Going-to-the-Sun Road is set to open to vehicles
Edward O'Brien
The full length of Glacier National Park’s Going-to-the-Sun Road is expected to open to traffic Monday, June 16.
Vehicle reservations are again required this year for the west side of the iconic road and the North Fork. However, those reservations this year will include a designated time slot for vehicles to enter. Reservations will be required from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. through the end of September.
Reservations are not required to enter from the east side of the park at the St. Mary Entrance.
This will be the last weekend for bicyclists to ride the west side of the road. Park officials caution that roadside bears are increasingly habituating to traffic and people. Visitors are urged to carry bear spray, know how to properly use it and be able to access it in a hurry.
This will also be the last weekend of the season for the hiker/biker shuttle.
Rental assistance waitlist to reopen July 1
John Hooks
Montana housing officials will reopen the waitlist for Section 8 low-income rental assistance on July 1.
The program stopped accepting new applications last August. State officials said the pause was due to federal officials reducing the state’s funding for the program.
The Montana Department of Commerce says it’s reopening the program because the federal government increased that funding. Additionally, the department says the dollar amount for individual vouchers has also increased. That’s due to a market rent revaluation state officials completed in February.
Grizzly bear killed after charging a person near Seeley Lake
Ellis Juhlin
A grizzly bear was killed near Seeley Lake earlier this month. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks reports the bear charged a landowner near his residence on the night of June 3 and was subsequently shot and killed. The landowner was not injured.
In light of the incident the agency is reminding Montanans that bears are active and widespread in Western Montana. It is safest to avoid conflicts with bears whenever possible, carry bear spray, follow food storage orders and secure possible attractants.
