The cost to fill up at the pumps has fallen again in the Treasure State. GasBuddy dot com reports average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week and sat at an average of $3.04 per gallon as of Monday. Prices are 14 cents per gallon lower than at this time a month ago and 39.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. Sunday the cheapest gas in Montana was at $2.85 a gallon on while the most expensive was $3.49.
Governor Greg Gianforte cut the ribbon on a new veteran memorial in Billings Monday to honor 49 Montanans who died in the line of duty during tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. The governor recognized Veterans Day and the importance of the memorial during a ceremony at Dehler Park addressing veterans their families and community members.
At $273 million and counting Montana’s just-ended 2024 U.S. Senate race is the state’s most expensive political race ever in spending by the candidates and independent PAC expenditures on the race. With Republican Tim Sheehy’s win the GOP now controls the U.S. Senate the U.S. House and the Presidency. Montana has not elected a Democrat to statewide or federal office since Tester was elected to his third term in 2018.
The first of the month marked the official open enrollment period for Montanans to enroll in the healthcare marketplace apply for Medicaid or change health care plans. When Montana reviewed its Medicaid caseloads after a three-year pause during the pandemic the unwinding removed over 130,000 Montanans coverage but many of them may now be able to enroll in a marketplace plan.
This week marks the completion of layoffs for over 400 employees at the Sibanye Stillwater Mine. To help to ease their uncertainty the Montana Department of Labor and Industry is hosting rapid response events today through Friday. The department aims to provide support and resources for those affected by the layoffs. They can sign up for unemployment benefits and temporary assistance and also receive help with updating their resumes job search strategies and training programs for workforce re-entry.
In today’s connected world smartphones can be as familiar a sight as laptops and textbooks in Montana schools yet the devices pose a unique set of challenges within the classroom. 97% of 11- to 17-year-olds use cellphones during school hours receiving over 50 notifications daily. Governor Greg Gianforte has called for Montana superintendents and school boards to establish “cellphone-free” policies aiming to reduce distractions and improve academic outcomes.
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B that covers doctor’s visits routine cancer screenings home health care and other outpatient services will be $185 for 2025. This is an increase of $10.30 from 2024 and is similar to the nearly $10 monthly premium hike seen in 2024 from 2023. Income-related monthly adjustments affect roughly 8 percent of Montanans with Part B insurance.
A draft growth policy created by city officials to guide Missoula for the next 20 years shows that there are concerning inequities in Missoula’s poorer neighborhoods regarding access to parks and availability of sidewalks. It also shows city planners are focused on reversing decades of “car-centric” growth that has taken up land for parking and incentivized people to avoid public or non-motorized transit.
A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of a Billings woman who was severely sickened by E. coli after eating a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburger. At least 90 people from 13 states have been sickened including 27 who were hospitalized and one person who died. In Montana at least 17 cases have been reported including eight confirmed cases in Yellowstone County.
After 18 months of renovation to the Cathedral of St. Helena work has finished and residents can now see the reroofed towers. Toth crosses on top of the spires about 230 feet high were regilded with gold leaf which will give them a layer of protection and a new shine that can be seen from around the community.
