Area Briefs

Kootenai Stargazers

Astronomy Meeting

The Kootenai Stargazers Astronomy Club will hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, at 324 White Avenue in Libby.

Kathy Nielsen will present “Moons of the Solar System.” Chatter will likely include the recent lunar eclipse and blood moon. Gene McGlasson will provide associated brain ticklers. Gary Dodge will do the cooking.

Anyone interested is welcome. Visit the club’s website at www.ksaclibby.org.

Quilt Guild to offer

variety of classes

The Kootenai Valley Quilt Guild will be offering guild-sponsored classes staring Monday, Oct. 26.

All classes will be taught at the Libby Ambulance Meeting Room. They will be held on Mondays and Tuesdays through early December and then resume again in January after the holidays.  

The class offerings are as follows: Japanese Quilted Gathering Basket taught by Sharon Gehrke, intermediate; Five and Dime Quilted Lap Quilt taught by Cindy Peek, beginner; Christmas Poinsettia Table Runner taught by Paula Darko-Hensler, beginner; Easy Paper Piecing Table Runner taught by Sue Meyers, beginner; and Christmas Pine Wall Hanging taught by Paula Darko-Hensler, advanced beginner.

Information on dates and times as well as class fees is available at Sue Bees Quilting.  The project samples will also available for viewing.

The guild also has an educational opportunity called “Learn, Quilt, Share” on the third Saturday of the month at the Libby High School Sewing Room.

Erase your e-waste

at county event

You can erase your e-waste at a countywide free recycling event in Eureka, Troy and Libby. The event will provide residents with an environmentally friendly alternative to dumping e-waste at the landfill.

Items that can be recycled as e-waste include computers, laptops, flat-panel displays, monitors, keyboards, printers, fax machines, telephones, cell phones, digital cameras, microwave ovens, televisions and much more.

For more information, contact Lincoln County Environmental Health at 283-2441.

KPFL micro-chipping

event on Oct. 21

Kootenai Pets For Life will hold its monthly clinic to insert microchips in pet animals from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 21 at its facility on County Shop Road.

Cost will be $15 for animals adopted from the shelter and $35 for all other animals. All local veterinarians, Lincoln County Animal Control and Kootenai Pets For Life have readers to identify the animals and return them to their owners quickly.

Montana gas prices

projected to drop

Good news for motorists in the Rockies and West Coast: a dramatic drop in gasoline prices is coming, according to GasBuddy, a leading source for real-time gas prices.

A dramatic wholesale slide is expected to translate into much cheaper fuel prices in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Nevada with some aggressive retailers likely to post $3 per gallon or lower pump prices. Already, some stations in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona are under $3 per gallon.  

The latest drop comes as global crude prices flirt with prices that are $25 barrel below spring highs.

Comments sought on land purchase

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is seeking comments on a draft environmental assessment on a proposal to purchase 2,840 acres adjoining Beartooth Wildlife Management Area from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.            

The proposed Whitetail Prairie property is located east of Wolf Creek. The property contains very important grassland habitat and recreational values. In addition to the acquisition, the grazing leases on adjoining Bureau of Land Management and Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation lands associated with the Whitetail Prairie property would be transferred to Fish, Wildlife and Parks, 200 acres and 640 acres, respectively.

A public meeting on the proposed conservation easement will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Wolf Creek School.

A draft EA on the proposal is available for public viewing and comments on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov.

Comments may be submitted via the  website, emailed to fwprg42@mt.gov  or mailed to: FWP, Attn: Whitetail Prairie Acquisition, 4600 Giant Springs Road, Great Falls, MT 59405.

The comment deadline is 5 p.m. on Nov. 4.

Pioneer Society

to hold meeting

Come to the Heritage Museum Cook Shack at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 19, for the Pioneer Society’s last meeting of the year.

The agenda includes scrumptuous potluck, stimulating conversation and reminiscence. Also, present your interests for next year’s officers.