Sorted by date Results 2592 - 2616 of 6337
SEELEY LAKE – Missoula County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Robert Parcell received the Montana Sheriffs & Peace Officers Association (MSPOA) Distinguished Career Award Aug. 17. He has been with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office for the past 38 and was nominated for the award by Missoula County Sheriff TJ McDermott. "There is not a person more deserving of this award," said McDermott. "Bob has served with honor, integrity and dedication throughout his entire career." Throughout his nearly four d...
As longtime volunteers grow older, many want to take a step back to allow for more travel and leisure time. What will volunteer organizations do to fill the void, and how can we keep older volunteers active? Many communities are struggling to find an answer. Wolf Point's Clint and Arlyss Long have been at the head of a small army of volunteers behind the Wild Horse Stampede, the oldest continuous rodeo in the state of Montana, for nearly 40 years. Along with the many challenges experienced...
Hot, dry conditions continue to dry fuels out, prompting Missoula County fire protection agencies to raise the fire danger in the Missoula area to VERY HIGH, effective midnight Aug. 18. Very high fire danger means that fires start easily from all causes, and immediately spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity. There are no new fire restrictions at this time and outdoor burning by permit remains closed in Missoula County as well as in our surrounding counties. Residents and visitors are urged to use extra caution when outdoors due to th...
SWAN VALLEY - Flathead National Forest firefighters are working on suppressing a fire in a remote area of the Swan Mountain Range. The Lion Creek Fire was reported Tuesday, Aug. 11, burning in heavy fuels on steep slopes. The lightning caused fire was 110 acres as of Monday, Aug. 17. With the hotter, drier weather, fire managers expect to see more active fire behavior in the coming days. The fire is burning approximately one mile outside the Bob Marshall Wilderness and four miles from other land ownership (DNRC). At 10:50 a.m. Aug. 11, a...
The Missoula County Election Advisory Committee restructured its membership to include three new, at-large members. Applicants with rural representation and a knowledge of underserved communities are preferred, but not required. The online application is open through Tuesday, Sept 1. Current bylaw and membership revisions reflect the EAC’s desire to ensure all Missoula County constituents have access to vote. One of the positions reassigned was the Libertarian central committee seat, which has been vacant for years, as there is no longer an e...
POTOMAC - Potomac School is preparing for students to return Aug. 26 since remaining closed after spring break in March. Principal John Rouse presented the re-opening plan and recommendations to the School Board at their Aug. 10 meeting. They agreed to open in-person with the opportunity for parents and students to engage in online at-home learning. The board also addressed several topics regarding the re-opening plan including face coverings, athletics and the eighth grade trip funds from last year. Rouse created a Safe Learning Plan which... Full story
SWAN VALLEY – At their meeting Aug. 11, the Swan Valley School Board voted 3 to 1 to approve Principal Ralph King’s recommended guidelines for reopening Sept. 8. The Swan Valley School will begin face-to-face instruction five days a week with preschool suspended until further notice. The school is also working on an avenue for families that want to keep their child home due to the current health situation. The Opening Guidelines are subject to revision at any point should the directives from the Governor or Missoula City-County Health Dep... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – As of July 20, Gallery 83 is under new ownership. Seeley Lake resident Brandy Wyckoff looks forward to continuing to provide a space for Montana artists to feature and sell their work. She hopes to offer a diversity of art, keeping things fresh and interesting for customers. Gallery 83 opened this past May in the south end of the Lazy Pine Mall on Highway 83. The new gallery was owned by Chris Larabee and operated by his father Brian. After selling their home in Seeley Lake, B...
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 about the fledgling U.S. Forest Service. SEELEY LAKE...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Tom Browder and his wife Carolyn Lewis installed a free library outside ReMarkable Floral Tuesday, Aug. 11. This was part of his effort to reach out to communities while campaigning for House District 92. Browder said instead of using his campaign funding to send mailers and do phone calls, he decided to use recycled materials to build "Food Bank" boxes and libraries from East Missoula to the Swan Valley. Browder, Lewis and their friends Cheri and Steve T...
MISSOULA - The Potomac Valley and Seeley Lake Trailblazers 4-H clubs participated in the Western Montana's Farm to Fair Aug. 3-8. This years results are below. 4-H uses the Danish system in the judging process. Top ribbons include grand and reserve champion, followed by a purple group (P – top in their class), blue group (B), red group (R) and white group (W – participation ribbon) according to the placing received. Potomac Valley 4-H Brayden Cooney: Market Lamb Interview, Blue; Novice She...
Free Mobile COVID-19 testing clinics available weekly SEELEY LAKE - Missoula County residents experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or those identified by the Missoula City-County Health Department as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to take advantage of a free COVID-19 Mobile Testing Clinic available in Seeley Lake and Clinton every Tuesday. Symptoms include: fever, cough, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, sore throat or vomiting. Missoula City-County...
