The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
