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The Three Forks City Council unanimously passed three changes to local zoning ordinances which will allow conditional use permits for adult-use marijuana dispensaries and work-live structures, during its May 10 meeting. The council also held a public hearing on the decision to issue a conditional use permit for a home business for facials and massages. After more than a month of discussion on the matter, adult-use marijuana dispensaries can now apply for a conditional use permit in any district, except those zoned for agricultural use. The... Full story
STAFF REPORT The 56 members of the Three Forks High School Class of 2022 will graduate in a ceremony scheduled for Sunday, May 22 at 2 p.m. The 2022 Valedictorians are Zoie Partain, Grace Donnelly, Cassie Whitcome, Lauren Stone and Isabella Mulder. The 2022 Salutatorian is Saryna Smith. The members of the Class of 2022 are Austin Allen, Kayden Benson, Jaron Berg, Dru Bolender, Kiersten Brockett, Jacob Buchignani, Caitlyn Damuth, Grace Donnelly, Hemi Ervin, Seth Eyman, Yen Shae Fan, Gunner... Full story
The Gallatin County Bridge Department recently announced they would be closing the Williams Bridge near Willow Creek two times in May for a bridge resurfacing project. The bridge that crosses the Jefferson River on Williams Bridge Road will be closed May 18 to 20 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and May 23 to 26 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. All vehicle traffic must use an alternate route during the construction times. For questions, please contact 406-582-3250.... Full story
Citing a significant risk to public safety, Commissioner Troy Downing summarily suspended the license of Montana bail bondsman, Adam Patrick Lee, following multiple alleged violations of the law arising from violent fugitive recovery operations. One of the alleged violations took place in 2021 at the Three Forks Town Pump. According to CSI’s License Suspension and Opportunity for Hearing, “The Commissioner finds that there is a significant risk that Respondent will continue to conduct coercive, dishonest, dangerous, and illegal bonding and rec...
STAFF REPORT 12 Three Forks High School seniors were awarded last week with $1,000 Three Forks Education Foundation Worthy Student Scholarships. Michael O'Dell, Taylor Raffety, Macie Jensen, Saryna Smith, Halee Wilson, Dakoda Smith, Zoie Partain, Cassie Whitcome, Jacob Buchignani, Lillian Jones, and Yenshae Fan were all awarded the scholarship from the foundation. Also at the Education Foundation ceremony, Wilson was awarded a $750 MCF Three Forks Memorial Scholarship, and Buchignani and Jasmyn... Full story
The Montana Farm Bureau has joined more than 50 groups in opposing I-191 which would subject large stretches of the Gallatin and Madison rivers to the same strict regulations currently found only in national parks and wilderness areas. The result would restrict ranchers from watering livestock and farmers from irrigating, as well as stop most other activities in or around the rivers. “Our organization has a real concern about I-191 because not only would it keep our state’s farmers and ranchers from growing crops and caring for their ani...
Until March of 2020, I had never spent much time working from home. Occasionally I would write a story at home, but I preferred to do it at the office. I always tried my best to separate work from home and going to the office to write allowed me to do this. When COVID-19 entered the world, this started to change. Two years later, this has drastically changed. I now spend a lot of my time working from home, but to be honest, I’m still not sure how I feel about it. There are certainly a few positives about working from home, the first being that...
The New Horizons Group of Whitehall would like to thank the generosity of the kind lady who paid for our meal last Wednesday afternoon (May 11), at the Three Forks Peking China Restaurant. We were so pleasantly surprised, and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the kindest gesture we’ve seen in a long time. Our group is a widow’s group who meets once each month for dinner. Your kindness warmed our hearts and brought a smile to our face. We will pass this kindness forward at some point and will think of you when we do it! Onc...
On Friday, May 13, the Gallatin County Elections Office mailed about 59,000 ballots for the June 7 primary election to active registered absentee voters in Gallatin County. Ballots will begin arriving in mailboxes in the following days. Two ballots will be included in each envelope. Voters will have a choice to vote either a Democratic or Republican ballot this upcoming primary election. Voters must choose ONE party ballot to vote and then return just that ballot. Detailed instructions will be...
Last week, the Gallatin County Commission voted 3-0 to approve a resolution establishing the Gallatin County Justice Court as a “court of record.” According to County Communications Coordinator Whitney Bermes, a “court of record” means that all proceedings before the two Justices of the Peace will be recorded electronically and stored. “Those recordings can then be used in any potential appeals instead of having to repeat the case ‘de novo’ (from the beginning) before the higher court. Currently, there are forms that document things like a...
