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MISSOULA – The Missoula County Public School Board of Trustees approved Superintendent Rob Watson’s recommended reopening plan on a split vote at their Aug. 11 meeting. MCPS schools will reopen Aug. 26 in Phase 1 - Hybrid model and Seeley-Swan High School will reopen Sept. 1 (pending board approval Aug. 20) in Phase 2 – Modified Schedule. Students will also have the option to choose the MCPS Online Academy for 100% remote learning beginning Sept. 8 until the District reaches Phase 3. Watson presented a phased approach for a return to schoo... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – "I've taken a pie to the face, slept on the top of the school roof and was duct tapped to a wall when the students met their goals [for "I Love to Read" month]," said Seeley Lake Elementary's new Superintendent Josh Gibbs smiling at the memories. "I didn't enjoy school and definitely didn't put my best effort in. I understand that school is not everyone's strong suit and I try and reach out to those students and build those connections....It is just those little types of things, no...
SEELEY LAKE – Missoula County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Robert Parcell received the Montana Sheriffs & Peace Officers Association (MSPOA) Distinguished Career Award Aug. 17. He has been with the Missoula County Sheriff's Office for the past 38 and was nominated for the award by Missoula County Sheriff TJ McDermott. "There is not a person more deserving of this award," said McDermott. "Bob has served with honor, integrity and dedication throughout his entire career." Throughout his nearly four d...
As longtime volunteers grow older, many want to take a step back to allow for more travel and leisure time. What will volunteer organizations do to fill the void, and how can we keep older volunteers active? Many communities are struggling to find an answer. Wolf Point's Clint and Arlyss Long have been at the head of a small army of volunteers behind the Wild Horse Stampede, the oldest continuous rodeo in the state of Montana, for nearly 40 years. Along with the many challenges experienced...
Ryan Craig, the editor and publisher of the Todd County Standard - a weekly newspaper in Elkton, Kentucky, ran a story encouraging farmers to attend a very important meeting on agricultural zoning. The future of farming could be changed at this meeting but the crowd at the meeting was sparse. The next morning at the local greasy spoon, Craig walked up to the table full of farmers and asked why they didn’t come to the meeting. Didn’t they know how important it was? One of the farmers stopped eating his eggs, looked up and said, “We didn’t go bec...
It was heartening to read Democratic governor candidate Mike Cooney’s Keep Montana Working plan, which will create and expand career opportunities for Montanans. As a professional who works in Montana rural schools, I see many young people graduate from high school with few job prospects, despite the fact that employers are seeking skilled workers and resorting to hiring workers outside Montana. Mike Cooney’s plan addresses the deterrents that prevent Montanans from gaining those skills, including incentives to start childcare businesses, cre...
Hello SSHS families, We are rapidly approaching the start to the year! A couple notes to remember. If you have an incoming ninth grader or a new student to town that will be in the high school please get your registration paperwork in ASAP. If you don't have it or cannot find it, please call or stop by the school and we will get you one. We have pushed our start date for school back from Aug. 24 to Sept. 1. On Aug. 31 from 2 - 3:30 p.m. we will have freshman orientation. This will be a time for... Full story
Hot, dry conditions continue to dry fuels out, prompting Missoula County fire protection agencies to raise the fire danger in the Missoula area to VERY HIGH, effective midnight Aug. 18. Very high fire danger means that fires start easily from all causes, and immediately spread rapidly and increase quickly in intensity. There are no new fire restrictions at this time and outdoor burning by permit remains closed in Missoula County as well as in our surrounding counties. Residents and visitors are urged to use extra caution when outdoors due to th...
SWAN VALLEY - Flathead National Forest firefighters are working on suppressing a fire in a remote area of the Swan Mountain Range. The Lion Creek Fire was reported Tuesday, Aug. 11, burning in heavy fuels on steep slopes. The lightning caused fire was 110 acres as of Monday, Aug. 17. With the hotter, drier weather, fire managers expect to see more active fire behavior in the coming days. The fire is burning approximately one mile outside the Bob Marshall Wilderness and four miles from other land ownership (DNRC). At 10:50 a.m. Aug. 11, a...
The Missoula County Election Advisory Committee restructured its membership to include three new, at-large members. Applicants with rural representation and a knowledge of underserved communities are preferred, but not required. The online application is open through Tuesday, Sept 1. Current bylaw and membership revisions reflect the EAC’s desire to ensure all Missoula County constituents have access to vote. One of the positions reassigned was the Libertarian central committee seat, which has been vacant for years, as there is no longer an e...
