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A 19 year old Dillon woman has been arrested in connection with the death of man over the weekend. Dillon chief of police, Don Guiberson, said, "Sandy Moore has been arrested on a charge of deliberate homicide in connection with the death of a 49 year old Dillon man." Moore remains jailed as of Monday. Police said the victim was found dead in his Thomsan Ave home on Saturday morning. Police have not released any more details about the victim, as the investigation is still ongoing. Update Cristina VanDuinen, 23, and Kerry “Sam” Johnson, 56, both of Dillon have been arrested on felony charges of obstruction of justice in connection with the death of a 49-year-old Dillon man Saturday. Update: Police have identified the victim of the Dillon murder as Larry Coon, 49.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory: Beaverhead-Cascade-Central and Southern Lewis and Clark-Madison- Judith Basin-Jefferson-Broadwater-Meagher-Gallatin- Including Big Hole Pass, Wisdom, Dillon, Monida Pass, Wise River, Great Falls, Cascade, Belt, Kings Hill Pass, Helena, Flesher Pass, Rogers Pass, Ennis, Norris Hill, Raynolds Pass, Twin Bridges, Virginia City, Raynesford, Stanford, Hobson, Montana City, Boulder, Boulder Hill, Elk Park Pass, Homestake Pass, Whitehall, Toston, Townsend, Winston, Martinsdale, White Sulphur Springs, West Yellowstone, Battle Ridge Pass, Bozeman Pass, and Targhee Pass 240 AM MST Sun Jan 12 2020 ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 8 AM MST MONDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of up to 2 inches, except up to 5 inches in the mountains. Winds gusting as high as 35 mph. * WHERE...Portions of central, southwest and west central Montana. * WHEN...From 7 PM this evening to 8 AM MST Monday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The cold wind chills as low as 20 below zero could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Beaverhead County. According to the advisory: Beaverhead- Including Big Hole Pass, Wisdom, and Wise River 315 AM MST Fri Jan 10 2020...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM MST SATURDAY... * WHAT...Snow expected. Total snow accumulations of 3 to 7 inches at lower elevations, with up to 12 inches expected in the mountains. * WHERE...Beaverhead. * WHEN...From 8 PM this evening to 3 PM MST Saturday. * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Looking at the MDOT website it is showing road conditions headed south of Dillon, as wet and scattered snow, conditions heading north from Dillon on I15 it is showing dry/and or mostly dry. As always use caution when traveling in the winter months. View of Monida Pass cameras as of 5:45 this morning

Weekend Rundown for Friday January 10th to Sunday January 12th. Starting on Friday night we have Addison Comes Home, live at the Moose Bar. Music starts at 8 P.M. Interested in his music, or curious what he has just follow this you tube link for more information. If you feel like taking the drive over to Ennis Willie's Distillery will Have live music by Left for Dead Starting at 5:30 P.M. Saturday January 11th is a busy day for around the area, starting at 2 P.M. you can watch the hanging reenactment of Sheriff Henry Plummer. If you have never watched this event it is a must see. This time of the year temperatures in Bannack can get cold. Check the weather and dress accordingly. For more information on this event and Henry Plummer we have a story on that as well. Maverick Mountain will be open this weekend, snow report as of now: 1" Over Night, 12" at the base, and 36" at the summit. After a long day of skiing relax and enjoy live music from The Road Agents and Friends. Music starts at 3 P.M. and goes to 7 P.M. Dillon native Jeff Peterson will be on Vocals and the guitar, with Jon Leavitt on harmonica, and Joe Corrado on guitar. Don't want to go out in the cold, looking for a new organization to join? the Bannack Association will be holding their annual banquet at 5:30P.M. According to their flyer: The annual dinner is the best time to renew your membership or sign up as a new member. Stop at the registration table on your way in to sign-up, renew and check in for a great dinner. Life time members please check in as well, so we can get an accurate count for dinner. Following dinner there will be a business meeting and a short presentation showcasing some of the artifacts in the parks collection. Family Membership $20.00 per year: Consists of immediate family members. This includes unmarried children living in the family house and under the age of twenty. A family membership includes 2 votes for the Bannack Association Board. Individual $15.00 per year: This is for one adult and includes one vote for the Bannack Association Board. Business $25.00 per year: A business can send 2 representatives to the annual dinner and one vote for the Bannack Association Board. RSVP is required by Friday, January 3rd at 5:00pm and can be made by calling the park at 406-834-3413. Period dress is encouraged! Thank you for being the most important part of our Association. We look forward to seeing you at the dinner and meeting. The DAHA ice rink is open back up after a new flooding of the ice. They are also in the middle of finishing the surface of the ice and will soon post a schedule of events. Stan Shafer memorial derby is next Sunday 19th. This weekend could be a good time to claim your spot on the lake and set up your ice shack, figure out what the fish are biting on and get ready for the derby. Thank you for reading our weekend run down, we try to include links in the article to make it easier for you. If you are curious about an event and it is highlighted just click on it, you will be directed to another page with more information on that event.

