Montana News & Current Events | Public News Service

Nationwide, more than 3,000 newspapers have shuttered since 2004, according to Statista. (Adobe Stock)

Monday, December 23, 2024

Addressing Montana's expanding 'news deserts'

Online news organizations are trying to fill the lack of local coverage in Montana's news deserts. As the year ends, a dwindling number of the …

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $600 million to boost salaries for 11,200 wildland firefighters in the U.S. for two years. (Adobe Stock)

Montana wildland firefighters face drastic pay cut

Montana's wildland firefighters face a drastic pay cut at the end of this week without congressional action. Nationwide, the Bipartisan …

A $275,000 grant awarded to the Montana Legal Services Association will help streamline legal aid to low income residents. The information will be integrated into the organization's LegalServer case management system. (Adobe Stock)

Grant bolsters legal services for low-income Montanans

Low-income Montana residents are getting help accessing legal aid online. In some cases, updates to automated legal forms could help residents …

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management claims fire suppression tactics like large-scale logging would cause Garnet Mountains forests to grow back more densely. This 1898 photo of the forest shows it was thick and mature, decades before industrial logging was practiced. (Western Mining History)

Conservation groups sue to protect wildlife corridor from logging

Conservation groups have sued the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to stop a logging project in Montana's Garnet Mountains. Wildlife advocates said …

A Farm Connection report predicts dwindling services provided by local governments in small towns that are losing population will discourage new residents from settling in rural communities. (Adobe Stock)

Montana tallies economic impact of climate change

A report released by a Montana farm group says climate change is costing the state jobs and revenue, in addition to having a devastating long-term …

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development helps low-income apartment tenants afford reduced rents in Montana. (Adobe Stock)

Montanans threaten 'rent strike' over black mold, safety issues

More than two dozen members of a tenant's union in Bozeman are threatening a rent strike if their landlord doesn't address maintenance and other safet…

After a slight increase in 2022, the number of 2023-2024 western monarchs

Montanans can help keep monarch butterflies off the endangered list

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will decide by early December whether to list the monarch butterfly under the Endangered Species Act. Wildlife …

The U.S. International Joint Commission was asked in March 2024 to address the effects of transboundary water pollution in the Kootenai River Watershed, and should make its decisions by March 2026. (Adobe Stock)

Montana joins tribes to target Canadian mining pollution

Montana has joined a coalition of Indigenous groups working to address Canadian coal mining pollution in the state's Kootenai River. The …

Consumer advocates say higher grocery prices are no longer the result of supply-chain issues, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. (Adobe Stock)

Group blames corporate greed for MT food price gouging

Farm advocates say price gouging on meat and poultry are taking a toll on Montanans. A farm group cites U.S. Department of Agriculture data as …

A new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service cattle grazing rule is being challenged by environmental advocates who claim it would increase dangerous interactions between cattle and grizzlies. (Adobe Stock)

Environmental groups buck grazing expansion in MT's Custer Gallatin

A federal court in Montana has held a hearing more than two years after a coalition of environmental advocates sued the U.S. Forest Service and the …

Advocates are suing the state of Montana over a change that allows documents used in the Legislature's bill-drafting process to be kept secret, reversing a 25-year-old rule. (Adobe Stock)

Environmental advocates sue Montana over public documents

Montana citizens and environmental advocates have sued the state for withholding documents that have, for decades, been considered public information…

Four companies control 85% of the beef processed in the United States, according to data just released by the advocacy group Farm Action. Consolidation continues to grow in the agriculture industry. (Adobe Stock)

Montana's agriculture industry becomes more consolidated

Advocates for a fair, sustainable and healthy food system have released a report showing increasing consolidation in Montana's agriculture sector…

A poll by Red America Blue America Research shows respondents in Montana are opposed to lower wages for public sector workers, including health care personnel and educators. (Adobe Stock)

Latest poll shows strong support for MT educators, health care workers

Results of a new poll showed likely voters strongly oppose candidates who back cuts to labor law protections and would probably vote in favor of incre…

Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006, defeating Republican incumbent Conrad Burns in one of the year's closest Senate races. (Tester for U.S. Senate campaign)

MT's Tester vulnerable to 'political refugee' vote

By Lee Banville for The Conversation.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for the Rural News Network-Public News Service C…

The Montana Supreme Court recently overturned two laws which would have limited remote ballot collection, especially important on Montana's seven tribal reservations. (Adobe Stock)

Montana advocates highlight fair election progress as challenges remain

With the election just a week away, advocates for fair elections in Montana met recently as part of a coalition to highlight efforts to protect …

Montana's open enrollment period to purchase insurance on the federal marketplace runs from this Friday, Nov. 1, to Jan. 15, 2025. (Adobe Stock)

Experts: Check your options during insurance enrollment

People have the opportunity to enroll in Medicare, or change their supplemental coverage, between now and December 7. In Montana, insurance experts …

