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About 15 months ago, I was having coffee with Matt Singer, the founder of National Voter Registration Day, as he was passing through Helena. I knew Singer from our shared time in Missoula nearly 20 years ago, but I hadn’t followed his work closely.
One of the problems Singer has been working to solve is low voter turnout in U.S. elections. According to 2020 census data, 1 in 4 eligible Americans is not registered to vote. In many cases, that’s because they missed the voter registration deadline, Singer said.
Singer told me how the now 13-year-old national civic holiday celebrated in September each year started with a simple premise: create broad awareness of voter registration opportunities during a single 24-hour democracy blitz to reach tens of thousands of voters who might not otherwise register to vote.
As we talked, I wondered: What inspires someone to start a national holiday, and how do you pull something like that off?
“The problem was too big for young organizers with clipboards on street corners. We needed to pull in every ally we could to speak with one unified voice,” Singer said.
Today, more than 6 million voters across all 50 states have registered to vote on National Voter Registration Day, according to nationalvoterregistrationday.org.
Why, Singer and I wondered, isn’t there a similar day of action to raise awareness of the importance of local news?
I checked whether LocalNewsDay.org was available. It was. I bought it. And that’s how Montana Free Press ended up leading the effort to create the first Local News Day.
This week, that small, somewhat impulsive decision turned into something much bigger than I could have possibly imagined.
On April 9, the first-ever Local News Day came to life as a coordinated, nationwide show of support for local journalism. More than 1,400 newsrooms, hundreds of partner organizations and communities across the country participated in the inaugural event. And people showed up not out of any sense of obligation, but because they care about staying connected to where they live.
Newsrooms opened their doors and hosted community conversations. Some dropped paywalls for the day. Others launched newsletters or other products to reach audiences they hadn’t historically served. Readers shared stories, forwarded newsletters, sent notes of encouragement, and, in some cases, financially supported their local outlets for the first time.
Here at Montana Free Press, we generated more than 850 new newsletter subscribers in the two weeks leading up to Local News Day. On the day itself, we hosted a live conversation about how federal immigration policy is playing out in Montana communities from Froid to Helena. It was the kind of discussion Local News Day is meant to spark: grounded in facts, relevant to the audience and directly connected to people’s lives.
We also built something else that’s difficult to measure, but just as important: momentum.
For most of my career, I’ve watched the steady erosion of local news. Newsrooms shrinking. Coverage disappearing. Communities becoming less informed about the decisions shaping their daily lives.
But over the last decade, and especially this week, I’ve seen a growing movement to rebuild local news take hold.
Local News Day is now a part of that movement. It’s a reminder that local journalism isn’t just a product. It’s a public good, sustained by participation.
When people start local, they stay connected.
MTFP was proud to help lead this effort, but what made it work was the collective energy behind it: the partners, the newsrooms and the audiences who chose to engage on this special day.
This was the first Local News Day.
It won’t be the last.
— John Adams
By the Numbers 🔢
Number of snowpack monitoring sites in Montana that are reporting record-low levels of snow-water equivalent — a way to measure the amount of water the snow holds — for early April.
In its April Water Supply Outlook report, the Natural Resources and Conservation Service noted that one-third of its snowpack-monitoring sites with 20 or more years of data are reporting record-low snowpack levels as of April 1, when many sites are at their peak for the snowpack accumulation season.
Unusually warm temperatures are largely to blame for the poor state of Montana’s snowpack. Since Jan. 1, temperatures have averaged 6 to 11 degrees above average, leading precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow, and causing many low- and mid-elevation areas to melt out completely much earlier than normal.
The upshot of the suboptimal state of the snowpack is that the rivers and lakes reliant on a sustained supply of slowly melting mountain snow will likely be in rough shape by the time the hottest summer months roll around.
