LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

Despite championship loss, MSU football celebrates banner season

EBS STAFF

BOZEMAN – Montana State University fell to North Dakota State 38-10 at the FCS National Championship football game on Saturday, Jan. 8. The Bison outplayed the Bobcats on the ground, rushing for 380 yards and preventing MSU from scoring a touchdown for the first 55 minutes.

Bobcat starting quarterback Tommy Mellott, a true freshman, sustained an injury at the end of the opening drive and did not see the field again. Tucker Rovig took over at quarterback, completing a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lance McCutcheon with five minutes and eight seconds remaining in the game.

Despite the loss, MSU football had a positive year ending their season 12-3 overall and making their first national championship appearance since 1984. Before the national championship game, MSU’s defense held opponents to fewer than 22 points per game all season.

MSU senior linebacker Troy Anderson earned the FCS ADA Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday, Jan. 5.

Bobcat junior running back Isaiah Ifanse set MSU’s single-season rushing record during the quarterfinal game against Sam Houston with a total of 1,623 yards in the 2021 season. He averaged 118.4 rushing yards per game.

NPS announces free entrance days for 2022

EBS STAFF

The National Park Service will have five entrance fee-free days in 2022. These free admission dates are meant to encourage visitation in an accessible way, allowing everyone to discover America’s parks.

Free entrance dates this year are:

• Monday, Jan. 17 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day • Saturday, April 16 – First day of National Park Week • Thursday, Aug. 4 – Anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act • Saturday, Sept. 24 – National Public Lands Day • Friday, Nov. 11 – Veterans Day

“Whether on an entrance fee-free day or throughout the year, we encourage everyone to discover their national parks and the benefits that come from spending time outdoors,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams in a Dec. 28 news release. “National parks are for everyone, and we are committed to increasing access and providing opportunities for all to experience the sense of wonder, awe and refreshment that comes with a visit to these treasured landscapes and sites.”

In 2020, approximately 237 million people visited a national park in the U.S., spending $14.5 billion in the parks’ local communities. The parks supported 234,000 jobs across the country and created a $28.6 billion impact on the country’s economy.

Big Sky Rotary adds food donation pantries in Big Sky

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY – Big Sky Rotary recently donated and installed Little Food Pantries at select public locations in Big Sky for food donations and to provide free food to community members in need.

Currently, the pantries are set up in the ATM vestibule at First Security Bank and in the breezeway between Milkie’s Pizza & Pub and By Word of Mouth. The Rotary Club of Big Sky is looking to place two more pantries in Big Sky in the near future: one at the BASE community center and another near Big Sky Resort.

“We loved the Little Food Pantry project because, like the Little Library Project which allows folks to share books, this initiative allows many members of the community to get engaged in supporting those in need,” Laura Seyfang, Rotary Club of Big Sky’s youth service and membership director, wrote in an email to EBS. “People can leave their extras and know they are helping someone who is struggling to get by.”

“We know that helping local workers with their food needs in the expensive environment is a WIN for the whole community,” wrote Sefang, adding that Big Sky Rotary strives to serve the Big Sky community and focus on growing local economies.

The Big Sky Food Bank will monitor the stocking of the pantries and ensure appropriate items are in there, adding as needed from their main office location stores.

Big Sky man charged with raping 13-year-old

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY – A Big Sky man appeared in court on Jan. 10 after being accused of raping a 13-year-old girl, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported on Jan. 10.

Mason Suppes, 21, was charged with sexual intercourse without consent. Suppes appeared in Gallatin County Justice Court by video from Gallatin County Detention Center, where Judge Bryan Adams set his bail at $150,000.

The charge stems from an accusation that Suppes allegedly forced the girl to have sexual intercourse with him multiple times while the girl and her family were staying in Big Sky last July.

The girl disclosed the incidents to her parents in November and the family, who resides in Yellowstone County, reported the incidents to the Billings Police Department.

Last month, one of the girl’s parents provided law enforcement with videos and screenshots of messages, including a message where Suppes asked the girl to send him an explicit photo, according to the court documents.

Suppes told law enforcement he had been in contact with her and did have sexual contact with her, though he did not admit to the full extent of allegations expressed in the arresting documents.

Community contributes to successful Giving Tree

EBS STAFF

BIG SKY – This year’s Giving Tree in the Big Sky Post Office provided 55 children with toys, books, clothing and shoes over the holiday season. In addition to presents, each family received a food hamper from Roxy’s Market, homemade cookies from the Hungry Moose and a Country Market gift coupon. On Dec. 20, more than 35 volunteers showed up at Bucks T-4 Lodge to wrap the presents. hampers and gifts,” according to a statement from the Big Sky Rotary Club, which sponsored the Giving Tree. “I think they actually had a small competition going on for best wrappers. All the other elves came from the Big Sky community and really got into the spirit of the night.”

LOCATED IN BOZEMAN’S NORTHEAST NEIGHBORHOOD

WILDLANDSBOZEMAN.COM