The University of Montana will officially welcome the class of 2029 to campus on Monday, Aug. 18. Members of the media are invited to cover one of the most busy and emotional days of the school year, as students from across the country arrive to begin their academic journey at UM. Students will arrive for Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday approved expansion of coal mining in Montana, marking the second largest coal expansion since President Donald Trump took office in January as 33.75 million tons of federal coal will be recovered, 300 jobs ensured, and a million homes powered by the decision. The Read More…
The intense, week-long search for Michael Paul Brown — wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of four people at the Owl Bar in Anaconda — came to an end Friday afternoon with his capture. Authorities say Brown was taken into custody around 2 p.m. near the Ranch Bar, just south of Highway 1. He Read More…
A University of Montana program that trains students for careers in behavioral health care recently received a $2.4 million grant to continue growing the program and produce more providers serving Montana’s children, young adults and those in rural and underserved areas of the state. UM’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program was awarded the Read More…
HELENA — The Montana Department of Labor & Industry has announced residents can now access an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits due to the expanded passage of the recent stimulus package of the CARES Act. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation provides 13 weeks of additional benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment insurance Read More…
When Anthony Nelson was a kid growing up in Minnesota, he already knew he wanted to retire in Northwest Montana near Glacier National Park. “I was one of those kids who always visited every summer,” Nelson said, and through those trips he fell in love with the Glacier Park and the surrounding area. On guided Read More…
When the Flathead City-County Health Department ordered bars and restaurants to close their doors to the public to prevent COVID-19’s spread on March 19, Cypress Yard General Manager Morgan Cawdrey began a takeout service in hopes of maintaining some business. But Cawdrey ended up halting takeout and delivery to allow his employees to shelter in Read More…
Montana gym owners started a petition in an attempt to have Gov. Steve Bullock allow gyms to reopen under Phase One. A gym owner from Billings created the petition and has close to 5,000 signatures, as of May 3rd, 2020. MTN news spoke with the general manager at Crossroads Fitness Center, a supporter of the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Gov. Steve Bullock gave Montana churches the green light to open back up under his phased plan to reopen the state, but there are strict guidelines. Now, churches are navigating how to reopen and also keep people safe. The team at Valley Assembly in Sheridan worked through new protocols before reopening. Even so, Read More…
Montana State University is planning to reopen the Bozeman campus to students this fall and is working on ways to protect students, faculty and employees from the threat of coronavirus. MSU President Waded Cruzado said in a statement Thursday that MSU wants to keep people safe while offering “a high-quality, on-campus educational experience.” “Thankfully, as Read More…
Although not needed right now, a training project has the Montana National Guard building a 90-bed surgical medical facility in Billings. If ever needed, the beds would be for non-acute and non-COVID patients for Montana and across the region. The guard has built similar projects in the state and around the world. It gives the Read More…
Commercial air service into Missoula International Airport has fallen to a trickle over the past month, and airport officials are bracing for a challenging future as airlines respond to the economic headwinds. Fewer than 125,000 passengers are passing through airport security nationally on a daily basis, leaving commercial air travel just 5% of what it Read More…
You can check out the full map by clicking here. Montana’s jobless claims numbers were worse than nearly every other state in the Rocky Mountain West and Great Plains Region stretching from Canada down to Mexico. This is also interesting news from another standpoint- why is Montana’s economic data so much worse than North and South Read More…
Researchers at the University of Montana and two Missoula-based biotech companies with ties to venture capitalist Mike Goguen are engaged in separate efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and gain authorization for a mass-scalable viral test. Inimmune, a private company involved in UM’s vaccine work and founded by nationally reputed vaccine scientists, is also gearing Read More…
HELENA- On Wednesday, Governor Steve Bullock outlined protocols to increase testing capacity in Montana. A part of the state’s core preparedness responsibilities in the Reopening the Big Sky plan is ensuring those who are symptomatic can be tested for COVID-19 and trace contacts Bullock said. A testing target of 60,000 tests for the virus per Read More…
