members (from left) Bev Vannatta, Joe Picard, Agnes Picard, Setha Burns, Jolee Picard, Aubrey Picard, Cole Walters and Laurie Picard were recognized during an anniversary ceremony July 4. Michael Picard was killed in Vietnam Feb. 20, 1968. The ceremony was held to mark 10 years since the dedication of the Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial Park in Fort Peck. (Photo by James Walling)

The 10 year anniversary of the construction of the Northeast Montana Veterans Memorial Park was marked over the holiday weekend in Fort Peck. A crowd of veterans families, memorial organizers and well wishers enjoyed a sunny Saturday morning at the south end of the intersection that serves as the memorial site and roundabout. Don Fast was master of ceremonies at the July 4 event. Annika Smith

When Bentley McCullough left Montana to continue her education at Northeastern University in Boston, the plan wasn’t to ever come back and make the Big Sky state her residence. “I was ready to stay there, honestly,” the 2026 Miss Rodeo Montana explained prior to this week’s Wolf Point Wild Horse Stampede. But the joy of living a rural lifestyle started to reenter her thoughts. She