UMW Press Release: After publicly launching a $13 million fundraising effort earlier this year to fund scholarships, academic programs, and student wellness and athletics facilities, the University of Montana Western has announced the selection of Jeffrey Contracting/R.E. Miller as the general contractor of the new Sports & Activities Complex, anticipated to break ground this August with the goal of having a game-ready field for fall semester 2024. “We are very excited to be at this stage in the Sports & Activities Complex project, which will transform the student experience and provide a campus and community gathering place to be enjoyed by all. I would like to thank everyone for their generosity and contributions to the Experience One Campaign. We wouldn’t be able to do this without the support of our incredible Bulldog Community,” said Montana Western Chancellor, Michael Reid. The civil site plan for the Sports & Activities Complex project is complete and has been reviewed and approved by the City of Dillon and Montana Department of Transportation. The next stage will be working with the project’s engineers, architects, and general contractor for design development and cost estimates. “We are looking forward to working with local contracting business, R.E. Miller, on this project which will also employ the talents of several area subcontractors. The community support in helping us get to this point has been instrumental, and I am excited that we will be breaking ground soon,” said UMW Director of Facility Services, Michael Brown. The Sports & Activities Complex will be constructed on a section of 14 acres of land adjacent to campus that John and Phyllis Erb pledged to the university in 2019. With expanded seating and new amenities, the Complex will significantly enhance the game-day and campus life experience and will aid in recruiting future students. The new Complex will also be available to host local games and events for other community organizations to support the youth of Beaverhead County. Over $11.8 million has already been committed to the $13 million comprehensive campaign, of that, about $4.5 million will be directed to the Complex project. Currently, total funds raised for the Complex project are at $3.6 million. “I’d like to thank our generous donors, and invite everyone to help us cross the finish line for the Experience One Campaign,” said UMW Foundation Executive Director, Roxanne Engellant. “Every gift, no matter the amount, brings us one step closer in achieving our goal in supporting our students and our community.” Approximately $8.5 million is planned to be divided among the other three funding priorities of the Experience One Campaign including substantially increasing support for student scholarships, adding a Wellness Center to the campus to support the mental and physical health of UMW’s students, and investing in the Fund for Experience One to increase experiential learning opportunities for students and faculty. Montana Western hopes to secure the remaining funds needed for the campaign over the next twelve months. For more information about Montana Western’s fundraising efforts or to support the Experience One Campaign, please contact the University of Montana Western Foundation at 406-683-7305, email roxanne.engellant@umwestern.edu , or visit tinyurl.com/X1-campaign . The UMW Foundation will also host a luncheon in the coming weeks to discuss opportunities for subcontractors interested in contributing to the Sports & Activities Complex project via in-kind donations. Please email roxanne.engellant@umwestern.edu for more information.

