Montana News Roundup: Thousands Take Part in “No Kings” Rallies

"No Kings!"

That was the chant heard across Montana Saturday, as thousands of people took to the street in protest of the policies of the Trump Administration, and while the message focused on issues like democracy, Constitutional rights and immigration information, many of the signs and speakers drifted off into other long-time liberal topics like climate change and gender quality.

     Organizers of the largest rally in Missoula are claiming that 6,000 people took part.

But even in other, less liberal Montana cities and towns, the turnout ranged from a few thousand to several hundred.

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Plan brings compromise to Flathead Lake levels

Tribally owned Energy Keepers, Inc. says the federal government is approving a plan that will allow for reduced stream flows in the Lower Flathead River, thereby allowing more water to remain in Flathead Lake.

EKI has been sounding the alarm for the past few weeks, saying runoff in the Flathead Basin was going to allow the lake to come up to full pool this summer behind the Seli’š Ksanka Qlispe’ Dam.

But Friday, word came that the Department of the Interior is giving the go-ahead to drop stream flows in the lower river below the licensed minimum flows, from 12,700 cubic feet per second to 7,000 cfs.

EKI and the tribe say that it will impact the downstream fishery and power generation through the rest of this month, but that will be offset by releasing water in July and August.

     🚤 But that will allow considerably more days of lake access for users.

The elderly die in multiple accidents

Montana Highway Patrol is identifying the driver killed in a crash near Miles City late last week as a 71-year-old Billings man. Troopers say the driver was killed when he crossed over the centerline on Highway 12 and struck an oncoming Chevy SUV head-on. A woman in the first car was injured, as well as two Baker residents in the SUV. Speed and alcohol are list as factors in the crash.

      -Also, an 82-year-old Billings woman was killed when she ran a stop sign on 62nd Street West and was hit by an oncoming semi. She died later at the hospital.

Some good Montana fire news

     -Fire crews were able to get complete containment on the Hilger Valley Fire burning north of Helena over the weekend, limiting the blaze to a modest 300 acres.

A new blaze, the Jericho Mountain fire, has taken off at the north end of the Boulder Mountains west of Helena, burning 30 acres. DNRC was also reporting other fire starts in far Eastern Montana, but all were under 50 acres as of last night.

Bad weekend for thunderstorms

It's been a rough few days for residents of Central and Eastern Montana, with severe thunderstorms blasting through with heavy rain and winds reported in some areas up to 70 miles per hour.

     ⛈️ -The severe thunderstorm stretched from Lewistown east to the border, and today that threat will move slightly south, from Bozeman all the way east to Baker and Glendive.

Daines expects budget approval soon

Senator Steve Daines is expressing confidence that President Trump's so-called "big, beautiful bill", a spending plan generating a lot of political debate, will be wrapped up by the 4th of July.

The plan, which cleared the House, has been getting some pushback from Democrats, as well as some conservative Senators, for the way the tax increase will add trillions to the budget deficit and impact programs like Medicaid.

     -Daines is confident adjustments will win support.

Montana Monday Math

The Flathead Lake Biological Station says Flathead Lake contains an estimated 5.56 CUBIC MILES of water. It's the largest freshwater lake in the West, outside of Alaska. But Lake Tahoe has more water because it's considerably deeper.