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🌱 Patch AM: Could your library taxes rise to keep Missoula’s shelves and hours full?

Make time for Is it Clutter - Chronic Disorganization or Hoarding? Learn to LET GO and Reclaim Your Life! on the Missoula Patch calendar

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Tuesday December 16th Patch AM
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What's up Missoula! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • Could your library taxes rise to keep Missoula’s shelves and hours full?
  • How to score a $1 Christmas tree near Missoula this year
  • Why Missoula’s new Marshall Mountain trail is turning national heads

Also on today's calendar: Is it Clutter - Chronic Disorganization or Hoarding? Learn to LET GO and Reclaim Your Life! and 1 more event.

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

📸 Have a great pic of holiday decorations from around Missoula? Post it to Missoula photos of the day! ☃️ 🟢-🟠-🟣-🔴-🟡-🔵 ☃️

Today's riddle: Can February March? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Find out what's happening in Missoulafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Weather forecast:

  • Tuesday: Cloudy with a shower in spots, with a high of 48 and low of 39 degrees.
  • Wednesday: Windy with snow, 1-3", temps: high: 44, low: 32.
  • Thursday: Snow; rain mixing in, with a high of 39 and low of 34 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Missoula Public Library backers testing mood among voters for a boost in funding (kpax.com) — Missoula Public Library supporters are gauging whether voters would back a new county library levy that could add about $2 million a year for staffing and services across Missoula County. A professional poll tested both pro- and anti-tax messages, and results will be presented Jan. 28 as officials weigh asking for a 2026 ballot measure.
   

2. Bureau of Land Management offering $1 Christmas tree permits (kpax.com) — Missoula residents can snag a Christmas tree from nearby BLM lands for just $1, as long as they get a permit online or at the local BLM office. Foresters here explain which species you can cut, why ponderosa pine is off-limits, and how choosing the right crowded, struggling tree can both brighten your home and help local forest health.
   

3. 9 of the best mountain bike trails built in North America in 2025 (singletracks.com) — Missoula riders now have a nationally recognized adaptive trail, Mission to MARS, on Marshall Mountain, highlighted as one of North America’s best new mountain bike trails of 2025. The piece explains how the Missoula Mountain Bike Coalition is building an inclusive trail network inspired by locals with new disabilities, while also surveying standout new trails from Bozeman to Quebec and beyond.
   

4. Harmon's Histories: Missoula once danced the night away in grand pavilions (missoulacurrent.com) — Missoulians once flocked to grand dance pavilions at Greenough Park and the Western Montana Fairgrounds, where live orchestras kept floors packed through the 1920s and ’30s. This historical look traces how venues like Tokyo Gardens rose, faded from the papers, and left a mystery about what ultimately happened to Missoula’s once-bustling summer dance hall.
   

5. Montana report praises 2025 city elections, flags new birth-year rule (nbcmontana.com) — Missoula voters and election staff are part of a new report finding Montana’s 2025 city elections were generally secure and transparent, but burdened by a new absentee ballot birth-year rule. Observers say the requirement confused some Missoula voters, increased staff workload, and led to more rejected ballots without clear security benefits, and they’re urging lawmakers to reconsider the law before 2026.
   

📸 Around Missoula

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Missoula

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Is there anywhere in town with free wifi access and outlets other than the library?
    Especially for people busy during the day with family, but nowhere to work at night? (Nextdoor Franklin)
  • Today's giveaway at Jacksons convience stores..
    Jacksons Kettle Chips...sea salt, salt and vinegar, or Jalapeño. (I'm being brave here) (Nextdoor Franklin)
  • Walmart posted a job opening for Stocking Team Associate in Missoula. Apply here.
  • Montana Staffing posted a job opening for Millwork Material Handler in Missoula. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Missoula here.

Ok Missoula! 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 don't know, but April May!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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