Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 30
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana Senator Jon Tester’s Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act was heard in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday, Sept. 16. The U.S. Forest Service spoke in support of the BCSA and shared concerns after representatives expressed that they would work together towards the act’s intended goals. The next phase will be a vote among all committee members that has not been scheduled yet. If passed, the BCSA will move on to the full Senate for a vote. Tester’s office said he is encouraged by the h...
SEELEY LAKE - Reimagining Rural is a new virtual event series that aims to develop self-reflective discussions among residents to help improve rural communities. The Seeley Lake Community Foundation is hosting the three part series, the first of which was presented Tuesday, Sept. 15. The intent was to address negative perceptions common in current discussions regarding small towns. Keynote speaker Ben Winchester from the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality presented h...
SEELEY LAKE - "Charlie was an individual who walks into a room and meets all sorts of different people. When he walks out of the room, he's got 20 new friends," said Mark Wilson, Charlie Wolff's neighbor on Big Sky Lake and in Green Valley, Arizona. "He took an interest in people and what they did." Friends, neighbors and others who loved Charlie and the Cahoon family gathered Friday at Double Arrow Golf Course for the First Annual Charlie Wolff Memorial Golf Tournament. Charlie along with his...
In the days before social media networks took the country by storm, the media portrayed images of the "perfect body" or "dream house" in magazines, advertisements and on television. Now, with the evolution of social media, the exposure to people around the world, increases the opportunity for connection and comparison. When developing a sense of self, this can be a slippery slope if the road is not purposefully defined. While science lags in understanding the role of social media in shaping ones...
Have you ever met a person that seems to shine - because they listen, smile, reflect and then actually respond directly to you? Have you been believing respect, being heard and part of the process in driving together toward a better way to reach and provide opportunities is not readily valued today? Do you believe that best decisions are made by those that live and invest their hearts and energy into this place we call home, not the dictates of party power strategies? Find stability and hope in Juanita Vero’s run for County Commissioner. A...
Since ballots will soon be in the mail, I have some concerns about our local elected representative, Mike Hopkins. If you’re not familiar, Mike moved here from California where his mommy was busy suing Danville, California for two years over his traffic tickets. She later also sued the moving company who brought her here to the house she bought for little Mikey in the South Hills. She even sued the local Republican Women’s group when they weren’t running the way she thought they should. Is Mike really a Republican? He talks a big game, but w...
In the late 1800’s my great, great grandfather came west from Missouri and settled with his family in a wooded area near Alberton. He was drawn to Western Montana, he said, by the power and beauty of the Rocky Mountain front. My grandpa owned and operated a small sawmill, which paved the way for my father’s introduction to the wood products industry. When I was a child, my dad’s work took my family to various Montana locations including the community of Seeley Lake, which is just down the road from where I now live. As a native Montanan with...
When does PUBLIC LAND cease to belong to the public? Many years ago various entities decided that the general public was not entitled to use public land. What to do? They convinced the US government to turn some 70,000 acres of public land into a wilderness study area thusly removing it from public use until a study was made to determine wither it fulfilled the parameters to become part of a very special designation of WILDERNESS. Studies were done and it was determined qualifications were lacking. So here they are some 15 or 20 years later,...
As a County Commissioner, Juanita Vero continues to provide us with the dynamic and successful leadership necessary to lead Missoula County through these particularly challenging times. Her long-successful ranching business in the Greenough area has taught Commissioner Vero how to be a business owner, an employer and a taxpayer sensitive to the needs of rural communities and people across western Montana. In virtually every public meeting that I have attended where Ms. Vero has been present, she has been professional, colorful, respectful,...
Raph Graybill is one of the most talented lawyers I have met. A fifth generation Montanan he currently serves as Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Bullock. He has work experience as both an attorney and a police officer. He has practiced before the US Supreme Court and also won a landmark decision before the Montana Supreme Court to protect public lands. He sued the IRS successfully preventing dark out-of-state money to invade Montana elections. His opponent intends to join a lawsuit that would terminate the Affordable Care Act. It would rip...
Guilt and feeling guilty are extremely common. Guilt describes a condition or state of being, while feeling guilty describes, well, a feeling. Why do we experience the two and is it important to ask the question? Let me begin by reminding you that there are four basic emotions: fear, anger, happy and sad. So, it seems that guilt is not a basic emotion. In fact, it's not an emotion at all. Although it is a psychological condition with an associated feeling, it is quite different than an emotion....
Missoula County Fire Protection agencies want to remind residents and visitors that fire danger remains High in the Missoula area and that outdoor burning by permit is still closed. Some wetting rain and a brief respite in heat and smoke can be deceiving but not was not enough to fully replenish the dry fuels – the danger of fire remains. The weather forecast does call for potential moisture and a higher than normal chance of precipitation in the six to 10-day outlook, but the forecast also calls for dry, windy conditions later this week. F...
Over 70,000 ballots will be mailed out Friday, Oct. 9 to registered Missoula County voters for the November General Election. Residents will be able to register and vote during a satellite event in Seeley Lake from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Seeley Lake Tax Extension Office, 3360 HWY 83 N. hosted by the Missoula County Elections Center. All mail ballots are due by 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 at the Elections Office at 140 N. Russell St. Votes must be received by then, not postmarked. Postage will be paid on all mail ballots for the...
