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Townsend woman arrested for violating child custody order

by Dean Rhyneer
The Townsend Star

Leslee R. Hebein-Etapa, of Townsend, was arrested on Saturday evening in Wisconsin for violating a court issued custody order.
Hebein-Etapa moved to Townsend in June of 2007 with her two daughters Faith, 8, and Grace, 7. She, reportedly, was to return the two girls to see their father in Ringle, Wis. in December. On Monday, April 7th, a nationwide warrant was issued for Hebein-Etapa for violating the custody order.
Officials believe that Hebein-Etapa learned of the warrant and fled the state on April 9th, leaving her children hidden in Montana.
Then on Friday, April 11th, the Marathon County, Wis., Sheriff Department issued an Amber Alert for the two girls. The alert was issued because authorities felt that the girls may have been in danger of physical harm.
Local and regional law enforcement agencies were on full look out for the missing mother and her two daughters, while the Amber Alert blurted over all the radio and television stations in the area.
The 49-year-old Hebein-Etapa was apprehended at a friend’s home near Waupaca, Wis., at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 12th, after reportedly fleeing the Townsend area to Shelby and taking a train to Wisconsin. The two girls were found safe and sound several hours later at the home of a friend of their mother’s in Jefferson County.
Hebein-Etapa made her first court appearance on Monday of this week, where a Marathon County, Wis., Circuit Court Judge issued a $50,000 bond.
Leslee Hebein-Etapa of Townsend was arrested Saturday for not returning her daughters to their father in Wisconsin, as ordered.

School Clean Up Days set for this weekend
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On Saturday and Sunday, April 19th and 20th, from 8-5 pm each day, the Rotary Club, Lions Club, Townsend Tree Board, Soroptimist International of Crimson Bluffs, and Townsend School District #1 personnel will be cleaning up the school grounds in preparation for the Montana State Arbor Day Celebration to be held at the School on April 25th. 
Besides the basic cleanup of leaves and garbage on the school grounds, some landscaping is planned in front of the Community Library, some new sidewalks will be installed, lines will be painted in the parking lot, a fence will be stained, some pruning will be completed, some weeding and fertilization will be done, and various other general repairs will be made.
Rotary Club members are taking time from their busy Rotary Talent Show schedule on April 18th and 19th to help with the project.  Lion’s Club members are still recovering from their very successful basketball tournaments the last few weekends but will be at the school to help.  Soroptimists members will be helping after their Health Fair is over on April 19th.  Of course, Townsend Tree Board members will be there helping prepare for Arbor Day on April 25th. 
Because of the busy weekend, more volunteers are needed.  Anyone wanting to help, please contact Brian Patrick at 266-5512.  Please bring gloves, rakes, shovels, pick up trucks and trailers to haul garbage, leaf blowers and leaf vacuums, etc.  Townsend Schools will be providing lunch both days.  See you there.

Dolans to stride it out in Boston

By James Green

The Townsend Star

Twenty Six miles, Three Hundred Eighty Five Yards. That is the distance of the worlds oldest marathon, The Boston Marathon. Now personally I get tired just thinking about running to the store but not local couple Shawn and Brooke Dolan of Townsend.
Shawn has been competing seriously since 2005 when he ran in the Twin Cities Marathon in Minnesota amongst a field of 10,000 other runners. Brooke has been running as long as she can remember, her father got her involved in running, she began running Marathons’ in 2005.
Running is a family affair for the Dolans, both of their children run with them. Brooke’s sister, Heidi Schuette, 34, running competetively for 20 years, will be running in the Olympic trials on Sunday. The Dolans will be running in the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 21st. They hope to finish in the top 10%. Shawn typically has been qualifying in the top 1-2%.
In preparing for the race the Dolan family typically will run 60 miles a week running every day of the year. They typically cap off the week on Sunday running a mini marathon of 20 miles or more. They run all winter long and on the worst winter days they will break down and utilize a treadmill at home but that rarely happens.
Brooke has started a program called “Girls On The Go” . The program is intended to introduce Townsend girls to running as well as promote healthy life-styles, teaching running is not just a sport it is a healthy lifestyle.
The Dolans will be making the trip due in part to a very gracious sponsorship from Greymont Western Limestone plant in Townsend where Shawn is employed.
Wish them the best of luck.
Brooke Dolan
Shawn Dolan

