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Category: City Desk
Butte • Community • Behavioral Health

Butte to Launch Angel Initiative Connecting People Struggling With Addiction to Treatment

The voluntary program is designed to connect people struggling with substance use with treatment and recovery resources through partnerships involving law enforcement, treatment providers and community organizations.

By ButteNews.net Staff
September 29, 2026   |   Butte, Montana

BUTTE, Mont. — Butte is preparing to launch the Montana Angel Initiative on Wednesday, September 30, expanding a program designed to connect people struggling with substance use disorder with treatment and recovery resources.

The September 30 launch was identified during the September 16 meeting of the Butte-Silver Bow Local Behavioral Health Advisory Council as part of the community's ongoing behavioral health efforts.

A Different Path to Treatment

The Montana Angel Initiative takes a different approach to helping people struggling with addiction. The voluntary, non-punitive program works through partnerships between law enforcement, treatment providers and community organizations to help connect individuals with treatment professionals, support services and recovery resources.

Under the statewide program, individuals struggling with substance use can approach a participating law enforcement agency and ask for assistance getting connected with treatment.

The goal is to create another path into treatment before substance use results in an overdose, arrest or other crisis.

Butte's Connection to the Statewide Program

Butte-Silver Bow has been connected to the statewide effort for several years. In 2022, state officials identified Silver Bow County among more than 20 Montana sheriff's offices that had committed to participating in the initiative.

The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services describes the Angel Initiative as a partnership involving treatment providers, law enforcement agencies and the state, with the goal of reducing barriers between people seeking help and the services available to them.

Expanding Recovery Resources in Butte

The local launch comes as substance use and overdose prevention continue to be important behavioral health issues in the Butte community.

Butte-Silver Bow has expanded overdose prevention and behavioral health efforts in recent years, including community education, naloxone availability and partnerships intended to connect residents with treatment and recovery resources.

The Angel Initiative adds another potential entry point for someone who has decided they are ready to seek help.

Launch Set for September 30

The Butte-Silver Bow Local Behavioral Health Advisory Council's September 16 agenda listed September 30 as the launch date for the Angel Initiative.

Additional local details, including specific instructions for accessing the program in Butte, are expected as the initiative launches.

Reporting: Information for this story is based on the Butte-Silver Bow Local Behavioral Health Advisory Council's September 16, 2026 meeting materials and information published by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services regarding the Montana Angel Initiative.

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Category: City Desk
Butte Business & Community

New Homemade Ice Cream and Pizza Shop Opens in Uptown Butte

Black Dog Creamery has expanded into its own Uptown location, bringing scratch-made ice cream, homemade pizza and a rock-and-roll theme to East Galena Street.

BUTTE NEWS STAFF   |   Butte, Montana

BUTTE, Mont. — A local ice cream business that got its start in a Butte basement has taken another step forward, opening its own storefront in Uptown Butte with a menu that now includes both homemade ice cream and pizza.

Black Dog Creamery is now operating at 39 E. Galena St., where customers can find more than a dozen ice cream flavors along with freshly made pizzas.

The move gives the growing local business more room to produce its ice cream, experiment with new creations and serve customers from a dedicated kitchen.

From a Butte Basement to an Uptown Storefront

Black Dog Creamery's story began in 2023, when the business started making ice cream from a residential basement in Butte. From there, the creamery became a familiar sight at local farmers markets and community events.

The business later established a presence inside Cleveland Market on Galena Street. As demand grew, however, so did the need for additional room.

The new location across the street gives Black Dog Creamery its own kitchen and significantly more freedom to make ice cream, bake and develop new menu items throughout the day.

Ice Cream With a Rock-and-Roll Twist

Black Dog Creamery has built much of its personality around classic rock, including the names of its ice cream flavors.

Customers will find creations such as Dough in the Wind, Baba O'reo, Paint It Black Licorice and Wanted: Bread or Alive, a hot-honey cornbread ice cream.

The theme combines owner Braydon Heier's love of music with a playful nod to Butte's own connection to rocks, minerals and mining.

The shop's classic-rock personality carries throughout the menu, giving the new Uptown location a style that is distinctly its own.

The homemade approach goes beyond simply producing the ice cream itself. Many of the ingredients mixed into the flavors — including cookie dough, brownies and cheesecake — are also made in-house.

Pizza Joins the Menu

The expanded kitchen has also allowed Black Dog Creamery to move beyond dessert.

The shop is serving homemade pizza, including familiar cheese and pepperoni options, while also planning a rotating chef's-choice pizza each week.

The combination gives the business something warm to serve during Butte's colder months while turning the creamery into a lunch or dinner stop rather than a destination exclusively for dessert.

A lunch special also combines two sides of the business: a slice of pizza, a scoop of ice cream and a soda for $10.

