Happy Friday, Beacon readers! Mariah Thomas here for your Daily Roundup duties today, with a spotlight on a really important event coming up that I hope some of you will consider attending.
Last winter, I wrote about the Montana Bar Fairies and their work combating drunk driving in the state of Montana and beyond. For a refresher, you can check out our story, which appeared in Flathead Living, by clicking here.
What I found when I was reporting on the Bar Fairies’ work was that Montana is a state where drunk driving is baked into the culture. The Treasure State ranks as the worst in the nation for drunk driving, with 8.57 drunk drivers involved in fatal crashes for every 100,000 licensed drivers. Drunk drivers cause more than 44% of the state’s traffic deaths — the highest rate in the nation. In Flathead County, our rates of drunk driving are among some of the state’s worst. Out of 166 roadway fatalities between 2013-2022 in Flathead County, 42% involved an alcohol-impaired driver.
That story is something the state has been working on changing, both through the efforts of nonprofits and advocates like the Bar Fairies and through legal pathways, like implementing legislation to dissuade people from impaired driving.
Last legislative session, lawmakers crossed party lines to pass Bobby’s Law, a piece of legislation sponsored by Rep. Braxton Mitchell, R-Columbia Falls, and supported heavily throughout the process by the Montana Bar Fairies (pictured above). That legislation created the crime of aggravated vehicular homicide while under the influence, which applies to anyone who causes the death of another human while operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content of 0.16% or higher, and it implements a three-year mandatory minimum sentence.
And ahead of the 2027 legislative session, the state’s Law and Justice Interim Committee has also been considering further work on the issue of impaired driving.
Next week, the public will have an early opportunity to join in on shaping that conversation.
State Rep. Courtenay Sprunger, R-Kalispell, is bringing several stakeholders together for a DUI Reform Summit. The event will take place at Flathead Valley Community College’s Arts & Technology Building on Thursday, Sept. 3. Sprunger has paired with the Flathead Valley DUI Task Force, the Bar Fairies, Glacier Bank and the Montana Tavern Association to put on the event.
“This summit is intended to produce practical ideas and informed discussion that can continue beyond one evening,” Sprunger said in a press release about the event. “The information and public feedback gathered will help shape the conversations about prevention, enforcement and potential legislation ahead of the 2027 session.”
It will feature a DUI experience, slated to begin at 4 p.m., where participants will move through a series of stations like impairment-simulation goggles, field sobriety tests and information about safe-ride programs to understand the consequences of drunk driving.
Then, at 6 p.m., a pair of panels will start. One will feature a set of speakers focused on the criminal justice and impaired-driving system, while the other includes speakers focused on public advocacy and the legislative process.
The event is open to members of the public who want to attend. I know I’m planning to be there, and I’m looking forward to listening in on the important conversations that will be happening and the ideas brought to the table.
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The Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery is hosting “Anne Frank: A History for Today,” a traveling exhibit on loan from the University of South Carolina’s Anne Frank Center. The exhibit will be on display starting August 24 at 5 PM through September 14 in the Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery. Recommended for ages 12 and up, the exhibit presents the history of the Holocaust through the perspective of Anne Frank and her family. Pairing photographs of the Frank family with historical images, the exhibit shows how targeted people were affected by the political actions of individuals and groups during World War II. The community is invited to an exhibition opening reception on Monday, August 24 from 5 – 7 PM in the Wanda Hollensteiner Art Gallery. Admission is free. Recommended age 12+.
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