News

Council cuts, but can’t quite even-out budget

For the second straight fiscal year, the City of Dillon has adopted a budget that includes more projected spending than projected revenue, but not by much.

During a more than three-hour meeting that followed a public hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018–19 budget last Wednesday in City Council Chambers, the council trimmed back over $60,000 in spending, but still couldn’t quite close a gap that is expected to cause the city to have to raid its reserves to cover costs for a second straight fiscal year.

Commissioners reinstated Miles after heated ‘he said, he said’ hearings

Dillon Tribune Investigative Report

This is the fourth part of a multi-part series examining the firing of Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Miles. This section focuses on the Beaverhead County Commissioners’ hearings related over the firing and their reinstatement of Miles to active duty.

Editor’s note: Profanity is used in this story.

Allegations of lying and witness tampering led to Beaverhead County Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Miles’ firing.

The best

Emily Matamoros shows her grand champion beef in the ring during the Beaverhead County Fair 4-H FFA Livestock Auction. For complete fair results, look for the Beaverhead County Fair Memories edition inserted in next  week’s edition of the Dillon Tribune.

County not in drought but determined as ‘unusually dry’

Beaverhead County continues to face fire danger, with little precipitation over the past month.

National Weather Service Hydrologist Arin Peters reported on the issue to the Beaverhead County Commissioners at the Drought Task Force meeting Sept. 10.

Though the county still has a decent water supply in its reservoirs from the snowy winter, rain mostly stopped dropping in June.

There has been between a half-inch and an inch of rain in August, he said.

Jesse Raymond Koontz

1938-2018

Jesse Raymond Koontz (Ray Ray), 80, of Lima, Montana and Quartzsite, Arizona, passed away Aug. 24, 2018, in Dillon, Montana, after a long, hardfought battle with cancer.

He was born March 28, 1938, in Dillon, and was the eldest of 6 children of Sherman Koontz and Emma June (Brown) Koontz.

He married Neva Rae Brown on Dec. 6, 1957, in Ucon, Idaho, Three daughters were born during their 20 year marriage.

He served 30 years in the U.S. Navy as a Nuclear Submarine Mechanicand Chief Petty Officer. He was a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars.

County commissioners give family planning change a green light

Beaverhead County Public Health is being given the goahead to manage the family planning clinic.

The county’s family planning clinic is currently being managed by Butte-Silverbow Health Department, and the funding to operate it comes from federal Title X dollars and donations. But Butte-Silverbow has been telling Beaverhead health department officials they will not be sending any money from that management for operations for the upcoming fiscal year.

City, Dillon Tree Board to revamp boulevard

The City of Dillon, with help from the Dillon Tree Board, will begin work this week on revamping the boulevard on Swenson Way. Many of the trees and shrubs have become overgrown, and the trees and shrubs have also become safety hazards for traffic on the road and pedestrians using the sidewalk. Children crossing the street who use the YMCA and Blacktail pond during the summer months are at risk when sight distances are the worst, due to leaves and height of the shrubs. In addition, weeds and cheat grass have overtaken the rock ground cover.

Kathy Peterson transfers to real estate business Peterson said

She relocated to a new office just a few blocks away from her old one in downtown Dillon. But Kathy Peterson made a gigantic career move earlier this year when she became a real estate agent at Taylor Realty in Dillon.

“Kathy approached me, saying she wanted to learn more about the real estate business,” recalled Vana Taylor, co-owner of Taylor Realty with her husband, Larry,

Bike ride today

Bike/Walk Montana will host a a short bicycle ride every Wednesday, starting at 5 p.m. at the MERC on South Atlantic Street in Dillon. All ages and abilities are welcome, and those without bike helmets can get one lent to them. For more information, call 406-925-3775, email volkenla@yahoo.com or go to www.bikewalkswmontana.org/

Interior’s Sue and Settle Order exposes secret settlements with activists

Activists have grown rich by suing the government and reaping billions of taxpayers’ dollars – and all in secret. The U.S. Department of Interior, however, has issued an order to curb this abuse of basic, democratic processes and to open backroom deals to public scrutiny. The American Farm Bureau Federation and state Farm Bureaus, including the Montana Farm Bureau Federation (MFBF), applaud this overdue action.