When Bryan Kirkland started taking appointments for haircuts Monday, the schedule filled up fast. Kirkland, co-owner of The Barbershop and Shaving Parlor, had 67 messages from people who couldn’t get a spot on his list. “They were so ready to come back to get their hair cut,” Kirkland said. READ FULL STORY
HELENA — Montana main street and retail businesses that closed their doors due to COVID-19 restrictions, were able to open up again Monday as part of the State’s “Phase One” of reopening. Gov. Steve Bullock told MTN this milestone was only possible because Montanans took the virus seriously. “We’re one of the few states in Read More…
MILES CITY, Mont. — Miles City Community Improvements is a non-profit organization in Miles City that has donated Chromebooks to teachers in the Miles City School District. According to Miles City Community Improvements board member Marc Ingraham, Miles City Community Improvements has donated 20 Chromebooks to teachers in the Miles City School District. Ingraham says funding came Read More…
HELENA — Spring sports in Montana are officially canceled. The Montana High School Association and executive director Mark Beckman sent a release on Wednesday afternoon following Gov. Steve Bullock’s press conference detailing the gradual re-opening of Montana, beginning with “Phase 1” this weekend. In that press conference, Bullock said schools would have the option to Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Gov. Steve Bullock announced the arrival of 5,000 nasal swabs from FEMA to help open access to more COVID-19 testing in Montana. The announcement comes on the same day the state reported zero new cases. “Just days ago, I joined Republican and Democrat governors in voicing concerns to the president about the shortage Read More…
Congressman Greg Gianforte visited with Q2 by Zoom on Monday morning and spoke about stimulus package expansion efforts, reopening businesses in Montana, and what it’s like to campaign in 2020. FULL STORY
It’s a good problem to have: how to spend $1.25 billion to restart Montana’s economy. That’s one of the big challenges as Montana begins to take steps to become one of the first states in the nation to lift its stay-at-home orders. Last week, Gov. Steve Bullock appointed a 26-member task force, charged with offering Read More…
MISSOULA — Some Anaconda area landowners still have a chance to force the Atlantic Richfield Co. remove more arsenic from their property. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision that Montana’s courts and laws can play a role in federal Superfund decisions. However, the court also decided – not quite unanimously – Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Bozeman-area company flew more 250 donated shield masks to groups across western Montana Thursday morning. Bridger Aerospace manufactures defense equipment, but when COVID-19 cases started spreading in Montana, they made changes at their factory to begin producing face masks. Bridger Aerospace CEO Tim Sheehy said they’re working to make masks and donate Read More…
MISSOULA — Travelers flying to Montana for a taste of the outdoors has been one of the real bright spots in recent years, helping the state’s tourism sector generate a record $3.7 billion last year. But the COVID-19 pandemic has parked most of those planes. “The airline industry is going to be the one that Read More…
Holly Michels Montana reached 404 known COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with at least 209 recoveries statewide and 21 actively hospitalized. That represents a gain of five cases since Tuesday, the same number of cases the state added Monday and Tuesday. Prior to this week, the last time the state added fewer than seven cases in a day was Read More…
HELENA — Montana Department of Labor & Industry Acting Commissioner Brenda Nordlund announced Tuesday that Montana has begun paying the additional $600 Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit established with the passage of the recent federal stimulus package, or CARES Act. DLI began paying the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) benefit on the evening of Monday, April Read More…
MISSOULA — The University of Montana on Monday placed 63 employees on temporary furlough, saying the financial strain brought on by the coronavirus pandemic necessitated the decision. The university reached out to the individuals on Monday and issued a campus-wide memo later in the day announcing the decision. The workers will remain on furlough through Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock says he doesn’t have a timeline for things to return to normal in Montana after the coronavirus outbreak. He spoke to residents in a telephone town hall on Monday, saying he’ll continue issuing his stay-at-home orders in two-week intervals based on advice from medical professionals. Bullock says indicators such Read More…
Financial concerns also continue to mount during this pandemic. Scams aimed at seniors can always be a problem and even more now. State Auditor and Securities and Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale, a Republican, is warning Montanans about fraud exploitation. His office, along with the Montana attorney general, the U.S. Attorney and several other agencies formed Read More…