UMW Press Release: The Chancellor’s Leadership Scholars Award is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship awarded to exceptional students residing in the state of Montana who will be attending the University of Montana Western in the fall. Montana Western is proud to announce the five following high school seniors as the 2023-24 award recipients: Megan Ehinger A graduate of Chester-Joplin-Inverness school, Megan would like to thank her teachers for their encouragement and guidance. While taking a combination of in-person and online classes, she was able to maintain her GPA and complete four dual enrollment courses. Megan plans to major in psychology with a minor in business. In her free time, Megan enjoys reading, drawing, playing video games, and spending time with friends and family. “I want to pursue a degree in psychology at Montana Western so that I can help people overcome challenges and provide them with the tools to achieve their goals in life,” Megan said. Elizabeth Fulbright When Elizabeth Fulbright arrives at the University of Montana Western, she will be returning home.  Born in Dillon, Elizabeth grew up in Lewistown, Montana.   During her time at Fergus High School, she served as Student Body President, an FCCLA State Officer, a Drum Major and competed in volleyball and cross country.  Elizabeth plans to major in mathematics education. “My goal as a future educator is to inspire and motivate my students. I have always enjoyed helping others and I am excited for the upcoming opportunities at Montana Western,” said Elizabeth. Nicolas Macdonald In May 2023, Nicolas will be graduating as salutatorian from Beaverhead County High School. As an incoming UMW student, he plans to major in business with minors in glass and visual arts. Currently, Nicolas is a member of the National Honors Society, Academic Olympics, and a co-founder of the Robotics Club. Through the Robotics Club, he hosted a workshop teaching middle school students how robots are constructed and programmed. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, designing 3-D animations, and woodworking. He looks forward to exploring the glass and art programs at Montana Western. “I have always been a person who likes to help others. Typically, it was in the form of simple things like homework or class projects, but in recent years I have been able to make a bigger impact through volunteering,” said Nicolas. Isabella Montalvo Isabella Montalvo will be graduating from Terry High School as co-valedictorian this spring. She is excited to join the Montana Western community to obtain a degree in environmental sustainability and visual arts. Interactions between people and the environment have always fascinated Isabella and she hopes by minoring in visual arts she can share valuable information about the environment through her photography. Isabella enjoys botany, computer games, volleyball, drawing, and learning trivia in her free time. “I strongly believe that when people cannot communicate with words, arts and visuals are a perfect alternative,” said Isabella. Allison Sprague Allison will graduate from Belgrade High and maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout all four years of high school. She participated in cheerleading, soccer, and the National Honors Society. In her last season, Allison was a varsity starter, captain, and an all-state recipient. She also volunteered in a fourth-grade classroom once a week and led lessons in grammar and spelling. She plans to join the education program at Montana Western to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher. Allison enjoys painting, reading, and building Lego sets in her free time. “I have always admired my teachers for their dedication to learning and I hope to continue their tradition by becoming a teacher through Montana Western’s education program,” said Allison. “Congratulations to the recipients of this scholarship that recognizes leadership, community service, and academic excellence. We are excited to welcome you to campus this fall,” said Montana Western Chancellor, Michael Reid.

UMW Sports Press Release: - Head Coach Katie Lovett has announced the hiring of Bulldog Volleyball alumni Madison Richtmyer as the new Assistant Volleyball Coach. Richtmyer joins the Bulldogs from Whitehall, Mont. where she most recently served as the Head Volleyball Coach at Whitehall High School. She led the Trojans as the head varsity coach for the last two seasons and made an appearance in the district tournament. She has also coached in the Mountain One Volleyball Club organization. “We were fortunate to bring Coach Richtmyer into the Whitehall coaching staff on the coattails of her collegiate career at Western. Her experience as a player was of great benefit to our high school program. Now, I am very happy for her to come full circle and return to her alma mater as an experienced coach (though I am sad to see her leave our coaching ranks here). She will be a great addition to the Bulldogs’ team.” Whitehall Athletic Director Brian Beebe stated. Richtmyer began her collegiate career at Montana Western in 2016. She played in a total of 55 games as a setter, totaling 598 assists, 268 digs, and averaged 4.4 assists per set across her career. Prior to becoming a Bulldog, Richtmyer was a 2016 graduate of Helena High School where she was a two-time second team all-conference selection and a second team all-state selection. “I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Coach Richtmyer as she has launched her coaching career in Whitehall. She has a solid knowledge of the game and she pushes her athletes to achieve at their highest possible level. I know she will do a fantastic job for the Bulldogs and I look forward to watching her career flourish.” Beebe continued. “I have known Madison since I coached her my first season here at Western. She has always had a great mind for the game and she was able to grow her knowledge from a coaching viewpoint during her time as a club coach and the head coach at Whitehall. She brings great experience and has a lot of knowledge of the Montana volleyball community. With Madison being a Western graduate, and being a part of the Dillon community for a long time, she will be a great asset in fostering the growing volleyball culture in southwest Montana. As well as, helping grow our community outreach and alumni relations.” Head Coach Katie Lovett said.

