🌱 Newly Launched Kids Garden Club + Officer-Involved Shooting Update

Hello. I'm here with your fresh copy of the Bozeman Patch newsletter, filled with everything you need to know about what's going on in town.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Warmer with variable clouds. High: 52 Low: 31.
• Saturday: Mostly cloudy. High: 50 Low: 29.

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Here are the top three stories in Bozeman today:

1. The Bozeman Parks and Recreation department is launching its first Kids Garden Club at Story Mill Park, where children aged 7-11 can learn about gardening by growing vegetables, such as tomatoes, beans, squash, peppers, and herbs. The club will hold a planting party in June when the weather is warm, and the children will take care of the plants throughout the spring and summer. In September, the children will have a harvest party to enjoy the fruits of their labor and learn about gardening, science, and design, along with some fun art projects. (Montana Right Now)
2. New details regarding the officer-involved shooting published in Tuesday's newsletter have been released. The Park County Coroner's Office has identified Michael L. Rogel, 39, a resident of Bozeman, as the man shot and killed by five officers from the Bozeman Police Department on Monday afternoon. Rogel was reported to have had a gun in his car when he was shot, and multiple investigations are ongoing into the shooting, including one by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, aided by the Gallatin County Sheriff's Office, and an administrative investigation by the Bozeman Police Department. Each officer was wearing a body camera, but the footage has not yet been released, and the names of the officers have not been released. (KBZK News)
3. Developers have proposed a project to zone 20 acres of county land into the City of Bozeman for residential development with R-4 high-density zoning, located on the east side of Fowler Lane. The proposed development is near emerging commercial areas on the south side of town, but the Community Development Board voted 5-2 against recommending the zoning designation, citing concerns with the density level, lack of commercial buildings allowed, and potential traffic safety issues at the intersection of Fowler and Stucky. Board chair Henry Happel acknowledged concerns about sprawl but prefers development to happen at city densities. (Bozeman Daily Chronicle)

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Today and tomorrow in Bozeman:

Friday, April 7

• Toddler & Preschooler Storytime At Bozeman Public Library (10:15 AM)
• Books And Boba! At Steep Mountain Teahouse (3:30 PM)

Saturday, April 8

• Easter Egg Hunt At The Church At Four Corners (10:00 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 Bozeman area at the link! (Bozeman Patch)
• Town and Country Foods is closing its store on North 19th Avenue but is opening a new and bigger store as part of phase two of development at Ferguson Farms off Huffine Lane. The new store will be accompanied by new businesses, an apartment complex, and more and will be the company's biggest store, requiring around 100 employees. (KBZK News)
• Three new officers were sworn in during a ceremony by the Bozeman Police Department yesterday (Apr. 6) at the Bozeman Public Safety Center, while awards were also given to other officers for their contributions to the team. (NBC Montana)

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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.