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Articles from the June 18, 2023 edition


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  • Legislature's health care investments will help Montana families

    Sen. Jason Small and Sen. John Esp, Montana Senate|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    We would wager that nearly every Montana family has struggled in some way with mental health, diabetes, or postpartum health care. The 2023 Legislature made unprecedented investments in all three of those areas that together will positively impact families in every corner of our state. Not only did we both vote for all of these reforms, but one of us (Senator Jason Small) sponsored the diabetes legislation. The other (Senator John Esp) chaired the Senate's influential Finance...

  • This is How Divided Government Should Work

    Lee Hamilton, Center on Representative Government|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    Before the memory of the recent debt ceiling negotiations disappears and we confront the next new drama in Washington, let's pause a moment to acknowledge what just happened. You can debate from here to eternity whether the American people were winners or losers in the deal (I'd say winners because the government didn't default, losers because we had to go through the whole charade in the first place) but what's not debatable is one key point: Congress and the White House...

  • SCOTUS wetlands rollback through a development lens

    Amanda Eggert, Montana Free Press|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    BOZEMAN - On a recent rainy June day, Leanne Roulson pointed out features of a soggy area just inside the Bozeman city limits suggestive of a wetland. Cattails poked out from several inches of standing water. A dense clump of willows sheltered songbirds, which trilled from their dripping perches. If she wanted to, Roulson, a former president of the American Fisheries Society trained in botany, biology and ecology, could consult a three-part test to determine whether the...

  • Send Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks your best fishing photo and art

    News Release, Montana FWP|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    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...

  • Snowmobile Advisory Committee to meet June 23 in Helena

    News Release, Montana FWP|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    HELENA – The Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Snowmobile Advisory Committee will meet in Helena on June 23, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Montana WILD, 2668 Broadwater Ave. The mission of the committee is to advise FWP on snowmobile grooming issues related to funding, provision, development, renovation, maintenance, management, usage and promotion of snowmobile trails. Agenda items include: Snowmobile Program Standard Budgets Grooming grants Training/Education Topics 2023 l...

  • Look Out for Harmful Algal Blooms When Recreating this Summer

    News Release, Montana DEQ|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    HELENA-When recreating on Montana's waterbodies this spring, summer and fall, be on the lookout for harmful algal blooms (HABs) that can occur on Montana's reservoirs and lakes. While not all algal blooms contain toxins, the blooms can impact human health and the health of freshwater ecosystems. Report suspected HABs at HAB.mt.gov to help others be alert and prevent illness. How to identify a HAB: A coloration or scum on the surface of the water that can look like grass...

  • Elk hunting access and public land access agreements open more than a million acres to the public

    News Release, Montana FWP|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    HELENA – This hunting season, two Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks programs will open up access to more than a million acres of private and inaccessible or under accessible public land. At its meeting on June 8, the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission approved 49 Elk Hunting Access Agreement (EHA) applications, which will allow access to a half million acres of private land. In addition to this, in 2023 FWP staff worked with landowners to open up 540,000 acres of i...

  • My Answer: God knows our need for rest and relaxation

    From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham, Billy Graham Literary Trust|Updated Jun 20, 2023

    Q: My husband and I are retiring and he plans to play golf and rest. I want to do something worthwhile. Is it wrong to spend retirement years enjoying all the things we couldn't do when we were busy working and raising our children? - R.Y. A: God knows our need for rest and relaxation. The writer of Ecclesiastes said, "Enjoy the good of all his labor -- it is the gift of God" (3:13). After a grueling period of ministry, Jesus urged His disciples to go with him to a quiet place...