A 36-year-old Helena man died Saturday in a one-vehicle highway accident on Boulder Hill in which two toddlers sustained minor injuries, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.
Heading north on Interstate 15 from Boulder just after 3 p.m. on Jan. 31, a Ford F-250 moved into the left-hand lane to pass slower-moving traffic around mile marker 169, before drifting off the road to the left, as detailed in MHP’s report.
The truck re-entered the road, skidded across both lanes and crashed into the guardrail on the right side, causing the vehicle to roll and eject the driver. He had not been wearing a seat belt, according to MHP, and died at the scene.
Two girls, aged 2 and 4, also in the truck, suffered minor injuries. The MHP considers alcohol and speed as factors in the accident, which occurred during a mostly clear afternoon.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder Ambulance, and Boulder/Bull Mountain Fire Department responded to the incident, and Jefferson County Emergency Services identified the victim as Jared Atchley of Helena.
Ranchers gain access to emergency funds
The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week designated Jefferson County, along with Blaine, Broadwater, and Fergus counties, a primary natural disaster area, enabling its Farm Service Agency (FSA) to extend much-needed emergency loans to area producers.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, during last year’s growing season these counties suffered from a drought intensity value of D2 (severe for 8 or more consecutive weeks), D3 (extreme) or D4 (exceptional).
FSA loans can be used to meet recovery needs including the replacement of essential items such as equipment or livestock, reorganization of a farming operation, or to refinance debts. FSA will review the loans based on the extent of losses, security available, and repayment ability.
The contiguous counties also eligible for emergency financing are Chouteau, Deer Lodge, Gallatin, Golden Valley, Hill, Judith Basin, Lewis and Clark, Madison, Meagher, Musselshell, Petroleum, Phillips, Powell, Silver Bow and Wheatland.
Interested farmers and ranchers should contact their local USDA Service Center, at 3 Whitetail Rd in Whitehall, (406) 287-3262 Ext 2,melissa.merrill@usda.gov, or 790 Colleen St. in Helena, (406) 449-5000 Ext 4, Tash.Wisemiller@usda.gov.
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Area elk collared for movement study
Fish, Wildlife and Parks’ study of area elk movements completed its collaring of 60 Jefferson County cows Jan. 26. The state agency plans to track the elk through the Elkhorn and Boulder mountains and along the Continental Divide for two years, as detailed in a September 2025 Monitor article.
“Mild winter weather made locating groups of elk more difficult than expected, but otherwise capture operations went smoothly,” said FWP’s Lindsey Parsons, project co-lead.
Fatal Jefferson City crash
A 26-year-old Helena man died in a single-vehicle accident Jan. 16 near the Jefferson City exit of Interstate 15, according to the Montana Highway Patrol. The MHP incident report indicates the crash happened shortly after 3:20 p.m. just south of exit 176.
A Ford F-250 traveling southbound crashed through a bridge and guardrail and rolled multiple times before ejecting the driver, who was pronounced dead on the scene. Road conditions at the time were reported as dry and clear, according to the MHP, which suspects alcohol, speed and drugs factored into the crash. The MHP continues to investigate the accident.
County Fair mulls date change
The Jefferson County Fair Board has proposed a date change for its annual summer event. At its Feb. 4 meeting at Volunteer Hall, the board will vote on holding the 2026 Fair Aug. 20-23, a week earlier than previously announced, to accommodate the start of classes at public schools.
Carroll College honor roll
Seven Jefferson County students have been named to the fall semester Dean’s List at Carroll College: Daniel Katzbeck from Boulder; Colton Tietje from Jefferson City; and Celi Chapman, Britton Heuiser, Elizabeth Heuiser, Lauren Heuiser and Racene Kent from Clancy.
Missoula kids’ theater in Clancy
The Missoula Children’s Theatre will perform “Hansel and Gretel” Friday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. at Clancy Elementary. The cast features Clancy students as Hansel and Gretel, their Granny, the Wildwood Witch, her loyal Cooks, and the modern-day campers – all lost in time in the woods. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and available at the door. For more information, call the school at (406) 933-5531.
DAR high school scholarships
The Oro Fino Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will award four $2,000 scholarships to high school seniors who are residents of Lewis and Clark, Jefferson, Broadwater or Meagher counties and plan to study education at a branch of the Montana University system. The deadline for applications is June 1. For information, contact school counselors or student advisors or Oro Fino Scholarship Chair Jean O’Connor at joconnor122@gmail.com.
