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SEELEY LAKE – "Look Hale, they got their fishing pole snagged on something," Seeley Lake resident Laura Devins told her four-year-old son while they were out canoeing on Seeley Lake Saturday, May 2. "We were going to paddle over and see if we could help them but then we saw the line get really tight and it started to pull their boat around which was crazy. We realized it was a huge fish." Mike Deming of Manhattan, Mont. and his fishing buddy Justin Kitto came up for a day of fishing in the a...
SWAN VALLEY – An accident on Highway 83 just south of Holland Lake Road claimed the life of 29-year-old Melissa Ellis-Munoz on May 1 at approximately 3:30 p.m. According to Montana Highways Patrol Trooper TJ Templeton, Ellis-Munoz was traveling southbound when her silver Subaru left the roadway to the right side, over corrected and then rolled. Speed is not believed to be a factor but the accident is still under investigation. Templeton said Ellis-Munoz was restrained and suffered fatal injuries...
SEELEY LAKE – The light poles along Highway 83 are now decorated with the faces of the 19 seniors who will graduate from Seeley-Swan High School May 31. The joint effort between the Seeley-Swan High School Booster Club and Missoula Electric Cooperative was an effort to make the best out of the reality that this year's seniors will likely not have the ceremony and celebration from the community that classes in the past have had. Booster Club treasurer Kelly Hoag saw a story on social media w...
There has rarely been such an easy decision about which candidate to support in an election as we are faced with in Missoula County’s upcoming contest for County Commissioner. Juanita Vero, in her first year in office, has brought vigor, energy and transparency not seen before to that position. She has genuinely revitalized the Board of County Commissioners. I have known Juanita for many years. She has always impressed me with her intelligence and her dedication to the land and the people living on it. Her track record of volunteerism and p...
MISSOULA - Shannon O’Brien has our votes for Montana Senate District 46, not just because she is the most qualified candidate (which she is with 25 years of experience in public education and experience as a small business owner) but because of her experience in and dedication to building consensus across groups with multiple viewpoints in areas that concern all Montanans (i.e., climate, education, health and housing). We have known and worked with Shannon for almost 15 years and the trait we have seen her exhibit consistently and e...
To the Seeley Lake Elementary School Board Yesterday, I was informed that SLE will not resume as usual for the remaining school semester. Two of my grandchildren are currently receiving home schooling as required. One of my questions is how are you holding students accountable for handwriting and math assignments? Are these assignments graded and by what standard reflect your expectations? Another concern is how are the students being evaluated to determine they are ready to advance to the next grade? How are you ensuring students are passing...
Monica Tranel is a highly skilled lawyer who specializes in utility law and has practiced in front of the Public Service Commission (PSC) and in the courtroom defending consumers. She is full of energy. A two-time competitor in the Olympics, Tranel won a World Championship Gold for the U.S. Women’s Rowing Team. She will be the first Commissioner in years representing Montanans and not the giant corporations who shamelessly extort Montana’s utility customers with totally unwarranted rate hikes. Tranel will also be a powerful advocate for ren...
For the past several weeks, we Americans have been told we must stay at home. We have been told we cannot attend church. We have been told we cannot assemble in groups larger than ten. The state of Maryland has deployed drones to enforce social distances on people’s private property. In Wisconsin, a mother was cited for allowing her young daughter for playing outside in the front yard and notation was made in the police report of the incident the mother was being “uncooperative!” A Jewish family in New Jersey was told they could not condu...
Researchers say it takes 21 days to develop new habits. In that time, we’ve seen bewildering changes in our communities and around the world. What habits have we formed and which will endure? Despite the travel bans, quarantines, isolation and tragedy – and the roller coaster of emotions that follow, we’re seeing firsthand the exponential value of Nature in her simplest forms. In the last 21 days, we’ve seen many new faces connecting with the power of Nature and the emotional, mental and physical healing she provides. Listening to a creek,...
Q: My zucchini always produce poorly. Because of my altitude, I grow them in a hoop house or low plastic tunnel, whichever you call it. They do grow and eventually they flower but I have lots more male flowers than the female ones which make a squash. What can I do to get better production? A: It is a fact that zucchini are warm weather vegetables and their idea of an ideal summer is not what your garden can offer them. While you may not be able to create surroundings which will make the...
In our current situation it is more evident than ever the variety of roles teachers take on during the course of the school year. They provide guidance, support, a friendly ear and an education. I could not be more proud of our staff at SSHS. In the matter of a week they pulled a complete transformation. They moved their classes online, supported students through virtual meetings and have endured more staff meetings than anyone should have to! Thank you for everything you do for our students to...
Last week, the Bob Marshall Music Festival, LLC announced the cancellation of the 2020 festival. “We had hoped to be able to pull off the festival but with so many things up in the air, we have been forced to cancel,” organizers posted on their website. Factors that played into the decision included: not knowing at what phase of opening Montana would be; bands not sure if they would be able to make the trip while respecting quarantine; attendee survey feedback regarding the festival and the sanitation logistics of having hundreds of us cam...
