Jeff Elliott has returned home to Boulder as the Boulder Elementary School superintendent and principal. Read Article
UPDATE, 2:30 p.m. July 23: Firefighting crews from local volunteer agencies, Butte, the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and the U.S. Forest Service were mopping up the fire on Friday afternoon. The truck, which Jefferson City Volunteer Fire Department Chief Bud Sideri… Read Article
Jefferson County could become the next owner of the Montana Tunnels Mine, a large open-pit mine near Corbin, west of Jefferson City, and the state Department of Environmental Quality may take over the mine's permit. Read Article
The Boulder City Council formally requested $110,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds from Jefferson County to purchase a building from Jim Darcy Elementary School north of Helena to use as a child care facility. The request for county ARPA funds will be discussed at the July 27 County Comm… Read Article
A fire that began on a propane grill on July 17 tore through a Montana City home, causing no injuries but destroying the home and prompting a massive firefighting response that prevented the blaze from becoming a wildfire. Read Article
The Jefferson County Commission allocated $250,000 each to the Basin and Clancy water and sewer districts, out of the $891,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds the county received for local water and sewer projects, leaving almost $400,000 remaining. The remaining funds could be distributed… Read Article
The Park Lake Campground and Picnic Area 5 miles west of Clancy reopened to the public on Monday as firefighters continued to mop-up a small wildfire that ignited near Park Lake on July 16. Read Article
Jefferson County's North Tax Increment Finance Industrial District is operating at a deficit and unable to afford expenses and bond payments that exceed revenue, and leaders are unsure of the district's path forward. Read Article
UPDATE, 6:30 p.m. July 16: According to Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest Public Affairs Officer Chiara Cipriano, firefighters have managed so far to limit the Park Lake fire to about 3–5 acres. Read Article
Boulder is currently in the market for—and, according to City Council President Drew Dawson, "really needs"—reliable ambulances. Boulder Ambulance Services currently has two ambulances, both of which are more than 20 years old, but a grant the city is vying for could help replace one of the … Read Article
Clancy residents may soon pay about 50 percent more for fire protection under a proposed rate increase from the Clancy Volunteer Fire Department. Read Article
Jefferson, Gallatin and Broadwater counties have committed funds to replace Meridian Bridge, a 107-year-old single-lane truss bridge at the junction of the counties and whose load limit is currently 2 tons per axle—the lowest rating before a bridge is deemed impassible, according to Jefferso… Read Article
Restrictions outlawing most fires and other open flames went into effect across Jefferson County beginning at 12:01 a.m., just after midnight, on June 10. Read Article
Frustration over Basin Avenue's steep drop to the curb has reached a tipping point, and Jefferson County and the state of Montana plan to fix it. Read Article
A June 23 story about a new Boulder Cemetery ordinance incorrectly stated the name of the city attorney. The Boulder City Attorney is Ed Guza. June 16 and June 23 stories about the Bullock annexation misspelled the name of a senior planner with Great West Engineering who consulted the city o… Read Article
Attendees of the Jesse A. Marcel Library meeting on July 2 may have to wait longer for the UFO disclosure they had been hoping for. Read Article
Jefferson High School in Boulder could be overhauled with up to $12.5 million in upgrades and expansion depending on how voters decide on a facilities bond proposal expected on this year’s ballot in November. Read Article
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a project manager with FourFront Design. Her name is Jessica Holdren. The story has been updated. Read Article
Firefighters from Jefferson City, Clancy and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation responded to two fires in as many days this week—a wildfire that burned about 2 acres of forested land along Tizer Lake Road on June 30, and a small grass fire along Interstate 15 on Jul… Read Article
For the first time in nearly 40 years, Jefferson County has a new clerk and recorder: Ginger Kunz was sworn in and signed the oath of office shortly before noon on June 30. Read Article
The new board of the Clancy Water and Sewer District—comprised entirely of former board members—was sworn in at the board’s meeting on June 22. It then began plotting a path forward for possible grant funding through the American Rescue Plan Act. Read Article
The Center for Mental Health has delayed opening its counseling office in Boulder, but its plan to open a local office is still in the works, according to Jefferson County Mental Health Local Advisory Council member Kathy Rux. Read Article
Two newcomers will vie for a Boulder City Council seat currently held by Sherry Lepley, who is not seeking reelection. Mayor Rusty Giulio and City Council President Drew Dawson are running for reelection unopposed. Read Article
This year's fire season could be among the worst in years, due to a combination of weather and environmental factors including dry fuels, hot and windy conditions, and a thin snowpack the past winter, according to local fire officials, who are bracing for a challenging summer. Read Article
Exit intervew
In 2001, Tom Harrington began working part-time at the then relatively new Jefferson Local Development Corporation. Since then, as co-head of the JLDC and an economic and community development agent at Montana State University’s Madison-Jefferson County Extension, he has been at the heart of… Read Article
