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SEELEY LAKE – "Not only do I get to witness better condition of things but people who come here for tourist seasons get to experience it," said Seeley-Swan High School senior Madison Hinchey. "I know that I helped make it better for them." Hinchey's sentiments were echoed by many of the SSHS students and staff as they connected to the wider community through eight service projects with the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, Seeley Lake Ranger District, Seeley Lake Nordic Club and Camp Paxson during...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board gave Great West Engineering the go-ahead to work toward completing the final design of Phase 1 of the collections system and the wastewater treatment plant during an engineering work session Sept. 24. The board also kept the force main route going up Cedar Lane, discussed the required user agreements, RV dump stations and voted to obtain updated construction cost estimates for Phase 3 and 4 of the collection system. Great West Engineering's A...
MISSOULA - Wildland fire officials with the Missoula County Fire Protection Association (MCFPA) have dropped fire danger within Missoula County from high to moderate. Fall burning is now open for those with a permit. Recent days have seen lower temperatures, higher relative humidity and widespread precipitation is forecasted for this coming week. Because of this, MCFPA officials have decided to open Fall Burning Oct. 1 – Nov. 30. Fall Burning is available only to those with Essential Agricultural and Prescribed Wildland Permits. In the fall, b...
SEELEY LAKE – Paintings, photographs, prints and quilted images of wildland fire hung on display in the Seeley Lake Community Hall Saturday, Sept. 29. Every image told a story and each piece invoked different reactions and conversations from those who engaged. The art was meshed with a presentation on the newest fire science to foster conversations about how to deal with wildfire in the environment. University of Idaho Department of Forest, Rangeland and Fire Science Professor Penny Morgan a...
I am supporting Lee Bridges for HD92 and here is why. Lee had left information cards on our door during the primary election in June and has personally been by twice since August. We were never home. Finally we were able to talk at two different “meet Lee Bridges” events. I decided it was time to learn more about this person than her party affiliation and her “around the world life” with her career military family and her passion for motorcycles. Yes, I like her style. I would describe it as down to earth, sincere and reflective. These charact...
SEELEY LAKE - The fine reporting effort by Andi Bourne on the Seeley Lake Community Park reveals how badly we have failed as a community in maintaining this valuable asset. Back in the eighties we played a LOT of baseball at the community park. There were four different leagues using the park: a pee wee, a women’s fastpitch, a men’s fastpitch and a co-rec slowpitch. The park was teeming with players and spectators virtually every night of the week and on the weekends for most of the summer. Visiting teams came from Deer Lodge, Clinton, Avo...
I’m writing today to support Mike Hopkins for reelection in House District 92. Over the last two legislative sessions he has demonstrated the ability to navigate the legislative process with professionalism and bipartisanship. His seniority of serving a third term would make him a stronger voice for the residents of his district and Missoula County. He serves on House Appropriations, Infrastructure and the Legislative Finance committees. Mike has worked hard to prevent the creation of new taxes on Montana families and has worked to simplify r...
Medicaid expansion through I-185 is a bad deal for Montanans and presents serious issues for future legislative sessions and state budget discussions. In 2015 when Medicaid expansion was passed, there were months of heated debate between both sides. It was eventually passed but only after both sides agreed to include a “sunset clause” that provided a statutory appropriation through 2019 and would require the 2019 legislative session to re-approve the program. This was done so that the legislature could take a serious look at the pro...
SEELEY LAKE - The next meeting of the Seeley Lake Community Council promises a full agenda. The Council will hear proponents and opposing views on all four Ballot Propositions: LR-128, the proposed levy to support the University system, will be supported by State Senator Tom Facey. At press time the Council is still looking for somebody to take the opposing viewpoint. LR-129, the prohibition for people to collect other people’s ballots, will be supported by State Representative Mike Hopkins and opposed by Facey. I-185, the proposed tobacco t...
OVANDO — Bear activities continue in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Region 1. A young male grizzly was relocated from the Ovando to the Flathead National Forest after getting into unsecured garbage. Montana is bear country. Black bears and grizzly bears are actively seeking food sources before winter. FWP personnel captured the young male grizzly bear near Ovando Sept. 19 and moved it to a remote section of Flathead National Forest land near Marias Pass. The 190-pound subadult male was eating unsecured garbage on residential property in the O...
Happy Fall, Now that temperatures are dipping it's once again time to apply for Low Income Energy Assistance (LIEAP) and Weatherization! The State of Montana, through the Department of Public Health and Human Services, offers two programs to help individuals reduce their heating costs. The Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) pays part of winter energy bills for eligible people; and the Weatherization Program helps participants improve the heating efficiency of their homes and thus...
Thanks to public meetings, growing partnerships and many conversations with local residents and business, The Nature Conservancy has learned a great deal in the four years since acquiring 117,000 acres of land in the Seeley-Swan area. Time and time again, we are reminded that conservation and community go hand in hand. Sustainable conservation needs a healthy community and healthy communities need conservation. We know that when problems come up and issues need to be addressed on the landscape, the only way they get solved is when people work...
