2025 Featured Tragic Events, School Plans, Tribal Election In Area
Year In Review
August
Roosevelt County 4-H honored Oil Field Waste Logistics, Bob Jasper and C& B Operations during the county fair.
Angela Miller resigned as the Roosevelt County Fair manager. Officials said that she submitted her resignation on Aug. 8, the last day of the fair, and finished working until the end of that day’s activities. Roosevelt County commissioners officially accepted the resignation during their weekly meeting on Aug. 19. Miller has been manager of the Roosevelt County Fair since 2012.
Superintendent Keith Hays believes this year’s increase in students results in the larger amount of students in the nearly 60-year history of Frontier School. “We will be pushing 160,” Hays said of the number of students. “We have some classes that have been full for several weeks because we have a cap of 24 per classroom. We have 6-10 on a waiting list.”
September
City of Wolf Point officials are still waiting for a reply from the National Park Service whether it’s possible for the city to move forward with plans for selling the Triangle Park property. If approval is granted, Mayor Chris Dschaak said officials still aren’t sure if the selling process would require a vote of city residents.
Wolf Point city council member Lance FourStar confirms that work is still being conducted to form an Agichita Wolf Point community patrol. FourStar explained that the effort has been slowed because of health challenges by one of the group’s leaders.
Two new single family homes for Fort Peck Community College employees were placed near the Dollar Tree in Wolf Point. Craig Smith, president of the college, said that the total housing for college employees is now eight units, four each in Poplar and Wolf Point.
Two local Montana Highway Patrol troopers recently received Hedstrom Awards for their service.
The Hedstrom award is the division’s second highest award. The honor is typically awarded to troopers who attempt to save a life using their first responder skills. The honor is given for going above and beyond the normal call of duty. Area troopers receiving the honor were T’Elle Evans and Joseph Oliver for District 5.
Without any major changes from last year’s budget figures, the Roosevelt County Commissioners adopted the 2025-2026 budget during a hearing conducted on Sept. 3. The budget features a slight increase in county wide property taxes. Those increases include $7.39 for a house valued at $100,000, $22.16 for a house valued at $300,000 and $44.30 for a house valued at $600,000.
On Sept. 14, at approximately 4 a.m., the Fort Peck Tribal police officers received information from the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office that a male had confessed to shooting and killing his wife, his stepson and the stepson’s girlfriend at a residence in Poplar. The male said that all three victims were still inside the house. The male was identified as 73-year-old Michael Littlebull, an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Tribes. Fort Peck Tribal police officers responded to a residence in Poplar to investigate the information. After receiving no response at the residence, tribal police officers received and executed a search warrant to enter the residence. Once inside the residence, tribal police officers located 65-year-old Earlene Jones, 41-year-old Matthew Black Thunder and 35-year-old Winona Longee deceased inside the residence. All three victims appeared to have been shot at least one time at close range with a small caliber bullet.
The Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office will always remember Sgt. Michael Ellerton who died on July 1, 2025, after a four-year battle with cancer. County commissioners approved the sheriff’s office’s request to retire Ellerton’s badge, #13. Ellerton served Roosevelt County for six years and was known as the K-9 officer and drug enforcement deputy.
Roosevelt County commissioners approved the bid from Bishop Inc., for the Shotgun Creek Bridge, Bridge 1010, replacement project during their weekly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The bid from Bishop was $496,780. There were five total bids received.
One man was killed and another injured in a shooting that occurred on Blaine Street in Wolf Point at the Albertsons store’s parking lot. According to the Wolf Point Police Department, an officer responded to a reported shooting at approximately 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 28. Upon arrival, the police officer found one deceased individual and another person with a gunshot wound. The police officer provided immediate medical assistance to the injured person until emergency medical assistance arrived. The injured person was taken to Trinity Hospital in Wolf Point and later flown to Billings for additional care. Ethan Murphy, the suspect in the case, was successfully detained.
October
Discussion of a future Fort Peck Tribal School included plans and goals during a meeting in Wolf Point. The group received a three-year fellowship to design a tribal school and this fall is the start of the second year of the fellowship.
Roosevelt County Commissioner Gordon Oelkers has been elected president of the Montana Association of Counties during the organization’s 116th annual conference. Oelkers’ election places Roosevelt County at the forefront of county government leadership across Montana. MACo represents all 56 counties, providing a unified voice on statewide issues affecting local government, infrastructure, public safety and economic development.
Building owner Matt Lange had a vision of providing a fresh look to the Wolf Point Job Service location after graffiti was put on the east side of the building again this summer. “I wanted to put something that wouldn’t be defaced with vandalism,” Lange explained. “And I wanted something that the community would appreciate and value.” Lange was able to meet Glasgow artist Cat McIntyre through Buck Turcotte. Lange and McIntyre agreed on a great mural idea for the wall.
During a tour stop in Roosevelt County, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said his office continues to work on decreasing the use of fentanyl throughout the state. Knudsen reports that there was a 2,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures in Montana from 2019 to 2023. During the first six months of this year, the percentage is down by 80 percent.
Bainville Superintendent of Schools Darin Hannum has been selected the North East Region Superintendent of the Year. The announcement came during the fall administrators conference held in Helena.
Wolf Point’s schools will start to utilize the Boys Town Education Model as early as this week at the district’s two elementary schools. “The idea is to change the behavior of students and make sure they’re successful,” Wolf Point Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Perkins said. “I went after it because I know it’s a proven program.”
Roosevelt County commissioners agreed to extend a memorandum of understanding with the City of Wolf Point regarding the clean up of abandoned tax deeded properties in Wolf Point. Dates for the MOU now run from Nov. 1, 2025, to Oct. 31, 2026.
A new Tribal Executive Board was sworn in at Fort Peck Community College’s Greet the Dawn auditorium on Monday, Oct. 27, in Poplar, along with two tribal judges and a new chairman. Former chairman Floyd Azure was re-elected by a wide margin, defeating challengers Bryce Kirk, Samson E. Boyd, John Morales and outgoing chairman Justin Gray Hawk Sr. Charles Headdress was re-elected as vice-chairman. TEB saw significant turnover, with eight new members elected including Adrian Spotted Bird Jr., Darren Long Hair, Melvin Scott III, Charles Knowlton, George W. Blount. Michael Headdress, Barry Bighorn Sr. and Vernice Chopper. Returning TEB members are Marva Chapman, Jestin Dupree, Carolyn Bighorn Brugh and Roxanne Gourneau.
The abatement of hazardous substances along with a partial demolition of an abandoned building in Wolf Point is scheduled to start next spring. During a public meeting regarding the former VFW building located at 108 Main St., Karly Lacock, Great Northern Development Corp. Brownfield program coordinator, said, “We’re hoping for next spring.” The timeframe depends on an abatement contractors’ schedule. Another possible delay is how the EPA might be impacted by the government shutdown.
Culbertson’s Anna Steppler, a freshman, earned All-State honors by taking eighth place at the Class C state cross country meet in Helena on Saturday, Oct. 25. Steppler finished with a time of 21:22.90.
