Fire season in Montana still has not ended as thirty-five fires continue to burn across the state. The Remington Fire in late-August that blew northward from northeastern Wyoming stands out as one of the largest Montana fires of the last decade. Its burn scar covers ranchland across three Montana counties altogether accounting for roughly half of the 443,000 acres burned by wildfire this season. The 2024 fire season saw fires more frequently in proximity to large urban areas than in previous seasons.
A lawsuit was filed Wednesday seeking emergency relief and requests a District Court to find the new policy of Montana Legislative Services keeping documents related to drafting bills secret to be unconstitutional. Historically Legislative Services had responded to public information requests for them as routine.
The federal government has finalized rules for manufacturing tax credits aimed at boosting U.S. clean energy and critical mineral production. That should benefit the Sibanye-Stillwater mine near Columbus which is expected to lay off about 700 workers in in part because of a market flooded with Russian palladium. It will allow companies that mine critical minerals like the palladium and platinum Sibanye-Stillwater mines in Montana to access a 10% tax credit.
Groups on both sides of the citizen-led ballot measure Constitutional Initiative 128 to codify abortion rights in Montana’s Constitution are still spending thousands of dollars on broadcast advertisements and door-knocking efforts. Pre-viability abortion is currently legal in Montana permitted because of a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling and through the state’s right to privacy and judicial precedent.
While the average interest rate on auto loans has risen by as much as 2% between the second quarter of this year and last the recent Federal Reserve rate cut is likely to bring them down in the future. Today the personal-finance website WalletHub released a list of the states ranking’s on auto loan interest rates increasing the least. Montana is 47th on the list.
This week the Kalispell City Council hit the brakes on a proposal to curb downtown cruising. Instead it’s asking motorists to stay respectful and within the bounds of existing traffic laws. Complaints related to noise and heavy traffic as well as safety concerns in the city’s downtown spurred the discussion.
Montana FFA members have returned from participation at the National FFA Convention and Expo held recently in Indianapolis. Approximately six hundred Montana students attended the convention which attracted nearly 71,000 members from across the nation.
The Great Falls Animal Shelter has recently earned a no-kill award that highlights its commitment to providing a second chance for every animal in its care. The designation is awarded by Best Friends Animal Society.
The City of Missoula is looking to establish a new park on Missoula’s Northside as housing grows in the area. The project needs about $530,000 from 2018 Open Space Bond funding and more than $1.6 million in Tax Increment Financing dollars from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency.
The Helena Police Department said Wednesday it completed the annual compliance check of all registered sex and violent offenders living within the city limits. Officers from four agencies recently visited the residences of 181 offenders.