Montana
Browning family's home burns in electrical fire
John and Carol Murray left their home in Two Medicine earlier this week for the Blackfoot Confederacy Conference in Wyoming. Once they arrived, they received a call from their grandson telling them their home and everything in it had been lost in a devastating fire.
Browning family’s home burns in electrical fire
Married for 51 years, the two have spent decades working to preserve tribal culture. John serves as a Blackfeet Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, and was awarded the Governor’s Humanities Award in 2017, and was inducted into the Montana Outdoor Hall of Fame in 2023.
Carol previously served as the President of Blackfeet Community College, and was awarded an honorary Doctorate from the University of Montana for her commitment to preserving Native American heritage through education.
Five days after the fire, John and Carol are now traveling back to Two Medicine from their trip to Wyoming, not having seen what remains of their family home.
John and Carol’s grandson Myles also lives in the home with his girlfriend and their young daughter. They were home when the house caught on fire the night of September 30th.
They managed to escape with their lives, barreling through the toxic smoke, but could save nothing in the process.
John Murray says, “Myles called and said smoke was coming out from under the house. He tried to fight the fire, you know, with the hose, and it was just too much. We realized that material things can be replaced, and we just will be forever grateful that they didn’t get trapped in there”.
The fire is suspected to have been an electrical fire, and volunteer fire departments and law enforcement from Heart Butte, Browning, and Glacier County worked to subdue the fire.
Angela HeavyRunner
John and Carol’s daughter, and Myle’s mother, Angela HeavyRunner lived close by, and was on the scene as the home burned.
She explains, “The smoke was so thick. And we’ve been trying to understand what the feelings are that we felt…and the helplessness, the helplessness and and still being hopeful at the same time was what we were initially feeling”.
John and Carol are nervously anticipating their return to the site of their home, to assess the damage, and figure out what to do next.
Carol says, “I’m kind of anxious to get home, so that it’s real. I’ve been involved in ceremony for many, many years. And one of the things that was taught to me was to be calm, and to be patient, and to let the creator know what I’m afraid of, and that things will all work out for us.”
John and Carol’s friends and family members set up a GoFundMe fundraiser to collect donations that go toward clothing, blankets, and basic necessities to help with their traumatic loss.
Carol says, “People who anonymously are donating, we don’t even know who they are, but we just really appreciate it, because we have to build a new house. I want to express my appreciation for people that are very concerned and helping”.
Click here if you would like to make a donation.
GoFundMe
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Clark Fork River has long been a defining feature of Missoula, shaping the city’s culture, economy and outdoor lifestyle.
The river is so closely tied to the area that it helped inspire the well-known book and film “A River Runs Through It.” But local conservation advocates say its importance goes far beyond scenery.
“Without the Clark Fork River, Missoula would just be another town,” said Lisa Ronald, Northern Rockies associate conservation director for American Rivers. “We wouldn’t be the River City. I think we’re known in Montana as Missoula the River City, and it’s really because of the Clark Fork River and its central role in business, in economics, in recreation, that really makes Missoula the town that it is.”
Carmen Murill, a field organizer with Wild Montana, said the river is deeply woven into daily life for people who live in Missoula.
“A lot of us would wonder what to do on a beautiful or a rainy summer day,” Murill said. “I mean, it’s really a lifeforce of town. And I think it’s pretty unique that Missoula, as a community is living and breathing on both sides of the river. It’s really like two downtowns but connected by the Clark Fork.”
Conservation groups say protecting the river begins with community involvement.
Advocates encourage residents and visitors to spend time outdoors, whether on a trail, in the woods or along the river, and to learn how they can become better stewards of the environment.
MISSOULA — Sam Forstag edged out Ryan Busse to secure the Democratic nomination in Montana’s 1st Congressional District.
Busse conceded the race to Forstag on Wednesday morning. Forstag had trailed behind Busse Tuesday evening, but he made up ground as the votes were counted into the early hours of Wednesday morning. The other two candidates in the race, Russl Cleveland and Matt Rains, are sitting at third and fourth, respectively.
Forstag leads in close race for Montana’s 1st Congressional District
Forstag spent eight years as a wildland firefighter, including four as a smokejumper, and he’s been vice president of the local National Federation of Federal Employees union. Last week, U.S. House of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, held a rally in Missoula to support Forstag’s campaign.
He told MTN on Tuesday that his campaign has been for the working class.
“We got a whole lot of people here that have been working their tail off to finally get some working-class representation in Washington,” Forstag noted. “So proud of everything we’ve done and so grateful.”
Forstag further noted he wants Montanans to be able to afford groceries, have universal free childcare and restore and expand Affordable Health Care Act subsidies.
“Hearing people’s stories and struggles and commonalities in the ways that we’re all fighting in the system that does not serve us so often, and the government serves corporations and the richest people in this country more than working people. It has been frustrating and saddening, but it has also inspired so much hope in me, like the fixes we can actually make,” he told MTN.
The 1st Congressional District covers much of western Montana, including Kalispell, Missoula, Butte and Bozeman. It is currently held by Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, who chose not to seek reelection.
By securing the nomination, Forstag is slated tol face off against Libertarian candidate Nick Sheedy and Republican candidate Aaron Flint in November.
Brian Miller won the Democratic primary Tuesday for the U.S. House seat in Montana’s eastern district.
The Associated Press called the race for Miller, an attorney in Helena, who fended off a challenge from state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy, a longtime legislator from Box Elder, and Sam Lux, a farrier from Great Falls.
In the Republican and rural eastern district, any Democrat will be an underdog, and Miller will face off against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, who was unopposed Tuesday.
Libertarian Patrick McCracken is also running.
In the primary, Miller took 58% of the vote. Lux took 27% and Windy Boy took 16%, according to the Montana Secretary of State’s website.
In April, Windy Boy paused his campaign amid “serious sexual abuse” allegations raised by the Montana Democratic Party — but Windy Boy restarted his campaign and later called the allegations “political attacks.”
Miller is representing the victim of the alleged abuse and her mother, although he said he didn’t take on the role until after Windy Boy initially suspended his campaign.
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