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Getting ‘down’ Montana-style: Road trip offers skiing, soaking and a whiteout

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Getting ‘down’ Montana-style: Road trip offers skiing, soaking and a whiteout


A winter highway journey in Montana can embody quite a lot of actions.

Brett French

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The solar reflecting off the snow was so brilliant that the concept of sunscreen crossed my thoughts for the primary time in about 5 months.

I shouldn’t have apprehensive. In lower than a half hour the blue sky had disappeared, changed by a full-on whiteout blizzard. The wind was blowing so exhausting the powerline close to the place we parked was taking part in a mournful, ghostly tune.

Such are the swift shifts encountered on a Montana highway journey in early March. You by no means know what is going to occur with the climate. There are some years I’ve been mowing my garden by now. This 12 months, winter is hanging on with a bony-fingered loss of life grip and a toothy grin.






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Ibex Mountain, about 5 miles distance by way of the county highway, is dwelling to a Forest Service rental cabin. Within the winter it’s only accessible by foot, skis or snowmobiles.


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Brett French



Showdown

There have been different warning indicators to not belief the climate forecast. Driving west down Freeway 12 a brown cloud hung over the Martinsdale space — some farmers’ topsoil blowing away. The wind calmed because the highway sought shelter within the wake of the Fort Mountains. A number of ice anglers had been unphased as they strung out alongside Bair Reservoir.

Individuals are additionally studying…

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After we had turned onto Freeway 89, touring into the Little Belt Mountains towards Showdown Montana ski space, the panorama started trying extra wintery. In locations, the deep snow bordering the pavement had been sharply carved with a snowplow’s blower. Furrows had been even reduce within the borrow pit to attempt to hold the snow from drifting again in.

On Thursdays, Showdown gives what could also be the very best deal for downhill snowboarding and snowboarding within the state – $30 raise tickets. The conventional grownup ticket value is $60. Despite the fact that the parking zone appeared full, and a number of other faculty buses had disgorged hordes of scholars, most of the ski runs had been downright desolate.

Showdown has gathered 70 inches of snow at its 8,192-foot summit this winter, 51 inches on the base. Its 39 trails are accessible from 4 lifts. For the varsity skiers, a magic carpet was the favored spot with kids backed up like a rush-hour visitors jam.

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It’s a three-hour trek to succeed in the ski space from Billings, which is why the mountain is extra well-liked with people from Nice Falls (one hour, 19 minutes and 70 miles) and Helena (two hours, 107 miles). Surprisingly, the outside hub of Bozeman is about the identical distance and time from Showdown as Helena.







Hot water

It is exhausting to beat soaking in scorching water after a chilly day of snowboarding. The Spa Sizzling Springs Motel in White Sulphur Springs fills the invoice.

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Brett French



Decelerate

One of many advantages of snowboarding Showdown is the flexibility to take an aprés soak within the scorching waters of the Spa Sizzling Springs Motel in White Sulphur Springs, about 30 miles to the southwest. Pool charges are $10 for adults, a buck or two much less for everybody else.

The primary pool boasts a temperature of about 98 levels, place to chill off after hitting the 103-degree outside pool or the 105-degree inside plunge. Whereas soaking, guests can scan the colourful murals just lately repainted by Gary Larson. See if you’ll find the hidden photos, just like the Viking ships, cobra or high-rise buildings climbing from the mountain surroundings.

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Rodeo Burger

The Stockman Steakhouse & Bar’s Rodeo Burger consists of bacon and an onion ring. The aspect is fried cheese curds.


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Brett French



The recent springs additionally gives resort rooms or cabins starting from $109 to $159 an evening for these trying to keep.

Inside brief strolling distance from the pool is the Stockman Steakhouse & Bar. It is a good place for a juicy steak or burger (domestically sourced beef) and a cocktail or beer, which may also be domestically sourced as 2 Bassett Brewery is simply throughout the road. We selected the Branding Iron Café, additionally inside strolling distance from the new springs, for breakfast. They’ve a rooster fried steak with white gravy that virtually fills the plate.



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Snow berm

An enormous pile of snow borders a Shields Valley highway with the Bridger Mountains within the background.


Brett French

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Snow down

After a cease on the Forest Service workplace to examine on doable aspect journeys on the best way dwelling for cross-country snowboarding, we determined to motor down the Shields River Valley towards the booming Bozeman bed room burgs of Wilsall and Clyde Park. That’s the place we drove right into a bowl of blue sky and sunshine. It was just like the Bridger Mountains had been slowing down the clouds simply lengthy sufficient for the solar to interrupt out.

