Flood Advisory in Effect on Clarks Fork Until 6:30 P.M. Monday
By Denise Rivette At 6:33 a.m. Sunday, June 9, 2024, the Billings office of the National Weather Service predicted snowmelt combined with showers and thunderstorms over the Beartooth mountains through Sunday night may push the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone river to
Election Results
49.85% of Carbon County voters weighed in on the candidates and issues in yesterdayโs election. I saw two poll watchers and both said the process went well and they had no concerns. The results of Montanaโs primary are as follows: President of the United States
Carbon County EMS Thanks Community For Overwhelming Support
By Denise Rivette The members of Carbon County EMS from around the county reached out today to express their gratitude for the great support the voters demonstrated when they approved the mill levy yesterday with 69% of the vote. The passing of this ballot initiative allows Red Lodge Fire and Rescue (RLFR), Joliet EMS, and Clarks Fork Valley EMS to continue to serve their communities with quality services.
Carbon County Elections Administrator Reacts to New York Times Article
By Denise Rivette I sent a New York Times article about an election administrator in Nevada to Crystal Roascio, Carbon County Elections Administrator, for her review and comment. The Nevada county discussed in the article has similar demographics to our own. She sent the following in response:
New (Unofficial) Yellowstone Country Ranger Guides Tourists Through Their Montana Adventures
By Denise Rivette As the Summer tourist season gets underway opening the gates for hordes of visitors, Yellowstone Country has unleashed their latest ad campaign to promote the amenities available in our region and responsible ways to enjoy them. Yellowstone Country is the portion of Montanaโs tourism effort that promotes tourism in Carbon, Gallatin, Park, Sweet Grass and Stillwater counties. Their new campaign employs an (unofficial) Yellowstone Country Ranger to welcome and educate visitors to our area. She has
Keeping Watch: Flood Changed Waterways and Benchmarks
By Denise Rivette (updated 4:44 p.m.) Last nightโs rising water levels on Rock Creek had several local officials alert but not alarmed. With warming and cooling trends the water level and flows will continue to fluctuate and there may appear to be more water than usual. City and County officials state there is not an unusual amount of water coming down at this time. Because their efforts to remove the rock debris (including sand) that was deposited on the creekbed by the 2022 flood were thwarted when Montana FWP revoked the permit it had earlier issued, the creekbed is higher (by feet in some places) giving the illusion of more water. This also means that certain water level benchmarks along the banks that previously indicated dangerous amounts of water in the creek are now unreliable predictors of flood potential.
Carbon County First Responder Blotter
TOTAL CALLS FOR SERVICE = 438 CIVIL PROCESS = 10 WELFARE CHECK = 6 911 HANGUPS/MISDIALS/TELEMARKETERS = 17 MEDICALS = 16 PRISONER TRANSPORT TOTAL TIME = 3 HOURS ACTIVE ALARMS = 6 TRAFFIC COMPLAINT = 21 CRASH = 9 ARRESTS = 3 INCARCERATIONS = 1 WARNINGS = 132
Montana Land Board Decides To Take Stronger Role In Water Decisions
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan The Montana Land Board decided to take back the authority it ceded decades ago at its May meeting, but the decision to do that, along with a recent Supreme Court ruling, has cast an uneasy tension between state leaders and the agricultural community.
Timeline Of Catastrophic Road Failure On Teton Pass
By Denise Rivette This morning WYO 22/Teton Pass was closed indefinitely due to a โcatastrophicโ road failure. The road was closed to traffic overnight due to road repair and a mudslide that occurred earlier. No road crew members were injured and no equipment was damaged in the failure. Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) kept the public well apprised of the situations as they occurred or were discovered through their Facebook posts. Below is how the events transpired as told through social media.
Montana Department of Transportation, DEQ, To Be Under New Leadership
By Daily Montanan Staff Governor Greg Gianforte announced Thursday the appointments of Chris Dorrington as director of the Montana Department of Transportation and of Sonja Nowakowski as director of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality.
Knudsen Calls Montanaโs Campaign Laws โSillyโ And Says Comments Were Proof Of โTransparencyโ
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen appears to have doubled down on his comments from a meeting in Dillon last month in which he told an audience that he had recruited a fellow Republican to run against him for attorney general so that he could raise more money.
To Tanner Smith's Supporters: Let's Get Your Montana Back
During this general election season, Montana Independent News will print opinions from candidates that include critiques of their opponentsโ qualifications and track records (without personal attacks), but also invite the opposing candidates to present their own opinion pieces in an effort to offer the voting public as fair a view of all the candidates as possible. That said, I cannot force candidates to respond or present their views. I will send the opinion piece below to the Gianforte/Juras team with a request for them to provide a similar or complementary piece.