The Stone Creek Raceway was the place to be this weekend for motocross racers and fans. Three days of racing kept racers busy and spectators happy. Starting Friday, May 19 and running through Sunday the series hosted races all weekend long. Featuring all classes of motorcycles from pit bikes to 50cc and up. The racetrack just right off the Stone Creek Road tested riders' skill as well as giving them some incredible views of the area. As they raced for series points. Dillon was round 3 & 4 in the series. A few mobile food vendors kept the crowd hydrated and fed, and a group of race organizers and volunteers helped keep everything flowing smoothly from directing traffic, keeping the dust down, to making sure racers stayed on the track. You can find all the race results here . Click on image for full size

It was a busy day in downtown Dillon as citizens and organizations took to the streets to help clean up in time for summer. Downtown Dillon Cleanup Day was the idea of the Dillon Merchants Association. They came up with a way to do community service to the town as well as help getting it cleaned up for summer. Ron Carroll proposed the idea to Mayor McGinly and director of operation Todd Hazelbaker on having the city join in on the cleanup. The city provided garbage bags, vests, and cones for the cleanup. The mayor drove around on a side by side with his two little helpers and delivered water to those who were working and thirsty. Along with City Council members Diane Armstrong and Stephen Sievert who also took part in today’s cleanup. Some people helping with the cleanup noticed many old flyers and pamphlets that had been scattered throughout the town as they cleaned. A good reminder if you place flyers or pamphlets on people’s vehicles they just end up as trash in the town. With a couple hours of hard labor by business owners, members of our community, miscellaneous organizations, along with cadets from the Montana Youth Challenge Dillon looks a little less run down and a lot more inviting for those who drive through the town. The cleanup was followed up with a BBQ at the Elks Lodge with the food being donated by Town and Country Foods, Judy Siring of Farmers Union, Reeser’s.

Press release from The Dillon Police Department: On May 20, 2023, at 8:38, Dillon Police responded to a report of two vicious animals, upon arrival, the dogs attempted to attack the officer, who subsequently used his service pistol to defend himself and fatally shot the dog. The full report can be seen below.

Real estate professionals Chance Bernall and Mary Ann Nichols will be the guest speakers at the Dillon Rotary Club meeting on Wednesday, May 24th. They will be discussing historical data, present market conditions and the future outlook for local and national real estate. Visitors are welcome to attend, and anyone interested in learning more about the Rotary organization is invited to be a guest for lunch. The Rotary Club meets in the Guild Hall of St. James Episcopal Church, located at 203 East Glendale Street. For more information about the Rotary Club, email Matthew Fullerton at matthewfullerton@me.com

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), Helena Sand and Gravel, and Riverside Contracting anticipate working on the following, weather dependent: Week of May 22: Bridge work continues over the Beaverhead River. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction on Interstate 15 (I 15). Work is wrapping up on the bridge over the railroad. Concrete work occurs on the east side of Atlantic Street between Helena Avenue and Sebree Street. Week of May 29: Construction activities will pause for the Memorial Day holiday weekend and resume on Tuesday, May 30th. Bridge work continues over the Beaverhead River. Traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction on I 15. Concrete work occurs in the median of East Helena Avenue. Concrete work continues on the east side of Atlantic Street south of Sebree Street.

