The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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The Lewis and Clark County Commission unanimously approved the application for a $20,000 grant from the Montana Main Street Program during the Friday Dec. 5 Government Day meeting held via Zoom. Although the grant would be for the community of Lincoln, Lewis and Clark County is technically the applicant, as the local government with jurisdiction over the town. If approved, the grant and $5000 in matching funds raised by Envision Lincoln will provide approximately half the fund...
HELENA - Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases throughout Lewis and Clark County, and out of an abundance of caution for staff and patron safety, The Lewis & Clark Library is closing the Augusta and Lincoln Branches to in-person browsing. Each Branch of the Lewis & Clark Library will offer non-contact holds pick-up. Patrons can reserve items online at https://www.LCLibrary.org and designate which Branch they'd like to pick-up their items up from: Main, Augusta, Bookmobile,...
The Fat Hippie, a medical cannabis dispensary, became Lincoln's newest business along Main Street Nov. 5, and celebrated their grand opening November 20. Terry Lucke, owner of the establishment, had wanted to put a store in Lincoln for a couple of years, and the timing just worked out. The actual endeavor began about seven months ago when the space in the building became available. Originally slated to open in a different suite in the building at 425 Montana Highway 200, the l...
The Lewis and Clark County Commission unanimously approved the application for a $20,000 grant from the Montana Main Street Program during the Friday Dec. 5 Government Day meeting held via Zoom. Although the grant would be for the community of Lincoln, Lewis and Clark County is technically the applicant, as the local government with jurisdiction over the town. If approved, the grant and $5000 in matching funds raised by Envision Lincoln will provide approximately half the fund...
Since the start of the pandemic, messaging about mask-wearing has changed considerably. Early on, the World Health Organization suggested that wearing a mask wasn't necessary, but changed that stance in June. Many sources originally claimed that masks only benefited non-wearers, while new studies have provided research that wearing a mask may actually help protect the wearer as well as others. The most recent data suggests that wearing masks does help limit the spread of...
The Lincoln School Board voted to extend the school closure and to continue distance learning until Jan. 4 during an emergency meeting Nov. 25. Classes were initially set to resume at the school Monday, after the school was closed Nov. ?? due to several students and staff members found they had been in close contact with a person who was confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. Since then, the number of both confirmed and suspected cases of COVID-19 continues to climb...
HELENA - Attorney General Tim Fox and Montana Lottery Director Angela Wong cautioned Montanans today about lottery-related scams that have become increasingly prevalent and urged them to be vigilant. "These scams can really impact your finances and cost you tens of thousands of dollars," Attorney General Tim Fox said. "Scammers prey upon people who live alone, and since the pandemic has led to more isolation, bad actors see this current situation as an opportunity to target...
MISSOULA – The 2020 general big game hunting season closed on November 29, with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' west-central Montana check stations reporting above average hunter success in the Bitterroot and Upper Clark Fork, and lower success in the Blackfoot. Hunter numbers at the FWP Darby, Anaconda and Bonner check stations were lower than average, partly a result of reduced staffing and hours of operation due to Covid operating procedures. Those that stopped through t...
With COVID cases on the rise, both statewide and locally, Jill Frisbee made the hard decision to temporarily close the Lincoln Pit Stop. When Frisbee first closed the Pit Stop, she began by extending the closure one or two days at a time. However, in a Facebook post on Nov. 25, she shared that the restaurant would be closed through Dec. 8. The closure is an “effort to keep our team and our customers safe and healthy,” according to the post. “I think it’s just trying to stop the spread, keep my manpower, and I’ve got famil...
In Montana’s largest county, Yellowstone, the public health officer said his workers are facing a backlog of more than 760 new COVID-19 cases waiting for contact tracing and case investigation. Nearly 300 miles away, Roosevelt County’s public health officer says her office receives calls from people who have recently tested positive, but haven’t yet been contacted by a public health worker. And in Lewis and Clark County, public health officials say they have scaled back their contract tracing efforts because of the surge...
This week, PureView Health Center began offering COVID-19 testing at Parker Medical Center to members of the public in Lincoln who are showing symptoms or who have had close contact with a case. Previously, testing had been limited to Parker Medical patients, but as the number of cases increases throughout the county and in Lincoln, PureView has opted to expand testing to non-patients as well beginning Monday, Nov. 23. "I think it's increased enough to have the staff say we...
MISSOULA – West-central Montana hunter check stations remained steady with hunter traffic over the weekend. Cumulative season harvest totals for elk, white-tailed deer and mule deer are on track with average in some spots and lag a bit behind in other parts of the region. At the check station just south of Darby, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) biologist Rebecca Mowry reported numbers that are on par with the past three years. So far this season, the Darby station has c...