Daughter Who Stole More Than $700,000 From Elderly Mother In Lewistown While Serving As Caregiver Sentenced To Four And One-Half Years In Prison
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana Press Release GREAT FALLS โ A woman who forged checks to steal more than $700,000 from her elderly mother in Lewistown while purporting to serve as her caregiver was sentenced today to four and one-half years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Miller Receives Life Sentence For Injuring Montana Highway Patrol Trooper
From Montana Attorney Generalโs Office press release HELENAโ Jason Allen Miller was sentenced to life without parole for running over and seriously injuring Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Lewis Johnson in February 2023. In April, Miller was found guilty on all counts including attempted deliberate homicide, criminal endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal possession of dangerous drugs, aggravated kidnapping, and a sentencing enhancement for the use of a weapon.
Perspective: Donald Trump Can Still Be President, But He Could Be Barred From Being A Bartender, Car Salesman โ Or Real Estate Developer
By Brian Nam-Sonenstein, Senior Editor and Researcher at the Prison Policy Initiative Last week, former President Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in New York โ becoming the first former (and perhaps future) president to be convicted of a felony. While the conviction will not prevent him from pursuing the presidency, he nonetheless joins over
White Nationalist, Anti-LGBTQ Activity On The Rise, Annual Hate Report Shows
By Ashley Murray for States Newsroom WASHINGTON โ Emboldened by the mainstreaming of hard-right politics ahead of a presidential election cycle, white nationalist and anti-LGBTQ+ groups increased to record levels in the United States last year, according to the Southern Poverty Law Centerโs latest annual
Ninth Circuit Appears Skeptical of Montanaโs Drag Ban
By Darrell Ehrlick for the Daily Montanan A three-judge panel of the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals wrestled on Tuesday with how Montanaโs โdrag ban law,โ currently on hold from a federal judge, doesnโt violate the U.S. Constitutionโs First Amendment, protecting free speech and viewpoints.
Wide Scope Of Presidential Emergency Powers Could Be Reined In By Congress This Year
By Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom WASHINGTON โ Senators from both political parties at a May 22 hearing appeared to be on the same page about limiting presidential emergency powers, striking a bipartisan agreement that Congress should take steps this year to rework a decades-old law.
How Dutton Schools Solved Their Teacher Shortage By Opening A Daycare
by Susan Shain for High Country News This school year, Montana, a state with fewer than 8,000 teachers, had 1,000 unfilled teaching positions. Meanwhile, Dutton-Brady Public Schools, a rural district about an hour from the Canadian border, easily filled its three vacancies.
Daines Proposes Coal Land Swap, Reinstatement of Signal Peakโs Mine Expansion Plan
By Blair Miller for the Daily Montanan U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced a series of bills during the past two weeks that seek to force the restart of coal mining on federal land in the Bull Mountains and could put coal money back into the hands of the Crow Tribe as part of a revenue sharing agreement that would involve a land swap.
Fauci defends his work on COVID-19, says he has an โopen mindโ on its origins
By Jennifer Shutt for States Newsroom WASHINGTON โ Dr. Anthony Fauci defended his decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic on Monday, testifying before Congress about his work on the virus as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases during two presidencies.
Woman gored by bison in Yellowstone National Park, park reports
By Daily Montanan Staff A bison โdefending its spaceโ gored an 83-year-old woman from Greenville, South Carolina, in Yellowstone National Park on Saturday, according to a news release from the park. The woman sustained serious injuries, and her condition was not known late Monday, according to Yellowstone National Park. The incident remains under investigation.
Helena Man Sentenced After Allegedly Planning โColumbine-Style Attackโ With Homemade Bombs
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan A Helena man who admitted to possessing homemade bombs who allegedly had a desire to commit a โColumbine-style attackโ on a Helena High School was sentenced Monday to more than seven years in prison with three years supervised release.
Medicaid Providers Due at Least $8.5M in Delayed State Payouts, They Estimate
By Nicole Girten for the Daily Montanan Jason George has been waiting since September for the healthcare facility he works at in Sheridan to be reimbursed by the state for Medicaid expenses in one case โ with facility owners taking out loans to make payroll and using their own funds to cover some patientsโ prescriptions. And George isnโt alone.
Doctors Take on Dental Duties to Reach Low-Income and Uninsured Patients
By Kate Ruder for KFF Health News DENVER โ Pediatrician Patricia Braun and her team saw roughly 100 children at a community health clinic on a recent Monday. They gave flu shots and treatments for illnesses like ear infections. But Braun also did something most primary care doctors donโt. She peered inside mouths searching for cavities or she brushed fluoride varnish on their teeth.
The Rest of the Story: New York Times Releases Article on Gianforte Wolf Hunt Coverup
Below is a link to the New York Times story that will likely be a hot national news story for a few days: New York Times article on Gianforte wolf shooting coverup Montana Independent News is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.