🌱 Patch AM: How one Bozeman stocking can change a senior’s entire holiday

Good morning Bozeman! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How one Bozeman stocking can change a senior’s entire holiday
• Why are Bozeman businesses reissuing hundreds of thousands in missing checks?
• How ready are Bozeman’s winter plows for the next big storm?

Also on today's calendar: Homestead Holiday and 5 more events.

Today's riddle: What did one tuna say to the other after getting caught stealing files from work? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Bozeman Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T-Mobile and UScellular have joined forces to connect people from big cities to small towns and everywhere in between. UScellular is now a part of T-Mobile. Find out more at T-Mobile.com/Better-Together.
Find a T-Mobile store near Bozeman.

Weather forecast:

• Thursday: Windy in the morning; cloudy, with a high of 58 and low of 40 degrees.
• Friday: Breezy with periods of rain, temps: high: 53, low: 39.
• Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high of 50 and low of 32 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Stocking drive aims to brighten the holidays for homebound seniors (kbzk.com) — Homebound seniors in Bozeman and across Gallatin County are counting on a community stocking drive to provide basics like hygiene items, snacks, and small gift cards this holiday season. Donations are being accepted through Dec. 15 at the Bozeman Senior Center and Eden Health, supporting Meals on Wheels clients and other isolated older adults who often can’t afford necessities.
   

2. Local businesses express concern over difficulty sending and receiving mail (kbzk.com) — Bozeman health and property management businesses say ongoing USPS delivery problems are disrupting checks, packages, and even medical equipment for patients who travel here for care. One firm reports reissuing $500,000 in checks this year, while a local clinic describes missing mail, misdelivered packages, and sparse daily deliveries. Leaders hope public attention will push for fixes on the Mill Town Loop route.
   

3. Montana DOT readies plows and introduces fresh faces for winter roads (kbzk.com) — Bozeman drivers can expect better-covered winter roads this year as Montana DOT brings in a specialized tow plow operator and reports vacancy rates dropping from 30% to 4%. The Bozeman division now manages over 4,300 plow miles, stockpiling 30 million pounds of sand locally while still relying on rotating crews to keep up with storms.
   

4. Montana Names New Poet Laureate (blainecountyjournal.com) — A Bozeman writer, Allen Morris Jones, has been named Montana’s Poet Laureate for 2025–2027, putting a local voice at the center of the state’s literary life. Jones, a longtime author and publisher, will travel and present programs that promote poetry statewide despite recent funding cuts to Humanities Montana. His selection highlights Bozeman’s role in Montana’s rich poetry tradition.
   

📸 Around Bozeman

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Bozeman

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Thursday December 11

• Bozeman Ice Climbing Festival presents: Parallel World
  Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, 111 S Grand Ave, Bozeman
  7:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Saturday December 13

• Homestead Holiday
  Museum of the Rockies , 600 W Kagy Blvd , Bozeman
  6:00 pm
• The Disruptors
  Fraternal Order of the Eagles , Bozeman Aerie #326 , Bozeman
  9:00 pm

Sunday December 14

• Holiday Spectacular
  Willson Auditorium , 404 W Main St , Bozeman
  2:30 pm

Monday December 15

• Boys Basketball 6th Home (Ophir)
  Anderson 7-8 Bozeman, MT 59718
  4:00 pm
• Boys Basketball 8th Home (Ophir) -8th Grade Night
  Anderson 7-8 Bozeman, MT 59718
  5:00 pm

Wednesday December 17

• 6-8 Band/Choir concert
  Monforton 6-8 Bozeman, MT 59718
  7:00 pm

Thursday December 18

• KF-4 Winter Concert
  Anderson 7-8 Bozeman, MT 59718
  2:15 pm

📣 Bozeman Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Thursday December 11

• Thursday's Table
  Bozeman Public Library , 626 E Main St , Bozeman
  1:00 pm
• 7th Basketball (Away) Monforton vs. Heritage Christian
  Heritage Christian School , 4310 Durston Rd , Bozeman
  4:00 pm
• Rosenberry-Donohue Lectures on the American West | We Know Who We Are with MaggieJo Widdecombe
  Museum of the Rockies , 600 W Kagy Blvd , Bozeman
  5:30 pm
• Wreath Making Class #2
  Rathvinden Farm , 10380 Springhill Rd , Belgrade
  6:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Hi, Neighbors.
  Well, here's something very unneighborly. I spoke to a woman today who paid $300 for a pair of tickets to the holiday show at The Ellen. If you go… (Nextdoor Harvest Creek)
• I’m looking for a locally made Montana dog treat/product to feature at for a pet package at a hotel in the area.
  Does anyone have any recommendations? I’d love to help create a partnership with a local entrepreneur! (Nextdoor Bozeman Creek Neighborhood Association)

• Montana State University posted a job opening for Assistant Professor of Horticulture / Plant Biology in Bozeman. Apply here.
• Accessible Space, Inc. posted a job opening for Service Coordinator in Bozeman. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Bozeman here.

Ok Bozeman! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I could get canned for this!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

• Help us grow by suggesting local news sources.
• Shape this newsletter with your feedback.
• List items for sale or services offered

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what’s happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook