The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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Lewis and Clark County has the following Lincoln board opening: Lincoln Solid Waste District Board Citizens who serve on the Lincoln Solid Waste District Board need to own residential or commercial property and pay the Lincoln Solid Waste assessment; 3 year terms. Lincoln Parks Board The purpose of the board is to advise the Board of County Commissioners and the City-County Parks Board on issues relating to the use, improvement, and general maintenance of the Lincoln Planning...
Lewis and Clark County Special Districts Program coordinator Jessica Makus proposed an increase to the maintenance assessments for the Lincoln and Lambkins Rural Improvement Districts during a public meeting held in conjunction with the monthly meeting of the Upper Blackfoot Valley Community Council June 20. The county Public Works Department held the meeting to discuss the change that is designed to fully fund the 2029 chips seal projects for Lincoln's paved streets. "The...
HELENA – Going fishing soon? Don't forget your camera. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks wants to feature your fun on the next fishing regulations booklet. Winners will see their work on the front and back cover of the 2024 fishing regulation booklet. Think beyond the brag board. We're looking for unique or unusual photos, perhaps a state record fish or a fish never previously seen on the cover. Help FWP show what diverse fish can be found in Montana. Photo contest: Photo must b...
MILLTOWN, Mont. - The Montana Department of Transportation, along with construction partner Knife River Inc., will resurface a portion of Montana Highway 200. The project area begins at the intersection of MT 200 and Montana Highway 210 S and continues for 7.5 miles east on MT 200. The work is scheduled to begin June 19th, weather permitting. Improvements to this stretch of road will include a resurfaced roadway, seal and cover (chip seal), fog seal, new pavement markings,...
Through June 20, the Bureau of Land Management is accepting comments on a public land proposal that the agency put conservation priorities - e.g., ecological health and the "resilience of renewable resources" - on equal footing with long-established agency objectives such as livestock grazing and oil, gas and coal leasing. More specifically, the proposed rule would establish conservation as a "use" under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act in an effort to "protect...
Gov. Greg Gianforte's office announced Saturday that the Republican governor has signed into law Senate Bill 458, legislation that inserts binary, reproduction-based definitions of "male," "female" and "sex" into dozens of parts of state code. The final version of the policy - the subject of heated partisan debatethroughout the legislative session and a lobbying effort by one of Gianforte's children - distinguishes males and females by the presence of XY or XX chromosomes and...
BOZEMAN - Rural-focused policymakers, funders and partners are invited to participate in a Reimagining Rural gathering on Tuesday, June 13, in Townsend. Reimagining Rural is a program offered through Montana State University Extension that invites community members in small towns to hear new ideas for rural community vitality. The events are meant to inspire and motivate attendees to imagine a brighter future for their towns. The June 13 event will showcase effective ways of...
Gov. Greg Gianforte has vetoed a bill raising the wages paid Montana legislators, arguing the proposed increase - from about $16 to $24 an hour starting in 2025 on top of already-approved per-diem increases - was disproportionate to increases the Legislature had authorized for state employees. "As has been the case since before our nation's founding, public service comes with personal sacrifice - long hours away from home, less time with family, and appropriately limited compe...
Department of Public Health and Human Services officials are reporting a recent increase in the number of cases of chickenpox reported in school-aged children. And, at least half of these infections were acquired from an adult family member with shingles. Chickenpox, or varicella, can be a serious illness and is easily preventable with vaccination. "The best way to protect yourself and your child from chickenpox is vaccination," says Jessica Lopeman, a registered nurse and...
BOZEMAN - Montana middle school and high school students passionate about advanced math are invited to attend the Mathematics Circle Summer Camp hosted by the Science Math Resource Center at Montana State University. Participants will immerse themselves in math problem-solving challenges, tour innovative university labs and engage in fun science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, activities. The camps will meet from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day on the MSU campus....
Lawmakers Pass New Statewide Zoning Laws Lawmakers in Helena passed a bill that would allow for mixed-use development in commercially zoned areas with the aim of increasing the state's housing supply. The bill is now awaiting a decision from Gov. Greg Gianforte. Sen. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, sponsored Senate Bill 245, which requires cities to allow apartment style complexes to be built in commercial zoning areas, such as shopping areas or financial districts where housing...
Lawmakers Tout Childcare, Tax Cuts and Housing Reform as Major Victories HELENA – Lawmakers have left the Capitol in Helena after a chaotic end to the 68th Montana Legislature. Republicans, who held a supermajority this session, celebrated legislation passed on education, tax relief and protecting children and parental rights, while Democrats said they were disappointed with a lack of long-term tax relief and immediate solutions for the state's housing crisis. The L...