Another Local Business Grows in Uptown Butte

The opening adds another locally grown business to the Uptown district while marking a significant expansion for a company that started small just a few years ago.

With its own space, Black Dog Creamery also plans to have greater flexibility for special events, promotions and other activities that were more difficult to organize while operating from a shared location.

Black Dog Creamery
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Location: 39 E. Galena St., Butte
Hours: Monday-Saturday, noon-7 p.m.
Closed: Sunday
Menu: Homemade ice cream, waffle cones and pizza
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ButteNews.net covers local news, businesses, events and community stories from Butte and Southwest Montana.

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Category: City Desk

Butte-Silver Bow   |   Government

Butte Data Center Ballot Measure Rejected, Organizers File Appeal

By ButteNews.net Staff
  |   Butte, Montana

BUTTE, Mont. — Organizers seeking a public vote on data center development in Butte-Silver Bow are appealing after a district judge refused to order their initiative onto the November ballot.

John Meyer, the attorney representing 406 People First and its founder, Denise Kelly, told Montana Free Press that they had appealed. The outlet reported the development Sept. 1.

The decision follows a petition drive that became a court dispute over conflicting deadlines. According to Judge Frank Joseph's Aug. 28 order, the county's May approval letter told organizers they needed 3,652 signatures by Aug. 14. On Aug. 10, Election Administrator Cynthia Sherman notified them that state law required submission by July 13.

Joseph found that organizers had obtained enough signatures before Aug. 14, but the record did not establish whether they had reached the requirement by July 13. Kelly and 406 People First filed suit Aug. 12, seeking to have the initiative certified for the Nov. 3 election.

The judge acknowledged the incorrect guidance but concluded that organizers remained responsible for checking the statutory deadline. He rejected their constitutional and due-process arguments, along with their argument that the county should be prevented from enforcing the earlier deadline because of its own mistake.

The order also noted that both sides had access to attorneys and the means to determine the deadline. Joseph denied the requested relief after an Aug. 19 hearing and additional written arguments.

As ButteNews previously reported, the proposed initiative would require a special election and approval from two-thirds of registered voters before Butte-Silver Bow could authorize data center construction or expansion. The petition followed local debate about the demands such developments could place on electricity and water supplies.

Kelly expressed frustration with the decision in comments to Montana Free Press, questioning why residents could not rely on information from their election officials. The outlet reported that the city-county government took no position in the lawsuit and asked the court to determine how the election administrator should proceed.

The appeal continues the effort to secure a November vote. The district court's order concerns whether the initiative qualifies for the ballot; it does not approve a data center project.

Reporting based on the Aug. 28 district court order, Montana Free Press's Sept. 1 coverage and previous ButteNews reporting, linked above.

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Category: City Desk

Butte Community Collects Nearly 7.5 Tons of Supplies for Spokane Wildfire Victims

BUTTE, Mont. — What began as one Butte family's effort to help wildfire victims in Washington quickly grew into a community-wide relief drive, collecting nearly 7.5 tons of supplies for people affected by devastating fires in the Spokane area.

Crystal Mjelde and her family organized the "Butte Supports Spokane" donation effort in early August after seeing the destruction caused by wildfires in eastern Washington. The response from Butte residents and businesses quickly exceeded expectations.

Over the course of roughly two weeks, the effort collected nearly 15,000 pounds of donated goods, including clothing, bottled water, food, diapers, hygiene products, cleaning supplies and other necessities for families recovering from the fires.

Dozens of Butte businesses helped by providing locations where residents could drop off donations, allowing the effort to expand throughout the community.

Nearly 15,000 pounds of supplies were collected in about two weeks as Butte residents and businesses rallied behind the relief effort.

The wildfire devastation also has a personal connection for the Mjelde family. Crystal's husband, Chris, works for the Butte-Silver Bow Fire Department, giving the family a close understanding of the dangers firefighters face and the enormous impact a major fire can have on a community.

The amount donated eventually became greater than what organizers could transport to Spokane in the available trailer. Instead of allowing the remaining supplies to go unused, the family found ways to put those donations to work closer to home.

Animal-related supplies were designated to assist an animal shelter in Dillon, while additional clothing collected through the drive was expected to support the annual clothing program operated by Butte Cares.

The Spokane region has faced significant damage from wildfires, with residents losing homes and communities beginning what could be a lengthy recovery process. Relief organizations and government agencies have continued seeking essential supplies and financial assistance for those affected.

For Butte, the donation drive became another example of residents stepping forward to help people facing difficult circumstances — even when those people live hundreds of miles away.

What started with one family's desire to lend a hand ultimately became a much larger Butte effort, sending thousands of pounds of necessities west to families working to rebuild their lives after the fires.

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