SEELEY LAKE - Some of the youngest students at Seeley Lake Elementary have been some of the most successful gardeners. For the past four years Seeley Lake kindergartners have planted vegetables in planters in the courtyard of the school, then harvested them as first graders. The first year they actually started as pre-kindergartners, working with teacher Sheila Devins moving rock and soil from outside into courtyard planters that maintenance man John Devins built. Then they planted carrots that...
POTOMAC - Ashley Olsen is the new second and third grade teacher at Potomac School. Olsen looks forward to learning and growing in the classroom, deepening her teaching knowledge and meaningfully shaping her students' lives through poetry, reading and song. Hailing from Minnesota, Olsen began her schooling at Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Religion in 2011. She moved from Minnesota to Montana in 2012 and has lived in Western Mo...
We are currently going through concerning times with political issues as a nation. There is a great amount of division affecting all levels of government. Every day seems to bring fresh news of problems and scandals. But this is nothing new. Every generation has faced troubling times and seasons with what is happening with government and politics. The Bible gives us both comfort and wisdom as we observe what happens around us in politics. We should never wring our hands in despair but instead...
Retired Browning educator Larry Woolf spent 11 years as a teacher and 15 as a guidance counselor in public schools on the Blackfeet Reservation. He has seen, again and again, the devastating pain of teenage suicide. "Working in the schools, I'd gone to enough funerals for kids," he said in an interview this spring. The pain of losing those young people motivated Woolf to become a trainer in a new mental health program for teenagers - a program he hopes will sharply reduce the rate of teenage...
SEELEY LAKE - Seeley-Swan High School celebrated Homecoming Saturday, Sept. 29. Students participated in the annual parade through downtown Seeley Lake and football and volleyball home games. The Cross Country team raced in Missoula at the Mountain West Classic and rushed home to join the festivities. For those that were dual athletes, they had a busy day. The juniors won the float competition with sophomores selected for second place. Seniors Chance Johnson and Madison Hinchey were named the...
SEELEY LAKE - The Seeley-Swan Blackhawks hosted the Victor Pirates for their Homecoming game Sept. 29. The Blackhawks came out strong and put points on the board in the first 13 seconds of play. Chance Johnson received the Pirates' kickoff and returned it to the 32. From there Hunter Sokoloski was able to hit Dakota Wood on the first offensive play of the game for a 48-yard touchdown. The Blackhawks found pay dirt once more in the first quarter when Avery Smith was able to break away for a...
The Seeley-Swan Lady Blackhawks hosted the Hot Springs Savage Heat for their Homecoming match Sept. 29. The Heat was turned up right from the start and the Lady Blackhawks fell hard in game one, 16-25. The Ladies didn't let it go to their heads and answered back with a 25-23 victory in the second game. Game three was another close one with the Savage Heat coming out on top 21-25. Again the Lady Blackhawks answered back with a 25-18 in game four to send the match to a fifth game. As if the fans...
The Seeley-Swan High School cross country team turned heads and earned recognition this past week. Sariah Maughan, Hannah Ayers and Jayla Kauffman placed first as a three-person team in Arlee, Sept. 25. Sariah and Emily Maughan placed in the top 15 at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula, Sept. 29 and Cordell Turner set a new personal record. Sariah is now ranked third in the state with her time from Arlee. Head Coach Zelda Haines also learned that eighth grader Emily Maughan also set a course...
Imagine a ballot initiative that would give every citizen in Montana $1,000 each year. That initiative would be very popular and would likely pass. But with a $1 billion price tag, it would result in a serious deficit for our state budget and require massive tax increases or cuts to other services. The authors of our Montana Constitution were wise to prevent these types of situations from occurring. Monetary appropriations by ballot initiative allow special interests to use the initiative process to reap windfalls of tax dollars and could bust...
The word ‘bamboozled’ isn’t one we use often nor is it understood anymore. However, if I-186 passes we’ll get a darn good reminder of its proper use. Bamboozled means the use of a ploy, ruse or scheme to achieve a specific goal. An example would be, “Tom Sawyer ‘bamboozled’ the neighborhood boys into doing it for him.” The proponents behind I-186 are presenting it as a much-needed solution, when in reality I-186 creates more problems than it solves. I-186 is a proposal to stop the future of mining in Montana that is being pushed almost e...
I am a proud Montanan and a veteran, and I support voter initiative I-185. About one in ten Montanans is a veteran, one of the highest per capita representation among all the states in America. Including the less fortunate among us Montanans, an estimated 9,500 veterans stand to lose their current healthcare coverage through Medicaid if I-185 does not pass. As a veteran I know first hand the sacrifices made by those who chose to serve our country, and the least we can do is provide healthcare coverage to those who have given up so much for our...
