Big Bucks Coming to Montana/Idaho to Cut Fire Risk

The Forest Service is sending more than $8 million to the Northern Rockies to boost wildfire mitigation, with the announcement of two grants that will benefit one of Montana's largest counties and a critical travel corridor.

The USDA announced $8.7 million in grants on Tuesday from the Community Wildfire Defense Fund. The concept is to give money to local and state governments so they can work on fire mitigation.

The bulk of this award, $7.5 million, will be going to Shoshone County, Idaho, to pay for a big hazardous fuels reduction project along the I-90 corridor. Anyone who's studied history knows how critical that route was during the mega fires in 1910.

    🌲 Missoula County will receive $1.2 million to help fund planning to make the county "wildfire-adapted", which has been an active goal since the big fires in 2017.

RELATED: People Started Most of the Fires in Montana in '25

Great Falls trims the ballot

In an unusual move, Great Falls elections officials are pulling some names off the November ballot.

Tammie Toren reports that the decision was made to remove the names of candidates running uncontested positions, largely on neighborhood councils. Each of the 9 neighborhood councils has five available seats, but only Neighborhood Council 3 has attracted more than five candidates.

     🗳️ Under Montana law, elections officials have the option of trimming the ballot to the number of candidates equal to, or fewer than, the available positions.

Anaconda faces a fatal fire mystery

A check of surveillance camera footage has uncovered a mystery behind a fire in Anaconda last week, with the discovery of human remains in a blaze believed to have been started by an arsonist.

Anaconda-Deer Lodge County law enforcement says investigators had already determined the fire on the 17th was an arson case, destroying a storage building at Pinnacle Peak Storage on Highway 1 West.

It took a few days to line up heavy equipment to clear the scene and access video from the surveillance cameras. That's when a detective noticed a person entering the area, but not leaving, matching the description of a person reported missing Friday.

     The remains have been sent to the state crime lab for identification.

Knudsen challenges gun magazine ban

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is expressing confidence in overturning a move by California and Washington State to limit the size of gun magazines to 10 rounds or less.

Knudsen is helping lead a 27-state coalition asking the Supreme Court to overturn the ban, noting that magazines larger than 10 rounds are already common.

Knudsen and the others will argue that precedent doesn't exist.

A new winter ice skating venue?

The Missoula Redevelopment Agency is shopping for a consultant to explore the idea of bringing winter ice skating to Caras Park on the Clark Fork River waterfront.

MRA officials tell the Missoula Current the initial concept is for an ice "ribbon", or a dedicated area for skating in the winter, and that might be used for skateboarding in the summer. But it's far too early to know the cost and feasibility. But the agency notes having year-round use at the popular park would be in keeping with the Downtown Master Plan.