Forward Montana field workers saod they noticed a

A 'palpable shift' in interest among Montana's young voters

Groups working to get out the vote this November report a "palpable shift" among Montana's young voters since Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the …

Roughly 120,000 Montana families receive some form of public assistance. Many are caregivers or single parents and 97% are employed. (Adobe Stock)

New report shows who gets Montana public assistance and why

A new report from the Headwaters Foundation in Montana showed at least half the people who receive public assistance are only enrolled for one year…

The Well Done Foundation said it is working to plug some 126,000 abandoned oil and gas wells in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Montana rancher works to cap abandoned oil and gas wells

By Michaela Haas for Reasons to be Cheerful.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Publ…

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, securing Native Americans' right to vote in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

Tribal leaders mark Indigenous Peoples Day urging Native vote

Today is Indigenous Peoples' Day, and tribal leaders are using the occasion to call on people in Indian Country to vote in the upcoming election…

The town of Libby, Mont., population 3,100, is looking to Flathead Valley Community College to train future workers in fields to keep them and their children close to home. (Adobe Stock)

Community college anchors rural Montana town's future

By Denali Sagner for The Hechinger Report.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for The Hechinger Report-Public News Servic…

Many residents of Montana's seven Indigenous tribes live several hours from the nearest polling place. Advocates are pushing back on efforts to limit remote ballot collection efforts on tribal lands. (Adobe Stock)

Indigenous groups fight limiting remote ballot collection

Montana's Indigenous population is pushing back against efforts to limit ballot collection on tribal lands. Many members of the state's seven tribes …

An estimated 85,000 Montana residents stand to lose their Medicaid coverage if a program expansion expires next year. Opponents of the expansion said Medicaid should not be a long-term health care option. (Adobe Stock)

85,000 Montanans stand to lose Medicaid

Montana's expanded Medicaid program is set to expire next year. People who rely on it are calling on lawmakers for an extension but opponents argued …

Montana residents who qualify can receive up to $675 in property tax rebates. (Adobe Stock)

Deadline approaches for Montana tax rebate

Tomorrow is the deadline for Montana residents who qualify to apply for a property tax rebate. The State Legislature passed the measure during its …

Little Rye was among the winners of the 2023 Montana Conservation Voters Education Fund's Pups for Public Lands photo contest. (MCVEF)

Pups with a purpose: Photo contest a backdrop for MT public lands

A Montana conservation group is holding a photo contest, with a focus on dogs and social media to promote the state's vast trove of public lands…

Western Native Voice's 'Snag Dat Vote' is designed to make sure every Indigenous voter is prepared and energized to cast their ballot. (Adobe Stock)

Indigenous group travels Montana to 'get out the vote'

Montana's largest Indigenous rights group is hosting a series of events around the state to empower Native voters as the election draws closer…

As part of its Collaborative Wildfire Risk Reduction Program, the U.S. Forest Service has made $8 million available to help prevent fires in Montana by reducing hazardous fuels. (Adobe Stock)

$8 million to be used to reduce Montana wildfire fuel

The U.S. Forest Service is spending $8 million to reduce wildfire risk in Montana, part of a larger federal program funded by the Inflation Reduction …

Conservation groups in Montana have sued the U.S. Forest Service for a logging project in an area of the Bitterroot National Forest that's been home to a successful wolverine den, according to Alliance for the Wild Rockies. (Adobe Stock)

Montana suit: Logging project threatens critical habitat

Two conservation groups have filed suit in a federal court in Montana to stop a U.S. Forest Service logging project that would clear cut large stands …

A program at Montana State University has shown success in reducing the rate of youth suicide by educating students about alternatives. (Adobe Stock)

Experts want more school mental health services

Mental health experts have released a checklist for parents of students headed back to school in Montana. Research shows kids who need services are …

Montana has been carried by the Republican presidential candidate in every election between 1996 and 2020. The last Democrat to carry the state was Bill Clinton in 1992. (Adobe Stock)

Key election issues for Montanans: Population growth, health care, education

Labor Day typically kicks the campaign season into high gear in an election year as candidates sprint to the finish line. Montana has traditionally …

U.S. Justice Dept. hits Montana landlord with $25,000 discrimination fine

The U.S. Justice Department has issued a ruling against a Livingston, Montana, landlord for discriminating against a tenant. The consent decree …

Bozeman's current Affordable Housing Ordinance was adopted in 2022 to provide incentives encouraging developers to build affordable housing in exchange for permissions to build outside the zoning code, a type of density bonus, according to Forward Montana. (Adobe Stock)

Confronting Bozeman's affordable housing shortage

An advocacy group in Bozeman is calling on young people and low-income renters to take on the city's notorious housing crunch. More than half of the …

