The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Montana voters could be faced with a nuanced decision next year: Is hunting in Montana a right or a privilege? House Bill 372, which would make hunting, as well as fishing and trapping, a right protected by the Montana Constitution, is in its final stretch in the Montana Legislature, with a crucial Senate committee hearing set for April 13. Because the bill seeks to amend the constitution, the issue would be put to voters on election day in 2024 and to do that, it needs a...
HELENA – When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, it put abortion in the state on the line during the 2023 Montana Legislature. Now, lawmakers will soon have their final debates on three bills that would limit access to abortion in three main ways: by limiting Medicaid payments for abortions, by criminalizing abortion except in the case of medical necessity and by excluding abortion from Montanans' right to privacy as it's protected in the Montana c...
Lawmakers Table Bill That Would Have Offered Free School Meals for All The House Education Committee tabled a bill 12-1 last week that would have provided funding for free school meals to all students in the public school system. Rep. Melissa Romano, D-Helena, sponsored House Bill 863, which would require $22 million yearly of the state's general fund to be appropriated to the Office of Public Instruction, which would then distribute the money to public schools to pay for...
HELENA – Bears are emerging from dens with the onset of spring, and people are headed outdoors should "Be Bear Aware." Bears can be found throughout Montana. In recent years, grizzly bear populations have expanded and bears are sometimes found in historic ranges beyond western Montana As bears begin foraging for food, people can avoid conflict by removing or securing food attractants such as garbage, bird feeders and pet food. The most common human-bear conflicts involve u...
Bill Allowing Law Enforcement to Test for Marijuana in Saliva Heads to Governor A bill that would give police officers the ability to use a device that can detect marijuana in saliva has passed both the Senate and the House and will now hit the governor's desk for his signature or veto. Sen. Keith Regier, R-Kalispell, sponsored Senate Bill 13, which passed the Senate unanimously on Jan. 24, and then passed the House 96-2 on March 21. "Marijuana leaves a residual within the...
Andrew Johnson lets his clients choose what music to play in the car. As an employee of Family Outreach in Helena, Montana - an organization that assists developmentally disabled people - part of his workday involves driving around, picking up clients, and taking them to work or to run errands. "What's up, gangsta?" Johnson said as a client got in the car one day in March. The pair fist-bumped and Johnson asked what type of music the client liked. "Gangsta stuff," came the...
The Department of Public Health and Human Services is asking Montanans to submit nominations for the annual Emergency Medical Services (EMS) awards ceremony to be held Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at the Capitol Rotunda in Helena. The event, held during Emergency Medical Services Week May 21-27 and EMS for Children Day on May 24, honors individuals and organizations who provide exemplary service to the state through the EMS system. The theme for the 2023 EMS Week is EMS: Where...
LINCOLN, Mont. - The Montana Department of Transportation would like to announce and invite the public to comment on a proposal to improve Secondary Highway 279 (S 279), commonly known as Flesher Pass. The project begins immediately north of the intersection with Stemple Pass Road, and extends northeast for about 17 miles, ending at the intersection with MT Highway 200 (MT 200). Proposed work includes a two-phase project that will scrub seal the roadway from the Stemple Pass...
Bill to Add an Annual Fee to Electric Vehicle is Nearing Governor's Desk. A bill that would add a yearly fee to all electric vehicles in the state gets one step closer to becoming law. Rep. Denley Loge, R-St. Regis, is sponsoring House Bill 60 which would add an annual fee to all electric vehicles in the state to substitute for Montanas gas tax. The bill passed the House of Representatives on 92-8 on Jan. 25, and following a second reading vote of 38-12 in the Senate on Mar. 1...
Stacy Roope says her 16-year-old son Trey is bullied every day in the hallways and even while walking to school. She said her son is constantly tormented, and what's worse is that he isn't able to defend himself. "Trey is not afraid of the kids who bully him, but in the back of his mind he's always thinking about what's going to happen today," Roope said. "It's an emotional roller coaster that happens to him everyday, one day he could walk to the school with no issues, the...
Great Falls, Mont., March 20, 2023– The Belt Creek-White Sulphur Springs, Lincoln and Rocky Mountain ranger districts on the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest are accepting applications for the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) summer employment program for local youth ages 15-18 who are interested in conservation and stewardship. Participants will be hired to work the duration of the summer, June - August 2023. "The YCC program provides a gateway to fulfilling careers for y...
When Deb Horning's daughter was 5, she got her measles, mumps, and rubella shot like many other kindergartners. But unlike many other moms, Horning had to stay away from her daughter for a week after the shot. Horning, 51, was diagnosed in 2014 with acute myeloid leukemia, an aggressive cancer - the five-year survival rate for those older than 20 is 27 percent. Horning had been through chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, which severely weakened her immune system. Because...
