🌱 Smurfstone Stone Mill Site Objectives + Montana Unemployment Drop

Good morning, neighbors. Sean Peek here with your weekend edition of the Missoula Patch newsletter.

But first, your local weather:

• Saturday: Some sun, then clouds. High: 51 Low: 25.
• Sunday: Times of sun and clouds. High: 54 Low: 28.

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Here are the top stories today in and around Missoula:

1. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and representatives of Missoula County and Montana trustees have defined data objectives for additional sampling at the Smurfit Stone mill site. The group identified groundwater, sludge, and wastewater sampling as Phase 1, with Clark Fork River and its fish and wildlife left for later. The county representatives requested more wells distributed across the property to determine contamination levels and increased density of samples in each pond to understand what each well represents. (Missoula Current)
2. The state of Montana's unemployment rate fell to 2.5 percent in Jan. 2023, with the state adding over 1,400 jobs. Governor Greg Gianforte took credit for the rate, stating that his pro-business, pro-growth, and pro-jobs agenda had enabled Montana to thrive. However, some western Montana counties still struggled with higher unemployment rates, with Mineral County at 5.6 percent, Granite County at 5.1 percent, and Sanders and Lincoln Counties at percent. (Missoula Current)
3. The Missoula County commissioners are inviting community members to apply for open positions on several boards, including the Aquatic Invasive Species District, Fair Event Committee, and Zoning Board of Adjustment. Meetings for these boards are held monthly, and applicants must be residents of Missoula County. More details are provided in this article for the open positions. (Press Release Desk)

Today and tomorrow in Missoula:

Saturday, March 18

• Saturday Kids' Activity: Spring into Nature - Montana Natural History Center (1:00 PM)

Sunday, March 19

• Yoga & Cider - Western Cider (11:00 AM)
• Sunday Funday Board Games - Cranky Sam Public House (12:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• The Humane Society of Western Montana is absolutely delighted to witness the happiness of their newly adopted furry friends in their forever homes! (The Humane Society of Western Montana via Facebook)
• Get ready for some madness! Missoula Wine Merchant's March Madness Case Sale is now live, and you can get 15 percent off full cases until Apr. 3. Don't miss out on this slam dunk deal! (Missoula Wine Merchants via Instagram)
• Get ready to expand your horizons with the latest episode of the International Voices Podcast! Discover how Missoula became a more diverse community with guest Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County. (ARTS Missoula via Instagram)

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You're all caught up for today! I'll see you soon.

— Sean Peek

About me: Sean Peek is a writer and entrepreneur with a degree in English Literature from Weber State University. Over the years, he has worked as a copywriter, editor, SEO specialist, and marketing director for various digital media companies. He currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.