UMW Sports Press Release: The Bulldog Men’s Rodeo Team finished second overall in the team standings in the NIRA Big Sky Region. With the second-place finish, they qualify as a team to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) set to be held in Casper, Wyo. from June 11 through 17. “Obviously, our goal was to get the team to the CNFR, now we focus on what we can do to put ourselves in the best spot to compete there and bring home some hardware.” Head Coach JT Robbins said. Robbins, voted the 2022-23 Big Sky Region Coach of the Year, is in his second year at the helm of the Montana Western Rodeo Team. “We are taking a very balanced team consisting of some great individuals. I am really looking forward to it.” Robbins continued. “We have a good group of guys that all get along. We know how to have fun, but we also know how to be serious and get better. JT lined up lots of good practice cattle this season that made it easy for us to get better with quality practices. I am excited to get home and rope with different people that can help me in different ways and keep pushing me to get better every day heading into the Finals.” Senior Brett Bartholomew said. The Bulldogs will send six individuals to compete at the CNFR in just under one month. Entries Brett Bartholomew, a senior from Filer, Idaho, competed this season in tie down roping and team roping. Though qualifying for the CNFR back in 2020, he was unable to compete due to the cancelation of the finals. Bartholomew will now make his first appearance at the CNFR after he finished fifth in the region in tie down roping. Ty Christensen, a senior from Plain City, Utah, makes his first appearance at the CNFR after he competed in team roping and tie down roping this season. Christensen transferred to Montana Western this season after stints at Weber State and Casper College. He finished this season fifth in the Big Sky Region in the Men's All-Around, second in team roping, and seventh in tie down roping. Trevor Kay, a sophomore bareback rider from Chester, Idaho, makes his second trip to the CNFR. He enters the finals as the No. 1 rider in the nation. He finished on top of the average standings in eight of the ten rodeos this season. Last season, he finished 15th in Casper last season. Carson Klingler, a sophomore saddle bronc rider from Rexburg, Idaho, makes his second appearance at the CNFR for the Bulldogs. He finished 15th last year in Casper, Wyo. Klingler qualified after he overtook the third-place spot in his final ride at the regional finals in Missoula back on April 29. Gavin Knutson, a freshman from Polson, Mont., makes his first appearance at the CNFR this year. He competed this season in bull riding, tie down roping, and in team roping. Knutson enters the CNFR as the third ranked bull rider in the nation. He won the NIRA Big Sky Region title in bull riding and earned 645 points on the season. Jhet Murphy, a junior from Helena, Mont., makes his debut at the CNFR. A transfer from Laramie Community College, Murphy finished a successful first year as a Bulldog. He finished second in the NIRA Big Sky Region in the Men's All-Around standings, second overall in team roping, fifth overall in steer wrestling, and 15th in the tie down roping.

After a closer review of the licenses that were mistakenly over-drawn last week, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is going to allow the drawing to stand for one bighorn sheep license type and two moose license types. For sheep license 482-20 the quota was supposed to be 15, but FWP mistakenly allocated 20 licenses to hunters. For moose licenses 270-50 and 341-50 the quota was two, but FWP mistakenly allocated three. In these three circumstances, the number of licenses drawn are within the quotas set by the Fish and Wildlife Commission and moving forward with the extra licenses will have no biological impact. “With these three instances, the extra licenses will have no impact on the population,” said Ken McDonald, chief of the Wildlife Division at FWP. “In the remaining circumstances where licenses were over-drawn, awarding additional licenses could detrimentally affect populations.”

A series of bear safety trainings for the public. The events are free and open to all. They will be giving Bear Awareness presentations and offering hands-on bear spray training. Covering the basic bear biology, preventing bear encounters and how to use bear spray. See below for dates and times.

