The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
Sorted by date Results 751 - 775 of 1092
It's been a busy time for Emilee Rivera as she gets things in place to open a much-needed daycare service in Lincoln. Rivera has been purchasing and assembling items, getting student packets together and working through the licensing procedures for Lil Lynx Daycare, all while caring for her own children. Rivera, who grew up in Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2010, returned home last October when her husband, Robert assumed the post of Lincoln's resident...
Are you curious about what's going on with that long-vacant lot across from Grizzly Hardware and the Bootlegger? Steve Hartman purchased the property earlier this year and has developed a place for campers and RVs to park in the center of town, while raising money for our local school. "It seems the school is always struggling and I thought this was a way to help them. They're always in need of uniforms for volleyball or football, or something else. Something needed to be...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is hosting a meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 27, on the roles of beaver and humans in habitat restoration and water conservation. The meeting's objective is to increase common awareness of potential opportunities, constraints, mechanisms, authorities, roles, and expectations for beavers and other tools to conserve and enhance riparian and aquatic habitats. The meeting is free, and no registration is required. It will be held at the Delta Marriott Hotel...
The Blackfoot Challenge celebrated their second annual Block Party in Downtown Ovando Wednesday, Aug. 14, marking the collaborative organizations 26th year. The first block party in 2018, though a low-key affair compared to the 20th anniversary gala at Paws Up in 2013, proved a hit, drawing in locals and guests from throughout the watershed. "We had a great crowd and great feedback and thought we would try it again," said Sara Schmidt, the communications manager for the Challe...
From downtown Lincoln you can now head for miles in any direction and still say you're within the Crown of the Continent, thanks to the work done by University of Montana Geography Professor Rick Graetz and his former graduate student Katie Shank. Last Friday, Graetz and Shank unveiled a new southern boundary for the Crown, which highlights the region around Lincoln and adds about 275,000 acres and 87 miles of the Continental Divide to the 13-million-acre ecosystem. Over the...
MISSOULA – Nonresident travelers spent $3.58 billion throughout Montana in 2018, according to an annual report published by the University of Montana's Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. This is a 10.4 percent increase from the previous year's estimate. "We see this as a big plus for Montana since our numbers indicate that visitation was relatively flat in 2018, but spending was up," said ITRR Director Norma Nickerson. Analysis of each of Montana's six travel r...
Mike Almas' Type 2 Incident Management Team bid farewell to Lincoln as they handed over management of the Horsefly and Nevada Creek fires to Shane Martin's Central Montana Type 3 Incident Management Team Tuesday morning, following a stretch of cool, rainy weekend that allowed firefighters to make significant progress in their efforts on both fires. The cooling trend that started late last week also allowed Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton to lift an evacuation order...
Great Falls, Mont. – Second Lieutenant Jenna Schaack recently graduated from the United States Armor School in Ft. Benning, Georgia and in doing so, became the first female Armor Officer in the history of the Montana Army National Guard. Schaack graduated in June and upon graduation was assigned as a Platoon Leader with C Company, 1-163rd Combined Arms Battalion in Great Falls. Historically females were not allowed to hold positions in combat units. As of Jan. 1, 2016 all m...
Lincoln will be filled with the music of fiddles on the weekend of Aug. 23-25 as the Montana State Old-Time Fiddlers Association brings their state convention and contest to town. Isaac Callender, President of the Montana State Old-Time Fiddlers Association, suggested Lincoln as the new site for the event, following a decision to move it after hosting it for eight years in Choteau. "We just wanted to move it somewhere a little more central to the fiddling population,"...
The community of Ovando unveiled new signs along Highway 200 recently to celebrate the town's recognition last year as the 2018 Montana Community of the Year. The town has a pair of community events scheduled for the next week that should give folks a chance to check the new signs out first hand. Ovando will have tables throughout town Saturday, Aug. 10 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., for the Ovando Yard Sale. The yard sale will include local vendors and is open to folks from around...
The smoke plume that rose over the mountains east of Lincoln Monday seemed like a rerun as the Horsefly Fire erupted to life only about a mile west of the Black Diamond Fire that reared up near Flesher Pass Friday, Aug. 2. The Horsefly Fire saw bucket drops almost immediately after it was reported, while it was still quite small, Fire Information Officer Tammy Shroyer told the BVD. Nevertheless, it gathered strength and grew to 100 acres by 2:30 p.m. As the afternoon wore on,...
LINCOLN Aug, 5, 2019 - A new column of smoke visible from downtown Lincoln is the result of a new fire about a mile west of the Black Diamond Fire near Flesher Pass. The Stonewall Lookout first picked up the new fire, called the Horsefly Fire this afternoon. Crews were dispatched to it immediatley, but Lincoln District Ranger Michael Stansberry told the BVD it grew quickly, before suppression actions could be taken. There are currently Hot Shot crews and air assets assigned... Full story
LINCOLN Aug, 2, 2019 - A fire that came to life Friday afternoon burned 40 to 50 acres a little less than two miles miles west of the top of Flesher Pass, near the Continental Divide Trail. The Black Diamond Fire is the second in the Lincoln area, with the the Nevada Creek Fire, about three miles west of Granite Butte, is listed at about 80 acres Friday evening. Lincoln. District Ranger Michale Stansberry has scheduled a public meeting on the fires for 5 p.m., Saturday... Full story
HELENA – The Montana Department of Transportation will host an open house on Thursday, Aug. 8 between 4 and 6:30 p.m. to present the information on the roundabout planned for the Lincoln – Applegate Intersection Project. The project will help address traffic safety and improve operations of the Lincoln Road and Applegate Drive intersection north of Helena. "Based on the safety and traffic analysis, and input from the community at our last public meeting, MDT determined tha...
