Since January 1st there have been over 2,160 fire starts in Montana burning around 827,000 acres. Montana entered the fiscal year with the Fire Suppression Fund at its statutory maximum of roughly $105 million. Officials estimate $48.5 million from the fund have been spent fighting fires since the start of the state’s current fiscal year. htt...
Wings of various grouse & hungarian partridge to be collected in SW MT
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks biologists will be collecting wings from hunter-harvested sage-grouse, mountain grouse and Hungarian partridge in several areas of southwest Montana. Biologists will use these wings to identify birds by species and age class — juvenile or adult. This helps biologists monitor juvenile recruitment among game bi...
CWD Testing in Wyoming’s Deer Areas 96 & 97
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is trying something new this year in their ongoing effort to monitor chronic wasting disease in Wyoming. CWD is a fatal disease of the central nervous system in mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose. For the first time, Game and Fish is requiring mandatory CWD sample submission on deer harvested from ...
Upcoming Hunting Season In Montana Will Be The First With Numerous Changes Enacted
Under a special one-time legislative allowance, nearly 1,700 nonresidents hunting with outfitters purchased big game licenses with about another 140 still eligible. A late amendment to House Bill 637 allowed outfitted out-of-state hunters who had applied for, but not drawn, one of Montana’s 17,000 big game licenses to purchase one by the end o...
Red Tape Task Force Aiming To Significantly Reduce Regulation In Montana
According to Lt. Governor Kristen Juras, it would take an individual seven weeks to read through state administrative rules. Wednesday, on Voices of Montana, she talked about what the Red Tape Task Force she’s leading is doing to get rid of as much as possible. https://northernbroadcasting.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/9-02_737.mp3
Montana Secretary of State Involved In New Lawsuit Alleging Overcharging Businesses
A group of seven small businesses has sued Secretary of State Christi Jacobson for refusing to refund money after the Secretary’s website double charged customers for fees. The plaintiffs are requesting that the Court order the Secretary to issue the refunds that are due and change the unlawful refund policy going forward. The suit was filed b...
Northwestern Energy Rates To Increase In Upcoming Months
NorthWestern Energy residential rates are expected to rise about $22.20 a year beginning in October as the utility attempts to recover unexpected costs from the previous rate year. This rate increase follows a July rate increase of $26.40 a year for an average residential customer. The 12-month rate increase requested August 31st would take ho...
Montana Program Aims To Improve Children’s Comfort In Medical Environments
A doctor’s office can be an intimidating place for children, but a new guide out from Montana is helping kids of any ability advance for themselves in medical settings. Jenn Banna, Coordinator of the Montana Family to Family Health Information Center, says part of the reason she wanted to develop this guide is that she believes waiting until a...
Senator Daines Calling On Montana To Accept Afghan Refugees
Senator Steve Daines is encouraging Montanans to open their hearts and welcome refugees who are fleeing the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan after meeting with some refugee families this week and then having a follow-up roundtable discussion with veterans and members of Missoula’s International Rescue Committee. Afterward Daines s...
Attorney General Knudsen Joins Lawsuit Against Department of Education
Attorney General Austin Knudsen has signed onto a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies saying the administration’s LGBTQ protections are based on an overly broad legal interpretation. State officials claim Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration has conflated a 2020 landmark ruling pro...