The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
The Blackfoot Valley's News Source Since 1980
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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...
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...
A slate of bills advanced by a prominent Republican lawmaker would try to lower Montana property taxes by requiring revotes on some local tax levies while also raising the approval margins required to pass levies and bond measures in low-turnout local elections. Senate Taxation Committee Chair Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, said at a Wednesday hearing before his committee that he believes rising property taxes are the "No. 1 concern" for many Montana residents and voters. Hertz...
HELENA – Scammers are continuing their attempts to obtain personal information from unsuspecting Montanans over the phone by claiming to be law enforcement officials, Attorney General Austin Knudsen warned today. The fraudsters are disguising their phone number, so on caller ID, it appears the number is coming from a legitimate local number, which is also referred to as "spoofing." Attorney General Knudsen also reminded Montanans that law enforcement and court officials w...
HELENA – Hunting regulation booklets for deer/elk/antelope, moose/sheep/goat and light goose are now available on Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks' website at fwp.mt.gov/hunt/regulations. Hard copies of the deer/elk/antelope booklets are also available at FWP offices; hard copies of other regulations will be available soon. Hunters can reference the regulations booklets as they prepare for the new license year, which begins March 1. Hunters will notice that the booklets for d...
Bella Nyman has struggled with her mental health since age 7, when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety. Nyman said she was afraid to tell her parents she had thoughts of suicide. Looking back, a mental health screening might have helped her to stop hiding her struggles from adults and peers, she said. "Hard things don't get better if we don't talk about them," Nyman said. Today, Nyman works with the Rural Behavioral Health Institute, a Livingston,...
Lawmakers Table Bill That Would Have Added Additional Penalties to First-Time DUI Offenses The House Judiciary Committee on Friday tabled a bill that would have increased minimum penalties for first-time driving under the influence offenses to four days in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000. Current Montana law penalizes an individual's first DUI with a minimum of 24 hours in jail and a minimum fine of $600. "This bill addresses concerns I have with people dying on our roads...
Megan Zawacki started working at St. Peter's Health in Helena, Montana, in 2020 as a physician assistant trained in treating addiction. She had gone through specialized training that allowed her to prescribe Suboxone, a medication to fight opioid addiction, but she couldn't do so for six months. That's because Zawacki was hired to work with a doctor who specialized in addiction medicine, but that doctor did not join St. Peter's until three months after Zawacki was hired, and...
Elizabeth Maixner had her first baby when she was 15 in a hospital. She worked with a midwife in the hospital and said especially at such a young age, she appreciated the personal support the midwife added to the experience, which gave her, and her mom, comfort during an unknown process. "She not only supported me in my pregnancy, but she also supported my mother, which was huge," Maixner said. Maixner is now a mother of three and was 30 and 33 when she had her second and third children. When it was time to decide where to...
Bill Would Update Meth Contamination Reporting A bill advancing in the House of Representatives would require that even properties where methamphetamine has been smoked or used be reported to the state and local health department and listed as inhabitable until deemed safe. The House Natural Resource Committee voted unanimously on Feb. 8 to push House Bill 381 to the full House for debate. Under current law, law enforcement officers are required to report properties where...
The 38th running of Race to the Sky is scheduled to take place on Feb. 10-14, 2023. Pre-race events include a vet check on Friday, Feb. 10, for the 300-mile teams at 2-3 p.m. at Hi Country Snack Foods in Lincoln. That evening from 6-8 p.m. is the meet the mushers pre-race dinner at the Lincoln Community Hall. Donations welcome. There will be a silent auction, opportunity to meet the mushers running this year's Race to the Sky and to enjoy good food. The mushers will receive...
