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With every region of Montana facing severe to extreme drought conditions, Governor Greg Gianforte today called on U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to identify all counties in Montana as primary natural disaster areas. “As we continue to see record-breaking temperatures from Libby to Glendive, it is imperative that the U.S. Department of Agriculture aid Montana communities in accessing critical resources, such as the Livestock Forage Program, Emergency Conservation Program, and Emergency Livestock Assistance Program, to respond to c...
FORT PECK – Anglers and boaters recreating on Fort Peck Reservoir this year have noticed that water levels are lower than they have been the last several years. More shoreline is exposed, boat ramps are longer (all ramps are currently usable), and islands and shallow points are “popping up” where they haven’t been seen for years. Besides making boating on the reservoir a little more challenging, how do these lower water levels affect the fishery of Fort Peck? Changing water levels are nothing new to Fort Peck. Since Fort Peck Dam was constru...
HELENA, Mont. – Montana’s unemployment rate declined again, falling to 3.6% in May, down from 4.0% in January and down from 9.1% one year ago. The unemployment rate for the U.S. was 5.8% for the month of May. “Montanans who were sidelined during the pandemic are returning to the workforce and getting back to work,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said. “Our continued recovery depends on continuing these positive trends, so our businesses can meet their growing customer demand.” Montana’s total employment, which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-empl...
Helena, Mont. – The Montana Department of Agriculture is reminding producers to participate in the upcoming Wheat and Barley Varieties Survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). “This year’s varieties survey will give our breeding program unique and widespread insight into the characteristics that are truly important to Montana farmers,” said Cassidy Marn, Executive Vice President of the Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. “With producer checkoff dollars helping to...
Montana State University-Northern shares that Mrs. Hazel Gearheart, of Kennewick, WA, has gifted the University $100,000. Gearheart, a former resident of Chinook, has designated the funds be used to support an endowment and, per her wishes, the MSU-Northern Foundation has created the Len and Hazel Gearheart Endowment, named after Hazel and her late husband, Len. Her endowment will continue to give in perpetuity supporting a new scholarship named the Len and Hazel Gearheart Endowed Scholarship....
Havre Elks Lodge #1201 recently awarded six scholarships to local graduating high school seniors. Lodge Scholarship Chairman Bob Nieuwenhuyse announced that recipients of this year's local Elks Most Valuable Student Awards were: Kenidee Wolery and Shayla Borlaug – North Star High School; Rebecca Stroh – Chinook High School; Cameron Swarzbach – Big Sandy High School; Grant Whitacre and Joshua Warp – Havre High School. The six local MVS winners were advanced to the Montana State Elks Associa...
Education has been one of the most disrupted sectors by COVID-19. The ripple effects of school closures and remote learning have further put pressure on families and our economy. The Legislature responded by giving more flexibility to students, families, and educators to engage in individualized learning. We began the session by providing local school boards with stability as they were beginning their annual budgeting process. House Bill 15 which provides an inflationary increase in school funding was signed into law in February and is...
BOZEMAN — Montana State University Extension will soon offer a program to help rural Montana residents gain skills needed to work from home as a remote employee, freelancer or entrepreneur. “This educational program will help people living in rural communities gain the skills needed to access high-paying jobs and larger markets for their business while remaining in their rural communities,” said Cody Stone, MSU Extension executive director. “This program has the potential to strengthen the economic well-being of individuals, families and com...
HELENA – Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Adam Meier, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) Vice President of External Affairs John Doran were joined by various organization representatives Tuesday, April 6 for a Pinwheels for Prevention event at the Capitol. Over 1,000 bright blue pinwheels were placed in the ground and spun in the wind for the month as part of Strengthening Families Month Activities in April. The Montana Children’s Trust Fund (MTCTF) also accepted a $10...
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today signed two bills to help address the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) in Montana. “Montana faces a tragic trend of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons, and we must bring all resources to bear in state and tribal government as well as law enforcement to end it,” Gov. Gianforte said. “These new laws equip the state with the tools needed to track data, raise awareness, and strengthen interagency collaboration to protect Montana’s indigenous persons. I’m grateful to Represen...
MISSOULA, Mont. – At the construction site for SCHEELS, Governor Greg Gianforte today signed into law the Montana Trades Education Credit (M-TEC) to expand trades education in the state. “Many jobs require specialized skills, and M-TEC ensures that Montanans have access to the training and education they need to acquire and refine those skills,” Gov. Gianforte said. “This bill strengthens our workforce, ensuring Montana workers are well-equipped to succeed, thrive, and achieve the American dream.” A signature element of Gov. Gianforte...
During the last year, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks offered hunter and bowhunter education classes online due to COVID concerns. Since last spring, more than 17,000 Montanans completed the online courses, which is nearly double the number of students in a typical year. “The biggest increase we saw was among adult bowhunter education students,” said FWP outdoor skills and safety supervisor Wayde Cooperider. “It seems the online courses were popular with our students.” Because of the popularity of the online classes and to meet customer expecta...
