🌱 Billings Schools Superintendent + Man Sentenced, Drug Trafficking

Hi all. I'm back with your fresh edition of the Billings Patch newsletter. Here's all the local news you need to know right now.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Warmer with some brightening. High: 63 Low: 40.
• Saturday: Pleasant with clouds and sun. High: 62 Low: 36.

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Here are the top three stories in Billings today:

1. Erwin Garcia, the area superintendent for the Houston Independent School District, has been hired as the new superintendent of public schools by the Billings School Board. The board unanimously voted in favor of Garcia, who was one of the three finalists for the position. If Garcia declines, the board's second choice, Brenda Koch, will be offered the job. (Q2 News)
2. Kyngsten Bargar, 30, a Billings man who was found with 9,500 fentanyl pills and a firearm in his vehicle, was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison with three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The government alleged that Bargar traveled to Washington to buy fentanyl and was distributing it in the Billings area. Bargar's case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich and investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and Billings Police Department. (Subscription: Billings Gazette)
3. Former Billings student and suffragist Hazel Hunkins will soon have a plaque installed on the grounds of the campus she used to attend when the building still operated as Billings High School. The plaque was commissioned and funded through the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and will be the latest addition to the National Votes for Women Trail, a collection of sites across the country marking its history of women’s suffrage. The district board of trustees is expected to approve the marker’s installation on district property after learning more about Hunkins’ life and legacy. A ceremony for the plaque will be on May 18 at 3:30 p.m.; the location of the event will be announced at a later date. (Subscription: Billings Gazette)

Today and tomorrow in Billings:

Friday, April 7

• April Art Walk At Downtown Billings (7:00 PM)
• Water Lillies On A Pond At Bitterroot Sip And Paint (4:30 PM)

Saturday, April 8

• Sensory Friendly Easter Egg Hunt At Rocky Mountain College Bair Science Building (10:30 AM)

From my notebook:

• Are you looking for a new family member with four paws? Check out the list of adoption-ready pets in the Billings area at the link! (Billings Patch)
• The Yellowstone Art Museum is hosting weekly yoga classes in the MJ Murdock Trust Gallery to attract more visitors to the museum amid a decline in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Classes begin at 10:30 a.m. and registration information can be found here. (Q2 News)
• The Montana HOSA State Leadership Conference attracted over 300 high school students to Rocky Vista University campus in Billings this week, where they were exposed to careers in health care. HOSA - Future Health Professionals was formerly known as Health Occupations Students of America and aims to address the health care worker shortage by empowering students interested in entering the profession. (Q2 News)

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As a heads up, the Patch staff will be taking some time off for the Easter holiday. You won’t be receiving a newsletter this Monday, but I’ll be back soon with your next update. In the meantime, have a great weekend!

— Lauren Kubiak

About me: Lauren is an Editor for Lightning Media Partners. She graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor’s in journalism. She was previously a full-time editor at an association management firm, editing peer-reviewed nursing journals, textbooks, and newsletters.