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Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge. (Provided by the Montana Department of Corrections.)
Following a meeting between Gov. Greg Gianforte, lawmakers and the state department of corrections leaders, an entire unit at the Montana State Prison remains closed with no immediate reopening plans.
“The department does not have any immediate plans to reopen the F Unit at MSP. However, the DOC is continuously evaluating the most effective and efficient ways to use available space and resources,” Montana Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Bright said in an email.
Last Tuesday, Department of Corrections Director Brian Gootkin met with Gov. Greg Gianforte, Law and Justice Interim Committee chair Sen. Jon Esp, R-Big Timber, and Rep. Donavon Hawk, D-Butte, to discuss chronic staffing issues at the state prison.
“All we did was talk about retention and recruitment … it was a pretty simple meeting, not a lot came out of it other than the commitment to improve retention and look at new ways to recruit,” Esp told the Daily Montana.
“The Montana Department of Corrections and the Governor’s Office engaged in a productive conversation with legislators last week and we look forward to continuing the discourse in the future,” Bright said in an email. The governor’s office did not respond to multiple emails asking about the meeting.
The state prison, outside of Deer Lodge, is a 1,600-person men’s prison. And citing staffing shortages the state shut down the F Unit of the state prison in early May for the first time in 30 years. Bright said about 20 percent of 328 correctional officer staff positions at MSP are unfilled at any given time.
“The DOC cares about the well-being of its staff and has been seeking innovative ways to alleviate the strain on MSP employees. The closure of F-Unit was a new concept that made sense for the facility at this time,” Bright told the Daily Montanan in May.
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For details, call George Everett at 565-2249
Dead trees have been extracted and holes have been prepped and, so far, 50 trees have been planted on Uptown entryway streets.
Thanks to the efforts of the local contractor and partner Alpine Tree Services, the remaining holes are now ready for new trees and the plan is to plant 36 more on June 1.
“So far, we have identified about 100 locations where new and replacement trees can be planted this spring and 50 new trees are in the ground. The project has an ambitious goal to see as many as 1,000 trees planted in Butte over the next five years,” said Executive Director George Everett.
The project includes a parallel effort by the county to replace trees and shrubs on Harrison Avenue over the next two years led by the County Arborist.
Mainstreet is asking for help from volunteers that will be much needed and are very welcome to help plant trees on Wednesday, June 1 starting at 9 am as part of this community project. Interested volunteers should show up at 9 am or throughout the day for assignments at the Front Street Station at 800 E. Front Street. Lunch will be served to all volunteers. Bags and gloves and a few shovels will be on hand but if you have gloves please bring them along.
The project has been made possible by major support from Northwestern Energy, Town Pump Foundation, Tom and Janel Madrazo, and Mainstreet Uptown Butte’s members.
Tax-deductible contributions are welcome to help pay for the trees and related expenses to plant the remaining trees and care for them throughout the summer. Anyone wishing to support the effort to purchase, plant, and maintain trees this year can send contributions to Mainstreet Uptown Butte, 2022 Uptown Street Tree Project, P.O. Box 696, Butte, MT 59703.
Mainstreet has decided to dedicate this project in gratitude to the Madrazo family which has been critical in helping to plant more than 1,000 trees in Butte since 2002 along Butte’s gateway streets especially Front, Montana, Utah, Main, and Iron Streets.
Mainstreet Uptown Butte is a non-profit organization working to rejuvenate Uptown Butte for all who live, work and play in Butte’s Historic Uptown. For details about other upcoming events and projects of Mainstreet Uptown Butte, visit their website at http://www.mainstreetbutte.org or call 497-6464.
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Big Sky Connection Memorial Day weekend is the start of summer travel, but high gas prices and inflation are hitting people's pocketbooks. Comments from Aldo (ALL-doh) Vazquez, spokesperson, AAA Montana, who says those factors aren't affecting people's desire to travel much.
Click on the image above for the audio. Gas prices are higher on average in western Montana than they are in eastern Montana. (Vinícius Bacarin/Adobe Stock)
Eric Tegethoff
The cost of heading out of town this Memorial Day weekend will be higher than past years, with higher gas prices and inflation hitting travelers. However, many Montanans still will be getting out of town.
The average price of gas per gallon in Montana is $4.38, slightly below the national average of $4.60 but still a record high for the state.
Aldo Vazquez, spokesperson for AAA Montana, said people want to get away from home this weekend.
"It really isn't impacting their desire to travel much," Vazquez reported. "We are seeing an increase in travel across the board - 39 million people are going to be traveling across the country for the Memorial Day holiday. That's three million more folks than traveled last year."
Although numbers are up from last year, Vazquez noted they are not to the levels from just before the pandemic, and are more in line with 2017 numbers.
Vazquez pointed out there are some ways to save money, such as making sure your tires are fully inflated, and dodging stop-and-go traffic, which burns gas faster.
"If you can avoid those hours between 1 to about 8 p.m. and leave maybe earlier in the morning or later on at night," Vazquez advised. "Not only are you going to save a little bit more on gasoline, but you can also save a lot of that headache and stress about being stuck in traffic and get to your destination smoother."
For people traveling by air, Vazquez suggested passengers arrive at the airport early. He noted staff shortages have led to more flight cancellations than usual, a pattern ongoing since last year.
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Click on the image above for the audio.
PNS - Friday, May 27, 2022 - High gas prices are not slowing down Memorial Day travel, early voting starts tomorrow in Nevada, and Oregon activists seek accountability for dioxin contamination in low-income Eugene.
