Ryan Fitzmaurice

It took an outsider.That’s how Angel Montanez views it as he prepares to leave office after one term as Lovell’s first Hispanic mayor.Montanez came into office in November of 2014 with a tight win against incumbent mayor Bruce Morrison 395 votes to 352.

The Switchback Grill underwent an ownership change in September and it’s a family affair. Mindy Tippetts took over ownership of the popular Lovell restaurant, now renamed the Burger Barn. It’s an unexpected turn for the Tippetts family; one they didn’t forsee undertaking until just recently. “We used to joke when we were younger, because she would cook all the time that we should just open up a restaurant,” Tippetts' daughter, Hailee Nielson said.  “We never thought that would actually happen.