The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 276 - 300 of 1092
Rocky Mountain Development Council and AmeriCorps Seniors is inviting the community to gather during the 1st annual 9/11 Flag of Honor Across America Memorial meant to honor the lives lost 20 years ago. Helena is one of sixty communities around the nation that will be participating in this 9/11 memorial. The 9/11 Flag of Honor, which includes the names of all 2,983 victims who lost their lives, will be displayed at the memorial. On Saturday, September 11, at 9:02 am a...
Helena – In recognition of the recent shift to cooler and wetter weather patterns, as well as changes to longer range forecasts, the Lewis and Clark County Commissioners today approved a resolution to rescind Stage Two fire restrictions for the entire county and return to Stage One restrictions for areas east of the Continental Divide. Areas west of the Divide will not be under fire restrictions. Debris burning remains closed county-wide. The resolution will go into effect a...
Lincoln Fire Rescue Statin four received a spruce up last week it a new red pain job on the front of the building. The remainder of the building got a coating of white until funding is available for more red paint. The new color is a stark change from the building's original drab gray. they building began life as a repair shop, which it remained into the 1990s, when then owner and repair shop operator Chris Waits converted the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts, which...
The driver of a westbound Kia SUV found himself on a life flight to St. Pat's Hospital in Missoula Friday, Aug. 20, after rear-ending a pickup truck at the intersection of Highways 200 and 141. The collision, which was reported at 10:40 a.m., demolished the driver's side of the SUV and caused the vehicle to catch fire. Helmville Quick Response Unit, Ovando Fire and EMS and the Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance all responded to the scene, but the first people to arrive were...
A man who ran out of gas between Browns Lake and the Highway 141 intersection has been missing since Aug. 16. The family of Matthew Kalange, 26, is seeking any leads on his whereabouts. Kalange left a note in his car saying he had run out of gas and asking that the car not be towed. It is possible he walked toward Ovando, Lincoln or Helmville to get more fuel. He hasn't been seen since. Law enforcement reportedly is investigating the possibility of foul play, an accident or...
Petitions that will let the county to move ahead with funding a chip seal project for the paved streets in Lincoln and Lambkins Rural improvement districts are still in need of signatures. Jessica Makus, Lewis and Clark County special districts program coordinator told the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council last week that they need just 17 signatures from property owner in the Lambkins RID and 65 signatures from property owners in the Lincoln RID to reach the 20 percent threshold that allows the Lewis and Clark County...
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton hosted the U.S. Forest Service Director of Law Enforcement and Investigation and a dozen sheriff's from around the western United States for a first-of-its-kind exercise in the Bob Marshall Wilderness from July 19-23. In his role as president of the Western States Sheriff's Association – an office he's held since May 16 - Dutton coordinated the outing to the Pretty Prairie area with USFS LE&I Director Tracy Perry as part of an ongoing...
Although it was the last major point of discussion at Lincoln Government Day, an update on the progress of the Dalton Mountain Road Bridge replacement was a key subject during the Aug. 2 meeting. Montana Department of Transportation District 3 Administrator Jim Wingerter and Jimmy Combs, the District 3 pre-construction engineer were on hand for the meeting, to hear concerns about local MDT efforts, as well as to provide their perspective. The Dalton Mountain Bridge has been a...
Work on the new $315,000 bridge on Poorman Creek was completed last week and Lewis and Clark County Engineer Dan Karlin and Karl Yakawich with Great West Engineering did a final walk through of the bridge Friday morning. Although some minor touch ups around the bridge still need to be completed, the bridge was opened for use and the traffic control signage came out earlier this week...
Helmville, Montana (August 5, 2021) - The Montana Department of Transportation and LHC, Inc. will begin construction on MT-141 in Powell County in mid-August. The project begins near the northwest end of Nevada Lake and extends northwest for 12.5 miles ending at the junction of MT-141 and MT 200. The project will improve the roadway and bridges along roughly 12.5 miles of MT-141. Roadway improvements include minor bridge upgrades, crack seal, plant mix overlay, and seal and...
Two petitions to fund chip sealing on Lincoln’s hard surface streets continue to be available to residents living in the Lincoln and Lambkins Rural Improvement Districts. If 20 percent or more of property owners in the RIDs sign the petitions, they will then be presented to the Lewis and Clark County Commissioners for a resolution of intention to take out loans to fund chip sealing. At the July 20 Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting, the council discussed the low signature count on the current RID petitions l...
Helena – Lewis and Clark County is now considered an area of substantial community transmission for COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Based on guidance from the CDC, Lewis and Clark Public Health recommends all individuals wear a face covering when in public indoor areas, regardless of their vaccination status. LCPH Health Officer, Drenda Niemann said the community must, once again, come together to ensure our cases don't rise h... Full story
Two small lightning-caused fires near Rogers Pass, July 30, each about an acre in size, were knocked down quickly with water and retardant drops by aircraft. Although the fires were natural and not human caused, they served as a reminder of the high fire danger in the area and came the day before Stage 2 Fire restrictions went into effect throughout Lewis and Clark County at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 31. Based on the recommendation of the Rural Fire Council and Sheriff Leo...