Coffee Club, as it has became known, is a new way for local business owners to get together and talk about how to improve business in downtown Dillon. The first official meeting was this morning at Sweetwater Coffee. The event is described as follows: Coffee Club is every Monday to plan for the week ahead in Dillon, Montana. This event is for anyone that wants to talk about business in Dillon, Montana or concerns about the community. We will keep it positive and steer away from the negative moving forward. The incentive for attending is to get on the same page in a positive atmosphere. We are building a community so lets build it together! Coffee Club will meet every Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending next weeks event it will be held again at Sweetwater Coffee.

On January 10, 1864 a group of citizens, known as Vigilantes, took the law into their own hands, gathering up then Sheriff Henry Plummer and his two deputies, Buck Stinson and Ned Ray. The three men were marched to the very same gallows that Plummer, himself, had built. First to be hanged was Ned Ray, followed by Buck Stinson. Plummer, the supposed leader of the Road Agents, was the final one to be hanged on that could windy day in January. Some people now wonder if Plummer was innocent. In 1993 he was given a posthumous trial, which led to a mistrial. The jury was split 6 to 6. His wife Electa had heard of his death through a letter, and she always maintained he was innocent of the crimes he was hung for. Many claim the criminal activity decreased after the hanging of Plummer. But some accounts say that robberies went up and were more organized than before. Many believe the whole thing was a cover up story, to hide the lawlessness in the Montana Territory. Many believed the acts of the Vigilantes themselves, the tactics and activities, that they used to get information out of people, were just as ruthless as the criminals they had sworn to stop. When a preacher's son by the name of Bill Hunter expressed outrage over the Vigilantes, by calling them "stranglers", his frozen body was later found dangling from the limb of a cotton wood tree. In March of 1867 fed up miners issued their own warning that if Vigilantes hanged any more people, the "law abiding citizens" would retaliate "five for one". A few more lynchings did occur but the time of the Vigilantes was at an end. Come out to Bannack State Park on January the 11, 2020 at 2P.M. and decide for yourself. The Just-Us Old West Reenactors will perform the piece titled "Men Do Your Duty" , directed by Stan Smith. This reenactment will be performed on the same site, where the hangings took place one hundred and fifty-five years ago.

Bannack Association will have its annual banquet January 11, 2020 at the Lewis and Clark room, in Mathews Hall at the UMW Campus. This is the best time to renew your membership or sign up for a new one if you would like to be a part of this group. Family memberships are $20.00 per a year, this consist of immediate family members. This includes unmarried children living in the family house, and under the age of twenty. A family membership includes two votes for the Bannack Association Board. Individual Membership $15.00 per a year, this is for one adult and includes one vote for the Bannack Association Board. The banquet starts at 5:30 with cocktails and a silent auction, followed by a fajita buffet. Following the dinner there will be a short presentation showcasing some of the artifacts in the parks collection. RSVP is required by today at 5 P.M. and can be made by calling 406-834-3413. Period dress is encouraged.

