The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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The Lincoln position on the Lewis and Clark County Weed District board has been open for well over a year, said County Commissioner Jim McCormick, who serves on the board. A Lincoln representative helps support the county-wide control of weeds and ensure problematic areas can be addressed in a timely manner. “Weeds know no boundaries,” said McCormick. “Invasive non-native species of plants can choke out forage, can choke out native plants and do (and) are harmful on the environment. The more eyes on the ground, the bette...
Update: Phase 1b of the Lewis and Clark Public Health vaccine distribution plan, which includes residents 70 years of age and older, Montanans 16 to 69 years old with severe underlying severe medical conditions such as Cancer, COPD and diabetes, and Native Americans or people of color who may be at risk for complications, begins Friday. Vaccination drive-thru events are scheduled Tuesday, Jan . 19 and Wednesday, Jan. 20 at the Lewis and Clark County fairgrounds, but will be...
The Race to the Sky board met on Jan. 10 to make final decisions about the race and whether or not to proceed. "We canceled for this year because of COVID," said race manager Chris Jewett. "We couldn't make it work. The rock got too hard to push up the hill." The race had been scheduled from Feb. 12-16. Jewett attributed many factors to the overall cancelation, and noted that all of them were related to COVID-19. "We're sorry it got canceled, because everybody looks forward...
Legislature, Gov. Gianforte offer COVID-19 plans as first legislator tests positive HELENA -- A bill to reduce COVID-19 liability for Montana businesses and the first meeting of the Legislature's COVID-19 panel came during the first week of the session, a day after Republican leadership confirmed the first known positive test for the virus in a legislator late Thursday. Presumptive Chair of the COVID-19 panel, Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, announced in a press release Thursday...
Week one of the 67th session of the Montana Legislature kicked off on Monday, Jan. 4. House Republicans are energized and have an aggressive agenda. We are focused on passing the Constitutionally-required balanced budget with no net tax increase, while creating a pro-business environment to strengthen our economy. At the same time, we are dedicated to defending our Montana values, our rights and individual freedoms, and our outdoor heritage. And to make sure all Montanans are...
Lincoln Fire Rescue responded to two structure fires in the space of three days last week. At about 5:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the Fire Department responded to a vehicle and garage fire at the Nicolai residence on Nicolai Lane west of Lincoln. "The truck caught the garage on fire," said Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse, who was first on the scene. "It appears to have started from the block heater. I don't know if it was faulty, but I'm pretty sure that's where it started." Muse s...
Havre, Mont.— Montana VA Health Care System has been selected to lead a national VHA pilot program to bring vaccines to rural Veterans. On the morning of January 21, a vaccination team will fly doses of the Moderna vaccine in special plug-in coolers from Fort Harrison’s ultracold on-site freezer to Havre. Veterans in the Havre area who are enrolled in VHA healthcare will be able to receive COVID-19 vaccines. “We are excited that our Montana team has been selected by Dr. Stone, VHA’s Executive in Charge, to lead this rural v...
After a month and a half of online schooling and a Christ-mas break, Lincoln students returned to their classrooms Monday morning. The school had been closed since Nov. 19 out of concerns about COVID-19 and close contacts with infected individuals that impacted both students and staff. The Lincoln School Board opted to return to in-person classes at a special Dec. 28 meeting via Zoom, due largely to the impact distance learning was having on the students. "A lot of the high sc...
Lewis and Clark County Com-missioner Tom Rolfe was sworn in Dec. 29, 2020 for his first term. Rolfe, who was elected to the position Susan Good Geise vacated, said he started attending meetings almost two years ago, working to decide if running for County Com-missioner would be a good fit. "I've been interested in public policy all my life," said Rolfe, who was elected to the Montana Legislature as the Bozeman and Livingston area representative for the 1973-74 term. "I spent...
Eight years ago, the idea of an international sculpture park in Lincoln seemed like a pretty crazy idea, but as 2020 – a notably crazy year itself – drew to a close, Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild added another feather to its cap as one of five honorees recognized with the Montana Governor's Arts Award. In a Dec. 29 press release from the Mon-tana Art's Council, Gov. Steve Bullock announced the awards, which are bestowed on individuals and organizations that "de...
Despite the relatively thin snow around Lincoln, the Ponderosa Snow Warriors kicked off both the new year and the snowmobile season Jan. 2 with a virtual fun runt and food at the club house on Sucker Creek Road. "This was the first thing we were going to try to do because we had to cancel the club dinner," said the club's new president Forest Mercill. Mercill took over as president last fall from Ron Zarr, who stepped down due to work and other commitments. Attendance to the...
After more than an hour of weighing the pros and cons of the local COVID-19 situation in, the Lincoln School board voted Monday night to return to in-person classes Jan. 4. The School Board held the special meeting via zoom Monday evening to discuss where things stood following more than a month of school closure and online classes. Lincoln Schools first closed Nov. 16 following a number of close contacts among students and staff. On Nov. 25, the board extended the closure to...