POTOMAC - Potomac School is preparing for students to return Aug. 26 since remaining closed after spring break in March. Principal John Rouse presented the re-opening plan and recommendations to the School Board at their Aug. 10 meeting. They agreed to open in-person with the opportunity for parents and students to engage in online at-home learning. The board also addressed several topics regarding the re-opening plan including face coverings, athletics and the eighth grade trip funds from last year. Rouse created a Safe Learning Plan which... Full story
While five-gallon buckets brimmed with sloshing water may be a close challenger, t-posts are some of the most awkward things to be carried. At just over 10 pounds apiece, with studded, irregular edges and sharp anchoring wings, schlepping one of these eight-foot steel specimens to a fence project is an unwieldy affair. Add in some uneven floodplain terrain, and the fact that most of us underestimate pinched fingers and balance points while trying to carry more posts than we should, and you have...
Marvin Edward Jennings, Jr., husband of the late Mildred Lange Jennings, passed away on Sunday, July 26 at the age of 93. He was born in East St. Louis, Illinois on Saturday, July 23, 1927 to the late Marvin Edward Jennings, Sr. and Alice Muir Jennings. Marvin worked as a Finance Officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, retiring after 30+ years of service. He enjoyed watching baseball, playing softball and was an avid golfer for his entire life. He also was an accomplished bowler and was... Full story
Within our culture is a wide range of sources that claim to give wisdom, guidance and instruction. Many sadly choose to look to daily horoscopes to give insight into what might happen that day and wisdom for how to live. I read an article a while back that states: "NASA reveals you've had the wrong Zodiac sign all your life." Apparently, NASA quietly reminded the world that there are in fact 13 constellations in the original zodiac and not 12. The article actually blames the ancient...
SWAN VALLEY – At their meeting Aug. 11, the Swan Valley School Board voted 3 to 1 to approve Principal Ralph King’s recommended guidelines for reopening Sept. 8. The Swan Valley School will begin face-to-face instruction five days a week with preschool suspended until further notice. The school is also working on an avenue for families that want to keep their child home due to the current health situation. The Opening Guidelines are subject to revision at any point should the directives from the Governor or Missoula City-County Health Dep... Full story
SEELEY LAKE – As of July 20, Gallery 83 is under new ownership. Seeley Lake resident Brandy Wyckoff looks forward to continuing to provide a space for Montana artists to feature and sell their work. She hopes to offer a diversity of art, keeping things fresh and interesting for customers. Gallery 83 opened this past May in the south end of the Lazy Pine Mall on Highway 83. The new gallery was owned by Chris Larabee and operated by his father Brian. After selling their home in Seeley Lake, B...
If the early history of Seeley Lake is intertwined with the lumber industry, the rise of the United States Forest Service is incontrovertibly intertwined with Seeley Lake and in particular with the Big Blackfoot Timber Sale of 1907-1910. Historian and member of the Camp Paxson Preservation Board Gary Williams has been researching that sale. The Seeley Swan Pathfinder will be bringing some of the interesting bits of information he has discovered about logging in the Seeley Lake area and also about the fledgling U.S. Forest Service. SEELEY LAKE...
SEELEY LAKE – Seeley Lake resident Tom Browder and his wife Carolyn Lewis installed a free library outside ReMarkable Floral Tuesday, Aug. 11. This was part of his effort to reach out to communities while campaigning for House District 92. Browder said instead of using his campaign funding to send mailers and do phone calls, he decided to use recycled materials to build "Food Bank" boxes and libraries from East Missoula to the Swan Valley. Browder, Lewis and their friends Cheri and Steve T...
MISSOULA - The Potomac Valley and Seeley Lake Trailblazers 4-H clubs participated in the Western Montana's Farm to Fair Aug. 3-8. This years results are below. 4-H uses the Danish system in the judging process. Top ribbons include grand and reserve champion, followed by a purple group (P – top in their class), blue group (B), red group (R) and white group (W – participation ribbon) according to the placing received. Potomac Valley 4-H Brayden Cooney: Market Lamb Interview, Blue; Novice She...
Free Mobile COVID-19 testing clinics available weekly SEELEY LAKE - Missoula County residents experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or those identified by the Missoula City-County Health Department as a close contact to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 are encouraged to take advantage of a free COVID-19 Mobile Testing Clinic available in Seeley Lake and Clinton every Tuesday. Symptoms include: fever, cough, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, new loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath, sore throat or vomiting. Missoula City-County...
SEELEY LAKE – More than 20 volunteers clipped and bagged 524 pounds of flowers and leaves of fragrant waterlilies from Salmon Lake and Placid Lake Saturday, Aug. 15 for the first annual lily removal competition "Make the Cut" held by Clearwater Resource Council. CRC Executive Director Caryn Miske was pleased with the turnout for the first event. She said CRC's goal is to hold the competition twice next year and expand to other infected lakes in the area if the community involvement is there. T...
