Montana recently received an infrastructure report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the state’s school infrastructure earned a “D” grade. The average age of school facilities in Montana is 53 years old with more than 2/3 of the schools built before 1970. Few facilities have plans on updating and maintaining this infrastructure and the society said this means they were rated poor and at risk.
Montana’s licensing board for outfitters and guides has opened 100 investigations against licensees after a legislative audit found they did not self-report criminal convictions while renewing their license or becoming licensed for the first time. The Legislative Audit Division found licensed guides or outfitters had 234 citations 30 felonies and 114 misdemeanor convictions. The auditors triggered the investigations when they notified the state Board of Outfitters about the unreported violations.
Montana has 8,589 federal employees across all agencies. A 2% average pay increase will be given to most of them starting in January after President Joe Biden signed an executive order Monday. The federal government manages about 30% of Montana’s landmass through agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service the Bureau of Land Management the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.
State leadership and the Montana Department of Labor and Industry have announced a $3.5 million National Dislocated Worker Grant to retrain people now out of a job or impacted by layoffs at Sibanye-Stillwater’s two mines and processing plant in south central Montana. The layoffs are part of downsizing that took effect at Sibanye-Stillwater following its September announcement that it hasn’t been profitable in two years.
21 Montana cities towns counties and water and sewer districts will share nearly $800,000 of grant funding to help communities plan infrastructure projects that will construct or upgrade drinking water wastewater and stormwater systems. The funding is through the Montana Department of Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program. The program is designed to help address the affordability of local infrastructure projects by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities.
Barrett Hospital and HealthCare in Dillon recently received recertification from the American Diabetes Association through its Education Recognition Program. It ensures patients have access to qualified healthcare professionals who are well-versed in the latest diabetes management strategies.
The new tool called School Climate Data Interpretation Guidance is being launched now before accreditation reporting is due February 28th. It makes Data-Driven Decisions to Foster Safe and Supportive Learning Environments provides school leaders with step-by-step guidance to collaboratively analyze school climate data and make data informed decisions to strengthen the climate of a school.
First responders public health officials and harm-reduction workers in Missoula are finalizing a new tool to respond to potentially fatal clusters of opioid overdoses in the county. Next month they will finish an “Overdose spike alert and response” plan as part of Missoula Public Health’s emergency operations plan.
Several people are going to kick off the new year with a much bigger bank account, thanks to the Montana Lottery. As part of this year’s Montana Millionaire there are four grand prizes worth $1 million each. The four grand prize winning tickets are scheduled to be drawn Thursday.
Starting January 1st Great Falls residents will see a significant update in the way they register their pets. The city has moved away from its previous paper-based system and introduced an online registration process making it easier and more accessible for pet owners. Pet owners will be able to register their animals online at any time of day or night or they can visit the shelter in person.
