'Key’ part of town - Eddie Coyle’s photos capture slice of area’s history
SEELEY LAKE - If, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, the photographs of Eddie Coyle comprise an encyclopedia of Seeley Lake history. There are hundreds of images, shot over the course of more than three decades, mostly from behind the bar at Coyle’s own tavern, the Key Bar. They’re the kind of photos that’ll get longtime locals talking, and pretty soon, the conversation has wandered out the door of the bar, down the road, over by the lake, out into the surrounding mountains.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Chemist Byron Dodd was an optimist
Byron Dodd examined the world through chemical equations and science experiments.

NONPROFIT - Missoula Aging Services offering produce program
Missoula Aging Services is offering its Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to help eligible seniors purchase fresh produce at the Missoula farmers markets.

Steadfast shelter - With help, barn has stood on Lolo family farm since 1935
LOLO - The day the boom truck tugged the leaning barn back to plumb, the horses all gathered ’round to watch.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Ken Brett remembered as patient observer
If Ernest Hemingway had been a modest man, he might have been a lot like Ken Brett.

NONPROFIT - Watson Children’s Shelter plans bike event Saturday
Watson Children’s Shelter is sponsoring Bike for Shelter on Saturday in Community Medical Center’s parking lot.

Sharp shooters - Mineral County team earns spot at Junior Olympics in Ohio
SUPERIOR - The four junior shooters find their places on a row of floor mats at “the range” in Superior, steady their high-powered air rifles and take aim at a 10-point target.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Mariah McCarthy’s spirit lives on
Before Oct. 28, 2007, Leo McCarthy would occasionally speak to minor-in-possession offenders in the Butte justice system about underage drinking and DUI.

NONPROFIT - Spirit at Play to hold fundraiser
Spirit at Play Early Child Program, a nonprofit prekindergarten readiness program for children between the ages of 3 and 6, will hold a fundraiser Saturday, May 2, at Barnes & Noble, 2640 N. Reserve St.

IN SCHOOL - Education roundup
High school
Hillary Secrist of Kalispell was awarded a scholarship given by the Five?Valley Chorus of Sweet Adelines International, Missoula.

Unlikely coincidence - Businesses along Highway 200 looking for new owners
In the news business, we say once is a freak, twice a trend and three times a conspiracy.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Ellen Porter always thought about the needs of others
Ellen Porter read about the Watson Children’s Shelter in the newspaper.

Wheels keep on turning - Conley family has been transporting students in Swan Valley for 45 years
SALMON PRAIRIE - At one point, Dale Conley says he knew the name of every person living along the 100-mile stretch of Highway 83 between Ovando and Big Fork.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Bob Shea was a courageous man who loved adventure
Magnetic. Honest. Courageous. Compassionate. Alive.

Nonprofit - Boy Scout Troop 22 to hold spaghetti fundraiser
Boy Scout Troop 22 is holding an Italian spaghetti dinner fundraiser at 6:30 p.m., Friday, April 17, at the Frenchtown High School Commons. The cost is $5 per person or $15 per family. There will also be a silent and live auction. Call 824-2300.

Huge addition - School hopes to buy part of mountain for education, preservation
BONNER - Bonner Mountain does what mountains do. It sits there, sentinel to the millennia, presiding over the passings-by below and shrugging timbered shoulders at the triumphs and follies it bears witness to.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Steve Krauzer had a sharp mind, wicked sense of humor
So there’s this story about Steve Krauzer, about how he walked into this ski town saloon, over in Sun Valley, and saw Clint Eastwood standing there at the bar.

WE CARE - 16-year-old in need of new clothes
A 16-year-old boy currently being served by the Western Montana Mental Health Center is in need of clothing. Pants, jeans and shorts size men’s medium are needed, as well as socks. Donations would be helpful, as well as gift cards. Please contact Erica House at 532-9779.

Town’s night out - Community stays up late when First Friday rolls around
Stevensville - Stevensville doesn’t so much have a First Friday art walk as it becomes one.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Ed Moss was a loyal husband, hard worker
When Ed Moss came to East Missoula in 1921, life was, as it should be, elemental.

IN THE SERVICE - News from the military
Army

IN SCHOOL - Education roundup
High schools

Extended life span - Bridge shows signs of old age, but replacement still out of sight
HERON - In this easternmost berg in Sanders County, the Coca-Cola truck driver leaves his soft drinks at another spot out on Montana Highway 200. The Heron Store owners have to cross the one-lane Heron Bridge to pick them up because the driver refuses to take his truck over the 89-year-old structure.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Jo-Anne Mussulman was integral part of arts community
David Nelson recalls with a fond laugh the day, just over a year ago now, when Jo-Anne Mussulman had to stand in front of a television camera and speak about the trumpeter Allen Vizzutti. Mussulman had nominated Vizzutti for the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award; when he was named as one of the award recipients, it fell to her to speak.

No lift lines here - Blacktail Mountain a favorite for locals who hate to wait
LAKESIDE - One of the many perks of Montana living is the close proximity to recreation.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Lola Borgstede was full of positive energy
If a person could live on joy alone, Lola Borgstede would have been immortal.

Western outfitter - Crazy Horse Consignment has a little bit of everything
LOLO -If you get to feeling remotely Western but don’t have the wardrobe to pull it off, Bonnie Watson is your dream come true.

WESTERN MONTANA LIVES - Dr. Tom O’Halloran was an Irishman filled with stories
“He was a low-sized man, all of five-feet-two. He wore a greasy Irish tweed cap, pulled well down on his forehead. Penetrating, beautiful blue eyes peered out below the peak. Those eyes could spot a salmon or trout swimming gently in the waters of the River Corrib as they flowed into Galway Bay. He wore a long hand-me-down tweed coat, stretching from his neck to his ankles. It was lined on the inside, the pockets cut out to carry the tools for his illegal activities.”

IN SCHOOL - Education roundup
Honor roll

The big 'reveal’ - Woman spruces up unsold homes to attract buyers
ARLEE - Toni McOmber lives in only one home, but she has enough household furnishings to fully outfit - and decorate - 10 living rooms, six dining rooms, four bedrooms and several offices.