Could rehabbing dams in the Rattlesnake Wilderness help native trout struggling with climate change?
When the city of Missoula acquired the Mountain Water Company, it took on the responsibility of repairing and maintaining a series of high-elevation dams in the Rattlesnake Wilderness. Now, a century after their construction, those dams need removal or rehabilitation. Fixing them could provide benefits for the ‘Place of the Small Bull Trout.’
News doesn’t just happen at the national or state level — it happens in your town and in your neighborhood. MTFP Local is in-depth, independent reporting on the stories impacting your community from reporters who call it home.
No shouting. No name calling. Just award-winning local journalism for Montanans by Montanans.
Sign up for our free weekday newsletter.
LATEST HEADLINES
Missoula County voters asked to increase funding for elderly services
Missoula Aging Services’ budget hasn’t kept up with the needs of the county’s aging population, an issue exasperated by the pandemic. Its CEO says an additional tax would help ease that burden.
How Montana ski areas are adapting to the climate crisis
As an ominous report predicts less snow in the northern Rocky Mountains’ future, Montana ski areas are taking action to protect their most important resource.
Hyundai announces R&D investment at MSU
Hyundai Motor Group is investing $20 million over the next five years to operate its latest research and development facility on the campus of Montana State University, company and state officials announced Thursday. The Research, Development and Lab Center is part of Hyundai’s New Horizons Studio aimed at developing what it calls Ultimate Mobility Vehicles,…
Empower your community.
Power the press!
Fuel the future of independent, public-powered news in Montana. Become a member of Montana Free Press and help bring high-quality, independent journalism to more communities in our state.
BILLINGS
State unveils broadband access map, solicits grant applications
Data presented by the state broadband office indicates two-thirds of Montana addresses have current or pending 100 mbps service. Private internet providers who want to reach underserved areas can apply for help from a $266 million fund.
Hospitals recruit international nurses to fill pandemic shortages
Billings Clinic is just one of scores of hospitals taking this strategy. The demand is so high, and the nursing shortage so great, that there’s a backlog of thousands of international health care professionals awaiting visas to work in the U.S.
Medical marijuana users brace for shortages as recreational market opens
Sales of recreational marijuana are underway, and dispensary owners say they’re not ready to meet the demand. That may mean problems for the 55,000 Montanans who hold medical marijuana cards.
BOZEMAN
Interest heightens in Bozeman’s school board election
Debates over masking, critical race theory and parental rights have stirred up a frenzy of interest in school board elections across the country. But in Bozeman, four candidates vying for two trustee positions say they’ve largely attempted to disengage from the widespread politicization.
Montana’s fastest-growing city last year? It wasn’t Bozeman.
New Census Bureau estimates chart Montana’s population shifts during the first full year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kalispell led the pack for new residents.
A road runs through it
Highway 191 between Bozeman and Big Sky is one of the busiest roadways in Montana, and one of the deadliest for wildlife. Solutions are a long time coming.
GREAT FALLS
Air Force unfazed by Russian saber-rattling
Despite concerns about nuclear tensions related to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, operations of the missile silos at Malmstrom Air Force Base here remain normal, military officials said. “There’s been no change to force protection conditions at Malmstrom AFB, and we won’t speculate on potential future adjustments,” Jennifer Greene, spokesperson for Air Force Global Strike…
How a hand-tied local health department is keeping up the fight against COVID-19
With less than half of its eligible population vaccinated, Cascade County is marshaling support from local emergency responders, tackling misinformation one-on-one, and trying hard to keep morale high.
Great Falls group petitions for slaughterhouse study
Citizens and the city commission want the state to study environmental impacts of what would be the largest food processing plant in the U.S.
HELENA
How Montana got its new congressional map
Democrats wanted a competitive western district. Republicans wanted a simple split. The chair of Montana’s Districting and Apportionment wanted compromise. Here’s how that all boiled down to the state’s new U.S. House districts.
Legislative special counsel to investigate attorney general’s actions toward Helena hospital
A new legal position within the Montana Legislature is being tested for the first time with an investigation of Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s actions toward St. Peter’s hospital in Helena.
Attorney General overstepped authority in hospital incident, critics say
A growing chorus of critics say Austin Knudsen has been overstepping his legal authority as Montana’s Attorney General, a criticism that was renewed this week when news broke that Knudsen’s office dispatched a Montana Highway Patrol officer to St. Peter’s Health hospital in Helena.
MISSOULA
Judge strikes pre-approval statute that bestowed ‘exclusive and lucrative financial benefit only on NorthWestern’
A Missoula judge struck down a law that granted NorthWestern Energy reimbursement for new energy-generating assets from customers. In a May 6 opinion, District Court Judge Jason Marks deemed the pre-approval statute passed by the Montana Legislature in 2003 unconstitutional because it applies only to NorthWestern.
Missoula nonprofits turn to surplus Bakken homes for affordability solution
As the cost of a home in Missoula has surpassed $500,000, area nonprofits have brought surplus housing from the Bakken oil fields to the area to help the affordability crunch.
Farmers markets return in Missoula
Back in business after two years of pandemic slowdown, Missoula’s two major farmers markets hope to bring back opportunities for cultural connection and a path for small business growth.