The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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As Christians throughout much of the nation look ahead to a homebound Easter Sunday, separated from their fellow worshippers by coronavirus-related restrictions, those in the Upper Blackfoot Valley will be able to stay connected to the churches through the internet. Local churches have been streaming their services online for the past few weeks as a series of restrictions, which began with the March 16 Lewis and Clark Public Health order to close bars and restaurants and...
Traditionally, the annual Easter Egg Hunt is held for kids in Lincoln at Hooper Park. In these times of social distancing, it's not safe to hold the hunt in its traditional form so a new variation will be in effect for this year. Instead of kids going to the hunt, the hunt will go to them, in a manner of speaking. Thanks to the Lincoln Volunteer Fire Rescue, the Powerhouse Gym and a few local volunteers, pre-filled Easter eggs will be available to families who would normally...
The Lincoln Hospital District Board will hold their regular quarterly meeting as scheduled Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 5:30 p.m. Instead of meeting at the Lincoln Library as usual, the LHD Trustees will meet electronically using Zoom. As this will be an open meeting under state statutes, the Lincoln public may attend by computer or smart phone by going to https://zoom.us/j/260801962. You will need to enter the password: 858157. For assistance call Karen at: 406-362-4167. The agenda for this meeting will include the LHD budget...
In May of 2009, our fourth child, Isaiah, came into the world. He was born at 9 am and weighed nine pounds. He was floppy and had a cleft lip but he was perfect and beautiful in our eyes. Quietly the midwife told us she believed he had Down syndrome. We saw a doctor the next day, she said she saw no such indications. Then, when Isaiah was three days old, he kept turning a greyish blue. We went to the clinic, where they told us there was a serious problem, gave us an oxygen tank with a tiny mask and instructed us to get him...
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials are concerned about a sharp decrease in the number of calls to the child abuse and neglect hotline in the past several weeks related to the current COVID-19 emergency. DPHHS Director Sheila Hogan said from March 8-14, the week prior to the required closure of public schools, a total of 765 calls a week were being made to the hotline at 1-866-820-KIDS (5437). However, since March 15 the number of calls made to...
HELENA, Montana (April 7, 2020) - The majority of our roads on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are in winter travel conditions and largely impassable. Because of this our Winter Travel Plan and snowmobile season is in effect until May 15. In general, roads are closed until this May 15 date after which many motorized routes open for the summer season. Visitors are reminded to know road conditions before you go and to Tread Lightly by staying on designated roads and trails. Learn more about traveling responsibly at...
Despite reports of vacation rental increases across Montana in response to COVID-19, hotels in the Lincoln and Ovando area haven’t seen that business. An article from the Montana Free Press on March 27 cited estimated increases in vacation rental revenue from 36 percent in Red Lodge to 107 percent in Livingston during the first half of March, with similar increases expected in Big Sky and Whitefish. With Montana’s first reported COVID-19 case reported March 13, and Gov. Steve Bullock’s directives that residents stay at home...
Parker Medical Clinic is still seeing patients and has adapted the clinic to ensure everyone's safety in light of COVID-19 concerns. "Our staff is there," said Jill-Marie Steeley, Executive Director of Pureview Health Center. "We've separated the clinic into two spaces so that we can keep patients and staff safe." The Clinic is screening all patients either by phone or at that front door. Patients with any symptoms in line with COVID-19 are taken into the building through a...
I hope this update finds you well. As I write on Sunday night the update I am providing will likely have changed by Wednesday when the Blackfoot Valley Dispatch is delivered to you, but in this rapidly changing environment it's important to know how this pandemic is affecting your public lands. Although the Lincoln Ranger District office is closed, we are still serving people and caring for the land. Our 14 full-time employees are mostly working from home speaking daily...
Governor Steve Bullock today extended through April 24 Directives he issued to protect Montanans from COVID-19 by slowing the spread of the virus in Montana. The Directives were set to expire on April 10. "We know that staying home will help to flatten the curve. For every person we take out of the chain of transmission of this virus, the more likely our health care facilities can handle the capacity to respond, and the more likely we can beat back this virus sooner rather...