Lewis and Clark Public Health is the coordinating entity for distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccine in Lewis and Clark County. We've formed a Local COVID-19 Vaccination Coordination Team, which includes representatives from local health organizations and pharmacies. Our mission is to ensure smooth, transparent, and efficient vaccination to the community. We are now in Phase 1a of our vaccination efforts, which includes medical providers who have direct contact...
Hooper Park in Lincoln recently received an anonymous $3,000 donation. “They wanted half of it to go to the skatepark, enhancing the skatepark, the other half to the park itself,” said Nyle Howsmon of the Lincoln Park Board. The Park Board plans to meet in January to discuss some of the options for the skatepark, which could include benches, potentially some shelter, as well as an improved parking area. “We need some kind of better irrigation system there,” added Howsmon. For the main portion of the park, Howsmon said th...
Helena, Mont. - The Fort Harrison VA Medical Center just received its first shipment of the Moderna vaccine at around 8:00 a.m., Dec. 23. The MTVAHCS will begin distributing the Moderna vaccine today. "Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) is excited to have our first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for our health care personnel and our Miles City community living center residents and staff," said Executive Director, Dr. Judy Hayman. "For over nine months, our...
A man driving from Missoula to Great Falls fell asleep at the wheel and struck a power pole in front of the Power House Gym in downtown Lincoln Thursday, Dec. 17. The driver walked away from the accident without any injuries, despite sheering off the bottom 12 or so feet of the power pole. "He admitted to falling asleep," said Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Brian Inman, who investigated the accident. "Everything shows that he fell asleep as well. He drove off the road asleep...
HELENA – Managing Montana's population of grizzly bears is front and center for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks as the agency looks to build on the momentum generated from the findings and recommendations of Gov. Steve Bullock's Grizzly Bear Advisory Council. The GBAC's recommendations and findings were delivered to Gov. Bullock, FWP leadership, and the interim legislative Environmental Quality Council in September. These findings and recommendations focus on grizzly bear d...
MISSOULA – The State of Montana Fish Guidance Board, which includes Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and the Departments of Environmental Quality , and Public Health and Human Services , has updated the fish consumption guidance for all species of fish on a 148-mile stretch of the Clark Fork River and tributaries in western Montana in response to new research results. Guidance now recommends avoiding consumption of all species of fish from the Clark Fork River's confluence...
HELENA - A new survey of Montanans shows positive attitudes toward grizzly bears and support for the presence of grizzly bears within the state, however acceptance of bear presence in areas closer to residential and agricultural areas is lower than in remote public land areas. Researchers with the University of Montana worked with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists to better understand Montanans' perspectives about grizzly bears and grizzly bear management in Montana....
Verifiable numbers of COVID 19 cases for the community of Lincoln remain hard to verify, but Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance President Aaron Birkholz said there are currently 13 cases being reported in Lincoln through the state system. "They're still in the active cases," he said Sunday, "so they're still within their quarantine time." With family members included he estimates there are about 25 people here currently in quarantine for the virus. He said there have been a total of...
Lincoln, Mont. – Beginning in mid-January, Tory Kendrick will take on the role as the Acting District Ranger for the Lincoln Ranger District for 20 days. It's a new challenge," said Kendrick, who has been the Base Manager for the Missoula Smokejumper Base for the last five years. "I've been with the forest service for 25 years. It's something I've always wanted to do." Kendrick visited Lincoln last week to spend time with departing Ranger Michael Stansberry to get a feel f...
The Lewis and Clark City-County Board of Health passed "Emergency Rules and Regulations in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic" on Thursday, Dec. 17. Many of the guidelines in the document mirror requirements currently in place through Governor's Directives issued over the past nine months. However, with Governor-elect Gianforte slated to take office in January, the County rules and regulations will be in place and enforceable even if state regulations loosen. According to Monta...
If you're on Medicare, be aware: You will not be receiving a new chip card or a plastic version to replace your paper ID card. If somebody calls you to tell you that, they're lying. It's another Medicare scam. This scam is active in Montana and several people have already unwittingly given away their personal information. The caller identifies themselves as Medicare and after confirming your cards’ number they will send you a new plastic card. Please be on alert, calls have been reported in multiple counties. Medicare will n...
Lincoln District Ranger Michael Stansberry will be leaving Lincoln next month to take over as the Forest Supervisor for the Chippewa National Forest in northern Minnesota. Stansberry, who will end his tenure here Jan. 15, said the move is both a promotion and an opportunity to be closer to his family, including his twin daughters who have scholarship offers in Wisconsin and his son, who may be moving to Michigan. "There are lot of unknowns here but this is about being close...
HELENA, Montana - On July 16, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission approved the designation of 988 as the new, nationwide, 3-digit abbreviated code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The 988 hotline will provide a phone number for Americans in crisis to connect with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors. Some area codes, like the 406 area code in Montana, currently allow 7-digit dialing to complete a local phone call. As a result of FCC...
