Griffen Smith
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Griffen Smith
@griffen8smith.bsky.social
57 followers 13 following 37 posts
Local government reporter at the Missoulian. Previous editor of the Seeley Swan Pathfinder
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New: Missoula City Council is set to remove a daycare requirement for a massive Northside Neighborhood affordable housing development, citing no provider to take on the work. A final vote is scheduled for April 14

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
City to remove daycare requirement from Missoula Northside development
The YMCA was selected to operate the facility, but for the last several months daycare waitlists have dropped and extra capacity has been made available.
missoulian.com
April 10, 2025 at 2:38 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: Roughly 380 new housing units and commercial space cleared for development along Missoula’s California Street, which will likely remove the well-known graffiti wall in the area

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula City Council clears way for housing development on California Street
The Missoula City Council approved increasing the housing density allowed on two properties near California Street on Monday night, opening the door for hundreds of new apartments to be built.
missoulian.com
April 8, 2025 at 6:21 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Scoop: The agency focus on restoring passenger rail in Montana has more than $15 million in federal grants “under review” by the Department of Transportation. The pause could delay work on an infrastructure in Malta this year.

missoulian.com/news/state-r...
Missoula official urges Department of Transportation to restore passenger rail grants
Called the Big Sky North Coast Corridor, the rail line is in initial planning stages to develop a 2,300-mile passenger route from Chicago to Seattle, including a stop in Missoula.
missoulian.com
April 3, 2025 at 9:02 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: Feds discontinue Missoula County grants around social workers, energy efficiency and climate

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Feds slash nearly $2 million in Missoula Co. grants for social workers, energy efficiency
County officials said the federal government will still have to pay for most of the work that has already been completed, but an exact breakdown is unknown.
missoulian.com
April 1, 2025 at 5:33 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Scoop: Missoula’s airport expansion will include a private room for luxury resort Paws Up. The 500-square-foot space will have its own bathroom, kitchen and waiting area.

missoulian.com/news/local/b...
Luxury Montana resort to get private room in Missoula airport
Airport officials said the airport has long been in need of a private space for high-profile travelers.
missoulian.com
March 27, 2025 at 8:25 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: Missoula’s effort to relocate people from the Johnson Street Shelter is underway, but so far private donations have been limited and the city hasn’t decided how much money it will spend

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Johnson Street to reduce capacity in April, Missoula housing sprint funds limited
A local nonprofit leader noted that just $15,000 of the $400,000 goal the city set to complete the housing sprint had been raised so far.
missoulian.com
March 26, 2025 at 9:42 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
If you want to fly out of Missoula in early September, you might want to think again. An $18 million landing strip repair project will sideline flights for five days starting on Sept. 2

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula Airport Board approves $18 million runway repair plan
The construction work would completely close the airport to flights for five days in September.
missoulian.com
March 25, 2025 at 10:10 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Ben’s legacy: A young Missoula man who died following a motorcycle accident last May saved four people through organ donations. His friends and family said his generosity lives on through his donation

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Ben's legacy: How one son's organs saved four people, and why others should become donors
Decisions around organ donations happen for moms like Eden Atwood across the country every day.
missoulian.com
March 18, 2025 at 4:35 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
NEW: $3.7 million in federal funds for nonprofit Blackfoot Challenge are still frozen as of today. Missoula County Commissioners warned last month that the money is needed for public-private forest management. MT’s Congressional delegation responds⬇️

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula commission: $3.7M funding freeze for Blackfoot Challenge could devastate region
Examples of projects that are on hold as of Tuesday include grizzly bear fences to protect human safety and livestock, wildfire risk reduction and stream restoration projects.
missoulian.com
March 12, 2025 at 12:52 AM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
BREAKING: The City of Missoula announced this morning that it will permanently close the Johnson Street Shelter this summer, citing a lack of funds and an interest to move toward other homelessness services. The shelter was set to be redeveloped in 2026

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Johnson Street Shelter to permanently close in August, citing lack of funds
The shelter first opened in winter 2020 as an emergency warming space for the winter.
missoulian.com
March 7, 2025 at 6:50 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
NEW: Deportation operations in western Montana are intensifying, like the 17 people arrested in Bigfork yesterday, but border patrol officials declined to comment on the total arrests in Montana, nor specific operations in the state.

missoulian.com/news/state-r...
Federal deportation efforts intensify in parts of Montana with dozens detained, data shows
While officials say they cannot elaborate on border operations, federal data show arrests by the Spokane Border Patrol Sector have ramped up under the second Trump Administration.
missoulian.com
March 5, 2025 at 8:41 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
NEW: Elon Musk’s DOGE is set to cancel leases on more than a dozen federal buildings in Montana, including Missoula and Kalispell’s social security office, US Fish and Wildlife Offices and a border patrol facility in Shelby.