Broadwater High Blue Notes sing their way to State

The Broadwater High School Music department participated in the District Music Festival which was held in Helena and Bozeman.
On Thursday, the Chorus and Band performed in Helena as part of the large group portion of the festival and did very well.  They both received excellent ratings for their prepared pieces with the chorus receiving the added bonus of a superior rating in sightreading. On Saturday, the festival continued in Bozeman where the Blue Notes performed three large ensemble pieces. The ensembles included a Mixed Ensemble,  Show Choir,  and a Women’s Ensemble.  The groups were outstanding and earned superior ratings in all three performances.   The other solo and ensemble groups also had an excellent day with four solo performances receiving superior ratings to qualify for state.  Alaine Field qualified twice with superior ratings on her cello solo and vocal solo.  Chris Vogl and Stephanie Hansen also received superior ratings on their vocal solos to qualify for state.  Overall  their were seven events that earned superior ratings to qualify for the state music Festival .  They will be performing at the State Music Festival in Helena, May 2nd and 3rd. The High school spring concert will be Tuesday May 6th at 7:00 PM and everyone is welcome.  This is your chance to hear our outstanding choral and instrumental music students. 
The Blue Notes were awarded superior ratings at District Music Festival

It’s a bird... It’s a plane... It’s a Christmas tree!
by Dean Rhyneer

The Townsend Star
No, it wasn’t the Grinch steal-ing Christmas dreams to come
- it was the Montana National Guard disposing of discEarded trees of Christmas past. Last Friday, a MNG crew used their Blackhawk helicopter to hoist old Christmas trees into Canyon Ferry Lake.
The 5000-6000 trees were collected at the Silos Recreation Area from the Townsend and Helena communities. The trees are being put to a good use for the local environment, rather than just being discarded into landfills. The trees will supply the lake’s perch population with much needed spawning shelter.
Perch lay their eggs in verticle skains that are attached to underwater growth. With the lack of much natural underwater growth in Canyon Ferry, these trees provide the needed habitat for them to successfully spawn. The branchy clusters also provide protective shelter for other species, but are placed with mainly perch in mind.
Several organizations donated time, money and materials to hauling and preparing the trees, including the City of Helena, the Gallatin/Madison Chapter of Walleyes Unlimited, the Townsend Area Chamber of Commerce and the Montana Conservation Corps. The trees had holes drilled through them, strung with a cable attached to several cement blocks. The blocks serve as an anchor to keep the trees from floating away from the desired area where they are dropped.
Fish, Wildlife and Parks Fisheries Technician Eric Roberts was on hand Friday to organize the ground crew effort and provide the MNG crew with specific GPS coordinates where the trees should be dropped. Pilot Wes Newhall and his crew hooked onto about 75 bundles of trees over the course of the day, hoisted them off the ground and carefully placed them into the lake at three different locations, southeast of the Silos Recreation Area.
Roberts explained that the trees will provide perch habitat for at least five years in that part of the lake, as opposed to only a couple of years in the deeper parts of the lake to the north. He provided drop locactions that he felt would be the best for the perch.
This was the second year that helicopters have been used to place the trees. In previous years, the trees were hauled out onto the ice in the winter and sink upon spring thaw, however shifting ice and high winds made it difficult to determine where they would eventually end up. Airlifting the trees makes it easier to place them exactly where they will do the most good, as well as provides training for the National Guard crew.
The Montana National Guard Blackhawk helicopter lifts two bundles of Christmas trees from the shore of Canyon Ferry at the Silos this past Friday.
The crew carefully lowers the trees into place to provide needed perch habitat.

Photos by Dean Rhyneer