The 68th Montana Legislature, with an unprecedented Republican supermajority, is halfway through its 90-day session and the next 45 days promise to be dominated by debates over the state's two-year budget, which funds everything from schools to Medicaid payments to nursing homes and mental health providers. As Republicans vie for tax cuts that they say put money back in Montanans' pockets, Democrats fight to invest in long-term planning, all while sitting on another...
Flanked by dozens of Republican lawmakers on the steps of the state Capitol, Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a tax cut, rebate and spending package totalling more than $1 billion Monday. The eight-bill package, which provides short-term property and income tax rebates and also cuts state income taxes on an ongoing basis, puts a major slice of the state's estimated $2.5 billion budget surplus toward what the governor called "the largest tax cut in Montana history." The bills also...
HELENA (Feb. 24)– Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced a nearly 11,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures by anti-drug task forces in Montana since 2019. Additionally, triple the amount of fentanyl was seized in 2022 compared to 2021, obliterating previous records. The number of firearms found alongside drug shipments is also increasing. In 2022, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized a total of 206,955 dosage units of f...
Lawmakers Adjourn For Mid-Session Break After Marathon Voting HELENA -- The Montana Legislature is finished for the first half of its 90-day session. At about 10 a.m. on Friday, March 3, the House of Representatives adjourned after a three-day, almost-48 hour series of floor sessions. The House passed 180 bills between Wednesday and Friday. The Senate adjourned at 11 the night before, after almost 24 hours of voting over the span of two days. According to the Legislature's dat...
At the half-way mark of the 2023 Montana Legislature, three House bills that would dictate how public schools in the state handle religion, prayer and sex education just barely made it to the deadline to stay alive. Rep. Greg Kmetz, R-Miles City, is sponsoring House Bill 744, which would allow students and teachers to openly discuss religious beliefs. The bill passed out of the House Education Committee 9-4, and passed a final vote in the House 69-29 on the last day for...
LINCOLN, Mont. (March 7, 2023) – Jim Yarbrough will serve as the new ranger for the Lincoln Ranger District starting in late March. "Jim has a track record of working with collaborative groups and local communities to achieve common goals," said Forest Supervisor Emily Platt. "With his background working as an engineer and ranger in several Montanan communities, we believe he will be able to offer the leadership required to serve the diverse interests of local community m...
HELENA-The Montana open burning season begins March 1. While burning is allowed year-round, there are different restrictions and requirements throughout the seasons. The Department of Environmental Quality reminds Montanans to comply with air quality rules and use good judgment to prevent wildfires. To burn March 1 through Aug, 31, please follow the below steps: Obtain a permit from your local fire control authority. Check with your local air quality program for restrictions...
Helena, Montana – PureView Health Center, a leading health center serving the Lewis and Clark County area, is pleased to announce Justin Murgel as its new CEO, effective March 20, 2023. Murgel brings years of experience in the healthcare industry and has a proven track record of successful leadership and supporting quality outcomes for patients. He has held several positions at PacificSource, where he was instrumental in driving growth and delivering innovative healthcare s...
BOZEMAN — Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship will host “The Business of The Outdoors,” a panel discussion featuring representatives from Gallatin Valley-based businesses Simms Fishing, Skwala Fishing and Stone Glacier, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 7. The event will be held in Jabs Hall, Room 111, on the MSU campus and is free and open to the public. Panelists will discuss the phases of building and operating a business, from startup to mid-growth to established organization. They wi...
Montana Congressional Delegates Discuss Issues in their Bi-Annual Address of State Legislature All four members of Montana's congressional delegation spoke to the Montana Legislature during a joint session of the Senate and the House on Monday, Feb. 20, talking to state lawmakers about the issues facing Congress, including the national debt and the fentanyl epidemic. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Sen. Steve Daines spoke to the Legislature first, followed by...
Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of lawmaker profiles of rising leaders from both parties, aimed at giving a glimpse into the lives legislators lead outside of the Capitol and how that affects how they lead inside the Capitol, highlighting the makeup of Montana's citizen legislature. HELENA – A typical work day for Derek Harvey as a firefighter in Butte is filled with protecting Montanans in emergencies. Every two years, for 90 days, the workload changes to s...
A broad assortment of industry groups, conservation nonprofits, ranching families and hunting and fishing access advocates on Tuesday testified in opposition to a bill that would impose term limits on many conservation easements acquired with state funding. If passed, Senate Bill 357 would put a 40-year term limit on many conservation easements purchased with state funding by agencies such as Montana, Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The measure includes exceptions for easements that are smaller than 1,500 acres or purchased with fo...
HELENA – Gov. Greg Gianforte made it clear in his second State of the State address that Montana's 68th Legislature should focus on giving families the ability to be more involved in the decisions that affect their child's education. "Too often throughout our country, we've seen education bureaucrats fighting to keep parents out of their kid's education. Let's be clear – government should never stand between parents and their kid's education," Gianforte said. "Every par...
