News

A new vintage

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There’s a new place to eat and drink in Lewistown. Vino and Brews, a beer and wine bar, opened its doors to the public for the first time Wednesday.

“It went pretty smooth,” said owner Mike Lamphier. “There were a few minor hiccups we’re working out, but we’re excited. I’m not a chef, but we’ve worked hard on the menu and people have reviewed it positively.”

Attorney General Knudsen discusses dangers of Fentanyl

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Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen was in town Tuesday night to spread the word about the growing – and dangerous – influx of the synthetic pain reliever Fentanyl across the state.

While methamphetamine still represents the largest component of illegal drug activity in Montana, Fentanyl is coming on strong. 

Representing Montana

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It’s been a wild but beautiful ride for Fergus junior Julia Kunau ever since she won the Miss Montana Teen pageant last September. Tonight she competes in the Miss Teen USA contest in Reno, Nevada, which will be streamed live at www.missteenusa.com.

Leading up to the final night of the competition, Julia and the other 50 contestants (one from each state and the District of Columbia) have enjoyed a whirlwind of activity. 

First contestants were treated to fun outings around Reno Wednesday, before things got serious. 

‘Reimagining’ small town life program encourages local leadership

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Rural communities, especially smaller ones, share the same challenges: depopulation, the brain drain when young people move away for college and settle elsewhere, decreasing numbers of students in schools, business closures and so on.

While the list is daunting, creating solutions to these problems became the impetus for Reimagining Rural, an upbeat program created by Tara Mastel and some of her colleagues at the MSU Extension Service. 

Voter registration deadlines approaching

Ready or not, election season has begun. As candidates kick their campaigns into high gear for the Nov. 8 election, deadlines for voters are fast approaching.

Attorney General to host Town Hall in Lewistown on Tuesday

Attorney General Austin Knudsen will be hosting a town hall in Lewistown Tuesday evening, Sept. 27 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss drugs, human trafficking, and other crime in Montana. The event will be at the Lewistown Eagles Club, 124 West Main Street. The public is invited to attend. 

Explore the Winnett area with this year’s Ag Tour

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You’ve been waiting all year and the Lewistown Chamber’s annual Ag Tour is finally here. This year the popular bus tour takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 5.

Sponsored annually by the Chamber, the Ag Tour started as a way to introduce town residents to the challenges and opportunities faced by the agriculture community. Along the way the idea evolved, and now, decades later, many residents look forward to the entertaining daytrip.

Branching out for a good cause

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Street trees add a surprising amount of value to a community. That’s why a partnership between the Lewistown Downtown Association, the City and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has formed to take care of Main Street’s trees.

A consequence of the Montana Dept. of Transportation’s Main Street improvement project was the removal of all mature trees along the route. After the street paving and pouring of new sidewalks was completed, new trees were planted in the fall of 2020.

Now, nearly two years later, the result isn’t quite hitting the mark.

Debate night set for October 13

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Fall is here and that means election season is in kicking into high gear. There will be a great opportunity to hear from local candidates on Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Yogo Inn. 

The Yogo Inn and the Lewistown News-Argus are hosting a pair of debates featuring the candidates for sheriff and county commissioner, and inviting all other local candidates to introduce themselves to voters. The event is free to the public and everyone is invited to attend. 

State legislators fail to support special session

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lose to $2 billion in surplus funds will remain in the state’s coffers rather than being returned to taxpayers, at least for a while longer. 

Last Thursday a proposal to hold a special session to discuss tax rebates failed to get support from a majority of state legislators.

“We knew it would be an uphill lift,” said State Senator Dan Bartel of Lewistown. Bartel, who represents Senate District 15, was one of the legislators supporting a special session later this month.