The Environmental Quality Council held a wildfire panel last week to hear about trends mitigation and potential policy implications as much of Montana faces widespread drought. More than three-quarters of wildfire starts today are human caused and at the same time more and more houses are going up in forested areas and grasslands. State and fe...
AARP Montana Joins Petition To Lower Prescription Drug Prices
More than 4 million people have signed on to AARP’s petition to lower the cost of prescription drugs including AARP Montana members a few months after a 5% drug increase for about 800 prescription drugs went into effect by pharmaceutical companies. More than 80% of respondents in a Kaiser Family Foundation poll indicated they support the feds ...
Frontier Institute CEO Proposes Zoning Changes To Address Housing Shortage
There is a way to help alleviate the housing shortage. According to President and CEO of the Frontier Institute Kendall Cotton it starts with elected officials.
It’s no surprise the nation has a worker shortage. Liz Moore who heads the Montana Nonprofit Association says leaders in Washington D.C. could take steps to help including to continue and expand the charitable tax deduction and the employee retention tax credit. She says nonprofits are attractive as more people look for work in cause-oriented ...
Sen. Minority Leader Abbott Updates On Legislature’s Response To Housing
The statewide housing shortage problem is being addressed by the state Legislature. On Voices of Montana Friday House Minority Leader Kim Abbott was a guest and has some examples.
Montana Near Top Of Employment Recovery In The Nation
In more than half the country, unemployment rates dropped to record lows in February, including Montana’s 2.6% in data that goes back to 1976. According to the personal finance website Wallet Hub, Montana ranks 5th on the list of states whose unemployment rates are bounding back the most from the height of the pandemic. State data follow...
Sen. Tester Announces Updates To VA Caregivers Program
The VA Mission Act of 2018 expanded the Caregivers Program to veterans of all eras but under the previous administration eligibility was narrowed to veterans with a 70% or higher service connected disability rating and those with an inability to perform an activity of daily living without assistance each and every time the activity occurs. Las...
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper Files Suit Against EPA
The Bozeman-based Upper Missouri Waterkeeper group has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly failing to intervene after the Montana Legislature rolled back water pollution rules to allow more nutrient pollution to enter streams rivers and other waterways. The EPA has oversight of ...
Montana Sees Huge Hike In Average Heating Bills
Heating homes in Montana really is costing more with monthly natural gas prices 30% to 84% higher than the five-year average. From October through February NorthWestern Energy’s rates were consistently 40% to 46% higher to heat their customer’s homes. By March, Montana Dakota Utility customers were still paying 49% more than they were a ...
Nonprofits Struggling To Retain Workers
Montana nonprofits are struggling during the nationwide worker shortage and in some cases they’ve cut services back. Scott Appel heads Court Appointed Special Advocates in Missoula providing volunteers to represent foster youths in legal matters. He says the organization hasn’t experienced a worker shortage but it did have to increase compensa...