Helena – Due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases, the Lewis and Clark County Community Development and Planning Department will now see customers by appointment only to protect the health and safety of employees and the public. People should call 406-447-8374 for the following: · Make an appointment to submit an application. · Make an appointment to pick up or pay for a permit. · Make a payment via credit card. · Be directed to the appropriate planning staff member to sc...
As of Veteran's Day, November 11, 2020, United States veterans and Gold Star Families (the immediate family members of fallen service members) will get to visit our nation's wonders for free. This will include anyone who has worked in the US Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves. Veterans can visit our incredible national parks such as the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, or Yosemite for no cost. It also includes historical sites such as Abraham Lincoln's Birthplac...
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference Nov. 17, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced three new directives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 within the state as winter approaches. COVID-19 cases began to increase markedly throughout Montana in September, with even rural areas seeing an increase in confirmed cases. "We're all sick of this virus," Bullock said. "We all have to collectively recognize that this virus won't stop spreading in our communities any time soon...
COVID-19 cases are spiking throughout Lewis and Clark County, and Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance President Aaron Birkholz, has serious concerns that the number of cases in Lincoln is far higher than officially reported. On Monday the county reported a total of 1850 cases since March, with 860 currently active cases, 11 hospitalizations and nine deaths. Case rates in the county began taking off in late September and on Nov.12 hit a high (so far) of 96 cases reported that day....
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock announced three new directives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 within the state as winter approaches. COVID-19 cases began to increase markedly throughout the Montana in September, with even rural areas seeing an increase in confirmed cases. "We're all sick of this virus," Bullock said. "We all have to collectively recognize that this virus won't stop spreading in our communities any time soon...
A Lincoln woman and her two pets died of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a home west of town, Nov. 13. According to Lewis and Clark County Sheriff/Coroner Leo Dutton, dispatch received a call at 2:29 p.m. Friday about a possible death in the 3700 block of Highway 200. The deputy who responded found Lincoln resident Barbra French, 65, deceased. French’s cat was also found dead. Her dog, though found alive, has since died as well. According to Dutton, professional readings in the home showed very high levels of carbon m...
Lincoln Schools suspended in-person instruction and shift to remote learning for two weeks Monday morning after a person intown who had cloe contact with several students and staff members tested positive for COVID-19. With no confirmed cases in the school itself, the decision to shift away from in-person learning was largely precautionary. "Until we get those results back we're not sure the impact that would have on our school, so to be on the safe side we decided to close...
LINCOLN - The Montana Department of Transportation would like to announce and invite the public to comment on a proposal to replace the bridge on Dalton Mountain Road that crosses over the Blackfoot River in Lewis and Clark County. Proposed work includes removing the existing bridge and constructing a new bridge. The roadway approaches will also be reconstructed as needed to match the grade and width of the new structure. The project is tentatively scheduled for construction...
Following their Oct. 20 meeting, the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council drafted a letter to the Montana Department of Transportation objecting to the findings in their proposal to lower the speed on a one-mile stretch of Highway 200 just east of Lincoln. Early last month, in response to an August request from Lewis and Clark County for a a speed study in the area, MDT proposed lowering the speed limit from the east end of Lincoln to Airport Road from 70 mph to 60 mph....
Fred and Leigh Ann Valiton, owners of the Blackfoot Commercial Company in Ovando, paid a visit to the Lincoln Volunteer Ambulance Nov. 3, to present the service with a donation from the Ovando Community. Anonymous donors in Ovando pulled together a total of $9000 for the ambulance. "This kind of jumped up on itself almost. We did not go out begging for this, by any means. Several in our community felt like we could put enough cash together to make it worthwhile," Fred Valiton...
The Lincoln area got a mostly imperceptible shake early Friday morning as a 3.3 magnitude earthquake struck near the South Fork of Poorman Creek, between Stemple Pass Road and Granite Butte at a depth of about 7.7 miles. The earthquake struck at about 6:22 a.m., Oct. 30 but didn't cause any reported damage. According to the US Geological survey, the tremor was the largest of 21 minor quakes to rumble below the surface in the Poorman Creek area over the last 30 days. A 2.7...
The Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department responded to a small fire at a residence along Highway 200 about 15 miles east of Lincoln Sunday evening. The fire, which effectively destroyed the homes kitchen, started when a pan with grease in it caught fire. Homeowner Denis Bordeleau managed to extinguish the fire, despite not being able to see the flames for the smoke, by breaking a window and spraying the kitchen area with water from his garden hose. Unable to re-enter his house...
High winds caused a power outage east of town Friday, Oct. 30. The National Weather Service recorded wind gusts in Lincoln exceeding 25 mph between 3 and 5 p.m., with a 31 mph gust recorded at 5:03 p.m. West of Lincoln, Ovando saw gusts up to 42 mph, while weather.gov reported the Helena area that day saw gusts of greater than 50 mph. The high winds knocked down a tree about 14 miles east of Lincoln, which then fell onto Northwestern Energy power lines. According to Fire...
