Connect With Your Community!
Connect With Your Community!
Sorted by date Results 1476 - 1500 of 2437
There’s broad bipartisan agreement in the Montana Capitol that rising housing costs, driven by the state’s finite supply of homes and rapid in-migration from other states, rank among the most pressing issues facing Montana residents. According to real estate website Zillow, the typical home price in Montana was $430,000 in January, a slight dip from last summer, but an increase of nearly double in five years. Anecdotal evidence indicates that rents are also a major pain point for many residents, particularly in tight markets around Boz...
BOZEMAN — Montana State University has been recognized for its efforts to support student veterans by being named a top 10 Military Friendly School for 2023-24. The honor marks the third year MSU has received the national designation from the website MilitaryFriendly.com. MSU ranks eighth in the nation among peer institutions this year. The university was first ranked in the top 10 in 2021, earned a gold ranking in 2020 and earned a silver ranking in 2016. “Student veterans and military-connected families are at the center of what we do. We...
Currently in the process of updating its Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), the City of Three Forks is asking for assistance from residents in filling out a survey for advice on selecting and prioritizing the municipalities most essential needs. The survey, which can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ThreeForksCIP, will be available to fill out until March 31. A hard copy of the survey can also be filled out at City Hall at 206 S. Main Street. According to City Officials, the CIP is a budgeting and financial tool that the City Council wil... Full story
The open burning season in Gallatin County begins started last week. Open burning requires the purchase and activation of a burn permit, which can be obtained at www.gallatinburnpermits.com. Permits can also be picked up in person at the Three Forks Community Library located at 607 S. Main Street. Open burning season runs March 1 through Nov. 30 each year. Remember – ensure you are properly equipped to manage your fire. You are ultimately fiscally responsible for any escaped fires and the r... Full story
Broadwater County, which includes its county seat of Townsend, sits nestled between the Big Belt and Elkhorn Mountains. It offers a myriad of activities and recreation opportunities via access to the Missouri River, Canyon Ferry Lake, Fairgrounds, and many city parks. The Broadwater County Trust Board (BCTB) has been working diligently for the last 22 years, in conjunction with other boards and organizations, to enhance these recreational opportunities for the residents of Broadwater County and... Full story
The Montana Senate voted Thursday to advance a statewide ban on Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok, calling the service a threat to privacy, national security and public safety. The text of Senate Bill 419, sponsored by Sen. Shelley Vance, R-Belgrade, says the platform's data collection practices, combined with the potential for that data to be shared with the Chinese government, harm Montanans' privacy. It also says public safety is jeopardized by how the platform spreads viral... Full story
The House Fish, Wildlife and Parks Committee voted on four wolf-related measures last week ahead of a key legislative deadline. The committee narrowly approved two bills that would codify wolf trapping season dates and trappers' ability to use neck snares in state law. The committee also tabled two wildlife advocate-backed measures related to a controversial hunter and trapper reimbursement program and the hunting and trapping of wolves near national parks. Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, s... Full story
Landowners have until May 15 to apply for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks’ Elk Hunting Access Agreement Program. These agreements, which were established by the 2001 Legislature, provide landowners with an elk license or either-sex permit in exchange for allowing free public hunting access for elk management purposes. These permits and licenses are valid only on the landowner’s property. The program allows landowners to apply for an elk license, permit or a combination of both in exchange for...
STAFF REPORT The Three Forks Volunteer Fire Department was quickly on the scene at a camper fire last Thursday off US 287 in the Wheatland Area. According to the TFVFD, they were paged out at 3:24 p.m. The first command unit arrived on the scene at 15:32 to find a fully involved RV/Camper fire. The first engine arrived at 15:36, with firefighters pulling lines and knocking down the fire to prevent the spread of exposure. The TFVFD reported crews from Willow Creek, Manhattan, Amsterdam, and the...
NorthWestern Energy and the Missouri-Madison River Fund announced nine public recreation improvement projects awarded grant and matching funds by the River Fund Trust and NorthWestern Energy. NorthWestern Energy's $196,500 in funding and $511,538 from the Missouri-Madison River Fund will be combined with $361,928 from agency and project partners to complete nine projects totaling more than $1 million in 2023. NorthWestern will supplement these funds by contributing an additional $539,023 to... Full story
BOZEMAN – Though the rock you idly kick along that mountain trail isn't sentient, it does have a long memory – one that a Montana State University researcher is tapping to reveal the geo-logic history of southwest Montana dating from hundreds of millions to billions of years ago. Devon Orme, assistant professor of geology in MSU's Department of Earth Sciences in the College of Letters and Science, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foun-dation to apply techniques she helped dev...
Together with Amanda Kaster, director of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), Governor Greg Gianforte last week announced the State of Montana increased active forest management in 2022, nearly tripling the number of forested acres treated in 2020. “Creating healthier, more resilient Montana forests through active management is one of our top priorities, and DNRC continues to deliver results for the people of Montana,” Gov. Gianforte said. “We’ve made incredible progress over the last two years to increase the pace and s...
