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Helena Classical Music Festival invites audiences to enjoy live classical music in local cafes, eateries + breweries on Saturday, Aug.

22; the free event blends tradition with a creative local twist.

Contractors are finishing removal of the old Park Lake Dam in the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest and preparing the site for a new dam.

The $3.7 million project, which includes road work to protect against earthquakes and prevent seepage, will finish by the end of the year and help restock fish.

USFS has consolidated fire and aviation under one deputy chief to streamline wildfire management, a move that does not change local operations at the Helena Air Tanker Base, which has supported responses since opening in July by delivering over 338,000 gallons of retardant.

East Helena Public Schools is still looking for teachers, kitchen staff, and bus drivers with the first day of school two weeks away; the staffing shortage may force the district to cut elective courses and increase class sizes.

A Montana rancher warned that rising cattle values today heighten the risk of livestock theft as record prices and a shrinking herd drive up beef costs; he advised ranchers to brand cattle to help deter thieves.

Lewis and Clark Public Health is using an $8,000 Montana Arts Council grant to bring artists together with over a dozen behavioral health providers to test creative practices that ease burnout.

The year-long project will use needlefelting + dance + theater to gauge improvements.

Police officers and Special Olympics athletes teamed up at McKenzie River Pizza for the statewide Tip-A-Cop fundraiser — a one-day event where every $2 from each Guardian pizza sale supports Montana Special Olympics — as competing restaurants raised funds.

Helena officials and the Greater Helena MPO are seeking public input for their Long Range Transportation Plan to improve sidewalks, bike lanes, railroad crossings and traffic flow.

An open house is held today at Lewis and Clark Public Library (10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and another will be at the Civic Center (3:30 to 6:30 p.m.).