Montana

Montana Bar Fairies seek to stem drunk driving by rewarding those who get a sober ride

Published

2 years ago

February 11, 2024

Montana Bar Fairies seek to stem drunk driving by rewarding those who get a sober ride

The mother-daughter team of Carli Dewbre and Beth McBride spend their weekends prowling the streets of Flathead Valley long before the sun comes up.

Last weekend was no different. Shortly before 6 a.m. on Feb. 4 snow fell on Whitefish’s quieted streets, which the day before were home to the revelry, excitement and chaos of Winter Carnival. The bars and restaurants lining Central Avenue, which served last call just hours prior, sat silent.

Though the formerly packed streets were largely empty, a few cars remained. That is why Dewbre and McBride were there, working as the Montana Bar Fairies, a local grassroots organization raising awareness about drunk driving in the Flathead Valley and incentivizing drivers to find a safe ride home — one $5 coffee card at a time.

“It’s a way to honor the memories of the people we have lost, but ultimately our goal is to reduce fatalities due to drunk drivers in our area, and hopefully, eventually, in the state of Montana,” Dewbre said.

In March 2023, Bobby Dewbre, Carli Dewbre’s brother and the son of Beth McBride, was celebrating his 21st birthday at the Blue Moon near the intersection of U.S. 2 and Montana 40. While crossing the street to get to his sober ride home, Bobby was struck and killed by a drunk driver.

The motorist, John Lee Wilson, was convicted in Flathead County Justice Court on counts of operating a vehicle without liability insurance in effect, careless driving involving death or serious bodily injury and aggravated driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs last year. He was sentenced to 18 months in the county jail in November.

The state of Montana is above the national average for alcohol impaired driving deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Around 66% of all fatalities on the road in Montana were the result of impaired driving in 2020, marking one of the highest drunk driving fatality rates in the nation.

Montana also boasts some of the most relaxed drunk driving laws in the country. In a way, Carli Dewbre and McBride said, the Montana Bar Fairies exists to reward positive choices while also encouraging and educating the community about the harms of drunk driving.

“The current consequences [for drunk driving] are not a deterrent for people,” McBride said.

The Montana Bar Fairies launched on New Year’s Day. Dreamt up by Carli Dewbre, the organization places $5 coffee cards on cars left overnight at popular bars across the valley. Each card includes a picture of a drunk driving victim, including Bobby Dewbre, a note and a $5 coffee card to various locations across the area.

“I thought of the idea when I was in peak grief,” Dewbre said. “I was driving past the Scoreboard early in the morning and saw cars that were left behind. I wished there was some way I could thank them for not driving home.”

Beth McBride, with the Montana Bar Fairies, places a coffee card, thanking people for not drinking and driving, onto a car in Whitefish that was possibly left overnight. McBride’s son, Bobby Dewbre, was struck and killed by a drunk driver last year. (Kate Heston/Daily Inter Lake)

There are currently two victims on the cards, but McBride and Dewbre encourage anyone who wants to get involved to reach out. Alongside Bobby, the other coffee card showcases a photo of Brooke Hanson, a 15-year-old Columbia Falls resident who was struck and killed by a drunk driver on her way to go fishing with friends in May 2021.

They can’t know for sure what cars were left behind because a drunk individual opted against getting behind the wheel. However, the cards do more than reward behavior — they help open up a conversation that, according to McBride and Dewbre, needs to be had.

Sheriff Brian Heino told the Inter Lake last summer that he has observed an increase in drunk driving arrests over his more than 20-year career. Flathead County has one of the highest DUI fatality rates in the state, according to statistics compiled by the Montana Department of Transportation.

From 2011 to 2020, the county saw the highest percentage of impaired drivers involved in crashes in the state. Around 12.5% of all crashes involve impaired drivers in Flathead County. Gallatin County boasts the second highest rate; 9.7% of all crashes there involved an impaired motorist.

For fatal and serious injury crashes, 9.2% involved drunk drivers in Flathead County, followed by 6.2% in Yellowstone County.

The Montana Bar Fairies, through social media and the group’s website, track various statistics in Flathead County to make them easily available for residents. As the organization grows, Dewbre said, they hope to morph into an educational and informational service as much as an outreach one.

“It’s also really, really important to us that this is not about judgment,” McBride said. “The point of this is to change the culture, it’s changing the conversation.”

