Here is the link to our livestream of the BCHS Class of 2021 graduation ceremonies.

First responders were called out tonight for a single vehicle wreck just outside of Argenta. As of now, Montana Highway Patrol is reporting a single vehicle accident with injuries. As more information becomes available, we will update this story.

Virginia City Montana officially opens over the Memorial Day weekend. The streets of Virginia City came alive this weekend. With Memorial Day considered the unofficial start of summer, the folks of Virginia City know how to get the party started. With events being held throughout the weekend, you have no excuse to say you are bored. After spending a year stuck in your home with everything cancelled or postponed, now is the time to get out and enjoy Southwestern Montana. Check out the weekends events in the gallery below.

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, that means it's the unofficial start of the summer and things are happening. Because it is a 3 day weekend we will also include Monday's happenings as well. Friday, May 28th Great Harvest is Raising Dough! Swing by the Great Harvest in Dillon, MT, May 26 - 28 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.! The sales will benefit the Great Harvest Scholarship Recipients. Come by and meet our new bakery owners here for training. We are featuring our Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread & Buns (Made with beer from the Beaverhead Brewing Co.), Red White & Blueberry Bread, Rhubarb Streusel Teacakes & Muffins, Frosted Sugar Cookies, Biscuits, Toffee Bars, and all your favorites! We will be offering our full sandwich lineup. This months special is the Turkey Chile Cheddar Melt sandwich. You can now order the full menu online. https://www.opendining.net/menu/5e18f65e4f5ee963157b23e4 ... CURBSIDE PICKUP IS AVAILABLE Tai Chi Elks Lodge Dillon, MT 9:30 AM MDT – 10:20 AM MDT Free Tai Chi classes continue. Please practice social distancing. Spring Art Walk @ Montana Hair Co. w/ LAC & Vibrant Lives 5 PM MDT – 7 PM MDT We are so excited to share a new kind of art this art walk...Healing!!!! Come out and bring the whole family to get FREE snow cones and meet some amazing people we have in our community!! We are back in action and bringing a whole new year of fun events to Dillon!!!! See you all there!!! Dan Henry at Ruby Valley Brew 5 PM MDT – 8 PM MDT Summer is finally settling in and the Ruby Valley area is alive with summer fun and that includes live music at Ruby Valley Brew in Sheridan, Montana. The Brewery will be welcoming back Dan Henry at his One Man Dan Band May 28th from 5-8pm for an evening of rocking live music, cold local brewed beer, hot pizza, and plenty of good time to be had. "Hiking Jefferson County" On Friday, May 28th, Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park will host the free talk entitled “Hiking Jefferson County” at 8:00 PM in the park’s campground amphitheater. It will be presented by Vaia Errett, a local volunteer and hiking enthusiast. This talk will lead you through Jefferson County - into the hideaways of the Elkhorn Mountains, the granite knuckles of the Boulder Mountains, the southern sagebrush hills, two state parks (Lewis & Clark Caverns and Elkhorn) - and the overlooked routes and trailheads in-between. Follow from rambling creek to high peak, from wooded gulch to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. There is a favorite for everyone. This is the first presentation in Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park’s annual Friday Summer Speakers Series, which introduces a new speaker each Friday at 8:00 PM throughout the summer. Vaia Errett will hatch any pretext to hike a trail. Always eager to roam beyond familiar turf, she has recently found herself drawn to the detail closer to home. For the past 3 years, Vaia has served as one of 7 volunteers on the Jefferson County Parks, Trails, and Recreation Commission. She lives in Whitehall. What: "Hiking Jefferson County" with Vaia Errett When: May, 28th at 8:00 PM Where: Campground amphitheater at Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park Fool's Gold at the Gravel Bar!!! Live music is back in Ennis! Come on out a listen to some new tunes and some old ones. Get great food, beer and drinks at both the Burnt Tree Brewery and the Gravel Bar. We are playing at the outside stage.... Dalton Lemburg Live at Mac’s Last Cast 9 P.M. Come to Mac’s Last Cast to check out some live music and enjoy some drinks! Max Hay Live in Dillon 6 PM MDT Fine food, warm music, a thoughtful wine selection, and nationally recognized regional beers on tap, make The Den a must see destination this Friday. Arrive early if you're particular about your table. Music starts at 6! Please, no rattlesnakes. Silver Bow Drive In Playing May 28th, 29th, & 30th: Playing May 28th, 29th, & 30th Side one: Cruella Rated PG-13 Runtime 2 hr 15 min Side two: Mortal Kombat Rated R Runtime 1 hr 50 min Gates open at 8:00 pm. Shows start at dusk (about 9:15 pm) Tickets are $6 ages four and up. Ages three and under are free. Cash only BIG Sky Cinema Cruella 4 & 6:45 P.M. A Quiet Place II 4:15 & 7 P.M. Saturday, May 29th THE TRADITION CONTINUES: The Virginia City, MT KICKOFF parade is Saturday May 29th 2021 at HIGH NOON... The famous duck race is after the parade at the VC Depot parking lot with prizes given to the winners and to those walking the famous historic boardwalks. Come have fun with your family and come support the businesses that keep Montana’s Heritage buildings standing!!! Music by Joel Corda The Bale of Hay Saloon Virginia City, MT Join us for music by Joel Corda and enjoy some of our delicious food & drinks while you listen to this fantastic musician! Sunday, May 30th Beaverhead County Highschool Graduation We will be livestreaming this on both our Facebook Page as well as our YouTube page . If you have a graduate in your life, we will be recording the messages in our studio at 34 N Idaho then we will put them together in an opener we will play before the graduation. Cost would be $15 for a 30 to 45 second video in front of our green screens we will then put a picture of BCHS in behind you. We will need to do this on Friday we will be open tell 8 P.M. so we can get as many done as possible. call 406-660-7041 for more information. Monday, May 31st American Legion Post 20 Memorial Day event will be held at the Mountain View Cemetary starting at 11 a.m. White Hat Coalition Parade will begin lining up at noon in front of the Beaverhead County High School Parade begins at 12:30. 18th Annual veterans Memorial Flag Rising, dedication of the new flag poles will begin at approximately 1 p.m. at the Kiwianis Memorial Park. Have a safe Memorial Day, a huge thank you to all who have served this country and for those who paid the ultimate price. We will try to cover as many of these events as possible. As always if you have an event you would like on our calendar feel free to email us at southwesternmtnews@gmail.com or swing by our office and drop off a poster.

