Legals for September, 15 2026

NOTICE OF TRUSTEE’S SALE OF REAL PROPERTY NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by LINDY M. LAUDER, as successor Trustee, of the public sale of the real property hereinafter described pursuant to the “Small Tract Financing Act of Montana” (Section 71-1-301, et seq. MCA). The following information is provided: THE NAME OF THE GRANTOR, ORIGINAL TRUSTEE, THE BENEFICIARY IN THE DEED OF TRUST, ANY SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO THE BENEFICIARY OR GRANTOR, ANY SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE, AND THE PRESENT RECORD OWNER IS/ARE: Grantor : CLASSIC AUTO BODY BY BENNY, LLC, a Montana limited liability company (“Grantor”) Original Trustee: FIRST AMERICAN TITLE COMPANY Successor Trustee : LINDY M. LAUDER, an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Montana (the “Trustee”) Beneficiary : FIRST INTERSTATE BANK Present Record Owner: CLASSIC AUTO BODY BY BENNY, LLC, a Montana limited liability company THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPERTY COVERED BY THE DEED OF TRUST IS: The real property and its appurtenances in Lincoln County, Montana, more particularly described as follows: Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 23 in Block 7 of Libby Original, according to the plat thereof on file in the office of the Clerk and Recorder of Lincoln County, Montana. The real property is commonly known as 115 E 2nd Street, Libby, MT 59923. RECORDING DATA: The following instruments and documents have been recorded in the Clerk and Recorder’s Office in Lincoln County, Montana. Deed of Trust dated October 6, 2022, and recorded Octo+ber 7, 2022, in Book No. 399, Page 114, under Document No. 303144; and Substitution of Trustee dated July 8, 2026, and recorded July 9, 2026, under Document No. 321843. THE DEFAULT FOR WHICH THE FORECLOSURE IS MADE IS: The borrower is in default under the loan secured by the Deed of Trust by virtue of the borrower’s failure to make payments when due and in the amounts due under the Note. THE SUMS OWING ON THE OBLIGATION SECURED BY THE DEED OF TRUST AS OF JULY 8, 2026, ARE: Principal : $494,487.93 Interest: Interest continues to accrue at a rate of 8.50% per annum. As of July 8, 2026, the interest balance is $13,062.74 and interest accrues at the rate of $128.70 per day. Late fees : $986.40 The Beneficiary anticipates and intends to disburse such amounts as may be required to preserve and protect the real property, and for real property taxes that may become due or delinquent, unless such amounts or taxes are paid by the Grantor or successor in interest to the Grantor. If such amounts are paid by the Beneficiary, the amounts or taxes will be added to the obligation secured by the Trust Indenture. Other expenses to be charged against the proceeds of the sale include the Trustee’s and attorney’s fees, and costs and expenses of sale. THE TRUSTEE, AT THE DIRECTION OF THE BENEFICIARY, HEREBY ELECTS TO SELL THE PROPERTY TO SATISFY THE AFORESAID OBLIGATIONS. THE DATE, TIME, PLACE AND TERMS OF SALE ARE: Date : November 6, 2026 Time : 1:00 p.m., Mountain Standard Time or Mountain Daylight Time, whichever is in effect. Place : Front entrance to the Lincoln County, Montana Courthouse, 512 California Ave. Libby, MT 59923. Terms: This sale is a public sale and any person, including the Beneficiary, and excepting only the Trustee, may bid at the sale. The bid price must be paid in cash. The conveyance will be made by Trustee’s Deed. The sale purchaser shall be entitled to possession of the property on the 10th day following the sale. Dated this 9th day of July, 2026. s/ Lindy M. Lauder LINDY M. LAUDER, Trustee :ss County Of Missoula This Instrument was acknowledged before me on the 9th day of July, 2026, by Lindy M. Lauder, as Trustee s/ Bailey Wike BAILEY WIKE NOTARY PUBLIC for the State Of Montana Residing in Missoula, MT My Commission Expires August 24, 2026 File No.: 034683-000165 PUBLISHED in The Western News Sept. 1, 8, 15, 2026 MNAXLP

Russell S. Barnes Attorney At Law PO Box 5482 Whitefish, Montana 59937 406-293-1812 Honorable Matthew J. Cuffe MONTANA NINETEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT COUNTY OF LINCOLN IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF Deborah J. Byrd, Deceased. Probate No. DP-26-144 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the undersigned has been appointed Personal representative of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the said deceased are required to present their claims within four months after the date of the first publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed to James W. Byrd, Jr., the Personal Representative return receipt requested at the address below or filed with the Clerk of the above Court. DATED this 22nd day of July, 2026. s/ James W. Byrd, Jr. c/o Russell S. Barnes Attorney At Law PO Box 5482 Whitefish, Montana 59937 PUBLISHED IN The Western News September 8, 15 & 22, 2026. MNAXLP

PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY TO PROTEST TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF Montana All-Alcoholic Beverages with Catering Endorsement License ROOTZ 56 LLC (Jamie Eckart, Amanda Eckart, Jerimiah Walker, and Deborah Huffman, Owner(s)) has applied to transfer Montana All-Alcoholic Beverages with Catering Endorsement License No. 56-999-4375-002 to be operated at HALFWAY HOUSE BAR AND GRILL, 19824 Bull Lake Rd, Troy, Lincoln County. The public may protest this license transfer in accordance with the law. Who can protest this transfer? Protests will be accepted from residents of the county of the proposed location Lincoln County, residents of adjoining Montana counties, and residents of adjoining counties in another state if the criteria in 16-4-207(4)(d), Montana Code Annotated (MCA), are met. What information must be included? Protest letters must be legible and contain (1) the protestor’s full name, mailing address, and street address; (2) the license number 56-999-4375-002 and the applicant’s name ROOTZ 56 LLC; (3) an indication that the letter is intended as a protest; (4) a description of the grounds for protesting; and (5) the protestor’s signature. A letter with multiple signatures will be considered one protest letter. What are valid protest grounds? The protest may be based on the applicant’s qualifications listed in16-4-401, MCA, or the grounds for denial of an application in 16-4-405, MCA. Examples of valid protest grounds include: (1) the applicant is unlikely to operate the establishment in compliance with the law; (2) the proposed location cannot be properly policed by local authorities; and (3) the welfare of the people in the vicinity of the proposed location will be adversely and seriously affected. How are protests submitted? Protests must be postmarked to the Department of Revenue, Office of Dispute Resolution, P.O. Box 5805, Helena, Montana 59604-5805 on or before September 25, 2026. What happens if the transfer is protested? Depending on the number of protests and the protest grounds, a public hearing will be held in Helena or Troy. All valid protestors will be notified of the hearing’s time, date and location. Hearings typically are scheduled within 90 days. A protester’s hearing testimony is limited to the grounds in the protester’s letter. Following the hearing, the Department of Revenue will notify the public whether the license transfer is approved or denied. How can additional information be obtained? The cited MCA statutes are online at leg.mt.gov/bills/mca_toc/. If you have any questions or need information, please feel free to contact Cannabis and Alcohol Regulation Division (CARD) at 406-444-6900, or via email at [email protected] PUBLISHED IN The Western News September 8 & 15, 2026. MNAXLP

MONTANA NINETEENTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT LINCOLN COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF RICHARD STEPHEN WOOD, a/k/a RICHARD S. WOOD, Deceased. Cause No. DP-27-2026-123 NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that David M. Redman and Terri Ann Fisher have been appointed Co-Personal Representatives of the above-named estate. All persons having claims against the said estate are required to present their claims within four (4) months after the date of the first publication of this notice or said claims will be forever barred. Claims must either be mailed, return receipt requested, to David M. Redman and Terri Ann Fisher c/o St. Peter O’Brien Law Offices, P.C., 2620 Radio Way, P.O. Box 17255, Missoula, MT 59808, or filed with the Clerk of the above-entitled Court. DATED this 9th day of September, 2026. s/David M. Redman s/Terri Ann Fisher Co-Personal Representatives PUBLISHED IN The Western News September 15, 22 & 29. MNAXLP

The following is the complete text of Constitutional Initiatives No. 132 and No. 133, which will be submitted to the voters of the state of Montana at the November 3, 2026, General Election. The text is being published pursuant to the requirement of 13-27-311, Montana Code Annotated. CONSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVE NO. 132 (CI-132) BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: NEW SECTION. Section 1. Article VII of The Constitution of the State of Montana is amended by adding a new section 12 that reads: Section 12. Nonpartisan Judicial Elections. Judicial elections shall remain  nonpartisan. CONSTITUTIONAL INITIATIVE NO. 133 (CI-133) BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA: NEW SECTION. Section 1. Article II of The Constitution of the State of Montana is amended by adding a new section 37 that reads: Section 37. Right to initiative and referendum. (1) The people have a fundamental right to exercise their powers of initiative and referendum under Article III and Article XIV. The government may not deny or burden this right unless justified by a compelling government interest achieved by the least restrictive means. (2) This right guarantees impartial, predictable, transparent, and expeditious processes for proposing a ballot issue, qualifying a ballot issue for the ballot, andsubmitting a ballot issue to the qualified electors without interference from the government or the use of government resources to support or oppose the ballot issue. This right includes but is not limited to: (a) proposing a ballot issue by submitting the full text of the ballot issue and proposed ballot statements, with the government modifying the proposed ballot statements only if they are not a true and impartial explanation expressed in plain, easily understood language; (b) obtaining a determination regarding whether the ballot issue and ballot statements are legally sufficient for submission to the qualified electors prior to the petition being approved for circulation; (c) the resolution of legal challenges to the determination made in subsection (2)(b) and the issuance of an approved petition for circulation within 90 days of the initial submission of the ballot issue to the government; (d) reasonably ample time to gather signatures without unjustified burdens on signature gathering, on signature gatherers, or on the preparation or submission of signed petitions; (e) verification of signatures and petitions without the invalidation of a signature or petition due to a technical or minor deficiency; (f) the ability to withdraw one’s signature from a petition, with the deadline for a withdrawal being the same as the deadline for submitting signed petitions to the government; (g) the resolution of legal challenges to the qualification of a ballot issue for the ballot prior to the deadline for finalizing ballots for the election; and (h) submission of a ballot issue to the qualified electors in an impartial manner for Their approval or rejection by a majority of those voting thereon at a single election. NEW SECTION. Section 2. Self-executing. [This act] is self-executing. NEW SECTION. Section 3. Effective date. [This act] is effective on approval by the electorate. PUBLISHED IN The Western News September 15 & 29, 2026. MNAXLP