Take me out to the ball game

By Alyssa Stromberg

May is in full swing, farmers are seeding, school is out for the summer and little league and legion baseball is in play. Where do you find community members, parents, and friends on a Thursday evening? The baseball field of course! It’s a doubleheader; entertainment and a baseball burger. Medicine Lake baseball concessions are a destination during the baseball season and never disappoints; unless they sell out, then there is disappointment.

Game day dawned sunny and warm, but by lunch the rain threatened a rescheduling headache. About 45 minutes before game time the rain stopped, the clouds cleared and the sun again made an appearance. The game must go on, so coaches gathered at the field and worked it until it was ready. The Medicine Lake Reds hosted Scobey for both minors and majors, the Reds met Scobey on their field and suffered a loss. Tonight, the Reds are swinging for a win.

If you haven’t taken in a little league game, head on down to the nearest ball field; it’s a great way to spend an evening. Rain or shine the game must go onlet’s play ball!

By Mark Moran Big Sky Connection

The Montana Legal Services Association has started a program to help young attorneys get started on a path to success - becoming community leaders, run socially conscious law firms, and maintain sustainable businesses.

The Rural Incubator Program for Lawyers creates a way for new attorneys to start their careers by helping connect them to rural clients with pro-bono and reduced-rate services.

Gillian Ellison, the incubator program coordinator, said it helps underserved people in Montana - while also giving lawyers a leg up on networking and kick-starting, or incubating, their careers.

"It's looking at the problem from both ways," said Ellison, "trying to get more attorneys in the rural places and also trying to facilitate the growth of new businesses that serve low-to moderate-income Montanans."

Montana Tribal members also stand to benefit from the rural lawyer incubator program, which requires the attorneys to perform 25 pro bono hours and 225 reduced rate service hours in exchange for training and assistance with business and client development.

Ellison said while the incubator program is especially helpful to underserved Montanans and members of the state's Indigenous tribes, it is also especially useful to lawyers who are just starting out and need the help that comes from more experienced attorneys - which can be difficult to get.

"Especially in a place like Montana where things are so spread out to have networking capacity because the networking and the mentoring is invaluable to a new attorney," said Ellison, "especially if you're not going to be working in a - or getting hired on to work in - a firm. "

The program also makes some tuition reimbursement assistance available for some lawyers who participate.