Montana

Morgan Richard 'Dick' Stotts, 81

Published

12 months ago

March 3, 2025

Morgan Richard “Dick” Stotts, 81, of Kalispell, passed away peacefully at Logan Health Medical Center on Dec. 28, 2024. After years of living with multiple myeloma, he finally decided to courageously take, “the fight to it,” and won and is now reunited with the love of his life, Lorraine.

Dick was the third child born to Morgan and Allene Stotts on Aug. 4, 1943, in Kalispell. He attended Elrod and Cornelius Hedges Elementary Schools, Central Junior High School and graduated from Flathead County High School with the Class of 1961. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Hawaii and Germany. He was trained as a court reporter which served him well later in life.

He attended the University of Montana for a short time before starting with the Kalispell Police Department in September of 1967. The summer before, when looking for an apartment, he talked to Moose Miller who remodeled space above his saloon (Moose’s) for Dick as he figured it was good to have a policeman close by.

Dick married Lorraine Faye “Tutu” Crick in 1968, and they had two boys, Bob and Craig. After Dick retired from the KPD, he started his own polygraph business that he continued to operate until around 2020. He loved his time as a Mason and Shriner where he rose through their ranks with his brothers, Jim and Mike, and with the guidance of their father Morgan.

Dick could never find something he wouldn’t try to tackle. Upon retiring in 1987, he continued as a polygraph examiner, a newspaper owner/partner and the founder of the state’s first home arrest business. All in addition to serving the National Guard as a warrant officer and being a husband and father. Dick recruited his son Bob to work beside him for about 30 years. He also watched proudly as his son, Craig rose in the ranks through his own law enforcement career and now, after his retirement, continues his service as a polygraph examiner.

Dick and Lorraine never stopped “doing” for loved ones. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for someone they cared about and/or even strangers in need. They loved camping with friends and family, attending sporting events, skiing, golfing and all Montana had to offer except when winter came and a quick trip to Hawaii rejuvenated them and offered more. They loved the many trips to Hawaii with friends and family over the years.

He loved golfing with his family and especially his grandchildren Brandon, Zachary, Brinlee, Ben and Shelby. He was the first to concede that their natural ability might have come from him?

Dick enjoyed golfing with his buddies and being instrumental in starting the “Sixty-One Open and Social” which brought together FCHS classmates and friends for a mini reunion every year.

Dick is survived by his sons, Bob and Kristi (Zachary and Ben) and Craig and Val (Brandon, Brinlee, and Shelby); numerous nieces and nephews; great nieces and nephews; brothers-in-law, Cliff Crick (Vicki), and Tom (Marlene); and sister-in-law, Adeline Stotts.

Dick always said that he would patiently wait his turn and was preceded in death by many friends and family: Lorraine “Tutu,” whom he couldn’t fathom a life without; brothers, Jim and Mike; sister, Marschell; and parents, Morgan and Allene. Our hearts are filled with a combination of sadness and joy as we remember them.

Graveside services will be held at the Conrad Memorial Cemetery on July 26, 2025, in time for one last reunion and golf outing with friends.

Please consider making a donation in Dick’s name to Shriners Children’s Spokane, 911 W. Fifth Ave., Spokane, WA, 99204, or go online to www.shinerschildrens.org.

Darlington Cremation and Burial Service of Kalispell is caring for the family.

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Montana

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

Published

2 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Evacuation orders issued as 5,000-acre wildfire burns near Roundup, Montana

ROUNDUP, Mont. —
The Rehder Creek Fire is burning 16 miles southeast of Roundup has grown to about 5,000 acres, prompting evacuation orders for residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision.

The fire started Feb. 26, the cause is unknown and containment was at 0%.

Evacuation orders are in effect for all residents in the Bruner Mountain Area/Subdivision. The Musselshell County Sheriff’s Office is coordinating the evacuation orders, and 911 reverse calls have been sent out to advise people in the area.

A shelter is opening at the Roundup Community Center. Residents were told to contact Musselshell County DES for further information.

Firefighter and public safety remain the top priority. The public is asked to avoid the Fattig Creek and Rehder Road area so emergency personnel can safely and effectively perform their work.

Fire resources assigned to the incident include 40 total personnel, 11 engines, one Type 2 helicopter, three tenders and two dozers.