Republican leaders' banishment of a transgender lawmaker from floor debates in the recently ended Montana legislative session seized the nation's attention. It also overshadowed significant health policy changes and historic levels of health care spending. The session likely will be remembered for GOP leaders removing Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, one of two transgender representatives in the Capitol, from House floor debates. That the ban has distracted from approvals of...
Lincoln, Mont. - On May 2, SIM-MT, a leading medical simulation training organization, partnered with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services to provide advanced cardiac arrest simulation training for local EMS providers in Lincoln, Montana. The training session was designed to equip local EMS providers with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively respond to cardiac arrest situations. SIM-MT's team conducted a range of simulations, including...
Katie Beall was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 1, 2022. Two days later, doctors told her the chemotherapy she needed would make her infertile. The next day, she started looking into how she could freeze her eggs, which would give her the option of becoming a mother in the future. Twenty-three days after her cancer diagnosis, the 36-year-old Helena resident said, she had put $7,579 on three credit cards to pay for her out-of-pocket fertility preservation costs. Her...
As the 68th Legislative Session approaches the end of its 90-day ride, lawmakers are close to passing a $14.3 million budget for state spending over the next two years, funding everything from Medicaid to education to law enforcement. The Montana Legislative Branch only has one constitutional requirement and that is to provide a balanced budget for the next two years. House Bill 2, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, is the key bill that holds that budget. Other...
Parental Rights in Education Bill Nears Passage A bill moving through the legislative process would give parents more rights in their child's education, require school boards to share additional information regarding a student's education with parents and allow parents to opt their children out of certain school instruction. Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, is sponsoring Senate Bill 518, which would require school districts to provide information to parents on educational...
State health officials are asking the public to be cautious and take steps to prevent exposure to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) this spring by avoiding contact with sick or deceased poultry or wild birds. "Despite detecting HPAI in birds and mammals, the risk to human health is currently low," said Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) influenza epidemiologist Devon Cozart. "However, in order to keep it that way, we are encouraging people to be...
On April 13, Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr was sitting in the basement of Montana's Capitol building reflecting on her time as one of the state's first two openly transgender legislators. She wondered whether she needed to display more anger over anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, or whether she should focus on promoting more of what she called "transgender joy." "The thing that keeps me up at night is, am I doing a good job for my community?" Zephyr said. Five days later, the anger...
Committee Tables Bill for One-Time Stabilization for Struggling Nursing Homes Lawmakers have tabled a bill that would have given a one-time emergency stabilization payment of $5 million from the state general fund to the Department of Public Health and Human Services for nursing homes. Rep. Jennifer Carlson, R-Manhattan, sponsored House Bill 891, which would have given emergency relief money to nursing homes that have stayed open and are 60 miles away from another nursing...
Kellen Alger has been teaching in Montana for 13 years. He taught for seven years in Cut Bank, teaching middle schoolers, and the last five years, he's been teaching fifth graders at Jefferson Elementary School in Helena. Alger grew up in a family of teachers, with both of his parents teaching throughout his early life. He said the last thing he wanted to do was become a teacher, but when college came around the profession sucked him in. "It was just like: 'This is what I want...
Montana's population has increased 10 percent in the last decade, while housing has grown by less than 7 percent, according to a report released last fall from the governor's bipartisan Housing Task Force. Two-thirds of the way through the 2023 Montana Legislature, lawmakers, housing advocates and the governor's office are closing in on what they say could be part of the solution to that housing crunch – a package of bills that would reform zoning laws across the state that of...
Lawmakers Hear Testimony on a Bill that Would Increase Firefighters' Hazard Pay Lawmakers are considering a bill to increase hazard pay for firefighters working on wildland fires for the Department of Natural Resources Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, is sponsoring Senate Bill 402, which would increase firefighters' pay by 25 percent when actively working in dangerous environments and uncontrolled wildfires. "Fighting wildland fires is an occupation that requires work in...
Senate Debates Bill that Would Require Age Verification for Obscene Material Online The House of Representatives will now debate a bill that would add penalties for online companies that post obscene material without a form of age restriction or verification. Sen. Willis Curdy, D-Missoula, is sponsoring Senate Bill 544, which would make companies liable for the distribution or production of pornography to minors. The bill passed through the Senate 47-3 and is scheduled for...
In between sets of tumbling warmups, Adrienne Prashar crossed the gym to where she had stashed her diabetes supplies and tested her blood sugar. Prashar, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes the day before her 13th birthday, said tumbling usually drops her blood sugar levels. Prashar, now 14, did a finger stick, saw her blood sugar was 127, and went back to the mat. For most people with diabetes, the target range is about 80-130, and up to 180 two hours after meals. Prashar...