With wildfire smoke lingering in the air across western Montana, and warm, dry conditions across the region pushing fire dangers ever higher, fire restrictions are the order of the day. Tuesday morning, July 27, Lewis and Clark County Commissioners approved a resolution to extend Stage 1 Fire Restrictions to areas west of the Continental Divide effective Wednesday, based on the recommendation of the Rural Fire Council and Sheriff Leo Dutton, who also serves as Fire Warden....
Work on a new bridge over Poorman creek, just below McClellan Gulch is well underway, with the project projected to be complete by about the second week of August. The new bridge replaces a culvert that proved to be undersized during high water and that hampered the migration of native bull trout and cutthroat trout that make their way up Poorman Creek from the Blackfoot River. The new bridge should also help the county with maintenance issues related to the culvert during...
A motorcyclist from Ovando died in a single vehicle accident on highway 200 about seven miles west of Lincoln on Saturday evening, July 24. According to the Montana Highway Patrol fatality report, the 59-year-old man, who was not identified, was riding a 2012 Harley Davidson westbound a little after 6 p.m. He drifted off the right side of the road just beyond the Powell County line near mile marker 65. He went down into the ditch and up the other side, where the bike skidded,...
In the wake of a tragic grizzly attack that claimed the life of visiting cyclist Leah Lokan on July 6, Ovando has seen an outpouring of support as it makes plans to ensure nothing like that ever happens again. A retired registered nurse and an avid mountain biker, Lokan, 64, was eight days into a trip along a portion of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route with her sister Kim Lokan and a friend, Katie Boerner. Lokan opted to spend her night in Ovando in her tent, in a camping...
Wooly mammoth tusks, a bison jump diorama and a fascinating collection of Charlie Russell artwork are a few of the treasures to behold at the Montana Historical Society in Helena. Visitors of all ages are encouraged to learn more about the Treasure State at the MHS museum and research center in Helena. Its galleries hold hundreds of exciting and unusual objects, some dating back thousands of years. The Historical Society also has re-opened the Original Governor's Mansion for...
Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest instituted Stage 1 fire restrictions throughout the forest beginning Friday, July 9 at 12:01 a.m., with the exception of the Lincoln Ranger District north of Highway 200 and the Rocky Mountain Ranger District. "Drought conditions continue to worsen across the Forest, and the hot, dry, windy weather persists," according to a recent press release from the United States Forest Service. The fire restrictions are in place to "proactively...
Lincoln Fire Rescue responded to a car fire on Highway 200, a couple hundred yards east of Lone Point Road, Saturday afternoon July 10. No one was injured in the blaze, but a suspected fuel leak destroyed the Jeep Cherokee, which . was fully engulfed in flames by the time Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse arrived, just three minutes after receiving the page. Muse said the driver, who had only owned the vehicle for a couple days, was heading from Missoula to Great Falls with his...
State and local public health officials are reminding Montanans to take steps to avoid mosquito bites and prevent infection from West Nile Virus. In Montana, WNV season usually begins in July and ends in October, as this is when the mosquitoes responsible for it emerge. "As we head into West Nile Virus season all Montanans are encouraged to take the necessary precautions," Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) epidemiologist Erika Baldry said. "There was only...
A recent white paper published by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and Heart of the Rockies Initiative features Lincoln as a case study for ways rural communities and conservation organizations can work together to accomplish shared goals. Published in May, "How Conservation and Recreation Groups Can Support Rural Communities" showcases four different rural western communities, including Aberdeen, S.D,.Montrose, Colo. and southeast Alaska. Erin Farris-Olsen,...
Correction - June 17 issue: The dates listed in the Lincoln summer events article published June 17 had the wrong dates listed for the Lincoln Flea Market. The dates should have been July 16-18. (This correction was reflected in an update to the original story on our website) Corrections - April 22 issue: Back on April 22 we published an article “Lincoln Airport looking ahead to new equipment, possibilities” on improvements to the Lincoln airports, including the addition of weather cameras. We recently discovered that we fail...
Helena - The pandemic has highlighted the power of partnerships and this Friday, Veterans and their families and caregivers are invited to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from Montana VA Health Care System at the American Legion of Montana's Department Convention. "I encourage all attendees and their families to take advantage of the MTVAHCS vaccine clinic this Friday," said American Legion Department of Montana Commander Jeff Nelson. "If you have a Veteran friend who has not y...
Resurfacing paved streets in Lincoln has been the hot topic for the past few months, but updates on the roads and bridges outside of town dominated the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council meeting Tuesday, June 15. Cattle Guards Lewis and Clark County Road and Bridge Superintendent Kevin Horne said cattle guards were installed earlier this month on Stonewall Creek Road where it crosses property owned by Mike Stahly. The cattle guards ended a three-year dispute over access...