The University of Montana Western ranks number one in Montana for “Most Affordable Colleges and Universities by State” by UniversityHQ.org. University Headquarters is an industry-leading, independent educational organization that offers an all-in-one source for information on colleges, entrance requirements and career paths. While the primary criterion was the lowest tuition cost, University Headquarters also looked at other aspects that made the school special, unique and beneficial to students. The survey excluded community colleges and four-year colleges that did not offer multiple bachelor’s degree programs. The rankings list features the two most affordable universities in each state. The University of Montana Western ranked first in Montana, followed by Montana State University Billings. UMW offers an in-state tuition of $5,747 and an out-of-state tuition of $17,209, per year, with tuition discount opportunities for Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) students. To view the full list of universities, visit universityhq.org . The fields of academic study at Montana Western include Biology, Business and Technology, Environmental Sciences, Education, English, Equine Studies, Health and Human Performance, Fine Arts, Mathematics, and History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences. Students at the University of Montana Western enjoy a tight-knit community atmosphere and small class sizes where they work closely with peers and professors alike. Montana Western focuses on serving students, achieving academic excellence, and promoting experiential education. The 20-acre campus is an excellent choice for students to take advantage of the immersive learning opportunities offered by the nation’s only Experience One program, where they can build on critical and creative thinking skills to prepare for real-world job and graduate school opportunities. With Experience One, students at Montana Western take one course at a time for 18 days, take a short break and then move on to their next course. By utilizing block scheduling combined with immersive learning, UMW is the only public four year university in the country to employ this model that is focused on student success. For more information about Experience One and the University of Montana Western, or to schedule a visit, call 877-683-7331 or visit www.umwestern.edu .

The City of Dillon will hold a Public Hearing on water rate increases, Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 6:00pm. Followed by the regular Council Meeting Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. The agenda and packet are on the City of Dillon website. 2021-06-02 Reg Packet.pdf (dillonmt.org)

Sheridan hosted their first cruise on main tonight, organized by Ruby Valley Brew. Held every Thursday night throughout the summer, the event encourages participants to shine up a cherished ride and bring it down to main street. Tonight's event saw around 12 cars, from early muscle cars to modern exotics. In addition to the cars and motorcycles, vendors are strongly encouraged to come and participate. This year organizers have added an awards ceremony that will be held on September 11th at the Kenny Steiner Memorial. Awards will be for most attended, furthest traveled, and most cars entered. This event will be held every Thursday night from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Main Street of Sheridan. If you are looking for something to do, take the short drive in your prized ride, shine it up, show it off, and enjoy a beer from Ruby Valley Brew and a slice of Bread Zepplin Pizza.

