Your Community Builder
Your Community Builder
Sorted by date Results 1 - 23 of 23
Lambert "Frog" DeMers stalked an escaped black bear over clipped lawns, slinking along the wooden sidings of suburban homes. Every time he peeked around the trunk of a leafless tree, the cub nonchalantly moved out of range of DeMers' lasso. It was a warm, late November, low 40s the previous week, so there was no snow to mold the cub's tiny prints or show its brown fur. But that didn't matter, because a bear wandering between houses in 1920 was an oddity, even in Missoula,...
Grizzly bears were put back under protection by the Endangered Species Act by a U.S. District Court order Sept. 24. The ruling only affected grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, which spans through Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Planned grizzly hunts on state lands in Wyoming and Idaho were canceled. In July 2017, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which is made of representatives from different government agencies to ensure the success of grizzly bear populations, recommended to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife...
Local artist and entrepreneur Gage Stieg stopped by the Eagle office Tuesday to discuss his recent business venture and his philosophy on drawing cool stuff. Well renowned for his Star Wars drawings, he also draws cool things in general. Gage does art because it's fun, but understands that to continue his passion, he must balance it with business. He accepts $6 commissions to draw cool things. He has sold pictures depicting dragons, mermaids, a unicorn and Master Shredder....
The hallway clock in Ekalaka Elementary is trapped at 9:46. Made in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the Miller Program Clock Company, it is self-winding and powered by two 1.5 volt dry cells, each roughly the size of a soda can. The upper level of the school is warm and getting warmer as sunlight soaks the empty rooms. Downstairs, the basement is cool and surprisingly bright along the windows. Voices echo. Classrooms seem stretched without desks and chairs. Many are completely...
Shannon and Tina Brady served their last meal at the Carter County Senior Citizen Center Friday, on a morning Shannon described as "peaceful." The Bradys have been serving sandwiches, soups, fish, meat and plenty of dessert at the center for six years. The couple share a strong faith and said their time there had been an enriching experience. "It's been a wild ride," said Tina. Kathy Tobin will be taking over as cook starting July 10; until then the senior center will be...
After thirty years of work, everything was gone in 7 minutes, Julie Davis said. A tornado touched down south of Camp Crook Thursday night, destroying one home on Doug and Julie Davis' property. No one was injured during the storm. The National Weather Service confirmed four tornadoes in Harding County and another four in Carter County June 28. The tornado on the Davis' property was estimated to have had 138 mph winds and, as it caused its most significant damage, an EF-3 ratin...
An odd mixture of activities brought adventurers, eaters and adventurous eaters to the Custer Gallatin National Forest Saturday to witness what happens when you mix an atlatl, a dutch oven and plants. Natural Resource Specialist Megan Reedy said that tonight's location at Wickham Gulch campground lent itself to the incorporation of the different activities. Picnic tables were laden with potluck dishes and three fire pits were ready for the dutch ovens. There was a spacious...
Ekalaka public schools have received a grant through Montana Disaster and Emergency Services in the amount of $64,631.50 to be used for a new generator. Carter County was not required to match the award with non-federal funds. Carter County DES Coordinator Georgia Bruski applied for the grant which was approved in October of last year. The generator's cost came in under budget at $59,351.67. The remaining money was returned to the state for future grants. The generator was...
Southeast Electric Cooperative, Inc. crews were out until midnight Thursday, June 28 maintaining lines, rerouting power and repairing storm damage. The crews were back out by 6 a.m. Friday. The majority of power outages occurred at 8:50 p.m. Thursday and most people had their power back on by 7:35 a.m. Friday. A tornado that set down south of Camp Crook damaged two transmission towers and a ten continuous power poles. Many individual poles were damaged in the storm. Jack Hamblin, SEEC manager, said the transmission towers...
There's a lot of noise outside a rodeo chute, but it's a TV playing in the other room, muffled and nonsensical unless you've seen this Eastwood flick before. The chute is tight; the rider and horse intimate, but it's not designed to last. A calm horse is easy to straddle but maybe she's playing coy. There's a faint lull in the other room; the yellow flag is up, the gate man has his rope and the rider leans back and, if he's going to win, makes the only decision he'll get for t...
During the Thursday, June 21 Reading Rocks summer session, kids entered as readers and left as marchers. Valerie O'Connell read "Little Pig Joins the Band" to the six young musicians. "Little Pig Joins the Band" is about Jacob, a pig trying to join a marching band. He attempts drums, tubas, trumpets and trombones but cannot play any because he is too small. The kids thought about times when they were to small to do things like watch PG-13 movies, sort cows, drive a car and dri...
