The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 1 - 13 of 13
A ruling in federal district court in Missoula last week rejected legal challenges to the Willow Creek Vegetation Project and cleared the way for treatment of 2,140 acres of timber affected by insects and disease in the Dalton Mountain area southwest of Lincoln. In a June 3 decision, U.S. District Court Judge Donald W. Molloy rejected all six claims leveled against the project in a suit filed by the Alliance for Wild Rockies and the Native Ecosystems Council last June. "We...
The Matt King House was moved last week to the property where it will be reassembled on the east end of Lincoln's Main Street. Work on a foundation for the building is expected to begin soon, and efforts are underway to find logs large enough to replace those that rotted over the last century. The Montana History Foundation awarded the Upper Blackfoot Valley Historical Society a grant of $10,000 earlier this year to effort to re-build the historic ranchouse. Funding for the...
The Alliance for Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council filed suit challenging the Willow Creek Vegetation project June 14, 2019. Less than two weeks earlier, on June 3, they had filed a nearly identical lawsuit against the North Bridger Forest Health Project near Bozeman. The two case were consolidated Aug. 20, 2019. In the lawsuit, AWR and NEC argued the Willow Creek project didn’t qualify for a Categorical Exclusion under HRFA and claimed the project violated the Endangered Species Act because it didn’t analyze the eff...
More than 20 volunteers turned out to help with the annual Lambkin Park cleanup June 6. "This is probably the most I've ever seen," said new Ponderosa Snow Warriors President Ron Zarr. Past President Steve Tjaden, who has been a fixture at pastclean ups, made the same observation. PSW treasurer Bonnie Christian said they usually see only a handful of helpers. Zarr credited an effort to get the word out, both in person and o...
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild Artistic Director Kevin O'Dwyer, with the Blackfoot Pathways Sculpture in the Wild board, announced last week they will be postponing all 2020 summer and fall events in the park. The decision stemmed from concerns for the safety of the artists, board member and the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from the resulting inability to deliver a full and comprehensive program. The postponement of their events includes the...
Bridge Replacement The Dalton Mountain Bridge replacement is moving ahead under the Montana Department of Transportation, but construction of the new bridge is probably still about two years off. Lewis and Clark County signed a two-party agreement with the State of Montana Tuesday, June 2 that formalizes the project as an MDT project. The agreement provides MDT with the $600,000 in Treasure State Endowment Program funding awarded to the county by the 2019 Legislature.The TSEP...
Lincoln's resident Deputy Robert Rivera said he knew something was up when his whole family was at the Lincoln Government Day meeting June 5. Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton used the occasion to recognize Rivera for a pair of accomplishments dating back to February. Dutton awarded Rivera with the Lifesaving Award for his actions Feb. 29 to help save the life of a choking man. Rivera responded to a call that evening for an individual who was choking and not...
Lewis and Clark County 911 Center received thirty-four calls for service during the week of May 31 through June 6, 2020. Deputies performed nine traffic stops in the Lincoln area. No calls for service generated a case report last week. Other calls for service in the Lincoln area were two 911 hung-ups, one non-injury crash, one administrative call for service, one camp ground check, two citizen assist, one criminal mischief, one disorderly conduct, one false alarm, two...
After a long year of waiting, On the Rocks Liquor Store has new owners and a new location. Chad and Olivia Dietz became the official owners of the establishment earlier this year. The process began approximately a year ago and came to fruition with the grand re-opening of the store at their new location in late May. The Dietz's purchased the building at 224 Main Street, across from the post office, and began renovating it themselves in March. In addition to the liquor store, t...
Stormy weather threatened the first outdoor graduation ceremonies in Lincoln last Saturday, but held off long enough for the Class of 2020 to bid farewell to a turbulent senior year. The senior class capped off a day of ceremonies that included a kindergarten graduation that morning, and an 8th grade graduation earlier in the afternoon. The 2019-20 school year was marked by school closures and the cancellation of all manner of school due to concerns about COVID-19. "I felt...
Amid concerns about COVID-19, rodeos across Montana have been canceled, but the 68th annual Lincoln Rodeo will go ahead as planned this year, on July 4 and 5. Sharla Lewenight, secretary and treasurer of the Lincoln Rodeo Club, said the club had been waiting for Phase Two of the Reopening the Big Sky plan to go into effect, which happened June 1. "I called our insurance. That was a go," said Lewenright. She said the Health Department also gave the event the go-ahead. "This is...
The death of George Floyd at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis last month has sparked both protests and riots across the country, fostered tension between minority communities and law enforcement and has recently driven calls to defund or dismantle police departments. With protests happening throughout Montana last week, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton addressed the issues at the Lincoln Government Day last Friday. “You’ve probably seen it in the world, but I want to bring it in closer to you, to...
You know, normally I have an opinion about, well, just about everything. Most of the time I choose not to share most of those opinions and just save a few for this column throughout the year. If I shared my honest opinion right now, about so many things going on in our world, the language alone would have everyone's head spinning – and for the record – I'm not usually a person who uses foul language to describe anything. I have found myself angry and hurt by so much lat...