I hoped we may get near Ibex Mountain and the Forest Service cabin that’s accessible to hire there, however after 9 miles of journey down curving Higher Cottonwood Creek Street we hit the top of the county’s plowing zone. From there it’s one other 5.3 miles to the cabin, so winter vacationers should haul their gear a methods for an in a single day keep.

The construction, inbuilt 1939, rents for $65 an evening and sleeps as much as 4 on bunk beds. There’s no electrical energy on the cabin, so cooking is by way of a propane range and warmth comes from the woodstove. Fortunately within the winter the cabin is stocked with firewood, however not in the summertime.

Weekends are normally booked upfront, and the cabin is closed throughout April and Might. By June, it may be exhausting to discover a free date that hasn’t been reserved on the Recreation.gov web site. So if you wish to go to and spend the night time, plan as far upfront as doable.

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Snowbiking

Take a motorbike, take away the wheels and substitute them with a observe and a ski and you’ve got an effective way to get round within the snow.


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Brett French



Blow down

Cross-country snowboarding down Higher Cottonwood Creek Street was idyllic. We had all of it to ourselves, besides for 2 snowmobilers and a snowbiker who blazed forward. Of their wake there was nothing however silence and broad white fields. Snow almost buried among the fence posts. The 360-degree views from the roadway took in 7,300-foot-high Ibex Mountain and its spiny cliffs, the Loopy, Bridger and Absaroka mountain ranges.

It wasn’t till we turned again that the climate shortly remodeled, hanging as fast and sharp as a mad rattlesnake. Snow carried by the wind felt like spikes because it peppered our freezing faces. The as soon as vibrant mountains disappeared beneath the cloak of clouds. It appeared to take lots longer to succeed in the windbreak of the truck than it ought to have. Considering again to those that trekked throughout this nation years in the past with out roads and snowplows, it’s simple to think about getting misplaced or buried by such a storm.

We debated whether or not to attend the blizzard out or to get the heck out of there earlier than we had been snowed in. Since I used to be driving, the decision was to slowly motor down the nation highway fairly than danger being snowbound.

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There was a 7-foot berm of snow on my aspect of the highway that appeared like a simple route-finding software. However because the snow pile was white, and the snow blowing was white, even that massive berm solely ft away vanished. I rolled down my window in hopes that may assist, however the wind was curling again off the berm like river water hanging a boulder. Snow flew contained in the truck cab in giant, flaky gulps.

Failing to barter one of many highway’s 90-degree turns was what I feared most, however as we slowly misplaced elevation the wind and blowing snow lessened. By the point we hit the freeway the view was clear once more. It was exhausting to imagine we’d been enveloped in a whiteout solely minutes earlier, and even more durable to imagine I had briefly contemplated rubbing on some sunscreen.


Lengthy trek: One wolf’s journey throughout southwest Montana results in deadly finish

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Bobcat Women Hold Blue-Gold Scrimmage Wednesday – Montana State University Athletics

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Bobcat Women Hold Blue-Gold Scrimmage Wednesday – Montana State University Athletics


Last season at this time Montana State head coach Tricia Binford said the Bobcats would be fast, long, and athletic. Binford also knew her team wasn’t polished, but if they maximized their depth and effort, good things would come.
 
By March, her words came to fruition as the Bobcats recorded a school record 30-4 slate, won the Big Sky Conference regular season and tournament titles, and made the program’s fourth NCAA Championship appearance.
 
Fast forward 365 days, and Binford has the 2025-26 edition of Montana State women’s basketball headed the same direction.
 
“I think every coach would like to progress a little faster than we are, but the effort’s been great,” said Binford, who enters her 21st season with the Blue and Gold. “Each week we have gotten better. We are moving in the right direction. We’ve started to build some chemistry, and we see areas that are going to be strong. This team is amazingly fast and we’re working on getting that fine balance of being fast without being rushed.”
 
Binford gets her first glimpse of the Bobcats’ in-game as they face their men’s scout team in the annual Blue-Gold Scrimmage, Wednesday at 7 p.m., in Worthington Arena. The scrimmage is free and open to the public.
 
“The big thing we want out of Blue-Gold is to get our transition defense established,” she said. “The last few years our identity has been defense. Last year’s team took this tremendous leap of what we were capable of doing in the backcourt. A lot of that impact was maximizing our depth. I believe we are even faster this year, and we want to be able to do what we love to do on the defensive end.”
 
Offensively, the Bobcats must fill the shoes of Big Sky Conference MVP Esmeralda Morales, who poured in 15.4 points per game and connected on 79 three-pointers, along with all-conference forward Marah Dykstra.
 
According to Binford, scoring will come from different areas.
 
“We need to get at least a percentage of our offense from defense,” Binford said. “That’s where it has to start. But I do feel our scoring will be as balanced as ever. We’ll take the non-conference to see which rotations work best and tweak things as needed. I do feel like it could be different kids scoring each night.”
 