Weekend Rundown will be a weekly post, where we give you the whats happening in Southwestern MT. If you have an event and want it feature please email us @ southwesternmtnews@gmail.com. First off Maverick Mountain has opened, with 4" of new snow overnight, 4" in a 24 HR period, for a total of 12" at the base and 36" at the summit. Hopefully your skis and or snowboard are tuned and ready for the slopes. Tom Catmull will be live at the Beaverhead Brewing Company from 6 P.M. to 8P.M., Tanner Laws will be performing at the Ruby Valley Brew from 6 to 8 P.M. as well. Saturday Dan Dubuque will be live at Maverick Mountain from 3 to 6 P.M. you can hit the slopes, grab a live show and top your night off with a soak in their pool. Virginia City Winter fest also kicks off on Saturday at 10 A.M. a quick rundown from their Facebook page describes it as follows. The Virginia City Winter Festival is a fun packed weekend of winter "sports". Events include broom-ball, two man log sawing, kids sled race and whatever else we decide to dream up. The WF is held in the historic town of Virginia City. The main event is a 3 day long broom ball tournament. Other events include two man cross cut log sawing, dog in a wheel barrow race and various kids activities. Founding Date Feb 2006 So if you want to take a short drive and have some old fashioned fun the Winter Fest seems to be the place. Also it looks like the DAHA Ice Rink located at the Chris Kraft park is open for use, as well as the ice skating pond at Bannack. The pond is open from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M. and they recommend you call before heading out to make sure of the conditions. Loner skates are available from the warming house, with a free will donation to the Bannack Association. Also the lake has 10' plus of ice on it, my understanding is the bite is slow but getting away from it all and staring down a frozen ice hole can be very relaxing. Also the Beaverhead river is open from the Pipe Organ Bridge down, if you are feeling adventurous you could give winter fishing a try on the Beaverhead.

Registration is now open for the 3rd annual Beaverhead Marathon. The race is in its third year and will run the same course as previous years. This marathon offers a unique and exciting course. Offering both a full marathon and a half marathon. The course for the full marathon will start at Horse Prairie Camp Ground at Clark Canyon Dam, near the site of Lewis and Clarks Camp Fortunate. With the lake as a background along with a nice view of the Tendoy Mountains and Lima Peaks. Participants will run on the 45th parallel and then follow downstream along the Beaverhead River, known for its blue ribbon fishing. Participants will be able to see some of the many geological features like Pipe Organ, Daly Spur, and Rattlesnake Cliffs. Runners will run past some of the major historical places in Beaverhead county including the Grasshopper Creek where gold was discovered in 1862. The Half Marathon starts along the Beaverhead River near the old Montaqua plant. Runners will head to Barretts Park from there they will follow the road leading them through rich agricultural land with views of the Pioneer, Blacktail, Sweetwater, Highland, and Tobacco Root Mountains. Both races will follow the same course and end in downtown Dillon, MT at Beaverhead Brewing Company. Race Schedule is as Follows: Packet Pick-up is at Sweetwater Coffee- May 15, 2020 at 5-7PM Day of race Packet Pick-up- May 16, 2020 at 7AM Start of the Full Marathon- May 16, 2020 at 9AM Bus will leave at 8AM from Beaverhead Brewing Company Start of Half Marathon- May 16, 2020 at 10AM Bus will leave at 9AM from Beaverhead Brewing Company Each participant will receive a burger, drink and chips after the race. Beaverhead Brewing Company will offer one complimentary beer to all runners. The Beaverhead Marathon would like to thank all of our sponsors, supporters and the community of Dillon, Montana. We are looking forward to welcoming all the runners and their support team to our wonderful community.

As we leave 2019 behind us, we at Southwestern Montana News want to reflect on what our hope is for the coming year. This site is more than a fleeting dream, more than something to come and go like the latest trend. We know people have more demands than ever before. Work pressures, family life, and extracurricular commitments aplenty. Because of these intricate parts of your world, our goal for 2020 is to deliver the news you need at the touch of your fingertips. We want you to find all the community events and news in one place. We strive to bring you and your families up to date information the second we learn about it. You are the community! You matter! And we want to give you a voice. Our hope is that Southwestern Montana News becomes a collaborative effort between local businesses and the people who support them. People who visit Montana are searching for that link to our simpler, friendly way of life. People from this neck of the woods sometime take for granted the rich history, beauty, and calm that comes from living here. If we can showcase just a glimpse into our world, the future can lead the way to bigger and better things. With 2019 taking it's final curtain call, we want to thank all those who have supported the idea of Southwestern Montana News. Your excitement and enthusiasm has not been lost on us. We want to live up to the promise we have instilled in the community thus far. We're here to deliver news, no matter how big or small, free of charge, in exciting new media formats, so that you can stop searching for answers that might not be readily available online. You shouldn't learn about events after they have happened. 2020 is about taking charge, and we don't want you to miss any part of it!