– Amanda Eggert
Following the Law ⚖️
A state District Court judge in Missoula Thursday ordered the state to pay the ACLU of Montana and other attorneys $73,371.13 in costs and fees after state attorneys lost a case involving M.B., a nonbinary Montanan whose application for a driver’s license was rejected in 2022 because they did not select a “male” or “female” category.
The state had argued that M.B.’s license must reflect their “biological sex,” rather than the legal sex on their birth certificate, which is also listed as nonbinary. Judge Shane Vannatta did not agree with those claims and, in December, ordered the state to issue a driver’s license to M.B. that aligns with their birth certificate.
Alex Rate, an attorney with the ACLU, said he expects the state to appeal the case to the Montana Supreme Court, including the determination of attorneys’ fees. But Rate noted that attorneys’ fees could eventually be awarded in several other cases involving the legal documents and civil rights of transgender Montanans.
In the larger context of attorneys’ fees, Rate said, $73,371.13 is not a staggering sum for a constitutional case. But, taken together, litigation involving transgender people could result in the state paying out several million dollars to plaintiff’s attorneys for ongoing court cases alone.
On Friday, another state District Court judge handed down another decision about attorneys’ fees and costs for a case that originated in 2021 involving how transgender people can update their birth certificates, also involving the ACLU of Montana. The total sum owed by the state in that case? $517,176.83.
— Mara Silvers
Water Watch 🚰
Crews finished repairs this week to infrastructure along the St. Mary Canal in northwestern Montana, including a component that suffered a catastrophic failure nearly two years ago. The improvements mean a return to regular water access for the roughly 700 ranchers and farmers who had been operating with about a quarter of their usual water since the failure.
The canal carries water from the St. Mary River to the Milk River, which helps irrigate 140,000 acres of agricultural land.
The renovations cost about $95 million, most of which was paid by the federal government, according to project manager Jennifer Patrick. Patrick, who spoke with MTFP this week from a hilltop near Babb, said about 60 people worked year-round on the renovation.
“It was a little anthill,” Patrick said.
Patrick said the irrigation system would benefit from additional work, including modernizing dozens of miles of the century-old earthen canal and replacing other infrastructure. She estimates the hoped-for work would cost about $300 million.
— Zeke Lloyd
Photo Op 📸
Gov. Greg Gianforte unveiled the new “Welcome to Montana” highway sign during a Tuesday afternoon press conference at the state Capitol.
“It’s great to see this sign represent the entire state, from the plains in the east to the beautiful mountain ranges in the west,” Gianforte said. “For residents and visitors alike, I think this design will encourage all to explore everything this great state offers. Good choice, Montana.”
Not all reviews, though, were positive, at least judging by some of those posted to MTFP’s Facebook story about the unveiling. You’re welcome to add your two cents here.
The governor, along with Montana Department of Transportation Director Chris Dorrington and Montana Department of Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio, celebrated the new design, which hadn’t been updated in nearly a dozen years.
Montanans were asked to weigh in on three new sign design choices in November, garnering more than 11,000 votes, Gianforte said. The signs will be installed at 34 locations at every major highway point of entry into the state. Gianforte said MDT crews will begin installing them this month.
“The Treasure State is already the most welcoming, business-friendly state in the country, and now this new brand will be one of the first impressions they get when they enter the state,” Gianforte said.
— JoVonne Wagner
Highlights ☀️
In other news this week —
• The backers of three constitutional initiatives contend that Montanans pay too much in property taxes. The MTFP local team set out to explain the proposed initiatives and how they might affect local governments and schools.
• Amanda Eggert authored this wonderful political backstory of Steve Pearce, the president’s “drill-baby-drill” pick to lead the BLM, the country’s largest land management agency.
• Montana wants its low-income residents to use their food assistance on “healthy nutritious food instead of soft drinks, junk food and candy.” But, as Nora Mabie wrote, implementing the changes — and trying to avoid unintended consequences — may be easier said than done.
