Living
Liquor sales up but beer and wine down in 2021
Montanans are buying more swanky liquor — but a little less beer and wine. Despite the reopening of most bars and restaurants in 2021, Montanans still kept up with pandemic habits, albeit at a lower rate, by purchasing more hard liquor in 2021 than in 2020 — at the same time, residents brought home roughly […]
Report: Depression among youth hits 30-year high in pandemic
Depression among high school students hit its highest rate in three decades, 41 percent, during the pandemic, according to results of the 2021 Montana Youth Risk Behavior Study. “If anything good came out of this reporting in 2021, it was that our suicide attempts did not increase during the pandemic,” said Susan Court, state coordinator […]
BLM has a chance to increase land protections and push back against climate change
The largest piece of America’s incredible wealth of public lands is the 250 million acres overseen by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). In fact, the BLM manages 1 in 10 acres of surface area in the U.S., and 30% of the minerals. Now, the Biden administration has an unprecedented opportunity to increase BLM protections for […]
Bridge funding in infrastructure law on the way to states
The federal government will begin releasing more than $5 billion for distressed bridges in the first year of funding under the recent infrastructure law, President Joe Biden said in a Friday video message. He specifically mentioned the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Ohio and Kentucky, the Interstate 5 bridge over the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington […]
State to increase firefighter pay for 2022 fire season
Wages for Montana’s firefighters will increase by $1.70 per hour starting with the 2022 fire season, the state announced Monday. The bump in pay will bring the minimum base pay for seasonal firefighters to $15.50 per hour — making Montana more competitive in recruiting and retaining firefighters, according to a press release from Gov. Greg […]
Montana medical marijuana users brace for shortages as recreational market opens
More than a year after voters approved legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Montana, anyone older than 21 can now enter a dispensary and buy cannabis. That has medical marijuana user Joylynn Mane Wright worried. Wright lives in Prairie County, the state’s fifth-least-populated county, with nearly 1,100 people. She already drives about 35 minutes to […]
Group starts collecting signatures for property tax cap initiative
Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen has approved a constitutional initiative that, if passed, would cap residential property taxes, roll back valuations, and also reduce tax breaks for “speculators, investors and house ‘flippers.’” Former state lawmaker and current U.S. House of Representatives candidate Al Olszewski is the treasurer for the Montana Property Tax Cap Initiative. […]
Montana-based documentary on misinformation, disinformation will get worldwide audience
If you’re reading this article, it’s likely that this story isn’t directed at you. Sorry. But a Montana organization and film that is winning a pile of awards is going to get a worldwide showing this week, and the documentary aims to make sense of the world of disinformation, misinformation and why news may be […]
UPDATED: Nurses association says Missoula’s Community Medical Center is failing to pay its nurses
The Montana Nurses Association is giving one of the largest health care centers in the state until noon on Friday to pay more than 250 nurses and likely other staff for nearly a month of partial wages or face legal action to get employees past-due checks. A letter sent to Community Medical Center Chief Executive […]
Public Service Commission to investigate CenturyLink for poor phone service
The Montana Public Service Commission is launching an investigation into CenturyLink Communication’s “legacy infrastructure” because customers in rural areas continue to report telephone problems including the inability to reach 911. “If we don’t have correctly working 911, people’s lives are at risk,” said Commissioner Randy Pinocci at a PSC meeting last month. “I can’t make […]
Yellowstone National Park — the Year 2021 in review
It was business as usual in 2021 at Yellowstone—earthquakes, ground deformation, geyser eruptions, and lots of field work! As is tradition, this first Caldera Chronicles of the new year takes a look back at what happened in Yellowstone during the previous 12 months. Yellowstone is a very active place in terms of seismicity. Typically the University […]
Top 10 most viewed stories of 2021 for the Daily Montanan
Well, 2021 is almost in the books, and you have helped make the Daily Montanan’s year a success. We launched on Jan. 5, and between the Legislature and a new look to many facets of state government, there was also a riot on Jan. 6 — and it seems like those changes, along with the […]