In Brief

Blood drive Oct. 15

The American Red Cross will be holding a blood drive at the Libby VFW, 114 W. Second Street, from 11:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. Anyone wishing to schedule an appointment can call Gloria Byrnes at 293-5233, but walk-ins are also welcome.

E-waste recyclingOct 16 - 17

Lincoln County, Recycle Eureka, Collective Recyclers, Kootenai Disposal, All Systems Go and Montana Department of Environmental Quality are sponsoring e-Waste disposal events across Lincoln County. The events start Friday, Oct. 16, from noon until 4 p.m. at All Systems Go in the Troy mini-mall parking lot. Libby area residents can dispose of their e-waste at Kootenai Disposal, 34745 U.S. Highway 2, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16 and from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17. Eureka area residents can bring theirs to the Interbel warehouse parking lot Saturday, Oct. 17 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

E-waste represents roughly 2 percent of America’s landfill trash, but is about 70 percent of the toxic waste. It pollutes water, soil and air and can cause cancer and many other health problems. Proper disposal of e-waste, such as computer equipment, old televisions, printers, game consoles, phones and cell phones, network equipment, cameras, radios and other electronic equipment can help alleviate the pollution.

Disease found in Eureka deer

Testing recently confirmed that bluetongue, a viral hemorrhagic disease, is present in deer in the Eureka area. Jennifer Ramsey, FWP’s wildlife veterinarian, confirmed bluetongue in four samples submitted from deer that died in the Eureka area. FWP staff has been working with Ramsey to determine what was killing deer in the Eureka area beginning in mid September.  

According to Eureka area Wildlife Biologist Tim Thier, approximately 60 dead deer that likely died from the disease, have been reported, and a few reports of dead deer are still coming in.

Bluetongue affects white-tailed deer, antelope, and domestic sheep. Other wildlife may be affected but to a lesser degree. The disease is transmitted by a small biting midge with the onset of disease typically occurring in late summer to early fall. FWP Wildlife Manager Neil Anderson notes that the deer mortalities should end shortly after a killing frost, which will kill the midges.

FWP will continue monitoring the impacts of the disease on deer in the Eureka area. Anderson asks people to report deer that appear to be sick or that die from unexplained reasons anywhere in the region to FWP at 752-5501. “We are trying to document any movement of the disease outside of the Eureka area,” says Anderson.  

The bluetongue virus does not affect people.  Meat from deer with the disease is safe to eat; however, FWP advises that people do not harvest animals that appear to be sick.

Historically, hemorrhagic diseases like bluetongue were found east of the Rocky Mountain Front in Montana. Several years ago, a number of white-tailed deer died from a related disease in the Hamilton area. This is the first reported case in this area.  

College open house Oct. 18

The Lincoln County Campus invites anyone who may be curious about college to attend its open house at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Topics to be covered include admissions requirements, financial aid opportunities and other hurdles potential college students can expect. 

“The point of the evening is to take the intimidation factor away from college,” Deb Huisentruit, LCC’s Student Services Coordinator, said. “The process can appear overwhelming to some but we’re here to help.”

Considering enrollment and financial aid applications for all colleges across the state of Montana are similar, those interested in attending school elsewhere would also stand to benefit. 

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. and staff will be on hand to greet visitors and serve barbecue. A presentation regarding college admissions and financial aid will begin at 6 p.m. and is expected to last about an hour. 

Gas prices fall in Montana

Average retail gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 4.0 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.44 per gallon yesterday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 gas outlets in Montana. This compares with the national average that has increased 2.7 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.31 per gallon. 

Including the change in gas prices in Montana during the past week, prices yesterday were 94.1 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 17.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 3.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 88.0 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.

“A majority of states saw gasoline prices jumping over the last week thanks to a upward move in oil prices as well as refinery maintenance season getting underway, constricting gasoline output,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.com. “The jump was led by states in the Midwest- areas that GasBuddy had warned last week were ripe for hikes thanks to a confluence of refinery maintenance and outages. North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oklahoma led with the largest increases, while areas of the West Coast saw continued relief at the pump. Some areas of the country are seeing hikes at the gas pump while others see continued declines.”