Here are some of the headlines from this past week in the Missoulian. To read the full stories, click the link on each headline:
Mike Steinberg is seen in April 2020.
Mike Steinberg, a film fan who built the nonprofit Roxy Theater into a year-round independent cinema, has stepped down as executive director.
Aside from raising his children and a few creative projects, he said “making the Roxy with this group of people over the last 12 years is the thing I’m most proud of.”
When the theater opened as a not-for-profit arthouse that catered to local tastes, the model wasn't familiar to Missoula movie fans.
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“The community didn’t know how much they wanted what we were doing,” he told the Missoulian on Thursday.
— Cory Walsh, cory.walsh@missoulian.com
A shooting outside a bar in Dixon early Thursday morning left two people injured and led to the arrest of one suspect, according to the Sanders County sheriff.
The shooting was reported at 12:48 a.m. outside the Dixon Bar, and led to the closure of the Dixon School until the suspect was found and arrested in the Dixon area at about 1:30 p.m., Sheriff Shawn Fielders stated in a press release.
The name of the alleged shooter has not been released.
— Sam Wilson, sam.wilson@missoulian.com
Thousands of fired federal workers, dismissed from their jobs on Feb. 14, could be reinstated after a federal judge ruled Thursday morning that the mass firings violated federal law.
The ruling came in a lawsuit brought by a group of federal worker labor unions and various nonprofits against the federal Office of Personnel Management under President Donald Trump, which on Feb. 13 ordered a slew of federal departments and agencies to fire their probationary workers — that is, workers who were new to their positions and therefore in a one- or two-year probationary period. Most workers were notified Feb. 14 that they were fired effective that day.
In the U.S. Forest Service alone, the firings eliminated about 3,400 workers nationwide, including 360 or so in the agency's Region 1, which covers Montana, the northern Idaho Panhandle, North Dakota and northwest South Dakota. Most of those workers, about 300, were in Montana.
— Joshua Murdock, joshua.murdock@missoulian.com
The Missoula County Commissioners selected a new director for Missoula County's public works department, which manages dozens of bridges and hundreds of miles of roadway across the region.
Jason Mitchell will start on March 31, replacing current director Shane Stack, who is retiring after 30 years of public works experience with the county and the Montana Department of Transportation.
Mitchell has worked in several public sector jobs, including as the engineering project manager for Jackson, Wyoming, construction superintendent for the Missoula Housing Authority and a technology specialist for Missoula County 911, according to a press released on Thursday.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
Western Montana's congressional representative assured the public this week that Social Security offices in Kalispell and Missoula will continue to offer in-person services, but little was shared on when the offices will downsize or move locations.
Rep. Ryan Zinke's office told the Missoulian Wednesday the Social Security Administration told him that while the office leases will be canceled, both offices will have a physical footprint in both cities.
The owner of the building leased by the Social Security office in Kalispell also told the Missoulian its lease with the Social Security Administration is still active through December 2025, and it is unclear what will happen next.
"Regardless of what (the Social Security Administration) ultimately decides to do, Congressman Zinke’s office has been assured that all services will continue for our constituents and that at most just the address will change," Press Secretary Garrett Brown said in an email. "Making sure taxpayers are not paying for empty space and making sure those dollars are directed to benefits is more than prudent."
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
An arrest warrant has been ordered for former Missoula mayoral candidate Jacob Elder after he failed to appear on felony charges that he allegedly harassed local attorneys with a months-long deluge of insulting and profanity-laced emails.
In charging documents filed by Deputy Missoula County Attorney Ryan Mickelson last month, Elder was charged with two felony counts of violating privacy in communications, two misdemeanor counts of violating privacy in communications and one misdemeanor count of criminal contempt.
He missed his initial court appearance Tuesday, according to Mickelson, prompting Missoula District Judge Tara Elliott to order a $25,000 bench warrant for his arrest.
— Sam Wilson, sam.wilson@missoulian.com
The Buddy DeFranco Jazz Festival turns 45 this year, a run of longevity that shows the genre’s lasting appeal, as 50 school bands from Seattle to Livingston descend on the University of Montana campus to learn the ins and outs of a genre.
Besides students, there will be several generations of alumni playing in three big bands on Thursday and Friday to pay tribute to Lance Boyd, the retired longtime steward of UM’s Jazz Program and the festival.
“I figured the 45th year of the festival would be a good time to take some energy to celebrate him and let him know how many people care about him and learned from him and appreciate him being a part of their lives,” said Rob Tapper, the program’s current director.
