The Fish and Wildlife Commission will hold a public hearing via Zoom on Dec. 1 at 10 a.m. to consider a new rule pertaining to banning the use of remote-controlled devices and drones while fishing. FWP has increasingly been asked the question of whether it is permissible to use a remote- controlled boat, drone, or other remote-controlled device to fish. Currently, Montana law does not specifically

Attorney General Tim Fox announced Nov. 16 that Montana will recover all funds wrongfully withheld from the state by tobacco companies under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement, as well as a premium and protection for Montana’s future MSA payments. Under Fox’s direction, the Department of Justice took on the largest tobacco companies for wrongfully withholding $3-$4.5 million from Montana

Partners from the Headwaters Food & Ag Development Center are offering two free webinars to individuals and businesses interested community supported agriculture and/or sales techniques for food producers. The first program, Trends in Online Selling for Food Producers, is designed to support farmers, food producers and other farmers’ market vendors and is intended to cover the logistics

used for babies. County sheriffs and other law enforcement across the state have said that the mask mandate is not enforceable and violations should not be called into 911. Fort Peck Tribes The Fort Peck Tribes moved to Phase 1 Tuesday, Sept. 29. Phase 1 puts non-essential employees and residents on the reservation under stay at home orders and limits gatherings to 10 people or fewer. All

are 82 active cases and 387 recovered cases as of Monday, Nov. 9. Total deaths are six. There have been 475 total cases in the county. More than 200 contacts are being monitored. Statewide According to Montana health officials, a total of 540,913 tests have been conducted statewide since the start of the pandemic. The state’s total number of known cases now stands at 40,053 since the

Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 1.3 percent in 2021, the Social Security Administration announced Nov. 5. The 1.3 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 64 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2021. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries

Although he wasn’t pleased with the election results from most of the state, Frank Smith, D-Poplar, is looking forward to serving House District 31 at the Montana Legislature in 2021. “I always say, the voters have spoken,” Smith said regarding the results. “We have to live with it.” Results included Greg Gianforte being elected as Montana’s new governor and Republicans keeping