Mountains towered up on either side... One in the distance was like a church with gable and steeple... - 1865 diary of Lyman G. Bennett, civilian engineering officer Sherry Farwell remembers his grandfather, George H. Farwell Sr., telling him of an old calvary camp he'd come across while riding his horse along Box Elder Creek in 1895. Farwell brushed the story off, content with being a child playing on his family's ranch. Now, he says, he should have listened better, asked...
Carter County Museum employees visited a friend last Friday when they dug into a plesiosaur buried in the southern part of the county. Even with GPS coordinates, they had difficulty finding the fossil in the tall grass. I know it's here, said Stew Cook, "I can feel it in my bones." The search exhibited just how difficult it is finding a known fossil, let alone discovering a new one, in the 40,000 square miles of Southeastern Montana. Erosion, ice melts and heavy rain can expos...
The Carter County Museum has so many fossils, they would spill out of the museum's back room like a cartoon character's stuffed closet if they were all stored on site. Approximately 80 percent of the museum's collection is held at its warehouse. When Nathan Carroll took over as curator of the museum, he found the warehouse full of bones laying on the ground. Since then, he has organized and built shelves to keep them off the floor. The Denver Museum recently donated archival...
Main Street was closed off in Ekalaka Saturday night as Carter County flashed its green, corned some holes and danced until closing time, all while raising $8,600 during the Nies benefit. Auctioneer Les Kreitel enthusiastically took bids with the help of Josh Rokke and Ches Meyer while Abbey Bruski displayed items that included a $250 gift certificate to Long Pines Vet, a railroad-spike cross and carved emu eggs. Children took advantage of the street closure and rode scooters...
The traffic-cone orange fire suit has room for two and the helmet makes my head a goldfish in a fishbowl. Five separate straps join in my lap, holding my upper body against the back of the seat while my legs are free to straddle the car's battery. "How fast do you want to go?" Casey Schladweiler asks. "I wanna go fast." The yellow stock car merges onto the dirt track, Schladweiler hits the gas and swings the car around the first turn, its rear-end proclaiming "LONG LIVE...
When Hank Leffingwell woke up Saturday morning, he didn't think he would be up against a swarm. "They hit us like a bunch of piranhas," he said. The Community Wide Garage Sale was a quick success for the Leffingwells, who say they were able to sell their big ticket items right away. Most sellers were pleased with the turnout and a couple of the more rural sellers were surprised at the amount of people they'd had. A couple sellers were disappointed in the foot traffic,...
The town of Ekalaka has decided to ask the legal system to determine whether it or the Ekalaka Volunteer Fire Department Corporation has ownership and control of the town's fire service and whether the fire department is part of the municipality, as the town claims, or is a separate corporation. A complaint for declaratory judgement was filed in district court against EVFD Inc. May 10. According to the complaint, the town is requesting a judge declare it has "all legal right...
Anyone who didn't cast a ballot missed their chance to make a difference. Mike Watkins became the unofficial District 3 Republican nominee for Carter County Commissioner this November after defeating Bill Walker by one vote in Tuesday's primary election. The unofficial vote count was Watkins 238, Walker 237. Fifty-five percent of Carter County's registered voters cast ballots. Watkins told the Eagle the victory is still soaking in, but that he is waiting for the official...
Kindergarten graduates let the show begin at the Spring Awards Assembly with a rambunctious circus routine that included acrobatics, jumping rope and trick ring toss. After the entertainment, the students donned glittering top hats that slid almost to their eyes and received their diplomas. Students shared their favorite circus acts (acrobats, trapeze artists) and an alluring destination (China, Las Vegas). The Class of 2030 finished off their celebration with a line dance...
Last Friday, Pastor Jon Champlin's family and members of his congregation threw him a surprise birthday party. His wife, Kati Champlin, says he caught on after becoming suspicious of why she was cooking six-pounds of meat. The Champlin family is celebrating another milestone this week: their one-year Ekalaka anniversary. Champlin is pastor of Ekalaka Bible Church. He and his wife have two children, both with straw-colored hair, Liam, who is very polite, and Evangeline, who is...
Jo Kittelmann threw a kitchen boa around her neck, a three-foot-long cloth with red dish towels at the head and tail, and explained its usefulness. Instead of a wet tea towel over the shoulder, the boa keeps shirts from getting soaked while allowing either end to be wet and the other dry. Or both dry. Or both wet. It's one piece of material with four possibilities. Unique items like the boa are what Hideaway Gifts is all about. Located in the Rockwellesque school house by the...
A jury found Jedediah Keith Larson guilty of aggravated assault on May 17, according to court documents. Larson was also found guilty of a misdemeanor charge of partner or family member assault. He was found not guilty on a misdemeanor count of unlawful restraint. The felony aggravated assault charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years state imprisonment and a $50,000 fine. For all defendants, the court orders a presentence investigation report by the probation officer...