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Montana

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

Published

14 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

February 26 recap: Missoula and Western Montana news you may have missed today

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Montana

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Escobar, Jayapal, Members of Congress Call on Camp East Montana to be Shut Down – Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) – joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal, the Ranking Member of the Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee, and 22 other Members of Congress – sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons calling for the immediate closure of Camp East Montana in El Paso. They cite urgent humanitarian concerns following multiple deaths in custody, documented unsafe conditions, and serious deficiencies in medical care.

This marks the fourth letter Congresswoman Escobar has sent to DHS and ICE leadership. The previous three letters have gone unanswered.

The letter can be found in its entirety below and here.

“Secretary Noem and Acting Director Lyons:

We are urgently calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS or the Department) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to shut down Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas.

Camp East Montana has been operational for six months, and at least three people have died at the site since December 2025: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Diaz. The El Paso County Medical Examiner has officially ruled Lunas Campos’ death a homicide, citing “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression.”

Camp East Montana was constructed in a matter of weeks and opened before construction was complete and it does not have enough federal staff on-site to provide adequate oversight. Over the last several months, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, in whose district this facility is located, has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE regarding concerns about the conditions at Camp East Montana, and has received no responses.

According to detainees, there have been constant and consistent problems at the facility since it opened, beginning with the facility’s poor construction and poor ambient temperature control. Upon opening, the drinking water at Camp East Montana tasted foul and made some detainees sick. Detainees continue to be served inadequate meals, including food that is rotten or frozen; last fall, the facility was also consistently failing to make dietary accommodations for detainees. Detainees have shared that they have sporadic access to outside spaces and recreational areas, and that their dormitory pods are cleaned only once every eight days, despite pods housing up to 72 people at a time. Laundry services are not consistent, and people are washing their clothes in the facility showers. Additionally, the facility experiences flooding and sewage backups when it rains, leading to stagnant water.

One of the biggest concerns with the Camp East Montana facility is the inadequate medical care being provided to detainees. Our offices have heard that only the most ill detainees are referred to the medical unit and that there are inconsistencies as to how soon after arriving detainees are able to undergo initial medical screenings. Detainees with chronic health issues who rely on regimented medications for their health have had difficulty accessing necessary medications, including blood pressure medication and insulin.

At least one of the deaths that occurred in ICE custody, the death of Francisco Gaspar-Andres, appears to partially be the result of poor medical care by staff at the facility. According to ICE’s own account, Gaspar-Andres sought medical attention from facility staff for increasingly serious symptoms, but was only transferred to an area hospital once his condition had severely deteriorated.

In addition to our concerns about poor medical care, we are also aware that detainees have experienced irregular access to their legal counsel, including instances of detainees having only two minutes allotted per phone call every 8 days, which is contrary to ICE’s Detention Standards on access to counsel, and that the belatedly created law library lacks adequate resources for the amount of people currently held at the facility. In January 2026, ICE announced the on-site death of Geraldo Lunas Campos “after experiencing medical distress.” ICE opened an investigation into the death, but did not provide a cause of death. However, The Washington Post later reported that another man detained at Camp East Montana had witnessed guards choking Lunas Campos when he refused to enter a segregated housing unit. Weeks later, the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled that Lunas Campos had experienced “asphyxia due to neck and torso compression” and ruled his death a homicide.

Lunas Campos is the first detainee to die at Camp East Montana as a result of a use-of-force incident, but we are strongly concerned that he will not be the last if ICE is allowed to continue operating Camp East Montana.

ICE was given $45 billion in taxpayer dollars in the reconciliation bill, $1.2 billion of which were awarded to Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company with no previous experience managing immigration detention facilities, to build and oversee Camp East Montana. However, in the wake of three deaths in custody so far, continued concerns about conditions at the facility, and ICE’s apparent disinterest in responding to oversight letters from Congress, we do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly.

Camp East Montana must be shut down. For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate. We are calling on DHS and ICE to move to immediately close operations at Camp East Montana.

We look forward to hearing from the Department promptly on this matter.

The other co-signers include Representatives Yassamin Ansari, Nanette Barragán, Yvette Clarke, Lloyd Doggett, Maxwell Frost, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Jimmy Gomez, Henry Johnson, Stephen Lynch, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Delia Ramirez, Andrea Salinas, Janice Schakowsky, Darren Soto, Rashida Tlaib, Paul Tonko, Lauren Underwood, Gabe Vasquez, and Nydia Velázquez.

Issues: Immigration

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