— Cory Walsh, cory.walsh@missoulian.com
The Board of Public Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to dissolve two public charters in Bozeman and Jefferson County that were approved in 2024 after the Montana Legislature authorized charter schools during the 2023 session.
The closures mark the first dissolutions since the schools were green-lighted. Over the last two years, 24 public charters have been approved.
Both charter schools cited low enrollment as to why they could not continue to meet the state’s standards to operate and neither were operating during the 2024-2025 school year.
— Nicole Girten, nicole.girten@ravallirepublic.com
A longtime Missoulian is running for Missoula Mayor, citing a need to improve connections for homeless services and also decrease spending in the city budget.
Brandi Atanasoff also ran for mayor in 2023 and received 1% of the vote in the September 2023 primary election.
She told the Missoulian in a Wednesday phone call that she looks to build on current city initiatives around housing, but called for more emphasis on securing jobs for the homeless.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
The nonprofit YWCA Missoula, an organization on Third Street that provides housing and other services for survivors of domestic and sexual violence, has announced that it has purchased the former Marchie's Nursery property next door.
The 2.3 acre former plant nursery could serve a variety of uses for YWCA Missoula, according to executive director Jen Euell.
“When this neighboring property became available, we knew we had to seize the opportunity,” Euell said in a press release. “This site will allow us to explore new ways to strengthen our existing programs and support our most vulnerable neighbors. We see this as an important investment in our future, and we look forward to the work ahead to ensure we maximize the impact of this space for the community.”
— David Erickson, david.erickson@missoulian.com
At an emotional meeting on Tuesday the Alberton School Board voted to cut two positions, resulting in the loss of the district’s music and STEM programs. The cuts were at the recommendation of interim superintendent Greg Upham to fix an impending budget shortfall.
McKenna Akane, a STEM teacher at Alberton School, speaks about the importance of her position during the Alberton School Board meeting on Tuesday night. The board voted to cut both Akane’s position and music teacher Mike Wolfe, the only teachers in their respective programs, based on a budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year.
Music teacher Mike Wolfe and STEM teacher McKenna Akane both had their contracts up for nonrenewal. Because they’re the only teachers of their respective programs, the Board was also voting on whether or not to cut those programs. Board member Gary Webster stressed that the decision was purely budgetary and didn’t reflect the teachers' performance.
Over three dozen people attended the meeting. Over a dozen gave public comment urging the board to keep the positions, some suggesting tabling the vote to explore other options such as grants or crowdfunding.
— Andy Tallman, andy.tallman@missoulian.com
Grammy-winning pop-country star Shania Twain announced a concert this summer at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Wednesday.
Her show on Wednesday, July 2, comes on the heels of a sold-out three-concert series last summer at the University of Montana facility.
She’ll perform with opening acts Kip Moore and Lindsay Eli. Tickets are set to go on sale Friday, March 21.
— Cory Walsh, cory.walsh@missoulian.com
HAMILTON — A bench trial wrapped up Tuesday for a co-founder and former publisher of the Bitterroot Star charged with negligent homicide, with a verdict from the judge expected within the next two weeks.
Michael Theo Howell, 73, previously pleaded not guilty to one count of negligent vehicular homicide while under the influence and one count of vehicular assault, after an April 2023 crash that killed a Darby woman and seriously injured her husband.
Deer Lodge County District Judge Jeffrey Dahood heard arguments that focused on whether Howell was impaired when he lost control of his vehicle and collided with an oncoming pickup truck driven by Mark Graham of Darby. Mark was seriously injured in the crash while his wife, Janice Mary Graham, 67, was killed.
— Sam Wilson, sam.wilson@missoulian.com
Missoula's County Commissioners expressed "grave" concern to Montana's congressional delegation over the loss of conservation project funding, citing millions in frozen dollars that were headed to various rural parts of the county.
More than 80% of the $4.5 million halted under the Trump Administration for nonprofit Blackfoot Challenge remains frozen as of Tuesday, according to its executive director.
And according to a recent article by the Seeley Swan Pathfinder, other groups like Swan Valley Connections and Clearwater Resource Council have also been impacted by the freeze.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
A Polson man sentenced to 110 years in prison last month for attacking his neighbors has withdrawn his guilty plea and will take his chances with life in prison during a jury trial in May.
Paul Ailport apologizes to the Schiele family during his sentencing hearing at the Lake County Courthouse on Thursday, Feb. 13 in Polson. Ailport was sentenced to 110 years in the Montana State Prison for attempting to kill his neighbors by driving a truck full of explosives through their house in November of 2023.
Paul Ailport, 65, was arrested in November 2023 for ramming his truck into his neighbor's house outside of Polson. He was previously sentenced to 110 years by a Missoula judge under a plea agreement.
