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🌱 Patch AM: What changes are really coming to downtown Missoula’s streets and bike lanes?

And on the Missoula Patch calendar - FREE WEBINAR | "The Golden Age of Florence"

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Hello Missoula! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • What changes are really coming to downtown Missoula’s streets and bike lanes?
  • Baker and Missoula families mourn the passing of Merri Lee Beck
  • How one Griz photographer shapes the way Missoula sees game day

Also on today's calendar: 52 Weeks of Organizing Tips - FREE and 3 more events.

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

Today's riddle: I once read a book about anti-gravity. 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

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

  • Friday: Afternoon showers, with a high of 53 and low of 35 degrees.
  • Saturday: Still cloudy, temps: high: 48, low: 25.
  • Sunday: Times of clouds and sun, with a high of 43 and low of 30 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Downtown Missoula transportation project heading to 100% design (kpax.com) — Missoula’s Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility project just cleared a key hurdle, with a City Council committee voting to fund final engineering and design using federal RAISE grant dollars. Plans include reworking downtown streets and bike lanes, though some elements like Caras Park access changes and raised bikeways on Higgins have been scaled back, and council members and business owners still worry about stormwater, parking, and business impacts.
   

2. Merri Lee Beck, 64 (falloncountytimes.com) — Missoula readers may recognize Nicholas Beck, whose mother, Merri Lee Beck, has died at 64 after a five-year battle with cancer. Raised in Baker, she built a respected career in banking and retail, cherished her blended family, and is remembered for her quilting, community spirit, and devotion to her children and grandchildren across Montana and beyond.
   

3. Griz football photographer Tommy Martino shapes game day experience (montanarightnow.com) — Missoula football fans know Tommy Martino’s work even if they don’t know his name—his photos have defined Griz game days for more than a decade. Now the University of Montana visual media lead is mentoring student photographers, deepening his long-standing ties to Missoula while shaping how the community experiences every snap, celebration, and season-defining moment.
   

4. Wilkins donation creates Conservation Education Center in Montana (winchesterstar.com) — A major donation has helped transform the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s visitors center in Missoula into the new James R. Wilkins Jr. Conservation Education Center, packed with interactive, youth-focused exhibits about elk and conservation. The piece traces Wilkins’ Virginia roots, lifelong hunting passion, and philanthropy that now supports conservation education in Montana and beyond.
   

5. Mexican man sentenced in Missoula for illegal reentry to U.S. (montanarightnow.com) — A man was sentenced in Missoula federal court to time served and a year of supervised release after pleading guilty to illegal reentry to the United States. He was arrested in Belgrade earlier this year and has been removed from the country multiple times as part of a broader federal immigration enforcement initiative.
   

📸 Around Missoula

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Missoula

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📣 Missoula Shout Outs!

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🗓 Events Nearby

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Lost dog at the corner of Helen & East Beckwith around 4 Wednesday afternoon.
    Collar, but no tags. Wasn’t able to get any closer to him. (Nextdoor University District)
  • Hello during this wind storm my inflatable minion snow cone bus flew away I was wondering if it flew into anyone’s lawn?
    Or if anyone has seen it please let me know! We are in the upper Linda vista area near the den (Nextdoor Miller Creek)
  • PetSmart posted a job opening for Retail Sales Associate Part Time in Missoula. Apply here.
  • Spencer Gifts, LLC posted a job opening for Senior Assistant Store Manager 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 couldn’t put it down.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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