The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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As kids, it was rare for us to travel farther away from home than Deer Lodge. The roads and vehicles of the day weren't much, and we never saw any reason or need to go to a bigger town. But two or three times over the years our parents hauled us to Butte to see the Ice Follies. It was a big deal for us, and the show made the interminable trip worth the suffering. The show was at night, so we had to leave early in the afternoon order to compensate for our father's self-imposed...
MISSOULA - The governors of Montana and ten other Western states have proclaimed May as Wildfire Awareness Month. Fire prevention agencies and organizations across the state invite all Montanans to participate. Spring is an ideal time to raise awareness about how we can all help improve our communities wildfire preparedness and learn what risk reduction steps we can take to prepare our families and properties for wildfire. Proactive actions from a single individual, or entire...
MISSOULA – Last year, 12.4 million out-of-state visitors contributed over $3.7 billion in travel spending to Montana's economy, according to a recent report from the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana. The latest report finalizes preliminary estimates from January with new fourth-quarter tourism data. The new data showed that Montana tourism in the summer months generated more than half of the year's tourism dollars. Forty-six p...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks euthanized a sub-adult male grizzly bear in the Blackfoot Valley on Sunday, May 12 immediately following repeated break-ins to a barn to access grain. FWP bear management specialist, James Jonkel, said the bear was exhibiting food-conditioned behavior. Once bears become conditioned to attractants like grain it is hard to break those behavior patterns, and they often remain in the area, near homes and agricultural and livestock operations,...
When weaver Teri Fitzgerald was gifted a wealth of basketry materials, she immediately wanted to share the windfall. "I knew right away that I wanted to do something with the kids," Fitzgerald told the BVD. An experienced basket maker who had conducted workshops at Lincoln School in the past, Fitzgerald said it had been several years since she'd done so. Then, last year, local artisan Becky Thurman made her a gift of her collection of basketry materials and patterns. The...
Dozens of Lincoln High School students were recognized for academic, character and athletic excellence Thursday, May 9 in the school gym. The Heisey Award, given for improved leadership, character and academic effort was given to two students this year: Maya Whittenburg and Andrea LaManna. These coveted awards also come with a $200 cash gift. Academic awards included: Outstanding Science Student: Alexis Cannon; Outstanding History and English student: Maggie Jorgensen;...
Montana's rivers are running high, wide and muddy right now and things typically won't improve much for maybe two months. That all depends on rainfall and snowmelt. A cool, wet spring will prolong runoff into mid-June; a hot, dry period will clear up rivers and streams faster but not bode well for fisheries later in the summer. So, what's an angler to do to catch fish? Better yet, what's a fish to do to find food? We might give up dry flies and switch to worms. Fish will...
A labyrinth of channels, willow bottoms, islands and a general mix of wetlands interact to piece together the headwaters of the Missouri River. The point where the three forks – the Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers – join as one, the great Missouri River begins an odyssey, heading out as having had the starring role in the creation of a state. As a route of western expansion, the Missouri River had few equals. Missouri Headwaters State Park, at the three forks, doc...
Jack Sowder, 67, of Lincoln, Montana, passed away unexpectedly in the early morning hours of May 4, 2019, due to complications from surgery. Jack David Sowder was born December 12, 1951, in Long Beach, Calif. Playing baseball and spending summers with his brother Ron in Leona Valley were some of Jack's fondest childhood memories. Jack met the love of his life, Ruth in 1973, and they were married in 1974. They were married for 44 years at the time of his passing. A daughter,...
Theodore "Teddy" "TJ" Healy, 29, of Missoula, Mont., died an untimely death on May 3, 2019 at the VA Hospital, surrounded by his family. He was born November 20, 1989 in Great Falls, Mont. to Marlo Healy-Mooney. He attended schools in Great Falls and Phoenix, AZ. He joined the Army National Guard at the age of 17 and later proudly served in Iraq. Teddy is survived by his mother, Marlo Mooney of Great Falls; his honorary fathers, Rocky Hayes of Missoula and Bill Mooney of...
Dear Dietitian, I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and I'm having a hard time figuring out what foods I should avoid. Can you help? Signed, Kathleen Dear Kathleen, I know this is a tough condition to deal with, having seen more cases in my last few years of clinical practice than ever before. For readers who are not familiar, Crohn's disease is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the other being ulcerative colitis. As the term ulcerative implies,...
Emilee Rivera believes in Youth Dynamics, a Montana non-profit children's mental health agency, and she is working to raise awareness in Lincoln about what they have to offer. Rivera, the wife of Lincoln's resident Deputy Sheriff Robert Rivera, worked for Youth Dynamics when they lived in Shelby and sees a need for their services in Lincoln as well. "I always wondered why Lincoln didn't have it, even when I was in Shelby," said Rivera, who grew up in Lincoln. "When I got...