Missoula District Court Judge John Larson sentenced Ailport to 110 years on Feb. 13, which was 10 years above the deal's 100-year maximum, and gave Ailport the legal opportunity to withdraw the plea.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
Missoula residents may notice city employees taking measurements and collecting data downtown in the coming weeks, as surveying work takes place to design a multimillion-dollar road project set to turn Front and Main into two-way streets, among other changes.
The surveyors will work for the next four weeks, the city said in a press release on Monday. Crews will collect data on property lines, streets, sidewalks, utilities, and other notable design factors.
The city said the work will require some traffic control measures, including street closures. Much of the work will happen at night to minimize disruptions, the city added.
The redesign is a part of a $24 million project called the Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility Project, or downtown SAM. Local engineering and surveying firm DJ&A will conduct the work.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
They stood well more than 1,000 strong on an unseasonably warm late-winter morning in Missoula, with a message for politicians in Washington: Keep your hands off our public lands.
Adam Farrell leads a chant as protesters cross Beartracks Bridge in Missoula on Sunday. Thousands of community members took to the streets to rally for public lands.
At the "Hands Off Our Public Lands" rally Sunday morning, the recently out-of-work federal land managers who addressed the crowd included Adin Kloetzel of Philipsburg, who was a mule packer in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness and whose parents met on a trail crew in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. There was also Tracy Stone-Manning, the director of the Bureau of Land Management under former President Joe Biden and now the president of The Wilderness Society.
Whether they were mule packers, presidential appointees or somewhere between, they shared the same message, amplified by booming cheers from the sign-carrying masses: "Whose lands? Our lands!"
The rally started at 11 a.m. in McCormick Park and concluded 90 minutes later with a march — all on bike paths and sidewalk, not in roadways — to Caras Park and back, twice crossing Beartracks Bridge over the Clark Fork River. It was organized by about 60 individuals, self-described as grassroots volunteers, and advertised on social media and with flyers around town. There was no stated sponsorship from any particular organization.
— Joshua Murdock, joshua.murdock@missoulian.com
A new software system installation will temporarily halt vehicle transaction services in Missoula County from March 13 to March 16, which includes all Montana Motor Vehicle Division driving exam stations.
The update will allow for a new vehicle titling and registration process. The county said in a press release the closure will not affect other local services, like accepting tax payments or issuing birth certificates.
Installing the new software system is the final phase of the state's new Credentialing and Registration System, also known as CARS. The system is set to go online on March 17 across the state.
— Griffen Smith, griffen.smith@missoulian.com
NorthWestern Energy has responded to an inquiry from Montana regulatory officials about its plan to supply enormous amounts of coal-fired electricity to two proposed data centers near Butte in the coming years.
The energy company, Montana's largest regulated monopoly utility, says that serving these new "large load" customers "can bring significant benefits" to all of its customers by supporting future capital investments and infrastructure improvements. In essence, NorthWestern is saying that they'll be making money off these new data centers and will use that money to improve the energy system in Montana.
The Missoulian has previously reported that two data center companies have announced plans and signed letters of intent to buy as much as 400 megawatts of electricity, combined between the two of them, by the year 2030.
That's enough power to supply nearly 320,000 homes for a year.
— David Erickson, david.erickson@missoulian.com
The leader of an environmental advocacy organization in Montana says she strongly disputes a claim by NorthWestern Energy that bringing electricity-hungry data centers to Montana will be beneficial.
"We're incentivizing data centers to take our power and to not pay much in taxes," said Anne Hedges, the executive director of the nonprofit Montana Environmental Information Center, based in Helena.
The Missoulian has previously reported that two data center companies, one of which is refusing to be named, have signed letters of intent to buy as much as 400 megawatts of coal-fired electricity per year from NorthWestern Energy by the year 2030. That's an enormous amount of electricity, enough to power 320,000 homes per year. All of that electricity will come from the Colstrip power plant after NorthWestern acquires a larger share of that plant's generating capacity in 2026.
— David Erickson, david.erickson@missoulian.com
The body of a Colorado woman who went missing in February was recovered from the Clark Fork River in Missoula on Sunday.
Danit Ehrlich, 33, had been last seen on Feb. 21 before she was believed to have drowned in the river while stopping in Missoula with her dog. Her body was recovered at about 4 p.m., according to the Missoula Police Department. A recovery crew could be seen pulling her body from the north side of the river near Pattee Street Sunday afternoon.
The body was reportedly found by a person who called 911. Her dog, Bamba, is still missing, according to the police department's press release.
— Sam Wilson, sam.wilson@missoulian.com
