News

The Crooked Creek Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited held its annual Perch Derby last weekend. The two-day event took place Jan. 15 and 16 on the East Fork Reservoir. 

“It went really well,” said Kennie Williams, chair of the Perch Derby.

This year’s derby drew 35 teams of two from across the state, who ventured out onto the ice to catch the most pounds of perch they could across Saturday and Sunday, with only the best 25 fish counting toward the weight total each day.

Main Street is filling up, building permits hang in the windows of homes across town, and plywood walls are becoming a more common sight. If it seems like there’s a lot going on in the way of building in Lewistown, it’s because there is. 

2021 marked the second highest year in construction values for the city, coming in over $12.5 million. The figure is just behind a $16 million year in 2017, when the Central Montana Medical Center underwent upgrades. 2021 is up from the 10-year average of $8 million. 

Despite December snowfall, January 2022 in Central Montana is feeling a little bit like the beginning of the intense drought year of 2021. As of Friday, mountain snowpack in the Smith, Judith, Musselshell Basin measured 82 percent of normal. According to Ray Greely, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Great Falls, that figure was closer to 92 percent at this time last year. 

“On the plains, we have melted out, but as far as mountain snowpack, it’s about 80 percent of normal,” said Greely.

Snowfall so far this year in Great Falls is on par with the average.