Montana's top law enforcement agency will soon call Boulder home, but not quite as soon as originally planned: The Montana Highway Patrol's ongoing transition from Helena to the North Campus of the former Montana Developmental Center is expected to be complete by early August, pushed back fr… Read Article
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a senior planner with Great West Engineering who consulted the city on water rights and usage. His name is Jerry Grebenc. The story has been updated. Read Article
Editor's note: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the city attorney. The Boulder City Attorney is Ed Guza. The story has been updated. Read Article
Local artists, craftsmen, farmers and other vendors will return to Veterans Park to sell their goods at the year’s first Farmers and Artisans Market on July 1. The market, which is sponsored by the Boulder Area Chamber of Commerce, will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Thursday through the sum… Read Article
Clancy Days and the Governor’s Cup running races both resumed their annual schedule on Saturday, allowing residents of Jefferson County to celebrate the warmth they felt from both the beaming sun on a nearly cloudless day and from their ability to finally gather again as a community. Read Article
The date was set, the invites were sent out, and after much planning, Destiny Jensen was ready to marry her then-fiancé, Dell Jensen, on June 23, 2020, at the fairground in Boulder. However, the coronavirus pandemic had other plans for the Jensens: Restrictions on gatherings forced them to c… Read Article
The Golden Sunlight mine could soon increase employment, production and the amount of money it contributes to county and local budgets by reprocessing vast tailings piles at the facility—a proposed venture that government and mine officials say will also aid in remediating historic contamina… Read Article
The Heritage Center in Boulder will reopen its doors on June 21, just in time to welcome in the summer, according to the museum's vice president, Ellen Rae Thiel. Read Article
Editor's note: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of a senior planner with Great West Engineering who consulted the city on water rights and usage. His name is Jerry Grebenc. The story has been updated. Read Article
The newly appointed Basin Water and Sewer District Board of Directors moved on June 8 to loosen lawn-watering restrictions for the summer months. A proposed ordinance would allow residents with odd house numbers to water only on odd-numbered days and those in even-numbered houses could water… Read Article
A nationwide increase in the price of building materials has hit home in Jefferson County, challenging builders, contractors, suppliers, local governments and prospective homeowners. Read Article
The Jefferson County Commission appointed three familiar faces to the Clancy Water and Sewer District board on June 8: Lori Gilliland, Bob Johnson and Bill Hammer returned to the board on which they had previously served before resigning in recent months. Read Article
The dog days of the Boulder Cemetery could come to an end before the dog days of summer begin. Read Article
The Center for Mental Health will bring counseling services to an office in Boulder Catholic Church’s parish hall starting June 25. Licensed Clinical and Professional Counselor Jessica Gruber from the CMH in Helena will offer in-person counseling appointments every Friday from 1–5 p.m. Read Article
The city of Boulder will receive $281,622 in federal funds for water and sewer projects as part of the American Recovery Plan Act passed earlier this year. This money is in addition to $325,940 in general ARPA funds the federal government designated for Boulder. Read Article
A man currently serving a prison sentence for firing shots into a Basin home in March 2020 has been indicted on a federal hate crime charge and a federal firearm charge for allegedly targeting the victim in that case because of their sexual orientation. Read Article
This year, you can run the Governor’s Cup Marathon in your backyard even if you don’t live in Montana. After canceling last year’s race due to the coronavirus, this year’s event can be run virtually as well as in person. Read Article
A city-led initiative could bring childcare to Boulder and its surrounding communities in Jefferson County by the start of school in late August. Read Article
The Jefferson County Commission on June 1 forgave a $200,000 loan of metal mines funds made to the Jefferson Local Development Corporation in 2015 to help restore Whitehall’s historic Borden’s building. Read Article
Jefferson County will receive $891,000 for water and sewer projects from the state as part of the funds Montana received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act—separate from the $2.37 million that ARPA sent directly to the county. Read Article
An elderly client called Jefferson Public Health Department Supervisor Pam Hanna on May 18, asking for help registering for a vaccine appointment. The client mentioned that he “had trouble getting around,” so Hanna asked if she could just bring a vaccine to his home. Read Article
When it comes to the race for space in Montana, it isn’t just about where to live, but where to keep your stuff. And right now, that storage space is hard to find. Read Article
Normalcy watch
In the wake of the County Health Board’s May 18 vote to rescind restrictions on public gatherings, two events are in the works: Read Article
The following local residents have graduated from colleges: Read Article
Richard O’Connor is looking up. Read Article