Helena – The Montana Army National Guard is giving eligible Montanan's between the ages of 16-32 years of age an opportunity to experience what being a Soldier is all about during an August recruiting event at Fort Harrison, Aug. 2-4 2019. Coined, "Be a Guardsman", the Montana Army National Guard Training Center will host the event for anyone interested in becoming a Citizen Soldier, and allow attendees to the opportunity to train like a Soldier for a weekend. In addition t...
Lightning that moved through the area last night generated seven new fire starts in the area around Lincoln, Michael Stansberry, Lincoln District Ranger, told the BVD. A lightning strike from last night is believed to be the cause of the Nevada Creek Fire near the Helmville-Gould Trail near Stemple Pass. The newsier in the same general area as the Dalton Fire air crews were fighting yesterday. Stansberry said the new fire is at about 40 acres, with fire activity increasing as...
Lightning that rolled through the Lincoln area Monday night ignited a small fire near the Stemple Pass area The three-acre fire saw group torching at about 9 p.m. but was only smoldering by Tuesday at noon. Lincoln District Ranger Michael Stansberry told the BVD that the blaze, called the Dalton Fire, was located along the Helmville-Gould trail near the area of last year's 467 Fire, but was less accessible. "We are choosing not to take heavy equipment in there at this point,...
The Lincoln Volunteer Fire Department provided support to agencies battling the North Hills Fire near Helena, but with fire season ramping up and warm, dry weather in the forecast Lincoln Fire Chief Zach chose not to commit department resources to the fire for a full 14-day tour. Muse told the BVD they have been providing assets on a day-to-day basis to help battle the blaze North of Helena, but want to ensure they have their assets available to respond to any fires that may...
Noxious weeds have destructive impacts on Montana's landscape including displacing native plant species, increasing soil erosion, and decreasing wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. Rangeland, pastureland, cropland, forests, and wildlands comprise 92 million acres, or 98 percent, of the total land area in Montana. Both new and continued infestations of these non-native species not only reduce the productivity of cropland and rangeland, but infestations of noxious w...
Justin McDonough uses a bulldozer to move dirt as he levels out the vacant lot next to the Lincoln Fire Hall, Friday evening, July 19. According to Lincoln Fire Chief Zach Muse, leveling the lot will make it easier to mow and will provide the Fire Department with an additional area to park vehicles, if needed. It may be used as a site for training. The Lincoln Volunteer Fire District took ownership of the property north of the fire hall March 5. The purchase included both the...
Two days of hot rods and rock & roll are coming to Lincoln this weekend as Rev Mountain Entertainment presents the Rev Mountain Car and Bike Show, July 26 and 27 at the Lincoln Rodeo Grounds. Event Promoter Shelby Brookie said the event came about to bring additional attention to Lincoln as a destination and to help the towns economy boom, with an event the locals should appreciate. "We realized there are a lot of cool cars here; there are a lot of people who love their...
For the past two years, the Lincolnstock music festival has been absent from Lincoln's calendar of events, but this weekend organizer Gary Zadick is bringing it back to town once again as a free, standalone event. In 2017, Zadick took a break from organizing the festival to travel and spend time with his family. Lincolnstock as its own event was put on hold, but Zadick kept it alive in a slightly different form by handing it off to the Lincoln Arts Council and helping them...
NOTE: In this three-part series, Montana Free Press examines how federal land management agencies have approached wildfire in the past and highlights key public and private sector developments that could change how we engage with it in the future. Previously: Part 1 – The evolution of wildfire suppression. BOZEMAN - Ray Rasker, who has researched wildfire for more than a decade as the executive director of Bozeman-based nonprofit Headwaters Economics, makes a bold claim a...
After a one-year hiatus, the Lincoln Bike Rally returned to town, bringing the thunder with it. Under the direction and organization of the Tenacious Dames Riding Club, "The Rally in the Valley," drew an estimated 250-300 bikes to town "We had a pretty good group come in yesterday and today," Julie Fink, the president of the Tenacious Dames said Saturday afternoon. The turnout outpaced the first rally in 2015, which drew an estimate 160 bikes. Fink said they would have had...
Ten firefighters based at the Lincoln Ranger District deployed to Alaska last week to help combat a major wildfire on the Kenai Peninsula. The Helena Type 2 Incident Attack crew is battling the 100,000-acre plus Swan Lake Fire near Sterling, Alaska, Jarel Kurtz, the district's Fire Management Officer, told the BVD. The Helena Hotshots crew out of the Helena office has also been sent to Alaska. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, 1.2 million acres have burned in...
