Sign up for the free Great Falls This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Great Falls city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 8/17/2026 It felt great to get a break from the smoke and sun late last week, didn’t it? Things are heating up again this week, in time for mural artists to work on downtown buildings. It’s one of my favorite local events, and there’s more on that below. And if you’re attending Tuesday’s city commission meeting, buckle up for 11 public hearings. It’s budget season, after all. But first… heads up, Great Falls Starting today, 67th Street North will be closed for 30 days between Giant Springs Road and 18th Avenue North. For those without a mental map, this is the roadway on the hill above the Rainbow Dam overlook parking and the South Shore trailhead. The closure also affects the Lewis and Clark Conservation Easement trail entrance at the top of that hill. Local candidates drop out Last week, Rina Fontana Moore dropped out of the race for Cascade County clerk and recorder. In a press release, she described a “heartbreaking” decision but needed to prioritize emerging medical issues in her immediate family. Those medical issues could draw attention away from clerk and recorder work, she wrote. “Given my family’s current circumstances, I do not believe I could make that commitment if elected,” Fontana Moore said in the press release. Fontana Moore previously served as the county clerk and recorder for 16 years. She was the Democratic candidate this year, and the deadline for the party to select a replacement is Aug. 19. Cascade County Democratic Central Committee Chair Matt Pipinich told Montana Free Press that the party plans to hold a vote Monday, Aug. 17, to decide not to field a replacement candidate. Speaking Friday, Pipinich stressed that the decision wasn’t final until a party vote, but the early consensus was that the Republican candidate, Lynn DeRoche, had the experience necessary for the specialized duties of the clerk and recorder. Finding another qualified candidate with knowledge of that role could be difficult in a matter of days, he said. DeRoche worked for Fontana Moore for more than a decade as the election manager (elections are now managed by a separate department). She won the Republican primary in June against the clerk and recorder’s current chief deputy. If county Democrats agree not to field a candidate, that would leave DeRoche unopposed in the fall election. In other election news, local attorney Cayle Halberg withdrew from the justice of the peace race Aug. 7. He faced incumbent justice Steven Fagenstrom. Cascade County Elections Administrator Terry Thompson confirmed that the ballot will now ask voters whether they want to retain Fagenstrom as justice of the peace. Photo Op 📸 Credit: Matt Hudson/MTFP It’s not the poster from “Apocalypse Now.” It’s also not a photo from July 2024. It’s a Missouri River sunset amid the smoky haze of wildfires last week. Thankfully, a subsequent weather pattern brought cooler temperatures and rain that improved air quality and (hopefully) doused some fires. To learn more about our smoky world, check out this explainer from my colleague, Ellis Juhlin, on how wildfires have different smoke signatures. Public Notice 🏛️ Great Falls City Commission What: Votes on increased property taxes, special assessments Details: The commission will vote on a resolution to set the annual property tax levy and incorporate increases equaling about $27 on a $300,000 home or $57 on a $600,000 home. Read details about the budget here. The commission will also hold public hearings on five special districts. They include citywide assessments for parks (about $37.50 total for a $300,000 home) and street maintenance (a 5% proposed increase of $7.26 for an average lot). Additional hearings will cover site-specific assessments for the boulevard district, the Portage Meadows neighborhood and various lighting districts. The city commission agenda packet is here with details. Where and when: The commission meets Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on the second floor of the Civic Center. Following Up ↩️ Last month, I reported on a turning point facing the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. In particular, the popular tourist destination will lose its three full-time employees this year, including its director. And the U.S. Forest Service, which operates the center, has no apparent plans to replace them. At the time of that article, the region’s primary media contact was out of the office, and another spokesperson told me that they couldn’t comment on staffing. But on Aug. 7, the main public affairs officer responded to my inquiry about plans to restaff the positions. The response was not reassuring to anyone worried about the center. The representative again declined to address staffing plans or allow an interview on the subject. “However, we can reassure the public that there will be Forest Service personnel on site along with our committed partners and volunteers assisting us in the center’s operations,” wrote Chiara Cipriano, the Forest Service public affairs officer, in an email. Cipriano did not respond to a request for clarification of what “personnel on site” meant if not restaffing the vacant positions. Great Falls in Brief ⏱️ Great Falls College MSU announced the addition of a child-care center for student parents. The Early Learning Center, 1900 23rd St. S., will open Sept. 14. An open house is scheduled for Sept. 11. Tuition discounts will be available for students who rely on the center for child care. More information is in the college’s press release here. The Great Walls Great Falls mural lineup is locked in ahead of the event that began Aug. 16. Downtown Great Falls has been releasing information about the artists, including examples of their work. Over the next week, the artists will be painting large murals around downtown, and the public is encouraged to watch the work happen. An artist reception and block party is planned for Aug. 20. The History Museum and Research Center will host an opening reception Aug. 21 for its new exhibition, “Voices of Our Ancestors: The Records of St. Peter’s Mission Boarding School.” The historic collection of the St. Peter’s Catholic boarding school for Indigenous children was preserved by the Ursuline Sisters. St. Peter’s operated in Cascade County and was the state’s only off-reservation Indian boarding school. The reception is at 6 p.m. The post Withdrawals leave local government races with lone candidates appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less