HELENA — Jim Murphy, Montana’s chief epidemiologist, has heard the same stories most everyone in the state has heard about residents who’ve made unsuccessful attempts to get themselves tested for COVID-19. But even as national headlines worry over testing backlogs in some parts of the country, he says testing constraints haven’t hampered Montana’s coronavirus response. Read More…
BILLINGS – Girl Scouts of Montana and Wyoming (GSMW) are sending cookie donations to hospitals throughout Montana and Wyoming during the pandemic, they announced Monday. GSMW are giving a total of 8,000 boxes of cookies as a thank you to healthcare employees at 13 hospitals in Montana and Wyoming. READ FULL STORY
KALISPELL — A seventh COVID-19 related death is being reported in Montana. The Flathead City-County Health Department confirmed Monday the first death related to COVID-19 in Flathead County. The individual was over the age of 65 and was a resident of Flathead County who had had underlying health conditions, according to a news release. “We Read More…
The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) has seen about a sharp drop in reports of child abuse and neglect since the Governor directed schools to close to slow the spread of COVID-19. From Mar. 8-14, which was the week prior to the closures, 765 calls a week were made on average Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — There’s some promising news coming out of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that shows all the work we’re doing staying home is actually making a big difference. We first showed you this site on March 30. On that date, the site predicted Montana would reach its COVID-19 peak in cases at the very Read More…
Glacier National Park has awarded its labor services contract for the 2020 Visitor Transportation Service to LC Staffing of Kalispell. The contract with the company is valid for up to two years and provides drivers, dispatchers and supervisors for the park’s 35-bus fleet that provides shuttle service along the Going-to-the-Sun Road. Jim Foster, chief of Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Red Ants Pants Music Festival, that is usually held in July outside White Sulphur Springs has been canceled due the COVID-19 pandemic. This would have been the 10th year for the music festival. “It is with heavy hearts we have made a difficult, but we feel the most responsible, decision to cancel Read More…
LIVINGSTON – Popular musician John Mayer approached a Livingston nonprofit to help combat COVID-19 in Park County. The Livingston Enterprise reported Mayer made a financial contribution to the Livingston HealthCare Foundation to provide Park County residents with more ventilators. Livingston HealthCare hospital spokesperson Whitney Harris told The Enterprise Mayer got in contact with the nonprofit to Read More…
Violators of Yellowstone County and Montana state orders to limit group gatherings and maintain social distance could face up to 90 days in jail and fines, county officials said during a news conference Wednesday in Billings. Law enforcement officers said they will not be stopping drivers on the road for no reason or putting up Read More…
Holly Michels Following a surge in calls to a state-funded phone line by people in crisis and needing emotional support, the state Department of Public Health and Human Services said it’s expanding mental health services. “We continue to monitor and make adjustments as necessary to meet the needs of Montanans during this challenging time,” said Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s governor is asking tourists to stop coming to the state while it’s under a stay-at-home directive. Gov. Steve Bullock also asks anyone who recently traveled to the state from another state or country to self-quarantine for 14 days. The directive does not apply to people traveling into the state for work-related reasons. Read More…
Montana colleges and universities stand to receive $31 million from the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package just passed by Congress. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, announced the aid to higher education in a news release Monday, saying it was part of a total of $1.25 billion heading to Montana local governments, small businesses and individuals for Read More…
After a hopscotching process, Montana got the OK to call off standardized testing for students usually required by the federal government. The move had been likely since the U.S Department of Education indicated that it would offer statewide testing waivers as most of the nation’s public schools closed because of the new coronavirus. Montana education officials Read More…
On Thursday, March 26, Governor Steve Bullock clarified essential businesses and operations in a Directive where he declared Montanans must shelter in place and stay at home. We have summarized the list of essential businesses and operations listed in the Directive: Businesses that sell, manufacture or supply needed products: Stores that sell groceries, medicine, including medication Read More…