Joseph Ralph Baker passed away at his home in Three Forks on Friday May 13 after a short illness. Joe was born in Bozeman on June 9, 1936, and attended Bozeman school, graduating from Gallatin County High School in 1954. Joe spent four years in the Navy as a C.B. After his service, Joe returned to Bozeman where he worked in construction and concrete finishing. Joe enjoyed hunting, fishing and all Montana had to offer. Joe (Poker Joe) dealt cards at Big Sky and at Chet's Bar and Whiskey Jacks... Full story
Edward Max Makoff of Bozeman passed away surrounded by his family at Parkhaven Retirement Community in Manhattan on May 15, 2022. He was born July 12, 1933, in Lustre, MT, to parents Max Makoff and Helen (Zavalney) Makoff Kuzbar. The love of Ed's life was his wife of 66 years, Donna Jean (Lane) Makoff. Ed and Donna were sweethearts throughout high school and married September 5, 1955, shortly after he graduated college with his first degree and just before he entered the Air Force as a pilot.... Full story
What a great few days at Fairmont for the Divisional tournament. From a cold and windy practice round Monday where we discussed some ways to attack the course and some ways to simply survive a few holes, to a fairly pleasant Tournament round on Tuesday where the girls performed really well and claimed their second divisional championship in as many years. All the coaches were blown away at the maturity the girls showed in their golf games and the outcome spoke for itself. Four of the five varsit... Full story
How do we live in harmony with others? We encounter people every day who are just more difficult to love. People in this category may have different beliefs, opinions, or viewpoints than we do, and we can often find ourselves frustrated or disappointed when they don’t agree with us. This was a monumental week, April 18, 2022, in our country when the Federal Judge in Florida voided the mask mandate on public transportation and airplanes even after it was extended for another 15 days. For the most part, the response has been overwhelming in f...
After nearly three months of waiting for typical winter weather, cool temperatures and precipitation finally arrived during April in Montana. Prior to April, northwest Montana had been the largest recipient of precipitation this water year. “Weather patterns shifted last month, and April precipitation was slightly below normal in northwest Montana but well above normal in southcentral and southeast Montana,” said USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Hydrologist Eric Larson. The Missouri headwaters and mainstem received near nor... Full story
It was a banner day last Friday for the Three Forks High School track and field team with numerous outstanding performances at the 5B District Track Meet in Belgrade. The Wolves girls team finished in third, and the boys ending the meet in fourth. Head Coach Tracy Welter said there were many personal records by multiple Three Forks competitors and said everyone on the team will be going to this week's Divisional Meet in Laurel. "Kudos to all the athletes and their coaches for such an incredible...
The Three Forks High School tennis team opened up the postseason in impressive style with a second-place finish at last week's Southeast B-C Divisional Tournament in Butte. Alicia Deriana and Ruby Warden finished in third place, and Maddie Griffiths and Karin Williams finished fourth. Both teams qualified for this week's state tournament in Bozeman. The Wolves were in first place after the first day of the competition and, after two days, finished with 34 points, eight behind champion...
Adults 55 and older seeking affordable, independent-style living arrangements can now lease an apartment home at Perennial Park, a new community developed by HRDC and Seattle-based GMD Development, LLC. Located at 1683 Tschache Lane, this development includes convenient, co-located supportive services from Community Health Partners including medical, dental, and mental health clinics, as well as a pharmacy. Additional amenity highlights include a schedule of social activities, paths throughout the property lined with benches and tables,...
Water levels at Hebgen Reservoir will be low this summer and fall. April snow and rain only minimally improved conditions in the Madison River Basin, which is experiencing extreme drought, low soil moisture and low snowpack. Based on the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service May-July runoff forecast and NorthWestern Energy’s forecasting tools, this will be another challenging summer and fall due to lack of water. Hebgen Reservoir is currently at an elevation of 6,526.07 feet, which is 8.80 feet from full pool. Inflows into Hebgen t...
State lawmakers, county election administrators and the Montana Association of Counties have established an unpublicized informal workgroup to examine Montana’s current election processes and discuss opportunities to enhance the election system ahead of the next legislative session. The group has met twice to date, most recently in late April, and has grown to include Republican and Democratic legislators from both chambers, as well as a representative from Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s office and Commissioner of Political Pra...
The Environmental Protection Agency thwarted Montana lawmakers’ attempt to loosen water quality standards last week, telling the state that it acted out of turn by adopting a new regulatory framework without first obtaining federal approval. In a May 10 letter to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, the EPA asserted that a law passed by the Montana Legislature last year runs afoul of the federal Clean Water Act. The agency said it’s concerned that the state’s repeal of numeric standards for nitrogen and phosphorus in water bodie...
The Montana High School Association Executive Board announced last week they have selected Brian Michelotti as the next MHSA Executive Director. Michelotti will replace Mark Beckman, current Executive Director, who will retire on June 30th after 25 years of service with the organization. Michelotti will be the 5th Executive Director in the history of the organization. Brian Michelotti currently serves as the Associate Director for the MHSA. He was hired as an assistant director in 2005 and was promoted to Associate Director in 2018. Michelotti...
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks continues to prepare for fall pheasant stocking efforts with the final decision on an environmental assessment (EA) and ensuring biosecurity protocols are in place at the rearing facility at the Montana State Prison. Last week, FWP Director Hank Worsech signed the decision notice on the EA for releasing pheasants on suitable state lands. Additionally, Worsech and the department have worked closely with the Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) on biosecurity protocols at the pheasant rearing facility. The...
Temperate weather with a few cold spells during the first quarter of 2022 contributed to a slight decrease in the number of overall visitors to state parks in Montana. The state park system recorded 358,230 visitors in the first quarter, a decrease of 8.6 percent from 2021, but an increase of 9.3 percent over the same period in 2020 and an increase of 62 percent over 2019. “We’re grateful for the cooler temperatures and some moisture along with the benefit that has for the habitat and resources at our sites,” said Hope Stockwell, admin...
