Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 22 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief asking the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the national TikTok divest-or-ban legislation passed by Congress earlier this year. The high court is set to hold oral arguments on it January 10th. Federal judge Donald Molloy has temporarily blocked the Montana law set to go into effect January 1st banning TikTok in the state saying it oversteps state power and likely violates the First Amendment.
The Montana Department of Commerce is allocating more than $37 million in federal housing tax credits to support the construction of new affordable housing with 136 new homes planned in Dillon Bozeman Missoula Polson and Billings. These projects are projected to create about 536 jobs and generate $31.1 million in local wages. The Montana Board of Housing will administer these federal housing tax credits.
In Montana Native American students consistently drop out of high school at higher rates than their white counterparts. The average graduation rate for American Indian students in 2023 was 67.5% after a typical four years of high school. With a headcount totaling just over 15,000 during the 2023 through 2024 school year Native Americans make up roughly 10% of the student body in public schools in Montana.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Montana has 2,178 people experiencing homelessness. Between 2007 and 2023 Montana saw an 89% increase in homelessness the second largest increase in the country. Montana also had the largest increase in chronic homelessness patterns at 551%.
Montana’s largest monopoly utility NorthWestern Energy is inking deals to supply massive amounts of power to “data centers.” Just two will combine to consume more power than 175 kilowatts produced by Montana’s newest gas-fired power plant the Yellowstone County Generating Station. Earlier his summer NorthWestern announced a deal to acquire a larger share of the coal-fired power plant in Colstrip.
Missoula’s YMCA is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for its campaign to completely overhaul its facility after four years of fundraising and over two years of construction. Before the renovation the YMCA went through a research and design phase to learn what Missoula’s needs were. Every square inch will be at least refreshed if not totally renovated.
The Watco Companies Incorporated will soon begin operating two Montana short lines totaling 40 track miles recently acquired from Burlington Northern Santa Fe though a lease and purchase agreement. The Mission Mountain Railroad north line runs between Eureka and Stryker while the south line runs between Columbia Falls and Kalispell.
The Montana Museum of Railroad History in Great Falls hosted its annual “Fun Run” recently where train enthusiasts of all ages could experience the museums expansive model train layouts in action and run their own trains on the track. The museum at 400 Third Street North West is open every Saturday from noon to 4.
An annual Menorah lighting event was held Sunday evening on the Yellowstone Country Courthouse lawn in downtown Billings. The event is held each year on a Sunday during Hanukkah. This year it fell on the fifth day. Close to 50 people gathered to take part.
Lost Trail ski patroller Morgan Throckmorton has been named as one of nine ski patrollers in the U.S. and Canada to receive this year’s Darren Johnson Avalanche Education Memorial Fund Scholarship. The fund based in Big Sky is granting the nine scholarships totaling $20,400 to enable ski patrollers to access continuing education safety courses.