The Montana Board of Housing has invited eight affordable rental properties in seven communities to move forward with housing tax credit applications. During the meeting this week, the Board listened to presentations from developers and interested community members seeking the opportunity to submit their full applications for federal tax credits, the nation’s largest source of funding to develop affordable homes. The properties chosen by the Board to submit a competitive application for tax credits are: Big Sky (Riverview Apartments), Billings (Tapestry Apartments), Dillon (Bicentennial Apartments), Great Falls (Baatz Apartments), Great Falls (Carter Commons), Hardin (Hardin Senior Housing), Kalispell (Junegrass Place) and Libby (Cabinet Apartments). “Access to affordable homes are vital for our communities to strengthen and grow,” said Montana Housing Executive Director Cheryl Cohen. “It is crucial that we continue to support our housing partners, so they can build quality, safe and affordable homes for individuals and families across the state.” This year, developers presented 13 new or rehabilitation projects. Montana will receive $28.8 million in federal tax credits for 2022. At least four projects will be awarded the credits in October and will be ready to break ground by spring of 2022. Federal tax credits allocated by the Board will fund the construction or rehabilitation of approximately 220 rental units each year. This supports the creation of more than 520 jobs, about $23 million in local wages, and more than $2 million in new taxes and revenues for local governments.

In coordination with the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and the City of Dillon, the University of Montana Western campus area facing Atlantic Street will be under construction this summer to enhance the safety and access to the campus and to allow for the MDT to resurface the street next summer. Main Hall and Roe House While enhancing the safety and access to the campus has been a long-time goal for Montana Western, in large part, the timing to initiate and complete this project this summer came from the MDT’s desire to resurface Atlantic Street next summer and their willingness to fund a portion of the overall project. The existing elevated sidewalk and retaining wall present significant safety concerns and the project will allow for the merging of a new road surface with updated access points and sidewalks along Atlantic Street that are ADA compliant and handicap accessible. “With the MDT willing to fund a portion of the project, this is an exciting opportunity for the campus, and the city, to address some of the challenges that have faced us in the past when looking at renovating this border of our campus running along a high-traffic area,” said UMW Chancellor Michael Reid. “We would like to thank both the MDT and the City of Dillon for their collaborative efforts in making these improvements a reality.” To be completed by mid-August this summer, the new UMW sidewalks and sloped lawn will be in place so that the MDT can then resurface Atlantic Street, which is planned to take place in the summer of 2022. The first step in the process this spring is the removal of approximately 18 trees (primarily ash trees) along the sidewalk frontage. It was necessary to remove these trees as the campus lawn will be sloped down gradually to be level with the street to provide ADA-compliant access and to allow the new sidewalk to be level with the street. Once the sloping of the grounds and the majority of the project is completed, new landscape features will be added, including the planting of new trees on the campus in the areas that have been renovated. Please be aware that the project will also include the demolition of the majority of the current sidewalk, retaining wall and railings along Atlantic Street this summer. There may also be road closures or detours as the project is in progress. Montana Western would like to thank the Dillon community for their patience with the project and we look forward to providing safer access to the campus once the project is completed. For more information, please email UMW Director of Facilities, Michael Brown: michael.brown@umwestern.edu.

The fishing closure on the lower Ruby River has been lifted as river flows have rebounded. The closure was in place from the confluence with the Beaverhead River to Duncan District Road crossing. As of May 24, daily mean flows on the river have exceeded 20 cubic feet per second for seven consecutive days, triggering the reopening of the closed section of the river. Closures and restrictions of this nature are designed to protect fish that become more susceptible to disease and mortality when conditions such as low flows combine with additional stressors.

University of Montana Western's junior forward Brynley Fitzgerald has been selected to the 2020-21 Academic All-America® NAIA Women’s Basketball Teams recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Fitzgerald becomes the first women's basketball player to be named to the CoSIDA Academic All-American team, earning second-team honors after being named to the All-District Team earlier this month . On the court, the Dillon, Mont. native led the Frontier Conference in total scoring (422 points) and points per game (16.88) in 2020-21. She was second in 3-point field goals made per game (2.52), third in steals per game (2.04), and fourth in total rebounds (143). Earning First-Team All-Conference and Third-Team All-American honors. Fitzgerald scored a career-high 37 points in a game vs. Carroll in January which was the most points scored in a single game by anyone in the conference this season. She shot 43.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the 3-point range. She averaged 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.9 assists per game. In the classroom, Fitzgerald boasts a perfect 4.0 GPA and was named to the Frontier Academic All-Conference Team. In Addition to her CoSIDA Academic Awards, she has also been nominated for the NAIA DaktronicsScholar-Athlete award to be announced later this summer. Fitzgerald joins former Bulldog cross country athlete Mindy Kaufman as the only Montana Western student-athletes to be named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans.