On Our Radar
(Editor’s note: This week, to celebrate Local News Day, we asked our newsroom staffers to share a local news source that they follow and admire.)
Nick — The Montana Kaimin, an independent newspaper staffed by University of Montana students full of piss and vinegar, has been a must-read on the UM campus since 1898. I received my degree from UM, but a lot of my education was acquired in the Kaimin newsroom.
Amanda — I’m a big fan of the reporting Wyofile does, especially Mike Koshmrl’s wildlife coverage and Dustin Bleizeffer’s energy reporting. Both are real pros with a deep knowledge base that informs their reporting.
JoVonne — John McGill was for years the only dedicated reporter/photographer for the Glacier Reporter, covering Glacier County, specifically my hometown of Browning and the Blackfeet Reservation. I remember seeing him at any and all events growing up: sports, council meetings, new business openings and almost anything education-related. Unfortunately, his position was terminated earlier this year. But a community Facebook page, Pikuni Press & Newsfeed, has made posting “time capsules” from McGill’s archived photos a daily occurrence. It’s great to see these old memories pop up in my newsfeed.
Nora — I’m thankful for and admire the work of Char-Koosta News, the outlet serving the Flathead Reservation in northwest Montana. Reporters there provide an invaluable service to readers, covering tribal council meetings, spotlighting community leaders and tracking the local impacts of changing federal policies, among other things. Plus, they landed a pretty huge scoop that made national news during the last election cycle.
Katie — For anyone in need of a dose of whimsy with their local news coverage, The Pulp is the perfect outlet to turn to. It brings the “Keep Missoula Weird” vibes while also delivering a good mix of arts and culture, political and feature coverage. I particularly enjoyed this recent piece by Jeremy Lurgio about a homeless veteran living in his vehicle near Montana Snowbowl. For those looking for a deep dive, The Pulp also published an intriguing series by Michael Cast investigating the transition of Missoula’s Community Hospital from a non-profit to a for-profit.
Tom — All time: Mel Ruder’s Hungry Horse News. I worked at the “starving stallion” 30 years ago when Mel was still alive and checking in on us. Mel had won a Pulitzer Prize for his local news reporting. Getting a call from him, usually after turning the spotlight of accountability on local government, was pure gold. His black-and-white photography was spellbinding. Current: Terry native Jamie Crisafulli, managing editor of the Glendive Ranger Review, is the local newsperson every Montana community deserves. Crisafulli and her crew have produced a decades-long record for the community she’s spent a lifetime in.
Zeke — I had the privilege of working in The Anaconda Leader‘s newsroom through Montana Free Press’ reporter residency program last summer. That week in Anaconda, which marked the beginning of my second year as a journalist, gave me unfettered access to two of the state’s best role models in local news: James Rosien and Kasey Edge-Faur.
Lauren — I have long admired the phenomenal video series at Texas Monthly Presents and the photo essays at the Texas Observer. Jordan Vondy’s story, “The River and the Fever Dream,” where he converted a digital camera to “use infrared light to reveal Texas border militarization — in the same way the armed forces once scanned for enemies from the sky,” particularly caught my attention both with how magical and outlandish the images are as well as his thoughtful approach that makes me feel unnerved — exactly how it should.
Mara — In honor of Local News Day, I wanted to briefly reflect on a local news story that’s seared into my brain from 2017 when I was working my first real journalism job in New York City. Very abruptly, the billionaire who owned two local news sites, DNAInfo and Gothamist, which covered the five boroughs better than just about any outlet, decided to pull the plug on both. When the sites went dark, I remember hearing the distress from the reporters and editors I worked with. They, too, were shocked by how a trusted community news source could vanish in a blink. My colleagues grieved the loss of their competitors. Nearly 10 years later, many of the laid-off journalists are continuing to work for local news outlets, including THE CITY and Hell Gate. I hope their new homes stand strong for years to come.
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Lowdown is edited by Nick Ehli, with additional copy editing from Mara Silvers.