Lincoln School District Trustee Election Voters selected Sarah Tams for the only contested seat on the school board with a two-year term. Tams earned 126 votes to the 98 cast for Scott Fry. Aaron Birkholz, who ran unopposed for his seat, garnered 196 votes, while James Terman, who also ran unopposed for the seat vacated by M’Liss Weisner, racked up 150 votes. Both seats are for three-year terms. Lincoln Fire District Trustee Election In the Lincoln fire District Election voters picked Don Laroque for the open three-year t...
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Deputies responded to eighteen Calls for Service in the Lincoln area during the week of May 5 through May 11, 2019. Five of those Calls for Service were traffic stops performed by deputies in and around Lincoln. Deputies opened one new investigation last week. A deputy conducted a driving under the influence (DUI) investigation May 10, in the 500 block of Main St. The driver was originally pulled over for having a headlight out. The driver was...
When I was a student at West Point in the 1990's, the military component of my education focused on high-intensity conflict and Cold War-era strategies and tactics. Those were the wars of recent memory, so that's what we trained for. After my graduation and the events of Sept. 11, however, my generation of military officers faced a new set of challenges. Rather than engaging in armored conflict focused on seizing and holding terrain, we found ourselves in a multi-dimensional,...
Editor: I'm a woman living in Montana. I've lived in five states and have had many careers. I've had a great full life. I've always worked and made my life better. I've never taken any welfare. I've always paid my own health insurance. I love to hunt and eating the meat. I love God, family, friends, the flag, people to animals, my freedom and my country. I can't believe what is going on in the United States of America. We've had crooks and evil in politics forever, Democrats...
The L, originally lit at night with more than 100 solar lights, was installed in 2015 by Jim Oly. He dedicated it to the memory of Heather Terman, who died in an ATV accident in 2014. Letters on hills representing schools are common in Montana towns, and they are traditionally maintained every year by high school seniors as a show of class pride....
"I love the light here, and the silence. It's one thing I find ... the quiet is so great," Eldon Beck said . In that great quiet Beck, 87, found a new voice in the form of poetry 16 years ago, during a winter visit to his daughter's home near Helmville. Beck joked that when he began writing poetry at 71, he was called one of the new "young" authors. The view from the window in his daughter Jean Pocha's house inspired a poem called 'The Wind Blows White,' which became the...
Lincoln High School Juniors racked up some of the best ACT scores seen by Lincoln Schools in the past several years, while Lincoln Elementary School took a hit to its accreditation level due to a certification mix up. With an average composite score of 21.2 points, the Lincoln High Juniors bested last year's school average by a full four points and outperformed the historic state average, which hovers at about the 20-point mark According to the Montana Office of Public...
Over the years I have had many opportunities to develop and exhibit self-control. I would love to say that I have always passed the test and been a model of patience, calmness and control. However, the report would show something quite different. I cannot count the times I have lost my temper, or out of just plain meanness spewed anger all-over people when things did not go the way I wanted them to go. I sure wish I could roll back the clock and redo a few things but alas I...
tMost of Montana’s 76 Wildlife Management Areas open on May 15 at noon, and with the long winter and heavy snowpack wildlife still have limited areas, in some places, left to forage. People who are looking to get out to the WMAs this time of year should remember to keep vigilant to avoid conflicts with wildlife, particularly bears. Bears, elk and shed-antler hunters will be sharing the same space once the WMAs open. Shed hunting on WMAs remains a popular activity. Most animals see, hear and smell humans long before humans d...
A single vehicle rollover on Highway 200 around 5 a.m. Tuesday morning, May 7, claimed the life of the 19-year-old driver from Great Falls and left a 23-year-old from Cascade hospitalized. According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the driver-identified as Uriel Tatsey originally of Browning, in a May 11 obituary - failed to negotiate a left-hand turn near the bridge at Monture Creek west of Ovando. An over correction sent the car off the roadway, and it rolled twice. Neither men were wearing seatbelts and both were ejected...
Lynx Spirit is the theme for this years Lincoln Parade, scheduled for Saturday, July 6 at 11 a.m. We would like to have more people involved in the parade, especially kids. Maybe a decorated bike contest. Also, football, basketball, wrestling, skateboard floats would be great. Businesses, clubs, organizations, we know you are busy, but if we don’t get floats for the parade, nobody will come to a parade. If you are interested in any of these or think of something else, please let us know. We have application forms. Thanks J...