SWAN VALLEY – "Normally you pick a place, you plan it all out, you get enough people, have enough time to put it all together. We are just going to have a few other things we need to do," said Edward Klassen, organizer of the Condon Community Easter Egg Hunt. "We want to celebrate all the blessings bestowed upon us." The Klassen family rescheduled the Condon Easter Egg Hunt for this Saturday, May 9 starting at 11 a.m. at the Condon Community Ball Field, off Highway 83 on the north end of the a...
Dear friends in Seeley-Swan, Missoula Aging Services introduced a new program called TeleCare. The TeleCare Program matches clients with volunteers for friendly assurance calls. Volunteers provide a check-in and phone call to older adults, or at-risk adults who are homebound and/or isolated. The goal of the program is to provide social connection and increased security for participants. How does the TeleCare Program work? • Brief telephone calls are arranged on a regular schedule • Friendly vol...
The community has wondered about the opening of Loving Hearts and the ability to donate items. I am available to take donations, however, Loving Hearts will not have regular working hours until May 27. If you would like to donate, please do not just leave items at the store. Call, text (406-670-5526) or email (mnewps@gmail.com) me prior to dropping things and someone can meet you. Last night a friend passing by called to inform me that there was a large pile left at the store. I, unfortunately, had already showered and was in my pajamas. I was...
SEELEY LAKE – Since economies around the world have ground to halt in the last month, there are very few industries that haven’t seen an impact. While the lumber prices have dropped an average of 20% in the last month for the products Pyramid Mountain Lumber, Inc. produces, Pyramid has remained operational through the coronavirus pandemic thanks to their employees. They are continuing to invest another $1.3 million in their phased upgrades to the mill. Chief Operations Officer Loren Rose said this year was lined up to be a really good yea...
It's an honor and privilege to serve resilient communities willing to take steps to overcome whatever challenge is before them. The Sheriff's Office and Detention Center are also working to meet the challenges of this pandemic to minimize impacts to our communities. The flexibility and great work by our patrol deputies, detectives, detention staff, administrative staff and search and rescue volunteers has allowed us to continue to protect and serve, complete time-sensitive civil process, issue...
These are historic days in Missoula County as our community copes with the changes and challenges of COVID-19. The Missoula County Elections Office and Elections Advisory Committee are looking ahead to June 2 and a primary election unlike any election in our history. In March, the governor’s office issued a directive giving counties the option to run the primary as an all-mail election, and county commissioners later approved a resolution to take advantage of that option. The EAC is grateful to the commission for approving the resolution. It e...
The Clearwater Junction watercraft inspection station opened April 18. Anyone transporting motorized or non-motorized watercraft is required, by law, to stop at all stations they encounter. This is an effort to protect Montana's waters and native aquatic species from aquatic invasive species (AIS). AIS, including diseases, are easily spread from one water body to the other. Because some aquatic invasive species are microscopic, standing water inside bilges, live wells, compartments, ballast tank...
I don't have much confidence in the idea that we humans evolved from pond scum but I know for certain that firearms and ammunition have evolved through the ages to give us the wonderful products we use today. I want to tell you the story of how we have gotten the guns and cartridges we have today, describing the advancements made that have resulted in the products we use today, one gun and/or one cartridge at a time. This column will do that with the .44 Magnum cartridge. I will begin with the...
So here is the best news of all – you don't even have to be athletic by nature to enjoy some of the work ROCKS is doing to promote fun outdoor activities. While a big part of ROCKS efforts are winter-based, with the ski trails and the skating rinks, springtime turns the local focus to enjoying more of the multi-use (hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding) trails above Placid Lake. Living in the pristine natural area of the Seeley Swan, the ROCKS team is working hard to promote free c...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking 10 to 12 individuals to serve as a statewide citizens group to collaboratively provide guidance for the new Montana Elk Management Plan. The group will be tasked with developing an issue statement about elk management and define meaningful and enduring principles that may guide future elk management decisions. The citizens group will represent a variety of stakeholders. Meetings will be facilitated to maintain objectivity, productivity and provide guidance. The Elk Management Plan Initial Guidance Citiz...
SEELEY LAKE – Traditionally, a large cheering crowd greets the first mushers to arrive in Nome, Alaska, the endpoint of the Iditarod dogsled race. Local musher Jessie Royer, who pushed into Nome March 18 for a triumphant third-place finish said, "It was very strange. It was kind of like a ghost town. Like there wasn't hardly anybody up there." That was just the beginning of Royer's abrupt initiation into the coronavirus pandemic raging around the world. Royer, now back at her home at Placid L...
The Seeley Lake Elementary voted unanimously May 1 to continue with distance learning through the end of the school year June 4. They also adopted a declaration of unforeseen emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic that allows them to continue to receive state funding through June 30. Following Governor Steve Bullock’s announcement to allow schools to reopen May 7, SLE Superintendent Daniel Schrock elicited feedback from SLE staff and parents and consulted with the Western Montana School Administrators, Missoula County Public Schools and S...
SWAN VALLEY – The Swan Valley School board voted unanimously at a special board meeting May 4 to not resume in-class instruction and unanimously adopted a declaration of unforeseen emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic that allows them to continue to receive state funding through June 30. Swan Valley School Principal Ralph King recommended that Swan Valley School finish out the school year using the distance learning model. He told the board he discussed the issue with other administrators and the Montana School Board Association (MSBA) off...