A new documentary short captures how these organizations are innovating to open doors for Missoula residents to become property owners (Neighborkworks Montana)

Montana group uses co-op model to take on housing crisis

A coalition of advocates is using a novel approach to address the housing shortage in Missoula, helping renters become owners. Prices and …

Supporters of the Inflation Reduction Act say clean energy installations bring jobs to local economies. Montana is eyeing the potential in wind energy infrastructure. (Adobe Stock)

IRA funds clean energy jobs in Montana, critics skeptical of cost

Environmental advocates are heralding added jobs and ecosystem protections funded through the Inflation Reduction Act, which just marked its two-year …

The latest data show 1 in 3 young females report symptoms of a mental health disorder, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Adobe Stock)

Doctors: Prioritize mental health for Montana school kids

Montana's 166,000 students are headed back to the classroom soon. Beyond the typical school supplies like pencils, notebooks and backpacks, doctors …

A lawsuit prompting a decision in federal court ordering a re-evaluation of the status of the Arctic grayling was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project and Butte resident Pat Munday, with representation by Earthjustice. (Adobe Stock)

Montana federal judge rules for threatened Arctic grayling

A federal district court judge in Missoula has ruled the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must reconsider whether to list Montana's Arctic grayling …

Nearly half of all Montanans (482,214) have a library card, according to the state. (Adobe Stock)

Libraries sound alarm about ultra-conservative agenda

The Every Library Institute has just released a report contending the Republican Party's conservative agenda outlined in the Heritage Foundation's Pro…

Montana's 872 Commission is asking lawmakers to address the

Montana mental health experts call for more student funding

Montana is spending $300 million to improve mental health services in the state. Experts are focusing on six key areas. Montana's mental health …

Native American children make up more than a third of the foster care caseload in Montana, despite representing less than 10% of the state's child population, according to a data analysis by the Montana Free Press. (Adobe Stock)

Racial gaps persist for Montana's Indigenous foster care youth

New research shows Indigenous youth comprise more than a third of the children in Montana's foster care system, despite making up a far smaller …

The Hechinger Report's Tuition Tracker allows students to compare a school's graduation rates, which shows the likelihood of successfully completing their degree on time. That can affect affordability. (Adobe Stock)

Tuition calculator helpful for college-bound rural Montanans

For Montanans preparing to start college this fall, an interactive online Tuition Tracker can help them figure out some of the costs ahead of time…

Wildfires in the western United States have burned more than 1.3 million acres of vegetation so far in 2024. Officials warn flooding is a serious danger in the burn scars left by the blazes after the flames are out. (Adobe Stock)

Dangerous floods loom following Montana wildfires

The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has issued flood alerts following wildfires burning huge swaths of the state. Floods …

The University of Montana is using traditional gender stereotypes in its marketing materials to attract male students, whose numbers have been down in recent years. Administrators say the campaign seems to be having an effect. (University of Montana)

UM 'leans in' to gender stereotypes to attract male students

By Jon Marcus for The Hechinger Report.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for The Hechinger Report-Public News Service C…

An outdoor coalition is fighting plans for a $4 billion copper mine on land near Sheep Creek, which feeds the iconic Smith River. (Miranda Hernandez)

Coalition: Mine threatens Montana's iconic Smith River

Nearly 10,000 Montanans have petitioned the U.S. Forest Service to prevent mining activity in the iconic Smith River watershed. The Smith is known …

A report by the mental health advocacy organization Inseparable showed one in five police shootings involve someone with a mental illness. (Adobe Stock)

Montana's mental health hotline addresses crises

A national mental health advocacy organization called Inseparable has released a report on the rollout of the 988 crisis line for people going through…

Montana was chosen to host the $41 million Headwaters Hub partly because its rural geography makes it ideal for studying and creating jobs in photonics. (Adobe Stock)

Headwaters tech hub brings $41 million to MT

Montana has been granted $41 million to create a training and education program for new jobs in the high-tech sector. The Headwaters Hub is part of …

Western Montana could see highs up to 105 degrees this week, according to the National Weather Service. (Adobe Stock)

Excessive Montana heat prompts virtual emergency health care

Health care experts are warning people outdoors to use caution when engaging in sunny summertime activities. Medical service providers say virtual …

Doctors and the Montana Department of Health and Human Services have structured the previously informal process of

'Drive-thru' blood network addresses critical shortage in rural MT

By Arielle Zionts for KFF Health News.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for Big Sky Connection reporting for the KFF Health News-Public News Service Col…

The Northern Goshawk is dependent on old-growth forests and is especially good at getting into tight spaces. A federal judge in Montana has blocked a logging project that threatened the birds' habitat. (Adobe Stock)

Federal judge blocks logging project, protects iconic hawk

A federal court judge in Montana blocked a large project which would have logged or clear-cut more than 10,000 acres of old-growth forest and threaten…

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