Hopefully, McBride said, it incentivizes people to think twice before drunk driving in the future.

Between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4, there were 14 impaired driving arrests in Flathead County, the Montana Bar Fairies posted on their social media accounts. Three of those were aggravated, meaning that the drivers sported a blood alcohol content above 0.16. Five of the arrests were made on Feb. 4, a Sunday, alone.

There are 80 estimated trips taken by a drunk driver for every one DUI, Dennis Maughan, the Pacific Northwest regional executive director of Moms Against Drunk Driving, a national advocacy group, told the Inter Lake in July. Nationwide, there has been a double-digit increase in DUI arrests since 2019, he said.

For Dewbre and McBride, acknowledging and talking about those statistics is essential to mitigating the problem.

Losing someone you love at the hands of somebody else is another sort of grief, McBride said, and launching the Montana Bar Fairies was a way to turn that grief into action.

McBride anticipates working with local lawmakers during the 2025 legislative session to strengthen laws regarding impaired driving in the state in Bobby’s memory. This is only the beginning, both Dewbre and McBride said.

“This will make people think twice. This will help save lives,” McBride said.

To learn more or get involved, visit the Montana Bar Fairies at https://www.montanabarfairies.org/.

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.

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Montana

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

Published

5 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area

A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.

Today’s Forecast:

Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12

It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.

The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.

MTN News

Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.

Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.

Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.

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Montana

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Published

17 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

Atmospheric river drives flooding in northwest Montana

Warm temperatures and an “atmospheric river” of precipitation that flowed into northwestern Montana this week have generated a state of emergency in Montana’s northwesternmost county, Lincoln, as local waterways run unseasonably high.

Around 12 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service started issuing flooding watches as area snowpack sites reported 24-hour precipitation totals that were approaching record levels. NWS meteorologist Dan Borsum told Montana Free Press Thursday that the “rain-on-snow” nature of the recent precipitation has led to widespread flooding.

Borsum called the weather pattern “unusual” for mid-December, instead likening it to a warm April.

Zach Sherbo, the public health manager for the Lincoln County Health Department, said in a Thursday afternoon phone call that additional precipitation is expected through Thursday evening, so rivers could continue rising into Friday.

The Lincoln County communities of Libby and Troy have been hit the hardest by the deluge, which prompted emergency services personnel to issue a state of emergency Thursday afternoon. Residents are cautioned against unnecessary travel and those served by the Libby city water supply are under a boil-water order as a precaution in the event of water supply contamination. School has also been canceled for students in Libby and Troy, Sherbo said.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department has identified a handful of bridges that have been compromised or are washed out as a result of flooding. It suggests residents looking for information on road closures and bridge conditions review an interactive map that is available online and linked in a press release posted to the Lincoln County Health Department’s Facebook page.

“It’s going to take a long time to recoup from this, just structurally, just with the bridges we’ve lost already and the condition that they’re in and going toward,” Sherbo said. “It’s a pretty big combined local effort right now.”

Justun Juelfs, the Kalispell-area maintenance chief with the Montana Department of Transportation said three stretches of state-managed roadways were closed or under monitoring status as of 4 p.m. Thursday.

An approximately 80-foot section of the Farm to Market Road south of Libby has washed out as Libby Creek carved a new channel. MDT is also monitoring erosion that is occurring along a U.S. Highway 2 bridge southeast of Libby and along a section of Highway 56 near Bull Lake. Juelfs encouraged motorists to review MDT’s road conditions report for up-to-date information on impacts to state highways.

The Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with sandbag-filling and distributing efforts and the Red Cross has set up a shelter for those in need at the Assembly of God Church in Libby, according to Sherbo.

The Montana Disaster and Emergency Services agency is also lending a hand with the flood response. In an email to MTFP, Anette Ordahl with DES wrote that a district field officer and a recovery coordinator are on the ground in Libby to offer assistance.

In a Thursday afternoon press release, Gov. Greg Gianforte noted that Sanders and Flathead counties have also recognized the flooding by issuing emergency or disaster declarations. Up to four inches of additional rainfall are expected across western and south-central Montana, according to a disaster declaration Gianforte’s office included in a 3 p.m. press release.

The National Weather Service reported Thursday morning that the Bear Mountain snowpack monitoring site, located just across the border in Idaho, received 6.5 inches of precipitation as of this morning, making it the third-wettest 24-hour period for the site in its 44-year monitoring history. The six-day precipitation total for Dec. 6-11 is 13 inches.

