A Louisiana man died last week after the vehicle he was riding in sped off the left side of Highway 69 north of Whitehall and rolled multiple times before coming to rest on its roof, according to Montana Highway Patrol.
The driver, a 33-year-old from Milwaukee, was treated for his injuries at Butte’s St. James Hospital, while the 34-year-old from Pontchatoula, LA, was pronounced dead on the scene after being partially ejected from the Mazda 6 during the Feb. 16 accident.
Authorities suspect drugs, alcohol, speed, and improper seatbelt use played a role in the crash, which occurred on a clear afternoon.
USDA value-added grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is helping ranchers and farmers turn raw goods into high-quality, market-ready products through its Value-Added Producer Grant program.
Producers can apply for up to $50,000 in planning grants or up to $200,000 in working capital grants. The funds can go toward a variety of processing or marketing costs, including turning milk into cheese and finishing beef cattle for sale.
Applications are due April 22, learn more at USDA Rural Development’s Helena office, 2229 Birch Street, Suite 200, or (406) 449-5000 ext. 4.
Lenten Luncheons at St. Peter’s
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Women will host their annual Lenten Luncheons series Thursdays at noon through March. The focus of this year’s series is “Steward of our Land and Environment.”
Matthew Bishop, a senior attorney at the Western Environmental Law Center who works to protect grizzly bears, wolverines and Canada lynx, will speak at the Feb. 26 event.
Subsequent speakers will include Corrie Williamson of American Prairie on Mar. 5; Upper Missouri Waterkeeper Board President John Tubbs on Mar. 12; Old Salt Co-Op CEO and co-founder Cole Mannix on Mar. 19; and Bishop Marty Stebbins on Mar. 26.
All events will be held at St. Peter’s Cathedral, 511 N. Park in Helena.
Correction
A Feb. 18 Monitor article about Montana’s new Backcountry Discovery Route described Russ Ehnes as the Executive Director of the National Off-Highway Vehicle Conservation Council. Ehnes no longer serves in that role and should have been referred to as a former NOHVCC executive director.
—— Feb 18 BRIEFS ——
Alleged drug offender captured
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with a U.S. Marshall task force, arrested Shawn Foster on felony drug charges near Wickes last week.
The joint operation, which was based on a Lewis & Clark County drug warrant and followed long-term intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination, involved 10 members of the task force, two Jefferson County deputies and three command staff.
Before launching the operation, JCSO used the county’s emergency services drone to verify the status and location of the suspect. No injuries were reported, according to JCSO.
New Forest Service rule, seasonal jobs
The U.S. Forest Service in early February proposed a rule that would shrink the public comment period on planned decisions and allow the agency to post proposals on its website, rather than publish them in a newspaper of record. The changes, says USFS chief Tom Schultz, “will ensure the Forest Service can act swiftly to deliver projects.”
Separately, Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest will begin hiring seasonal employees later this week for the upcoming recreation season, including recreation and visitor services, trail maintenance and resource management. Applicants can find details at USAJOBS.gov starting Feb. 20, when HLCNF plans to post its available jobs.
Boulder seeks bids on water upgrades
The City of Boulder is accepting bids on the final Phase 1 steps of its planned water system improvements, including a new wellhouse for Well 5, plus piping and chemical systems.
Interested firms can access the contract documents, including drawings and a project manual, at the website of Morrison-Maierle: visit www.m-m.net and click on “About”, then “Projects Bidding”. Bids should be sent to City Administrator Brian Bullock by 3 p.m. March 19 (See official notice on page 8 for more detail.)
Property tax relief deadline
Jefferson County residents who have owned their home, agricultural property or long-term rental for at least seven months are eligible to apply for tax relief from the state Department of Revenue by March 1.
Eligible agricultural properties must be at least 160 acres, and leased U.S. Forest Service lands also qualify for relief, as do mobile homes. Apply via the state website (https://revenue.mt.gov/property/property-tax-help/) or with the Jefferson County Treasurer at 201 W. Centennial in Boulder, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m, M-F.
—- Feb 11 BRIEFS —–
Looming Basin school deadline
Basin Elementary is urging area parents to submit by Feb. 13 enrollment forms for their children to attend in the 2026-27 school year.
School Clerk Michelle Hughes needs a verified number of expected students by that date to work with the state Office of Public Instruction to project a school-year budget, according to the Basin school website.
As school officials work toward filing their completed re-opening request with OPI in June, the website homepage offers a link to the enrollment form and advises interested parents to send their filled-out forms to Superintendent Sarah Eyer by Friday, Feb. 13.
“We’re still going to be accepting applications after that,” said school board member Scott Brock. “That’s just a deadline for us to submit to OPI to get things rolling.”
Next month the school hopes to release its preliminary 26-27 budget and ramp up its job advertising. The school website highlights four available positions. One, supervisory teacher, is a must-hire, while the other three – classroom teacher, paraprofessional and volunteer – will depend on budget and student enrollment.
“There’s no guarantee this will happen,” Eyer said at last month’s County Commission meeting, referring to OPI’s decision to re-open the school. “It’s kind of an arbitrary process.” Basin’s next school board meeting is March 10.
National Forest prescribed burns
Helena-Lewis & Clark National Forest completed a prescribed burn in Clancy’s Travis Creek area Feb. 4, burning 150 acres north of Buffalo Creek and west of Travis Creek Rd.
The Forest Service hopes to perform another prescribed burn in Jefferson County this week or next, eyeing 200 more acres near Travis Creek and a blacklining, or perimeter burn, in the Elkhorn Mountains, depending on weather.
HLCNF also expects to launch its new prescribed burn plan in the next few months, starting in the Elkhorns.
“We plan to implement this spring and the Elkhorns will likely be the first place,” HLCNF Supervisor Emily Platt said last week, adding that her team would burn up to 3,000 acres across three or four locations.
