BILLINGS — Warrior Wishes Montana works to provide veterans in Billings and surrounding areas with assistance and connect them to the right resources, and veterans can come get the fixings for a warm Thanksgiving meal in Billings on Tuesday, November 24. “Warrior Wishes Montana is going to be giving our annual Vetsgiving Meals to the Read More…

The Montana Department of Commerce announced November 19th, 2020, it has completed a bond sale worth more than $52 million to help finance the construction of a new facility for Shodair Children’s Hospital. The bond issuance by the Montana Facility Finance Authority will support a new facility in Helena, which will include 82 private rooms Read More…

MISSOULA, Mont. — Starting Wednesday, through next Tuesday, Bozeman School District administrators say Meadowlark Elementary will be on a remote learning format. Officials say a large number of staff members have to quarantine, so there is not enough coverage for classes and other positions. READ FULL STORY

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock proposed a two-year state budget on Nov. 16 that he says preserves essential services while boosting education and infrastructure spending. YPR News’ Kevin Trevellyan reports it’s the two term Democratic governor’s final budget proposal. During a news conference at the capitol, Bullock proposed using $75 million, or two thirds of the state’s rainy Read More…

MISSOULA – Montana Rail Link (MRL) announced Wednesday they released a special locomotive last week honoring veterans for Veteran’s Day. Additionally, MRL is also releasing a locomotive showing appreciation for essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Essential workers have played a critical role in keeping our communities healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” MRL Read More…

HELENA — Season work can be a good way to earn some extra money during the holidays, and help struggling families get back on their feet. Holiday hiring has begun in earnest, but those seasonal jobs are just a small portion of workforce shortage Helena businesses are currently experiencing. “There is an incredible need for Read More…

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is closing its office in Libby after 20 years of community outreach and extensive cleanup work. The Libby Field Office on Ninth Street opened as an information center as the EPA was ramping up its cleanup efforts after the town was declared a Superfund site from decades of asbestos Read More…

FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana and Montana State will meet in their annual Brawl of the Wild football game March 27 in Missoula, the Big Sky Conference said Wednesday in announcing its six-game league schedule for spring 2021.   The abbreviated slate is set to begin Feb. 27 and will culminate April 10 with two conference-wide bye weeks Read More…

HELENA — A new grassroots organization has been created to help individuals and businesses challenge COVID mandates in Montana for what they call government overreach. The Freedom Protection Project was created by the organizers of the “Let Freedom Ring” concert that was held at the beginning of October in the Helena Valley. “A lot of Read More…

Two environmental groups have filed separate lawsuits to stop the Soldier-Butler timber project in the Ninemile Valley after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided there was no long-term harm to grizzly bears. On Monday, the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force sued the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula federal court Read More…

Responding to a request from the Montana Department of Corrections, Governor Steve Bullock and Major General Matthew Quinn have activated the Montana Army National Guard to provide operational assistance at Montana State Prison, where staff and inmates have been impacted by COVID-19. The facility saw its first positive cases among staff and inmates earlier in Read More…

In a press conference today, Governor Steve Bullock joined Yellowstone County Public Health Officer John Felton to announce increased enforcement of health officer orders, along with a website for residents to file complaints. “Just one business not complying with the public health measures, puts an increased risk on everyone else who is doing their due diligence to Read More…

HELENA, Mont. – The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Sheila Hogan announced Monday that Montana has submitted its draft COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for review. “This is a critical step, and I’m pleased with where we’re at this point in the process,” Read More…

Montana gas prices are unchanged in the past week, averaging $2.25/g on Oct. 19, 2020, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations. Gas prices in Montana are 1.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 47.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.   According to GasBuddy price reports, the Read More…

The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the death of Sally Jane Demarais-Smith, who was found dead on Sunday afternoon. At around 2:30 p.m., her body was found inside her 2005 Toyota Corolla in a storage unit at 3033 Malmstrom Drive, according to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter. Although located near Malmstrom Read More…

Brucellosis research will expand to outdoor settings in the greater Yellowstone area, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. USDA under secretary Greg Ibach announced the new research projects in front of stacks of hay at a ranch north of Belgrade. Ibach said the new testing guidelines will help the effort to eliminate brucellosis Read More…

MISSOULA — A federal judge convicted a Manhattan man of providing false information on a form when trying to buy a firearm, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said today. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, on Oct. 1, found Joshua Rodney Meech, 29, guilty of false statement during a firearms transactions. The one-day bench trial was Read More…

BOZEMAN- A Bozeman doctor admitted to pre-signing blank prescriptions while he was a medical director for two weight loss clinics. A release from the Department of Justice says in 2009, Doctor Ronald M. Buss became the medical director for Go Figure, a weight loss clinic in Bozeman, and became the director for Go Figure in Read More…

Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton said Monday he will increase restrictions on businesses, churches and group gatherings at the end of October if COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise countywide. Felton said in a news conference that health officials are monitoring one key metric: the daily rate of infections per 100,000 residents. Restrictions will Read More…

HELENA — The Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) is excited to announce its flu clinic schedule at fourteen sites across Montana. Flu clinics and walk-in flu shots are available for Veterans in Anaconda, Bozeman, Billings, Cut Bank, Fort Harrison/Helena, Glasgow, Glendive,  Great Falls, Havre, Hamilton, Kalispell, Lewistown, Miles City, and Missoula (Details for each site Read More…

Veterans Administration Secretary Robert Wilkie visited the Missoula Veterans Clinic on Palmer Street on Monday along with Montana Senator Steve Daines to deliver a message to all the staff members and employees, to thank them for their hard work in serving the growing population of western Montana veterans, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. “It Read More…

Montana has a 90.3% response to the census so far. The current deadline for responding is September 30. The national response to the census is 95.8%. You can respond to the census online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 1-844-330-2020 or in person with a census taker. A census taker will have a government ID with a Read More…