After years of being pushed back and put on hold Real IDs will be a reality for those planning to travel by plane starting May 7th 2025. According to the Department of Homeland Security one will be necessary to fly domestically unless you have a passport or enhanced license. A Real ID will also be needed to access federal facilities. They were mandated in 2005 however the deadline for when the identification would be mandated has been pushed back ever since.
In Montana about 70% to 80% of spring and summer streamflow originates from winter snowpack. Monday a chart from the Natural Resources Conservation Service showed most regional river basins measuring below normal snowpack for the period. Conditions were nominally better for the Madison Basin at 88% of normal and the Bitterroot Basin at 93% of normal.
Montanans love to have alcoholic beverages but now IntoxiStates has created an interactive map using CDC statistics on which counties in America drink excessively. Gallatin County is number one in the nation for excessive drinking. The CDC reports over 27% of adults overdrink in Gallatin County. The state of Montana itself ranks number two only behind Wisconsin.
Governor Greg Gianforte asked for applicants Monday to fill the vacancy on the Lake County District Court bench after Kenneth “Britt” Cotter who was elected to the judgeship in November resigned. Last week prosecutors charged him with drug-related crimes. Cotter is set to be arraigned in January but told Chief Justice Mike McGrath he was stepping down in order to defend himself against the charges.
When it convenes January 6th the 69th Montana Legislative session will look at childcare. In 2023 Montana’s child care capacity met less than half the need for out-of-home care resulting in 66,000 parents unable to fully participate in the workforce. There are already dozens of bill requests that aim to boost child care and early education from lawmakers across the political spectrum.
Enrollment in Flathead County schools is down 1% from last year with 17,250 students attending public and private schools. The past 10 school years have though brought in an additional 1,839 students to the valley representing a 12% increase.
Senator Steve Daines commended the U.S. State Department Monday for designating U.S. citizen Marc Fogel as “wrongfully detained” by the Russian government and renewed his demand for him to be released. Fogel has family in Montana and is currently serving a 12-year sentence of hard labor in a Russian prison for possession of marijuana.
Since 2019 students at Columbia Falls High School have helped build cabins for employee housing and important structures for Glacier National Park. This school year the students are finishing their sixth two-bedroom cabin for the park and their 13th structure overall. Glacier officials say is helping deal with a shortage of employee housing especially on the east side of the park.
About one-quarter of one percent of the world’s residents live to be 100 including former President Jimmy Carter who passed away Sunday at that age. Richard Miner of Libby celebrated his 100th birthday December 19th at Libby Baptist Church surrounded by family friends and admirers.
Gas prices are projected to decrease in 2025 marking the third consecutive year of declining costs for drivers. GasBuddy anticipates the national average for regular gas will be about 10 cents less than the average in 2024. Several factors could disrupt it though including President-elect Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