Family Connections is marking the 50th Anniversary of the National Association of the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) Week of the Young Child with the tradition of doing themed days this week, April 10-16th. This is the 50th year highlighting the importance of high-quality early childhood experiences. Grandparents, parents, foster parents, and early childhood teachers are encouraged to join the festivities online through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share their unique take on each day’s prompt with the label #WOYC2021. Sat...
Montanans need healthy, fresh food to work hard, care for their loved ones, and enjoy their communities. Kids, seniors, working parents, individuals with disabilities, and those living in rural and tribal communities - all deserve healthy food. Even before the pandemic, many Montanans did not have adequate food access, with more than 110,000 Montanans, including nearly one in six children, living in homes that struggle with hunger. We know this past year made accessing that basic life necessity...
The City of Chinook is about to begin a major improvements project on the water distribution system. The project consists of the following elements: Replacement of approximately 3,330 feet of aging water main including new valves, fittings, temporary water service during construction, reconnection of existing water services to the new water main, replacement of 12 deficient fire hydrants, installation of 6 service meter vaults on existing services, and construction of a new bulk water loading station located near the fire hall. The contractor...
The Blaine County Health Department is sharing COVID-19 updates related to changes from the CDC and the Governor’s recent announcements. Vaccine Distribution As of April 1, 2021, any Montanan who wishes to be vaccinated with COVID-19 vaccine is eligible to do so. This eliminates the phased criteria the state has been following. We currently have Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) in our inventory, which allows immunization of people 18 years old and older. Additionally, we are partnering with Fort Belknap Service Area of Indian Health S...
Invasive zebra mussels found another avenue for potential infestation of Montana waters. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks was notified Wednesday that zebra mus-sels were detected in aquarium moss balls sold at a pet store in Washington state. FWP immediately checked pet stores around Montana and found invasive mussels in moss balls at multiple locations. It appears these moss balls were imported from Ukraine to a distributor in California and were shipped to pet stores nationwide. The facility that imports the moss balls has been quarantined and...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the deadline from March 5 to April 9 for agricultural producers to apply for the Quality Loss Adjustment (QLA) Program because of recent winter storms and some clarifications to program rules. This program assists producers who suffered crop quality losses due to qualifying 2018 and 2019 natural disasters. “Because of recent winter storms and some program updates, we want to provide five additional weeks for producers to apply for the program,” said Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of the...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is extending the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) General Signup period, which had previously been announced as ending on Feb. 12, 2021. USDA will continue to accept offers as it takes this opportunity for the incoming Administration to evaluate ways to increase enrollment. Under the previous Administration, incentives and rental payment rates were reduced resulting in an enrollment shortfall of over 4 million acres. The program, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides annual r...
For the 15th year in a row Alexander (Zander) Blewett, III, a trial lawyer from the personal injury law firm of Hoyt & Blewett PLLC in Great Falls, Montana, has offered three $1,000 scholarships to the top student/wrestlers around the state of Montana for Classes “AA”, “A”, and “B/C”. The scholarships are awarded to the top wrestler from each school classification who has displayed the best combined qualities of wrestling and academic achievement. The award will go to one senior high school wrestler in each class around Montana who best qualif...
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced it is investing $42.3 million to help rural residents gain access to health care and educational opportunities (PDF, 255 KB). Rural areas are seeing higher infection and death rates related to COVID-19 due to several factors, including a much higher percentage of underlying conditions, difficulty accessing medical care, and lack of health insurance. The $42.3 million in awards includes $24 million provided through the CARES Act. In total, these investments will benefit 5...
MONTANA – ServeMontana, Reach Higher Montana, and Montana Campus Compact are pleased to extend the application deadline for the Youth ServeMontana Scholarship to February 28, 2021. Up to 100 of Montana’s high school seniors will be selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship for their volunteer service in their respective communities. Qualifying students will have completed 50 hours or more of direct service within the last 12 months and will attend a Montana Campus Compact Institution this fall. Virtual, remote, and COVID-19 response service hour...
sign as President/CEO of Independence Bank effective this coming April. Hamilton has been with the Bank since 2000 and served as President/CEO since April 2004. Hamilton will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. "I've enjoyed the opportunity to work with a great group of people at Independence Bank. Working together we have been able to successfully grow the Bank. Our focus has always been on service to our customers, knowing that our success would be reflected in our customers success....
November is National Scholarship Month, and nonprofit Reach Higher Montana is celebrating all month long with its annual Stick with Scholarships Campaign. The campaign encourages students to place a student-designed Reach Higher Montana sticker on an appropriate surface, such as a water bottle or book cover, snap a photo, and share it on Facebook or Instagram, tag us and follow our page. All participating students will be entered into a random drawing for four $500 scholarships. All high school...
On Saturday, Oct. 24, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Substance Abuse and Misuse (SAAM) Coalition, in partnership with the Hill and Blaine County DUI Task Forces and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, will provide the public the opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Havre Police Department, located at 520 4th St. in Havre, or the Blaine County Sheriff’s office, located at 420 Ohio St. in Chinook. (... Full story
