.S. Forest Service effort with partners and volunteers to increase the pace of trail maintenance. Nationwide, the Forest Service will select nine to 15 priority areas among its nine regions where a backlog in trail maintenance has contributed to reduced access, potential harm to natural resources or trail users and/or has the potential for increased future deferred maintenance costs. The Northern Region manages more than 28,000 miles of t...
To quote the inspired words of Forrest Gump is to call to mind the simple fact that often we are the cause of our own troubles. “Our own worst enemy,” as my father used to say. How this happens is often a process. A process of thought or, to be more specific, wrong thought. Several verses of Scripture can point us to the genesis of that wrong thinking. The book of Judges recalls a time when, “Each man did what was right in his own eyes,” yet Proverbs 21:2 reminds us, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord ponders the heart...
Liz Schwartz’s brother overdosed in their parents’ garage after sucking prescription opioids out of a used fentanyl patch. His mother found him on the floor and immediately called an ambulance. He made it to the hospital in time and survived. But within a year, Schwartz’s father overdosed the same way. He, too, survived. “You think the addict is getting clean, or they’re on the right track to getting there and there’s setbacks like that,” Schwartz said. “It’s terrifying.” While Montana’s drug of choice for decades has been methamphetamine,...
HELENA -- With the special congressional election quickly approaching, Montana lawmakers heard heated testimony on a bill last week that would allow counties to opt for mail-in ballots. Senate Bill (SB) 305, introduced by Sen. Steve Fitzpatrick, R-Great Falls would just apply to the upcoming special election between Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist -- both vying for the congressional seat vacated by now Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. "This election is going to be very expensive...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake Elementary (SLE) eighth-grader Amber Koepke has stepped up to the mat as the only female wrestler on the Seeley Lake Wrestling Team. After starting the season a few weeks behind the rest of the team, she has one match under her belt and looks forward to competing in the All-City Championship April 6 at Sentinel High School. Koepke said she grew up loving the feeling of being different. Instead of playing with stereotypical girls' toys like Barbie and doing makeup, s...
Do you sometimes think the state is being inundated with new ways and we are losing the real Montana? In some places perhaps yes, but most of the state is still the Montana we have always known and perceived. It is only in a small percentage of the state's mass where this change has actually taken place. The last census showed Montana, the fourth-largest state in the nation in terms of landmass, as having 989,415 folks residing within its borders. We use the 2010 census, as it provides the most...
MISSOULA - "Rhythms of the West" is a collaborative exhibition of art created by Bobbe Almer and Steve Woodhouse. The exhibition will open at the E3 Gallery, 229 W Main Street in Missoula, Friday, April 7, at 5 p.m. with a free public reception featuring music by Jami Kidd. This must-see exhibition pulls together scenes and materials that express what these artists see in ordinary life west of the Rockies. Both artists will be present at the opening to demonstrate and share insight into their...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan High School (SSHS) winter sports awards banquet was held March 14 at Seeley-Swan High School. The banquet was held to present varsity letters, pins, chevrons, All-Conference and Academic All-State awards to members of the SSHS varsity winter sports team members. Lady Blackhawks Head Coach Shawn Holmes highlighted some of the stats for the seniors on the team. They have a high school career record of 91 wins and 11 loses. The seniors have won four conference and dist...
Cakes for Canines to Support Local Animal Shelter April 3 SEELEY LAKE - Join the crew from Paws Up Animal Shelter from Potomac at Pop’s Place Monday, April 3 for the annual Cakes for K9s event. This is a donation breakfast complete with pancakes, bacon and eggs. All proceeds benefit the shelter. There will also be a board with 40 squares; $5 per square or 5 for $20. There are many prizes to be won including a diamond ring, 1968 proof set of coins, one of Juan de Santa Anna’s photos, Neman Marcus unisex bathrobe and a 16X20 photo of your pet or...