A strong storm is pushing into the Pacific NW and Northern Rockies. The storm will have a major impact on those traveling later today and into Thursday morning. Mountain passes along the Montana and Idaho state line will see the heaviest snowfall. The storm will be heaviest around midnight in the farther reaches of SW Montana and into early Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch. As the storm approaches the watch will be upgraded to a winter weather advisory or a winter storm warning. As of now the National Weather Service is estimating a total snowfall of 5"-12" above 7,000' and 2"-6" for the lower valleys. With possible wind gusts up to 40 mph. SW Montana areas with the greatest concern are Big Hole Pass, Chief Joseph Pass, Lost Trail Pass, Monida Pass, Raynolds Pass, Targhee Pass, and Big Sky to West Yellowstone. Allthough these are the areas of high concern most mountain passes could see snow and wind causing difficult travel on New Years Day.

The 20's of the 1900 era have been known by all as the roaring twenties. Mainly because of the roaring economic boom that was brought on after WWI. This decade brought about several trends, made possible by economic prosperity. Some of these trends included Jazz, Art Deco, and woman known as flappers. The roaring 20's also saw large scale adaptions of the automobile, telephone, motion pictures, and households with electricity. What will the 20's bring us in the 2000's? One can only guess, but this New Years Eve many local business's are bringing it in with a roaring 20's party. For all of the events happening on 12/31/2019 follow our events link to plan a fun New Years Eve. Also we here at Southwesten Mt News want to remind you if you have had to much to drink get a designated driver, but if you find yourself needing a ride home Jaydyn Child will be running Lyft rides from 9 P.M. to 2 A.M. Follow the Lyft link if you need to download the app. https://www.lyft.com/

The 2020 United Way of Beaverhead County allocation process is now open. Applications are due by January 31, 2020. The United Way helps to fund projects that focus on education, health, and financial stability within Beaverhead County. Projects receiving consideration must be accomplished within the 12-month funding period. The project must leave support or a lasting positive impact on the community. Projects involving construction costs will be evaluated on a case by case basis, but must be completed within a 12 month period and have a significant, broad based impact on the human service needs of our community. Funding from United Way of Beaverhead County cannot be used for salaries/wages, overhead costs, repayment of debt or capital campaigns. Projects will be evaluated based on community impact, volume of people served, and success of previous programs. For more information call Bob Pfister at (406) 683-4269. Application materials are available at the United Way office, 18 North Montana Street, Dillon Mt or online at https://www.beaverheadunitedway.org/allocations

As the cold icy days of winter arrive, the City of Dillon reminds all business owners and residents about the importance of snow removal. The City of Dillon ordinance 12.40.040 requires that all sidewalks in the central business district be cleared of the nights snow accumulation before 10 a.m. of the same day. All other areas of the city must be kept clean of snow and not be allowed to remain on the sidewalks for a period longer than 12 hours. Any person found guilty of violating this title shall be guilty of a misdemeanor with a fine of not less than twenty five dollars and not more than one hundred dollars. If you have any questions please contact Todd Hazelbaker, Director of Operations, at 406-683-4245.

Purses with a Purpose is one of the Soroptimist Clubs biggest fund raisers. They are a nonprofit club, donations raised from this event will go towards a college scholarship and dream award. This award will go towards head of household lady who is pursuing a college scholarship. The event will feature hors d'oeuvres, a wine pull, and silent and live auctions. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15 per a person advanced, $20 at the door, or a table of eight $100 or table of four $50. Advanced tickets can be purchased at Beaverhead Motors, Womack's Printing, or any Soroptomist Club member. For more information on this annual get-together staged by the Dillon Elks and Soroptimist of Dillon, call 406-660-0294 or email lethabk@gmail.com

City of Dillon would like to remind people with pets to get them licensed for the 2020 year. Fees are as follows Dogs that are not spayed or neutered $9.00, Dogs that are spayed or neutered $4.00, Fees will increase to $10 and $5 beginning January 1, 2020. Also anyone with chickens will need to get a permit as well, 2020 chicken permits for 1 to 4 chickens $5 and for 5 to 10 chickens $10.

Tomorrow, Dec 21st, Virginia City Ice will be having a skate with Santa event. Kids will be able to practice their ice skating skills with the elves. Santa will be arriving, bearing gifts in his sack for all the kids. Skate around with Santa and pose for pictures. The festivities will include Christmas music, food, refreshments, and, of course, ice skating with Santa.