ROY, WASHINGTON - Proud parents Kevin and Jackie Jones of Roy, Washington happily announce the birth of their daughter named Bristol Michel Jones. Bristol was born on Sept. 14. She weighed 10 pounds, 2 ounces and was 21 inches long. Also welcoming Bristol are excited grandparents Randy and Sharon Teague of Seeley Lake, Mary Lynn Jones of Seeley Lake and Noel Jones of Portland, Oregon....
As we head into fall, it’s a time of reflection on this past year and all that was accomplished on numerous projects with our strong group of partners. As spring arrived, we had many questions as to how our field season would unfold with COVID restrictions. As it turns out it was one of our most productive years to date thanks in large part to the network of partnerships working together on these important projects. Project season began in April up in Lincoln with work on a spring creek tributary to the upper Blackfoot. We restored over 2...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board continued discussing holding a bond election and rejected an ordinance reinforcing a resolution mandating connections at its Sept. 17 meeting. The Board also received a proposal that would keep the District from having to pay $350,000 in legal bills to defend the District from Don Larson’s lawsuit. In other business the Board approved paying its past due legal bills after negotiations, the Board gave a landowner a letter stating it wouldn’t initiate annexing their property and Director Pat G...
My wife and I moved to Seeley Lake in August of 1993. Wayne and his wife Sandee were among the first people we met here in Seeley Lake. In fact, during our first Sunday worship service at Mission Bible Fellowship, back when service was still held upstairs, I believe we literally met everyone who attended that morning, and it seemed to me most of them had the last name of Cahoon! There was Melvin and his family, John and his family, Ralph and his family, and Wayne, Sandee, David and Chelsea (Christian and Joshua had not yet been born). Wayne...
POTOMAC - The Potomac Elementary School Board unanimously approved the Montana School Board Association fall policy updates during their virtual meeting Monday, Sept. 14. They also discussed the first COVID case at the school. The primary reasons for the policy updates were language changes around sexual harassment policies and procedures which required a re-confirmation of all of the listed policies. Students can no longer report sexual harassment anonymously to decrease the potential of false claims. The other policy updates outside of...
SEELEY LAKE – Members of the public continued to express their concerns surrounding the Seeley Lake Fire Department leadership and board oversight at the Fire Board meeting Sept. 15. While some of the concerns have been addressed, there are others that the public feels the board should investigate further. Lavonne Dunster and Cristine Matheny spoke during public comment. Both of them emphasized that they want to support the department and help it get better. That is the main reason they feel they need to speak up. They also said they have n...
SEELEY LAKE - Wildlife officials captured and relocated a male grizzly bear in Seeley Lake late last week after repeated incidents of pursuing garbage and other attractants at campgrounds and home sites in the area. The bear did not have a prior history of conflicts and was collared and relocated to a remote area in the Whitefish Mountain Range in northwest Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks confirms there are still other bears in the Seeley Lake area, currently seeking out garbage and other food sources around homes and recreation areas....
SEELEY LAKE - Local golfers came together over the weekend and raised more than $5,000 for Seeley-Swan Blackhawks Athletics as well as honored the life and legacy of Mike Haley at the first annual Mike Haley Memorial Golf Tournament. The tournament took place Saturday afternoon at Double Arrow Golf Course. It was organized by Mike's son Jacob Haley. Mike was killed in a vehicle accident May 5, 2019. Jacob said the tournament acts as a way to memorialize his father as well as the plane accident...
SWAN VALLEY - Flathead National Forest staff and concessionaires are preparing campgrounds and other recreation sites to close or move to primitive status for the winter season. Many campgrounds are available for primitive camping in the off-season, meaning that campsites are not regularly maintained, toilets may be closed and potable water systems are shut off. Dispersed camping in non-developed campground areas is also available in the off-season. People should rely on Motor Vehicle Use Maps to identify appropriate dispersed camping areas....
ST IGNATIUS – The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks headed over the mountains to take on the Bulldogs Sept. 18. Ahead of the game the Blackhawks accepted an invitation to participate in a presentation and discussion on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The Blackhawks and Bulldogs stood together as one team during the presentation. In a letter of gratitude and thanks to Seeley-Swan's coaches and athletes, St. Ignatius' Principal Shawn Hendrickson explained that St. Ignatius has students and staff w...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks made quick work of the Darby Tigers and the Drummond Trojans this last week. The Lady Blackhawks beat both in three sets. Taking the court at home Sept. 17, the Lady Blackhawks showed their support for the Cahoon family with #CahoonStrong written on their warmups and on posters on the wall. "The SSHS volleyball and all of our teams and players are very deeply saddened by Wayne's death. Wayne's family has supported us all though the years," wrote s...
If the early history of Seeley Lake is intertwined with the lumber industry, the rise of the United States Forest Service is incontrovertibly intertwined with Seeley Lake and in particular with the Big Blackfoot Timber Sale of 1907-1910. Historian and member of the Camp Paxson Preservation Board Gary Williams has been researching that sale. The Seeley Swan Pathfinder will be bringing some of the interesting bits of information he has discovered about logging in the Seeley Lake area and also...