Stahly Engineering and Associates has created a project page to inform residents about the progress of the replacement of the Old Town Bridge north of Three Forks. The page, which can be found at oldtown.stahlyprojects.com, features a project history and schedule, and legislative update. The page also allows residents the opportunity to submit comments and questions. According to the newly created project page, an advertisement for construction bids for the project will go out in October, with... Full story
Wildlife staff with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a public meeting next month to discuss mountain lion management and tentative quotas for the 2023-24 mountain lion hunting season in southwest Montana. The meeting will be on Thursday, March 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the annex of the United Methodist Church, 124 2nd Ave. East, in Three Forks. FWP staff, representatives from the Montana State Houndsmen Association and other attendees will discuss proposed changes for lion management units and... Full story
HELENA – Owners of motorboats, sailboats or personal watercraft need to get new, free 2023-2026 validation decals for their watercraft soon. The current red decals expire Feb. 28. Boaters who have permanently registered their boats, sailboats, or PWC must still obtain two free boat validation decals every three years at FWP regional and area offices, or by going to the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov/activities/boating. Owners who order validation decals on the FWP website will receive the decals in the mail. Information included on a current boat r... Full story
On January 26, 2023, the Gallatin County 911 Dispatch Center received a non-emergency call of gunshots inside a residence during an altercation. Gallatin County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the residence southwest of Belgrade. Responding deputies made contact with three occupants who were able to quickly confirm this was a false report. It is another occurrence of a growing public safety concern commonly known as "swatting" where an anonymous caller falsely reports active killing or... Full story
Three Forks City Council members approved an application for a work-live development at the Three Forks Market RV Campground Expansion during its Feb. 14 meeting, weeks after approving previous amendments to the site’s permit. The application proposed a single bedroom year-round rental apartment on the second level of the campground’s service building, which was previously designated for campground and storage use only. The proposal also included improvements to the existing service building. Although recent zoning changes allow for this typ...
Bella Nyman has struggled with her mental health since age 7, when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety. Nyman said she was afraid to tell her parents she had thoughts of suicide. Looking back, a mental health screening might have helped her to stop hiding her struggles from adults and peers, she said. "Hard things don't get better if we don't talk about them," Nyman said. Today, Nyman works with the Rural Behavioral Health Institute, a Livingston, Montana-based organization that...
Last week, the Montana Department of Transportation lowered the speed on S-287/Old Yellowstone Road from 60 to 45 miles per hour on the route between Three Forks and Willow Creek. According to MDT Public Information Officer Lori Ryan, local crews are working on installing rough road markings and temporary speed reduction signs in an effort to serve constituents in the highest capacity. "MDT is aware there are frost heave issues on the S-287/Old Yellowstone Trail Road, and we are also aware that... Full story
Gallatin County Sheriff Dan Springer would like to increase awareness of recent phone scams involving our office. It appears these scams occur in waves every few months. The caller says they are from the Sheriff's Office, may even use a deputy's name, informs the victim that they owe the GCSO money for some reason, such as a warrant, unpaid ticket, not showing up for court, etc. and tells them to get gift cards and/or money to send over the phone in order to avoid arrest. Please know we will... Full story
Following nearly three months of abundant precipitation across much of Montana, weather patterns changed in early January, producing relatively dry conditions for the month. January precipitation totals were lowest along the Rocky Mountain Front, northeastern Montana, and western Montana. Most of southwest Montana received slightly less than normal January precipitation. "The storm which brought two to three feet of mountain snow in many locations during the last week of January really saved... Full story
New Gallatin County Commissioner Jennifer Boyer describes her first month on the job as both exciting and incredible. Boyer, who was elected in November of 2022, is also thankful for the warm welcome she has received from fellow commissioners Zach Brown and Scott MacFarlane, county staff, and community partners. Boyer said that while she can relate to 'drinking from a firehose,' her experience is that you cannot study from the shore and wade in. "Local government is a fast-flowing river that... Full story
HELENA – Landowners have until March 15 to submit applications to Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks for enrollment in the Unlocking Public Lands (UPL) Program or the Public Access Land Agreement (PALA) Program. These programs are designed to provide recreational public access to state (Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation) or federal (Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service) land where no or limited legal public access currently exists. For enrollment in U... Full story
On February 3, 2023, at approximately 10:45 a.m., Gallatin County 911 Dispatch received a report of a semi-truck rollover on Interstate 90 near mile marker 284. The rollover partially blocked the eastbound lane of traffic. The semi-truck was carrying a load of cattle. Many of the cattle survived but some died as a result of the crash and some needed to be dispatched due to the severity of their injuries. To protect the first responders working at the scene and to protect the motoring public,... Full story
The Montana Wing of Civil Air Patrol (CAP) will conduct an Air Search & Rescue Training Exercise (SARX) at the Three Forks Airport next month. The exercise, weather permitting, is scheduled for the weekend of March 18 and will feature multiple CAP aircraft, including Cessna 182 and Cessna 206. According to CAP Major Steven C. Heffel, Assistant Wing Public Affairs Officer, all CAP pilots, and aircrews are civilian volunteers for the United States Air Force. Heffel added CAP is the officially...