Agenda for Parks Committee

Beginning Tuesday, June 1st through Thursday, June 3rd the Beaverhead County Road Department will be applying asphalt oil to Carrigan Lane. It will begin off Highway 91 South and continue south for 3-1 /2 miles. Please avoid this area if at all possible. There will be delays and slow traffic during the application from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Beaverhead Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture held its annual Black Tie & Boots Gala Saturday evening to announce their Business Awards for 2021. The Board of Directors and business leaders in the community met at The Elks for an elegant evening of dinner, music by The John Bacon Band, and awards. The nominations were made from a Chamber Member survey, Facebook, and open nominations. The winners were selected with the most nominations. The awards and winners are: Business Woman of the Year: Julie Seminara of Beaverhead Urgent Care for her work in the community and provide professional medical services. Business Man of the Year: Mike Blando of Edward Jones for his work serving the community. Teacher of the Year: Jennifer Ostler of Parkview Elementary for her continue love and caring for her students. Special Recognition Teacher of the Year: Kristi Borge of Polaris Schoolhouse , 2021 Montana’s Teacher of the Year! New Business of the Year: The Andrus Hotel for providing outstanding hospitality to visitors of Beaverhead County! Agribusiness of the Year: Harrington & Hirschy Quarter Horses for their community service. Community Organization of the Year: Barrett Hospital Foundation for their support and service to our local hospital. Chamber Member of the Year: JoAnn Juliano of KDBM-KBEV Radio for her 24 years of purchasing elementary school supplies to over 996 students in Beaverhead County, Twin Bridges and Sheridan. The 50:50 Raffle winner was Ron Allen of Southwest Montana Realty, who generously donated his winnings back to the Chamber. The evening’s music was provided by The John Bacon Band

COMMUNITY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE MEETING City Council Chambers Wednesday, May 26, 2021 12:00 PM ~ AGENDA ~ 1. Call to Order 2. Continue Plans for Duck Race 3. Continue Plans for Dillon History Days 4. Continue Discussion on Setting up a 501(c)(3) 5. Public Comment On Items Of Significant Public Interest Not On The Agenda And Within The Jurisdiction Of The City 6. Adjournment Committee Members: Stan Smith, Chair Bill Shafer, Mitch Staley, Stacey Roundy, Vice Chair Debbie Sporich, Raymond Graham, Brenda Womack, Michelle Cohen, Rebecca Jones, Cory Birkenbuel

Memorial Weekend is the unofficial start to summer in Montana and as boaters venture out to our rivers and lakes, please keep in mind the rules aimed at protecting our waters and preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. All boats must stop at all open watercraft inspection stations they encounter. Failure to stop at inspection stations could result in a fine of up to $500. All watercraft coming into Montana from out of state must seek out an inspection prior to launching. Non-residents transporting watercraft into Montana must purchase a Vessel AIS Prevention Pass before launching. The fee is $30 for motorized and $10 for nonmotorized watercraft. The pass is valid until Dec. 31. All watercraft travelling west across the Continental Divide must be inspected. All watercraft launching anywhere within the Flathead Basin that were last launched on waters outside of the Flathead Basin must be inspected. Watercraft leaving Tiber Reservoir must be inspected at an FWP decontamination station. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and partner agencies operate more than 25 road-side watercraft inspection stations across the state. Typically, boat inspections are brief and include a short interview and check to make sure watercraft are not transporting mud, water, plants or invasive organisms. Larger or more complex boats may require additional time for an inspection. Watercraft owners can make their inspection quick and easy if they consistently practice Clean, Drain and Dry every time they leave an access area: Clean all mud and debris from the watercraft and trailer. Pull drain plugs and make sure all compartments, bilges, ballasts and livewells are drained. Allow time for watercraft and gear to dry before the next trip. FWP inspectors and enforcement staff will be working hard to make sure everyone knows the AIS rules and have a safe and fun time on the water. To find a watercraft inspection station or to learn more, go to CleanDrainDryMT.com or call the FWP Aquatic Invasive Species Bureau at 406-444-2440.

John Paul Micha, MD, President of The Andrus Hotel, LLC, will speak to Rotarians and guests on May 26, 2021. The Andrus Hotel was the finest hotel in Montana in 1917 and is again today. It was and is a focal point for business, tourism, and local celebrations. Dr. Micha will discuss how his vision and Mr. Harry Andrus' 1917 visions for the hotel and Beaverhead County converge and differ. Both are eternal optimists and very bullish on the future of Beaverhead County. Visitors are Welcome. Anyone interested in learning more about Rotary should come at noon to be a guest for lunch. The Club meets in the Guild Hall of St. James Episcopal Church, 203 East Glendale St. For more information, email Mike Blando at mikeblando0717@gmail.com or Tina Giem at tgiem@barretthospital.org .