SEELEY LAKE – More than 20 volunteers clipped and bagged 524 pounds of flowers and leaves of fragrant waterlilies from Salmon Lake and Placid Lake Saturday, Aug. 15 for the first annual lily removal competition "Make the Cut" held by Clearwater Resource Council. CRC Executive Director Caryn Miske was pleased with the turnout for the first event. She said CRC's goal is to hold the competition twice next year and expand to other infected lakes in the area if the community involvement is there. T...
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Sewer District Board voted to stick with a market value excluding improvements method for spreading the cost of the annual District operating budget at a Special Board meeting Aug. 3. Then they set the assessments at a hearing Aug. 6. The Board held another special meeting following the hearing, where they voted to continue seeking information regarding a bond election that could change how the District pays for the proposed sewer system. At the Aug. 3 special meeting Manager Jean Curtiss presented the Board w...
SEELEY LAKE – For those traveling south on Highway 83, their arrival into Seeley Lake is now announced with a new "Welcome to Seeley Lake" sign. It was installed last week by Clearwater Mini Storage, which is listed at the bottom of the sign. Kevin Wetherell, managing partner of Clearwater Mini Storage, has been involved in the Seeley Lake Community Foundation and Seeley Lake Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors off and on over the last 20 years. He said the "Welcome to Seeley Lake" s...
Who's getting older? We all are. Yet denial, misinformation and fear often characterize this universal experience. One hundred years ago life expectancy was about 47 years. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2050 one in five Americans will be 65 or older. Lengthening lifespans require a more informed and positive approach to aging, both for individuals and society. Ann Karpf, British author of "How We Age," said, "Each time we see an older person, we ne...
MISSOULA – While it was still dark Thursday morning, Aug. 6, Seeley Lake Trailblazer Dani Sexton was giving her steer Pickles a bath. It was the big day for him to show in the Western Montana Fair, something Sexton had being working on since purchasing him from Two Creeks Ranch this spring. He was loaded and rolling towards Missoula from their home in the Woodworth area south of Seeley Lake by 5 a.m. For the past 10 years the first week in August was all about the Fair for Sexton. However w...
SEELEY LAKE - The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Southwestern Land Office ended last week with 17 fires--12 lightning and five human caused. All are controlled or out except for the Elevation Mountain fire, which started Aug. 8 in the BLM Wilderness Study Area southeast of Greenough. The Elevation Mountain fire is approximately 10 acres, burning in heavy timber with a lot of dead and down fuels in rough and remote terrain. Two hot shot crews, the Deer Lodge prison crew, six jumpers, and a few overhead are working to...
Summer is in full bloom. Before you take a dip in the lake this summer, state agencies are urging Montanans to know the health risks of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs). Clearwater Resource Council received reports of possible blue-green algae in Seeley Lake. Water samples have been sent it to test for toxicity. The HAB website listed a report dated Aug. 6 that read, “No visible bloom, but a dog presented with acute neurologic signs and death in less than an hour after swimming in the river that leads into Seeley Lake. Last week a different dog s...
Governor Steve Bullock announced Aug. 6 that like the June primary, counties will be able to opt in to an all-mail voting system. He also directed early voting to be expanded based on recommendations from the Montana Association of Clerks, Recorders and Election Administrators. "The local election administrators stressed there is serious ethical concern about conducting an election under standard procedures," Bullock said in a press conference Aug. 6. "The risk of viral transmission and... Full story
MISSOULA – That last phone call someone wants to receive is from the health department identifying them as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. However, a phone call from a someone pretending to be involved with contact tracing could not only cause undue mental stress, it could also cost money unless identified as a scam. The Missoula City-County Health Department (MCCHD) laid out the process for identifying close contacts and testing requirements to help residents d... Full story
Despite the pandemic, the Seeley Lake and Swan Lake Ranger Districts are seeing very high visitor use on roads, trails, dispersed camping sites and in the developed campgrounds. Both Districts are actively working to increase their presence to manage public safety, protect resources, work to benefit visitor experiences and accommodate the increased use they have been seeing this year. "I think it is really cool that the public is rediscovering their public lands. That is a very positive thing...
The phrase "that just makes me want to pull my hair out" has origins that go back to Egypt and Greece and the Christian Bible, but probably has most connection to an obsessive/compulsive syndrome disorder. In ancient Egypt, hair pulling was a customary part of a funeral ritual. A sculpture relief in Gizah clearly shows a man holding his arms up and pulling his hair in two opposite directions. Other reliefs and paintings show women in funeral processions plucking hairs from the top of their...
SEELEY LAKE – Everyone is invited to join the Clearwater Resource Council for its first annual lily removal competition Aug. 15 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Placid and Salmon Lakes. Please register at crcmt.org by 5 p.m., Friday, Aug. 14 to ensure they have enough lunches. Teams of two are encouraged to bring their own watercraft and will be provided with the tools and training to remove as many fragrant waterlilies as possible for the free event. Any type of watercraft is acceptable, but please make sure to follow clean, drain, dry procedures to...
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) has begun implementation of new load posting procedures on public bridges across the state as mandated by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). As a result, motorists may soon start to notice new weight limits and signs on some bridges. The postings are part of recently updated federal requirements for bridge load rating and posting. Bridge weight restrictions are required when the engineering analysis of a bridge, known as a load rating,...
