News
Virtual visits are here to stay, even as COVID abates
As the COVID crisis wanes and life approaches normal across the U.S., health industry leaders and many patient advocates are pushing Congress and the Biden administration to preserve the pandemic-fueled expansion of telehealth that has transformed how millions of Americans see the doctor. The broad effort reaches across the nation’s diverse health care system, bringing […]
Missoula College’s ASN nursing degree ranked No. 1 in Montana
Missoula College’s associate of science degree in nursing has been ranked No. 1 in Montana, according to a news release from the University of Montana. “The faculty here is really awesome,” said program director Linda Barnes on Friday. “The people that are teaching these students, they all are really passionate about nursing. Many of them […]
‘A shooting star’: Victim of Ovando bear attack remembered
Whenever Billie Jean Gerke received a call from her friend Leah Davis Lokan, she would greet Lokan with an enthusiastic: “Hello, my adventure girlfriend.” “She was the most adventurous woman I’ve ever known,” said Gerke, who became friends with Lokan in the late 2000s while they both lived in Sandpoint, Idaho. “She was incredibly strong, […]
Harris: DNC will spend $25 million to protect voting rights
WASHINGTON—Vice President Kamala Harris announced Thursday that the Democratic National Committee will spend $25 million to protect voting rights, in response to a wave of laws pushed by Republican lawmakers in state legislatures that would restrict voting access. The move comes after Democrats have been stymied in their attempts to enact a national election overhaul […]
Judge tosses MT media open-meeting lawsuit against Legislature
A Lewis and Clark County District Court judge has dismissed a case brought by Montana media organizations alleging the chairman of a legislative committee violated Montana’s constitutional right to know by denying a reporter access to a meeting where committee members discussed proposed legislation. Petitioners, which include a handful of Montana media organizations including the […]
Montana’s Stone-Manning near crucial vote in bid to become BLM chief
Republican senators during the past few weeks led sustained attacks on President Joe Biden’s choice to head up the Bureau of Land Management, zeroing in on the Montanan’s Twitter feed, her graduate thesis that included a mock-up for an advertisement for population control and her ties to a 1989 tree-spiking incident. But Tracy Stone-Manning’s confirmation […]
FWP: Grizzly likely responsible for fatal Ovando attack has been shot and killed
Wildlife officials shot and killed Friday the grizzly believed to be responsible for the fatal attack of a bicycle camper in Ovando, according to a press release from Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. Before fatally attacking Leah Davis Lokan, 64, of Chico, California, on Tuesday, the bear raided a local chicken coop. About 48 hours […]
Contagious Delta variant hits Montana; 95% of hospitalized are unvaccinated
As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to pop up in Montana, public health officials are urging residents who have either not been vaccinated or only had one dose to get protected because the viral strain seems to spread more rapidly and may be more severe. The Delta variant — known officially as SARS-CoV-2-B.1.617.2 — […]
Department of Commerce: More than $10M in rent, assistance, paid
Montana Housing announced Thursday that more than $10 million in rent and utility assistance has been paid to support Montanans who have experienced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were at risk of housing instability, according to a news release from the Montana Department of Commerce. The federally funded assistance is provided by […]
The bison are back: Bison could appear in Glacier soon
A herd of at least 75 or 85 bison may be released even within a year or so to land in the Chief Mountain area of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, with freedom to wander onto their native land, now Glacier National Park, according to the Buffalo Program of the Blackfeet Nation. “There’s no fences, no […]
Federal investigation seeks to uncover painful history of Native American boarding schools
WASHINGTON —The Native American children travelled on trains, thousands of miles from their homes, to Pennsylvania’s Carlisle Indian Industrial School in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many had been forcibly taken from their parents and communities. Once there, they had to hand over their belongings, put on uniforms, cut off their braids, adopt new […]
Montana, more than 30 other states accuse Google of anti-competitive practices
Montana is among 36 states suing Google over allegations the tech firm is operating a monopoly with its app store and Google Billing. In the Midwest, Minnesota, Missouri, and South Dakota also are involved with the lawsuit, Utah v. Google. The states claim Google paid off competitors and used contracts to create a monopoly for its app store on […]