Borsum, with the National Weather Service, said the recent, unseasonable warm spell in western Montana combined with the “super strong” atmospheric river to melt early season snowpack and drive flooding. A similar rain-on-snow event in early June of 2022 led to widespread flooding in parts of south-central Montana that required extensive repairs to roadways and bridges.

Thursday, the Yaak River near Troy surpassed its official flood stage, running at more than 7,500 cubic feet per second. Its usual volume for this time of the year is about 200 cfs.

The Fisher River near Libby was also nearing flood stage. As of Thursday afternoon, it was running at nearly 4,000 cfs, more than 20 times its usual volume for mid-December.

Zeke Lloyd and Jacob Olness contributed to this reporting.

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Montana

Nestled Next To Glacier National Park Is Montana’s Charming Town With Casinos And Ethereal Mountain Views – Islands

Published

1 day ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Nestled Next To Glacier National Park Is Montana’s Charming Town With Casinos And Ethereal Mountain Views – Islands

Roel Portraits/Shutterstock

Montana’s Glacier National Park is full of beautiful destinations, from stunning waterfalls to a hidden mountain passage with breathtaking alpine views. But when you visit this legendary national park, don’t miss the hidden gems right outside the park’s limits — like the charming small town of Browning, located on the Blackfoot Reservation, which boasts magnificent mountain views as well as a casino to try your luck at. This delightful town also has a wealth of outdoor activities and cultural sites on offer — and that’s not to mention its prime location just 15 minutes away from the eastern edge of Glacier National Park.

To get to Browning, you’ll likely want to fly to Glacier Park International Airport in Kalispell, about 91 miles away, then rent a car and enjoy a beautiful drive the rest of the journey. Alternatively, you can grab a taxi from the airport to the nearby Whitefish Amtrak Station, before embarking on a 2.5-hour Amtrak train ride that will take you to Browning. Either way, one thing is for certain: you’ll be treated to unbeatable scenery out the window along the way.

Visiting the Glacier Peaks Casino in Browning, Montana

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Who needs the overpriced games and bad vibes at Las Vegas’ Bighorn Casino when you’ve got Browning’s Glacier Peaks Casino as an option? If you’re over 18 and in the mood to take a gamble, you won’t want to miss out on visiting this entertainment hotspot. Open all hours of the day and night, this casino wonderland contains over 500 slot machines as well as table games, a bar, and a restaurant. Keep an eye on their website to see what special events are in the pipeline, from poker tournaments to the weekly “Jersey Monday” deal, where visitors wearing football jerseys get $10 of free play.

Adjacent to the casino is the Glacier Peaks Hotel, which boasts a business center, gym, indoor heated swimming pool, and other amenities, making it a modern and comfortable accommodation whether you’re in town for fun or for work. If you’re staying in the hotel — or if you simply want a break from the casino floor — the aptly-named Jackpot Restaurant onsite serves up classic American cuisine all day. Fuel yourself for more fun and games with everything from delectable biscuits and eggs to nachos to smash burgers and pizza.

Outdoor activities in Browning, Montana

Wild Goose Island at sunrise in Glacier National Park

Weidman Photography/Shutterstock

A trip to this scenic locale wouldn’t be complete without making the most of the incredible natural views on offer. One particularly worthwhile lookout point from which to enjoy panoramic views of the area is Wild Goose Island Lookout. Park at the pullout and walk to the nearby overlook to get a view of Wild Goose Island. This tiny isle rises just 14 feet above St Mary Lake in a perfect postcard-worthy image, and is dwarfed by towering mountains.

Visitors eager to earn a mountain view with some movement can opt for one of the many trails in and around Browning. For a short (and handicap-accessible) walk, try Running Eagle Falls. While this out-and-back route clocks in at just 0.7 miles in total, it punches above its weight when it comes to payoff with a stunning waterfall. Experienced hikers in search of a challenge can consider tackling Triple Divide Pass, a difficult 14-mile hike that will take you through the less-heavily-trafficked Cutbank portion of Glacier National Park. After steep mountain uphills, you’ll find yourself overlooking Medicine Grizzly Lake. Note that if you choose to embark on this route, you’ll want to download offline maps, as cell signal in the park is extremely limited.

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