For those of us old enough to remember or to watch reruns of the 1950s classic Dragnet, we can easily recall Sgt. Friday's quote, "Just the facts, ma'am." That quote became locked into America's lexicon, highlighting a simple ask of all of us to be honest with each other. The facts unfolding before us regarding COVID-19 are no different. The risks are real. Epidemiologists have estimated the virus will attack 30 to 40 percent of us, and five percent of those cases will be...
Lewis and Clark County 911 Center received twenty-one calls for service during the week of March 29 through April 4, 2020. Deputies performed one traffic stops in the Lincoln area. One call for service generated a case report last week: A deputy responded to a civil dispute in the 200 block of 8th Avenue Friday, April 3. The matter is under investigation at this time and there is no threat to the community. Other calls for service in the Lincoln area last week were one agency...
Local writer Lee York recently had an article published in a well-known publication. The magazine article, which features three local artists, Annie Allen, Michael Brown and Charles Geary, appears in the Spring 2020 issue of Distinctly Montana. At her core, York loves to write and has been doing so for several years, both in the fiction and non-fiction sectors. She has a degree in Creative Writing and recently discovered what she really likes is interviewing people, especially...
Dear Readers: These are uncertain times, and if you're like me, uncertainty is not one of your favorite topics. We have not yet reached the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, some people have lost their jobs, and many of the lucky ones are working from home. Times like these can trigger emotions of anxiety and grief, and when we are experiencing difficult feelings, we may try to push those feelings down with extra food. You've heard of it, maybe participated in i...
Easter, the day that changed the course of the world for the better. Take a moment to reflect what this world would be like had this not happened. You would not be reading this, as there would be no U.S.A. May God be with you on your travels. Mike Dey Missoula...
To the editor, Roger, Erin and staff of the BVD! First of all, I’d like to say thank you for the last eight years you have given us folks in Lincoln! I have read the paper for 25 years since I have lived in Lincoln! A couple of years ago I retired and let me tell you, if it wasn’t for the BVD, I wouldn’t know anything going on in town! I don’t have a computer or cell phone or satellite TV, so the BVD is a vital source of information to me. And since I retired, other than the BVD, my only other info comes from standing in line...
Go ahead and worry and ask questions. I learned that dealing with the cancer. The same thing can apply to Corona virus. Write down your concerns and seek answers. If you don’t write them down, you forget and the worry builds up. This simple thing can help you to not get sick. Like in a fight, lay back, be patient and learn your opponent’s weakness. Then turn it loose and knock the bugger out! COVID-19, we’re going to knock you out. Pepe Lincoln...
Sending out a big Hey Howdy Hey of thanks to all the dedicated members of the American Legion Post 9. They have 61 members in our area which includes Helmville and Ovando. I can't name all the members, but here are a few: Doug Vulcan – Adjutant, Rick Foreman – Commander, Rich Paul – Service Officer; Jim Phennicie – Sergeant at Arms; Dawn Charron – Public Relations; Mark Martin – Vice Commander. Their main goal is to honor Veterans and to help people and organizatio...
So, how are you doing? This seems to be the question I ask most nowadays, because for me, checking in with people has become more important than ever and what I’m doing a lot of these days. Checking in with family, friends, loved ones, and even people I don’t know very well. Now, it’s not the typical way I would have done it prior to recent events. Before, it was more of an in-person thing, you know, standing face-to-face asking someone, “How are you hanging in with everyth...
There are no known cases of COVID - 19 in the Lincoln area yet, but as the number of cases increase throughout Montana, Lincoln's emergency medical services are changing how they respond to calls in preparation for the likelihood coronavirus will come to the Upper Blackfoot Valley. "A trauma call, anything, we have to treat them as if they have COVID-19," Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance President Aaron Birkholz said. With only about a half dozen EMTs available to respond to calls...