MSU returns seven letterwinners, including Taylee Chirrick the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Year, along with six newcomers. The Bobcats play two exhibition games (Oct. 27 & 30) before opening the season against Carroll College, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
 



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Montana Lottery Mega Millions, Lucky For Life results for Oct. 21, 2025

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The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Oct. 21, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Oct. 21 drawing

02-18-27-34-59, Mega Ball: 18

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Oct. 21 drawing

08-09-15-31-32, Lucky Ball: 12

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Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from Oct. 21 drawing

17-18-19-27, Bonus: 01

Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
  • Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
  • Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.

Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network.

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Where can you buy lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets.

You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer.

Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Montana State Prison water routinely positive for coliform bacteria

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Montana State Prison water routinely positive for coliform bacteria


Montana State Prison’s drinking water has routinely tested positive for coliform, a bacteria found in fecal matter, and the facility has received numerous drinking water violations over the past three decades, according to the state’s Safe Drinking Water Information System.

Publicly available drinking water tests from the Department of Public Health and Human Service’s Environmental Lab show the prison’s aging and troubled system tested positive for coliform 11 times in 2025 and eight times in 2024.

Questions about water quality have come to the surface since a reported water pipe break at the prison 10 days ago that left inmates without consistent drinking water and in some cases not enough water, according to an inmate and family members.

But water quality at the prison appears to be a longstanding issue. The Department of Corrections said it takes those concerns seriously. 

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“The safety of inmates and staff members at Montana State Prison (MSP) is paramount, and any safety concerns brought to the department’s attention are addressed immediately,” Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Stocker wrote in an email to the Daily Montanan. “The Department works closely with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to ensure the safety of water.”

The facility has received seven “individual violations” since 2022. When inspections reveal issues, there is a set notification process. The violations, which follow testing, were over E. coli monitoring, multiple consumer confidence violations — a mandated water quality reporting process by the Environmental Protection Agency — as well as notifications about copper and lead.

“DEQ has informed the DOC that lead and copper values are less than federal action levels,” Stocker wrote in an email.

When there is an issue with water that requires public notification, it’s called a violation. Even things like not responding to a correction or repair request within a certain time period can be considered a violation, according to a DEQ reference sheet on federal rules surrounding coliform.

Following that notification, water facilities are asked to come back into compliance.

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In an email late Monday, the Department of Corrections did not directly answer a question regarding consumer confidence report violations the Daily Montanan sent Friday. The DOC referred those questions to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, which did not respond to the Daily Montanan by press time. 

There have been about 50 tests for coliform, a different bacteria than E. coli, over the past year, according to the data set

During those coliform tests the state also tests for E. coli. None of the E. coli tests showed the presence of that pathogen, and prison water hasn’t tested positive for that bacteria since 2000, and even then it was in non-potable water, the Department of Corrections said in an emailed response to questions from the Daily Montanan.

On Monday, inmates were handed a notification dated Oct. 10, saying that there were questions about the quality of the water supply, in this case, potentially from the infrastructure problems at the prison. Amanda McKnight, who has been advocating for inmates during the water crisis, said her husband, who is an inmate, read the statement and she transcribed it.

“Our water system recently experienced a loss of pressure, which could have resulted in contamination of the water supply,” the statement reads. “Because of the loss of pressure, it is unknown if contaminants could have infiltrated the distribution system.”

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The statement goes on to say water from the prison’s supply should be boiled before usage. 

“Inadequately treated water may contain disease-causing organisms, including bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea, and headaches,” the statement reads.

The DOC did not immediately respond to a request late Monday for comment on the boil order notification.

On Wednesday morning a portable shower unit was set up on the low security side at Montana State Prison. (DOC photo)

McKnight said her husband had severe stomach issues for six months after entering the prison. Even before the current water crisis, she was sending him extra money for bottled water, she said, and that’s been a consistent worry.

“It’s devastating to know that my husband and 1,600 other human beings along with the staff who work there are being forced to live in conditions we wouldn’t tolerate for animals,” McKnight, who shared the violations with the Daily Montanan, wrote in a message. “Clean water is a basic human right. The State has known about these water issues for years and has done nothing. This isn’t an accident, this is neglect.”

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The testing data goes back decades, and prison water has tested positive for coliform 37 times since 2001. Coliform bacteria aren’t necessarily harmful, though their presence in drinking water can indicate pathogens are in the water. 

Following a water sample, bacteria is grown in a petri dish overnight, said Ben Rigby, the executive director of Montana Rural Water Systems.

If it’s a “hit” or when a sample tests positive for a specific pathogen, they’ll take several more samples, Rigby said.

