The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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MISSOULA – In 2019, nonresident travelers spent $3.77 billion throughout Montana, a 5.4 percent increase from the previous year. More than 12.6 million nonresidents visited in 2019. Research by the University of Montana's Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research reveals a different story in 2020. Nearly all of the second quarter was shut down to travelers this year due to the pandemic, creating a jolt to that yearly injection of money and visitors into Montana's e...
The 2020-21 school year began Monday with students returning to the classroom for the first time since March. The start of a new school year is always an uncertain time, but few have likely started off with as many uncertainties as this one as COVID-19 guidance from the state and county continues to evolve. Last Monday, Aug.17, the Lincoln School Board held an emergency Zoom meeting to discuss the impacts of Governor Steve Bullock's Aug. 12 face mask requirements for students...
Governor Bullock has issued another edict. This time, it's taking away your right to choose how you vote in the November general election. While I didn't publicly oppose an all-mail ballot for the June primary election, it was a different time – we were still evaluating the coronavirus and its effect on Montana. Today, doctors have improved treatment and thousands of businesses across Montana have been able to operate by taking precautions to keep their customers safe. S...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is offering online hunter and bowhunter education courses this year in response to social distancing requirements and restrictions on group gatherings related to Covid-19. To take the online hunter education course, students can register at https://www.hunter-ed.com/montana/. For bowhunter education, please go to https://www.bowhunter-ed.com/montana/. The online courses, which are developed and administered by the outdoor education company...
With less housing on the market, finding local and affordable housing can pose difficulties throughout Lewis and Clark County, and finding affordable housing brings added difficulties in Lincoln. Lewis and Clark County partnered with Helena last year to fund a new Housing Navigator position to help support county residents in finding long-term housing. Chandler Rowling, who started in the position in January, said the Housing Navigation program supports workforce housing. She...
Hunters, if you plan to hunt using a tree stand, keep in mind that tree stands on leased state lands are only allowed for three days. Lincoln Game Warden Ezra Schwalm said the three-day limit on leased land is a little know regulation, but it affects most of the state land in the Lincoln area, which have been leased for various purposes. Stands are allowed on unleased state forested land for 16 days in a 30 day period. If you're unsure whether the state land you plan to hunt...
Lewis and Clark County 911 Center received forty-one calls for service during the week of Aug. 16 to Aug. 22, 2020. Deputies performed six traffic stops and three civil services in the Lincoln area. None of those calls generated a case report last week. Other calls for service in the Lincoln area last week were six 911 hang-ups, two non-injury crashes, one administrative call, two animal complaints, one bite complaint, one citizen assist, three disorderly incidents, one...
Barney VandenBos stopped into the BVD office last week. His wife Claudette, passed away last month and he received a sympathy card from their friend Mary in Arizona. What made the card extra special was that it got to him at all. The card was simply addressed to: "Barney, Lincoln, MT 59639" yet the Lincoln Post Office nevertheless got it to him. That fact impressed him enough that he wanted to share his appreciation. The delivery shows that, while the United States Postal...
This is the beginning of a sometimes-series about plants in Upper Blackfoot Valley. Are you interested in a particular local plant? Contact the BVD to let us know! All plant information is provided in consultation with local botanist Klara Varga. The Mahonia repens, better known locally as Oregon grape, grows across the Upper Blackfoot Valley. A plant with coarse leathery leaves, this local shrub can easily be found on a walk through Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild...
As both a long-time Montana educator and as a current Legislator, I have been aware that many rural Montana families are unable to access early childhood educational opportunities within their communities. A U.S. Department of Education grant will provide families in Montana and four other western states the opportunity to access an early childhood option at home through the Waterford UPSTART program. The Waterford UPSTART program, which was created by the Utah State...
Let’s face it, life is all about choices. The ones we make, the ones that are made for us, and even the ones we don’t make, which technically are still a choice. There are everyday choices, like what do I wear or what do I have to eat, to life-changing choices, like do I take this new job, or do I move across the country or marry this person, and every choice in between. We’re making choices from the time we are very young, usually right up until the time our lives on earth ar...
Watching Fox I saw what I thought was violence and property destruction in Portland, Chicago, New York City, Minneapolis: Democratic controlled cities. I tuned in to CNN, NBC and found out that Fox was misleading me. What I saw was patriotic Democrats exercising their rights to "largely" peaceful protest against Systemic racism. I wondered why the police were ordered by Democrats not to protect property and people and the general consensus was that the police were infected...
A $38,000 Rural Development Block Grant awarded to Envision Lincoln by the USDA is helping to fund additional planning for an in-town trails plan, as well as two contractor positions to support Envision Lincoln’s goals. Karyn Good, Envision Lincoln’s lead community coordinator, learned of the award July 8. She and Erin Farris-Olsen, the rural development director for the Heart of the Rockies Initiative, worked to prepares and submit the grant application through HOR on behalf of Envision Lincoln to help the organization dev...
The 2020 decennial Census count started on Apr. 1. With the final day to be counted scheduled for September 30, Montana lags behind nearly every other state with a completion rate on Aug. 21 of 66.4 percent. That puts Montana in fourth to last place, above Puerto Rico, New Mexico, and South Carolina. Census data is used for a variety of purposes. The U.S. Census estimates that for every Montana resident counted (including children), the state receives approximately $2,000 in f...
Following a pair of meetings over the last month, the Envision Lincoln core team agreed to apply for a Montana Main Street grant to help hire a professional to develop a master plan for the community. The need for a master plan has become apparent since Envision Lincoln hosted an open house in February to discuss the in-town trails plan and to kick off the discussion of downtown revitalization. The core team first discussed the issue of master planning during a July 30 Zoom...