A mistake in last week’s drawing for some moose and big horn sheep licenses will result in fewer licenses issued than were originally drawn. The mistake occurred when quotas were incorrectly entered into the drawing system by licensing staff and resulted in more licenses being drawn in some districts than what the quota dictated. The affected sheep licenses are: 482-20: drew 20 applicants, but the quota was 15. 482-30: drew 40 applicants, but the quota was five. 622-30: drew 20 applicants, but the quota was 10. 680-31: drew 40 applicants, but the quota was 30. The affected moose licenses are: 270-50: drew three applicants, but the quota was two. 332-00: drew eight applicants, but the quota was six. 341-50: drew three applicants, but the quota was two. “We know this is disappointing for the people affected by this mistake, and we’re very sorry. We are putting the resource first, and here that means following the science for population management and ensuring that we meet hunters’ expectations for a quality hunt,” said FWP Deputy Director Dustin Temple. “In this circumstance, that means pulling back some of the licenses drawn to ensure the health of the sheep and moose populations in these areas.” During drawings, FWP’s system allocates licenses in order, meaning the system knows which hunter was the first to be drawn, the second, third and so on. Because the drawings are done in this fashion, FWP staff can determine who was mistakenly awarded licenses beyond the appropriate quota. “This is the fairest way we know to fix this mistake, but it will mean some hunters who thought they were successful in the drawing, will not get a license,” Temple said. Quota ranges are determined by the Fish and Wildlife Commission. FWP biologists set annual quotas for many species within the ranges approved by the commission. For instance, the commission might approve a quota range for a moose license of 1 to 10. FWP biologists look at numbers on the landscape, as well as other factors, and set a quota of two for that license. This solution will be implemented as soon as possible. The moose, sheep, goat and bison drawing occurred May 12. Staff realized the error May 16 and put a block on the ability for successful applicants in the affected districts to purchase their license. FWP staff are removing successful applicants based on their place in line in the original drawing. Once the system completes the corrections, the affected hunters will be notified by phone and email, and their MyFWP accounts will be updated. At this point, successful applicants will be able to purchase their licenses.

Time Change to 4P.M.

Update of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest camping sites around Dillon by the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest facebook page. Good evening. Our information tonight is coming in from the Dillon Ranger District. In addition to the following report from Dillon Recreation, I also have received news from Dillon Fire Personnel that they will be conducting Rx burn operations on the Black Mountain Unit, northwest of the community of Argenta in the coming days, as weather conditions allow. Now, for access and recreation information on the Dillon Ranger District, courtesy of Recreation Specialist Adam Norlander: Birch Creek * Dinner Station is free of snow and ready for camping. Our crew started installing bear boxes today. Hopefully by the end of the week all 4 bear boxes will be ready for use. * Boyscout Flats dispersed camping area is also free of snow and ready for camping. * Aspen loop is about the only trail that is free of snow in the Birch creek drainage. * Birch Creek Cabin is melted out and good to go. Kelly Reservoir * Is free of snow and the road crew fixed the approach to the lake, sounds like it’s a lot better for access. Grasshopper Campground * Last week it still had snow in all the back loop sites the couple up by the camp host spot are mostly free of snow. It should be melted out hopefully by next week. (That’s when the crew is scheduled to re-gravel the campsites.) Price and Crystal * Snow drifts across the road from the gate last week. We anticipate the county will be plowing it before Memorial Day Weekend however Crystal Park and Price Campground will still be full of snow. Reservoir Lake / Bloody Dick Cabin * This area usually holds snow on the road until at least the end of May. Horse Prairie Cabin * Fully accessible and open for business. East Creek Campground * Is fully melted out but we are working with the road crew to revamp all the parking spots and install new bear boxes Sites #7-10. Hopefully we will be done by the end of this week. All the dispersed camping spots #1-6 are still open and available while we are working this week. Lemhi Pass * The county plows the road and manages the gate. Jared said he talked to one of the plow truck drivers and they cleared a path to the top but the snow was still half way up the side of the bathroom and that the Idaho side hadn’t been plowed so they closed the gate behind them. If it’s much above Dillons elevation it’s snowy and people just need to give it a few more weeks before they can get out and fully enjoy the forest. We hope this information is helpful to you all as you make plans to enjoy the B-D!

UMW Sports Press Release: The Montana Western Indoor Track team qualified one athlete to compete at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships this upcoming week in Marion, Ind. The meet will be held at Indiana Wesleyan University at Bobcat Stadium. Taya Brewer qualified to compete in the Women's 10,000m after she ran a personal record of 37:55.71 after the altitude conversion at the Tom Gage Invite on May 6. Brewer will be competing in the 10,000m with the race being held on May 24 at 7:20pm MT. Live results can be found at the link here . Live stream of the event can be found here . Schedule of events can be found here .