Edwin Alexander Mendez made not guilty pleas to the charges of criminal endangerment and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs first offense during a hearing in district court on Wednesday, July 13. A trial has been scheduled for Oct. 13. According to court documents, Mendez was traveling north on Montana Highway 25 in a 2011 Ford F250 pickup truck on May 19. For an unknown reason,

A state education committee tasked with advising the Montana Board of Education on changes to school quality regulations deadlocked Friday, July 15, as it debated whether to support abandoning a requirement that Montana schools employ at least one school counselor for every 400 students. Superintendent of Public Instruction Elise Arntzen and some rural school administrators have argued that

Joint Operation Mariposa will be sponsoring a multistate Veteran Suicide awareness event starting Sept. 1. Artwork created by National Archives Artists David Williams and Hailee Steinebach will be escorted from Neah Bay, Wash., to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The names of Veterans lost to suicide (followed by a Green Star), Veterans and Family members will be signed on the back of

The Wolf Point City Council held their regular meeting July 18. Bill Juve spoke during the public comment period. He kept his remarks to the proposed name change for Custer Street in Wolf Point and said the change would have a “devastating effect” on property owners, necessitating changes to addresses, maps, records, etc. The streets and alleys committee met previously on the matter

When the state of Montana launched a new campaign July 16 to promote the new 988 suicide prevention call line, it used posters designed by Montana State University students as part of a yearlong project. Representatives from office of Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte chose the 11 designs from 90 student designs produced by MSU students to illustrate suicide awareness and prevention. Five of the student

Six Montanans have died following a crash involving 10 vehicles in Hardin on Friday, July 15. According to a news release sent out by the Montana Attorney General’s office on Monday, the investigation into the pile-up will continue “for days to come,” but so far, it “continues to support that a sudden dust storm caused the incident.” Of the six fatalities, three were minors, with

The Montana Farm Bureau Federation has created a new video series titled Legacies that will highlight the history, stories and members of Montana Farm Bureau. Legacies was released to the public Friday, July 15. “The accounts of the farmers and ranchers who organized, built and prospered the Montana Farm Bureau Federation embody the history of rural Montana and the agricultural industry

Mark your calendars for July 28–30, when the first ever James Welch Native American Lit Festival will debut in Missoula. Humanities Montana is a proud funder of this event, the only festival devoted solely to celebrating contemporary Native American literature in the country. The festival will be free to the public and will feature panels and discussions featuring Louise Erdrich, Tommy Orange,

Northeast Montana Health Services is offering an EMT course starting Sept. 5. Classes will run through Dec. 10. Course times are 5-9 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every other Saturday. The course is free and that includes materials, clinical hours and testing. Application deadline is Aug. 22. Applications are available at Trinity Hospital, Poplar Hospital or