Griffen Smith

2 weeks ago | missoulian.com | Griffen Smith

A second-term Missoula City Councilor filed for reelection on Thursday and said she hopes to continue supporting the city's first responders while also advocating for new development within city limits. Stacie Anderson, 44, was first elected to ward 5 in 2017, which covers parts of the South Hills, Linda Vista and Fort Missoula. She told the Missoulian in a Friday interview that she hopes to bring experience and consistency to the city government while uncertainly looms at the federal level.

2 weeks ago | missoulian.com | Griffen Smith

Another first term Missoula City Council member filed for reelection Thursday morning, but will run in a new district with the hope of getting more voices into city politics to address houselessness and housing policy. Jennifer Savage, 49, was first elected to office in 2021. She will move from her current seat in Ward 1 and run for Ward 3, which includes the University District and Slant Street neighborhoods.

3 weeks ago | missoulian.com | Griffen Smith

One of Missoula's first-term city councilors announced his bid for reelection Wednesday night, campaigning on the goal of streamlining new home construction in the city limits. Mike Nugent, 39, first won his election in fall 2021 and represents Ward 4, including the Lewis and Clark, Midtown and South Hills neighborhoods. He also ran for mayor in 2023, but lost to incumbent Mayor Andrea Davis.

3 weeks ago | missoulian.com | Griffen Smith

Last month, the U.S. Border Patrol in Havre labeled three men who entered the country illegally as Tren De Aragua gang members on Facebook and posted their mugshots to the public. But the attorney for one of the men told Lee Montana there was no proof of any gang membership and the lack of evidence is a concerning trend around immigration enforcement in the United States. "Border Patrol really created a mess here with this," said Nate Ellis, a federal public defender based in Helena.

3 weeks ago | missoulian.com | Griffen Smith

Data from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol shows encounters with people unauthorized to be in the country continue to rise in the Northern Rockies region, although specific data for Montana remains unavailable. Combined data for the Spokane and Havre Border Patrol Sectors showed 72 encounters in March, the most on record in the last four years. Most of that activity happened in western Montana and eastern Washington.