USDA Rural Development Montana State Director Kathleen Williams announced May 23 that the agency is investing in six clean energy projects to support rural Montana businesses and agricultural producers. These projects are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act, the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis. The investments are made through the Rural Energy America Program,

Billings Public Schools, the largest district in Montana, used to get a flood of applications when it posted a teaching job. Now, Superintendent Erwin Garcia said it’s getting one application for every 10 positions, roughly a reverse of the 10 apps to one single job it used to get. He said teachers apply from other states — “They love Montana” — but they change their minds once

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks aquatic invasive species inspection stations have been busy this spring. So far, more than 10,000 watercraft have been inspected, with 16 of those found to have invasive mussels attached. Anyone transporting watercraft must stop at all open inspection stations they encounter. Watercraft includes motorized and non-motorized boats, paddle boards, kayaks, canoes,

About a year into the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility after the covid-19 public health emergency, more than 20 million people have been kicked off the joint federal-state program for low-income families. A chorus of stories recount the ways the unwinding has upended people’s lives, but Native Americans are proving particularly vulnerable to losing coverage and face greater obstacles

Average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 6.1 cents per gallon in the last week, averaging $3.46/g Monday, May 13, according to GasBuddy's survey of 615 stations in Montana. Prices in Montana are 11.4 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 0.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has fallen 4.6 cents in the last week and stands at

The Montana State Committee of the American College of Trial Lawyers said that it is opposed to the push for a special session of the Montana Legislature. Three different groups of Republican lawmakers have called for a special session. One group of legislators said they believe the Legislature should convene to address immigration issues and revenue from recreational marijuana. Another has

The 2024 paddlefish season on the Yellowstone River and Missouri River downstream of Fort Peck Reservoir started Wednesday, May 15, which was a harvest day. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday are harvest days for all areas valid for the yellow tag, while Sunday, Monday and Thursday are catchand- release days, and only at Intake Fishing Access Site near Glendive. All other areas are closed

Thundering Buffalo Health & Wellness Center is hosting the third annual Fort Peck Youth Summit June 13-14. Registration for the event is open as of May 1. The event will feature host Sam McCracken and special guest Amber Midthunder. Midthunder is an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Tribes and she has appeared in numerous popular television shows, including Longmire, Reservation Dogs and

On May 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $28,650,000 from President Biden’s Investing in America plan to help Montana identify and replace lead service lines, preventing exposure to lead in drinking water. Lead can cause a range of serious health impacts, including irreversible harm to brain development in children. To protect children and families, President Biden has committed