Congress has two weeks to avoid a government shutdown and there is little confidence about the passage of a new farm bill. This week several Republican governors including Montana’s Greg Gianforte wrote a letter to congressional leaders pressing for a new one. The 2018 Farm Bill officially expired in September and progress on the legislation has stalled due to the lame-duck session. Both the House and Senate are set to adjourn for the year a week before Christmas.
The battle over elk on private lands in Montana is heading to the state Supreme Court. The United Property Owners of Montana has filed a notice of appeal regarding its lawsuit against the state Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks and the Fish and Wildlife Commission over elk management. The group is challenging all previous orders rulings and decisions which led up to and resulted in the Final Judgement.
COVID vaccination rates have fallen nationwide but a drop in vaccine uptake in nursing homes has public health officials concerned. According to federal data the percentage of nursing home residents in Montana who got their updated vaccines fell 15% over the past two years. Only 6% of all staff have their shots up to date. Boosting vaccination rates will be hard though as nursing homes can’t require shots.
Medical professionals who provide abortions in Montana along with the groups that help underserved communities access and pay for them said Monday they worry state lawmakers and the incoming Trump administration will continue trying to restrict abortion access even after 58% of Montana voters approved an amendment enshrining abortion care in the state constitution last month. Constitutional Initiative 128 will go into effect next July.
With little snowfall in some areas of the state others are already seeing more snowpack than average for this time of year. The Kootenai Basin is performing at 33% above average. The Flathead and Lower Clark Fork Basins are also overperforming at around 13% above average. Parts of west-central and southwest Montana however are seeing less than average snowfall but a weak La Nina pattern is expected to develop bringing increased snowfall.
The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has added nearly 400 acres on the northwest end of the Tobacco Root Mountains. The new ‘Point of Rocks’ acquisition adjoins national forest land to the east and BLM land to the south. The $1.2 million deal was made possible with funding from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund which uses royalties from offshore oil and gas development to fund outdoor projects.
Research shows the earlier in life an individual’s participation in or exposure to gambling occurs the more likely they are to develop gambling problems later in life. Monday the Montana Lottery announced it is participating in the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Gift Responsibly Campaign Initiative to raise public awareness about the risks of youth gambling.
Montana State University Extension is accepting applications from rural Montana communities to participate in Reimagining Rural. The three-part series focuses on assisting Montana’s small towns in expanding partnerships increasing knowledge of available resources and inspiring big dreams. The program is free.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $72.6 million to 38 communities through the Indian Community Development Block Grant program. The Chippewa Cree Housing Authority in Box Elder and the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority in Pablo each received $2 million.
The Bitterroot Bird Alliance will be hosting bird counts in Hamilton this Saturday and Stevensville Saturday December 28th. This will be the National Audubon Society’s 125th year of conducting Christmas Bird Counts with counts taking place across the U.S. Canada Mexico and Central America.