Rigby was previously the Water Treatment Superintendent city of Helena’s water system and said there’s always a possibility of false positives too. Reporting out any water issues is paramount to public trust, he said.

“That’s kind of rule number one, as an operator in a public water supply,” Rigby added.

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There are significant federal regulations around water quality, including the Revised Total Coliform Rule

“Total coliforms are a group of closely related bacteria that are natural and common inhabitants of soil and surface waters,” the rule states. “Their presence in drinking water suggests that there has been a breach or failure in the water system (for example, a hole in the pipe); and pathogens, which are disease-carrying organisms, may have entered the drinking water.”

It was unclear how high the levels were of coliform bacteria. Positive tests for coliform at the prison date back to 1981, state records show. A test on Sept. 23 of this year showed the presence of coliform in the drinking water.

In an email, the Daily Montanan asked the DOC to explain the severity of the test results and its response. A DOC spokesperson explained the process the DOC uses to meet standards but did not elaborate on the positive results for coliform.

The state samples water at the facility about three times per month, Stocker wrote in an email. Those samples are delivered to the DPHHS environmental division, which then reports the results to the Department of Environmental Quality.

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“If there are any concerns with the results, Corrections works with DEQ to identify and address any problems and to ensure water meets the requirements of the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and state laws,” Stocker wrote. “This could include, but is not limited to, mitigation strategies such as boil advisories. The DOC continues to work with DEQ until a negative test result is achieved and the water is confirmed free from the contaminant.  When public notice is required, MSP posts that information in all public areas at the facility for staff and in the communal areas in the prison units for inmate access.”  

Sewer and water issues aren’t new at the prison, and last year, Montana Public Radio reported a sewage backup lasted for days.

“As a wife, it breaks me to know that my husband — and every man inside those walls — has been drinking, showering, and living in contaminated water for years,” said Ariana Smith, whose husband is also in the facility, said in a statement last week.

The National Guard has delivered thousands of gallons of water to the prison from the city of Deer Lodge. The prison is also drawing from two on-site wells, Lee Newspapers reported on Monday.

A valve key is used to reach six feet down to turn on and repressurize the water system at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. (Provided by the Montana Department of Corrections)

But there’s been major issues with the city of Deer Lodge’s water system as well. One of the city’s three public wells shut down following a 2013 violation for arsenic contamination.

“The two remaining wells are also susceptible to arsenic contamination due to the proximity of the Clark Fork River,” a 2024 Department of Natural Resources and Conservation environmental assessment states. “Having only two remaining production wells poses a severe risk to the City’s ability to provide reliable water service due to lack of redundant water supply.”

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Deer Lodge — and the state prison — both lie within the Anaconda Company Smelter Superfund Site.

Milling and smelting operations produced high concentrations of arsenic, lead, copper, cadmium and zinc that contaminated soil and groundwater.

Last week, the Department of Corrections said it was going to take $21 million in appropriated money from 2025 budget legislation to “modernize” the prison’s water system following the break. This work is expected to take from 60 to 90 days, the DOC said in an Oct. 18 press release.

DOC officials said they have tried to find the source of the problem, calling in multiple water experts, the state’s National Guard and a Department of Natural Resources and Conservation command team. Last week, the DOC announced in a press release that water had been restored to the Secure Adjustment Unit and units 1 and 2 on the high-security side of the facility. 

Work to stabilize water access continued over the weekend, the agency said in an Oct. 18 press release. On Monday, 13 plumbers were expected to be on site, DOC Director Brian Gootkin said in a statement. A leak was found outside the A unit in the low security side of the prison, and the DOC said maintenance staff believe repairing that will help with water pressure in units A, B and C.

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Some work to excavate pipes at the prison has to be done by hand, according to the DOC.

“It seems like every time we fix one leak, another one pops up affecting the system in a different way,” Gootkin said in a press release. 

The Department of Corrections also said a Department of Public Health and Human Services sanitarian inspected the prison last week and provided technical assistance on the safety and adequacy of the facility’s temporary water system. 

“The temporary water system inspected today meets the highest standards to ensure the health and safety of MSP inmates and staff,” DPHHS sanitation Jenna Fisher stated in a DOC press release.

A DOC release said Fisher confirmed that the facility is supplying necessities — including portable restrooms, showers, and bottled water — in quantities they said exceed levels recommended by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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On Friday, the Department of Corrections announced potable water trucks supplied the prison’s food factory, allowing that facility’s cooking operations to resume.

Additionally, the DOC said Fisher observed that the prison’s kitchen is maintaining safe sanitation — water is being boiled, the release said — and laundry facilities remain fully operational. 

Construction planning is also progressing, with plans to replace the failing water system to begin this week, the agency said.



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