missoulian.com/news/state-r...
DOGE set to slash $2.7M in federal leases in Montana, closing key government offices
Social Security, Border Patrol and wildlife facilities used for federal work across the state are on the chopping block as part of the agency's goal to cut government spending.
missoulian.com
March 5, 2025 at 4:43 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Missoula Fire Chief Gordy Hughes announced he will retire this summer after 32 years with the department

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula Fire chief to retire after 32-year career
In 1993, the Missoula Fire Department hired Hughes as a rookie firefighter. Gordy Hughes then stayed with the department for three decades.
missoulian.com
February 27, 2025 at 7:52 PM
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ICYMI: “The city apologizes:” Flathead Warming Center reaches agreement with Kalispell to keep operating after 13-hour negotiation session on Tuesday

missoulian.com/news/state-r...
'The City apologizes:' Kalispell agrees to allow Flathead Warming Center to operate
The Flathead Warming Center was temporarily barred from housing homeless people in Kalispell after the city council revoked the center's permit to operate last fall.
missoulian.com
February 27, 2025 at 3:30 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Scoop: The Missoula Historic Preservation could decide whether landowners in Fort Missoula can demolish a 114-year-old hospital, roughly one year after a development application was denied by city council

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Hearing set for Missoula Old Post Hospital demolition
The city's website said residents can comment on the demolition proposal until the end of the day on Thursday, Feb. 27.
missoulian.com
February 26, 2025 at 6:24 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: The City of Missoula has added warning signs about river danger at Jacob’s Island Dog park after apparent drowning

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula officials add warning signs near popular park after apparent drowning
Parks and Recreation staff told the Missoulian that temporary signs at Jacobs Island Dog Park will be replaced with more permanent signs in the future.
missoulian.com
February 25, 2025 at 8:58 PM
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New: A Missoula County Commissioner has filed a family transfer exemption to divide his land west of Missoula, which the commissioners must ultimately approve. Commissioner Josh Slotnick has recused himself from the process. #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula County commissioner files family transfer exemption to divide land
Slotnick told the Missoulian he is dividing his 3-acre parcel in the Orchard Homes neighborhood to give his son a place to resettle in Missoula.
missoulian.com
February 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
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New: The University of Montana unenrolled more than 700 students for not paying their bills this week, a change from COVID era polices. A majority of those students have been reinstated #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/e...
University of Montana unenrolls 740 students for unpaid bills; majority now reinstated
UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz said the cause for the hard cutoff was not because of widespread financial aid issues, but rather to streamline the university's administrative enrollment count.
missoulian.com
February 14, 2025 at 8:37 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
"This was a bomb," Judge John Larson told the court room. "He carefully constructed it and he almost killed three people.” Polson man sentenced to 110 years for attack on neighbors. #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/state-r...
Polson man sentenced to 110 years in prison for attack on neighbors
While his defense attorneys said Ailport suffered from mental health issues, Missoula District Court Judge John Larson said Ailport's actions deserved a harsh sentence.
missoulian.com
February 14, 2025 at 4:40 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
Missoula city councilors rejected an effort Wednesday to add term limits for the mayor and city councilors, citing a lack of need. #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
City council shoots down term limits for Missoula mayor, council
The request would have limited the mayor and city councilors to three full terms in office, or 12 years
missoulian.com
February 12, 2025 at 11:15 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis announces reelection bid #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis announces bid for reelection
In her first year in office, Davis helped reshape the city's laws around homelessness, worked to build out new affordable housing and also approved a 16% tax increase.
missoulian.com
February 12, 2025 at 8:46 PM
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New: Missoula Mayor Andrea Davis offered a glimpse of a housing first policy for the city after a national campaign helped the city house 12 homeless veterans. #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
City touts housing policy, moves a dozen veterans into homes
Housing officials from the city of Missoula recently moved 12 homeless veterans into rental units as part of a nationwide "housing sprint" campaign with the goal of reducing homelessness.
missoulian.com
February 12, 2025 at 1:18 AM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
ICYMI: Skis that sat unused for decades at Marshall Mountain’s ski shop will now be up-cycled by Hellgate High School during the mountain’s ongoing transformation #Missoula

missoulian.com/news/local/m...
Old Marshall Mountain skis begin new life in Hellgate shop class
Hellgate High School recently took ownership of roughly 225 pairs of skis and 75 snowboards from Marshall Mountain.
missoulian.com
February 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
griffen8smith.bsky.social
New: Two Missoula city councilors told the Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America that they believe the city has recently grown more conservative. Other councilors disagree.

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Two Missoula city councilors kick off democratic socialists speaker series
City Councilors Daniel Carlino and Kristen Jordan told the audience of about 50 people that city policies are becoming more conservative, citing recent laws around homelessness and urban camping.
missoulian.com
February 7, 2025 at 4:24 PM
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New: Missoula County is moving forward with a public water system in the Wye area that will cost roughly $6 million and could be operational in 2025. #mtnews

missoulian.com/news/local/g...
Missoula County approves Wye public water system
The county has eyed adding a water system in the Wye area for decades in order to allow for development.
missoulian.com
February 7, 2025 at 12:01 AM