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Picnic timeA cinnamon bear catches the eye of local photographer Pat Clayton last week in the Pintler Wilderness. Photo by Pat Clayton.
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Inmate captured
Following more than a month on the lam, escaped Montana State Prison inmate Preston Scott Tucker, was arrested in the early morning hours in a Powell County residence about seven miles from the prison.
Officials from the Montana State Prison Special Response Team and the Powell County Sheriff’s Office coordinated on the capture. According to a release, a tip came in from a neighbor who noticed someone was staying at the property which had been empty for five years.
Tucker was in MSP due to felony convictions for stalking, burglary and violation of a protection order and will now face additional charges.
Officials from the Montana State Prison Special Response Team and the Powell County Sheriff’s Office coordinated on the capture. According to a release, a tip came in from a neighbor who noticed someone was staying at the property which had been empty for five years.
Tucker was in MSP due to felony convictions for stalking, burglary and violation of a protection order and will now face additional charges.
Park vandals caught
by Lori Grannis
Three underaged teens have confessed to vandalizing a new building in West Side Park in the early hours of May 28.
Public works employees arrived to work that same day to find the building defaced with spray paint.
A tip lead police to three juveniles under the age of 16, who were arrested for defacing the walls, and they were charged with criminal mischief; a misdemeanor.
None of the juveniles can be identified in media reports, due to privacy laws that protect underaged children.
Suspects used spray paint to form what police call ‘gang-type symbols’ but said it was unlikely that the symbols were due to actual gang affiliations.
Because alcohol was a factor in the vandalism, each juvenile was also charged with
See Vandals, page 15
Three underaged teens have confessed to vandalizing a new building in West Side Park in the early hours of May 28.
Public works employees arrived to work that same day to find the building defaced with spray paint.
A tip lead police to three juveniles under the age of 16, who were arrested for defacing the walls, and they were charged with criminal mischief; a misdemeanor.
None of the juveniles can be identified in media reports, due to privacy laws that protect underaged children.
Suspects used spray paint to form what police call ‘gang-type symbols’ but said it was unlikely that the symbols were due to actual gang affiliations.
Because alcohol was a factor in the vandalism, each juvenile was also charged with
See Vandals, page 15
City updates West Side Park equipment
Not quite complete and about a month behind schedule, the city’s West Side Park new playground equipment is finally assembled and ready for city crews put in the finishing touches. Courtesy photo.
by Jenny McConnaha
It’s been a slow start to the season, but that summer sun is finally here and it’s ushering in the latest upgrades to West Side Park.
The well-known playground was filled with decades-old equipment, but the decision to replace it wasn’t solely based on wear and tear.
“We knew the existing equipment was 20 to 23 years in place, and it just didn’t meet the needs of today’s society,” Brian Bender said.
The Deer Lodge city administrator explained just how much design goes into today’s playgrounds. Structural integrity and fun are still keystones, but modern equipment also considers what skills kids have at what ages.
“There is a whole range of playground equipment designed for different age groups, different mobility levels and different developmental stages,” Bender said.
Seeing the new pieces go up has been exciting for the city and for the parks and recreation committee. The West Side project is funded by a 2019 state grant, and Bender said it’s been a coordinated effort between all involved.
The City of Deer Lodge received roughly $42,000 from the state, but the grant was one-to-one. This meant the City had to match that amount with its own funds, Bender explained. Luckily Deer Lodge could match “in-kind” by providing $42,000 in labor and materials.
“We utilized the public works crew: to install the equipment, to do the site prep, to lay out the forms,” Bender said. “And to put together the giant erector set.”
The three pieces have been hilariously intricate, according to Bender. They arrived in a lot of smaller pieces and several very big, very flat boxes. But the public works crew powered through, and Bender appreciates what a great resource they’ve been in upgrading West Side Park.
“They’ve done an excellent job,” he said.
The project has been drawn out by this year’s early summer, its cool, wet weather delaying assembly and installation.
“We were hoping to be completed by this time, but we’re probably a month behind,” Bender said.
A majority of the work is done, but the project still needs cement poured, woodchips filled in and a dedication. Bender hopes to finish West Side Park towards the end of the month. Deer Lodge Mayor Diana Solle is eager for that day to come.
See Park, page 15
It’s been a slow start to the season, but that summer sun is finally here and it’s ushering in the latest upgrades to West Side Park.
The well-known playground was filled with decades-old equipment, but the decision to replace it wasn’t solely based on wear and tear.
“We knew the existing equipment was 20 to 23 years in place, and it just didn’t meet the needs of today’s society,” Brian Bender said.
The Deer Lodge city administrator explained just how much design goes into today’s playgrounds. Structural integrity and fun are still keystones, but modern equipment also considers what skills kids have at what ages.
“There is a whole range of playground equipment designed for different age groups, different mobility levels and different developmental stages,” Bender said.
Seeing the new pieces go up has been exciting for the city and for the parks and recreation committee. The West Side project is funded by a 2019 state grant, and Bender said it’s been a coordinated effort between all involved.
The City of Deer Lodge received roughly $42,000 from the state, but the grant was one-to-one. This meant the City had to match that amount with its own funds, Bender explained. Luckily Deer Lodge could match “in-kind” by providing $42,000 in labor and materials.
“We utilized the public works crew: to install the equipment, to do the site prep, to lay out the forms,” Bender said. “And to put together the giant erector set.”
The three pieces have been hilariously intricate, according to Bender. They arrived in a lot of smaller pieces and several very big, very flat boxes. But the public works crew powered through, and Bender appreciates what a great resource they’ve been in upgrading West Side Park.
“They’ve done an excellent job,” he said.
The project has been drawn out by this year’s early summer, its cool, wet weather delaying assembly and installation.
“We were hoping to be completed by this time, but we’re probably a month behind,” Bender said.
A majority of the work is done, but the project still needs cement poured, woodchips filled in and a dedication. Bender hopes to finish West Side Park towards the end of the month. Deer Lodge Mayor Diana Solle is eager for that day to come.
See Park, page 15
More on this and the other issues grabbing this week's headlines
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
can be found in our print edition, out every Wednesday.
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Silver State Post
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