Corrections
Two articles in the Jan. 21 Monitor (“No snow for skijoring? Snow problem” and “Weak winter spurs fears of dry summer”) incorrectly identified Melissa Ostrander as the president, and the head, of the Boulder Valley Skijoring Association. Bruce Guilio is the association’s president. Ostrander is a board member.
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Boulder to annex cemetery land
Boulder’s more than 130-year-old cemetery, though owned and run by the City, has long sat just beyond the city limits – an arrangement that may soon change.
At its Jan. 19 meeting, the Boulder Cemetery Advisory Committee approved a motion to recommend that the City of Boulder annex the property, bringing it within the city boundary. The City Planning Board will next review the annexation, including with public hearings, according to City Administrator Brian Bullock.
If approved, the motion would then come before the City Council for final approval. The cemetery committee also chose LaDana Hintz as its new chair, Rhonda Craft as vice chair and Rose Perna as secretary. Kathy Favero and Craft are the committee’s new community volunteers.
Clancy eyes contractor for new well
At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Clancy Water & Sewer District board plans to amend its contract with Great West Engineering to enable the Helena-based firm to begin planning the construction of production wells at the approved site on the property of Steve Marks.
Great West is expected to issue a bid request next month, after which the board plans to review submitted proposals and select its contractor. The District board was forced to cancel its December meeting due to the power outage following last month’s windstorm.
Corrections
An article in the Jan. 14 Monitor reported that Boulder Elementary’s 4th-grade class had been without a teacher since October, which was incorrect. The fourth graders did have a substitute teacher until the holiday break. When the students returned to school on Jan. 5, the school assigned a paraprofessional to temporarily oversee the class, in addition to the para previously assigned. Thanks to school clerk Britton Mann for the clarification.
Another article in the Jan. 14 Monitor asserted that a Billings court was considering giving previously convicted Bernard Pease “financial relief,” which was incorrect. The court, according to Montana Innocence Project officials, will soon decide whether to give Pease legal relief, in the form of exoneration.
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New Clancy fire chief plans reforms
Clancy’s Volunteer Fire Department chose a new chief last week, electing Kevin Harris to replace departing chief Greg Robson.
Harris, a 9-year veteran of the department, felt humbled to receive his colleagues’ support to step into the leadership role. “I don’t take the job lightly,” he said. “It comes with a huge responsibility to keep our members safe and help protect the public we serve.”
To better manage the department, Harris plans to create committees to oversee four key areas: facilities and equipment; training and safety; personnel and public relations; and records and policy. Each department member will serve at least one term on each committee.
“We are all volunteers and to help ease the burden on a select few, I hope to spread the tasks over a group,” Harris explained. “This should help to accomplish tasks, eliminate burnout and give ownership to the entire department.”
He acknowledged that he is far from the longest tenured member of the Clancy Volunteer Fire Department, yet said he planned to rely on guidance from retired members, previous leadership, and an array of Jefferson County officials. “I plan on learning from and leaning on every one of them when their experience and expertise are needed,” said Harris.
Robson, a 27-year veteran of the department, had hoped to continue as fire chief, but fell short in last week’s vote. He looked back on his two-year term with pride.
“We got a lot of good stuff done as a group,” he said before offering advice to his successor. “Trust in the members we have because they’re all very good and they’re trained well.”
New honorary plaque
Clancy resident Ed Dawes retired from the town’s volunteer fire department more than 20 years ago, but recently found a way to honor the group’s decades of service to the community. Finding two 30-inch brass fire nozzles in his possession, he decided they offered the perfect opportunity to commemorate the department’s work over the years.
“I came up with the idea that I would mount them on a plaque,” he said. Gathering some wood from trees felled by a recent beetle infestation, he brought them to his friend Steve Wilson, who used his sawmill to cut the boards and used diskit joiners to make a four-by-four square.
Dawes then took the raw boards to Allwood Design in Helena, which used computer precision to carve the plaque into a Maltese cross and add black markings. Finally, Dawes mounted the fire nozzles, along with plaques thanking those who contributed to the project and presenting the fireman’s prayer. It now hangs on the wall at the Clancy Volunteer Fire Dept.
