12.5 million visitors spent $5.45 billion in Montana last year according to the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research. One unique aspect about 2024 was the high visitation in the late summer and early fall when the region saw mild temperatures and clear skies. Businesses enjoyed revenue generated by a strong shoulder season in the fall and Amtrak set a ridership record.
Ringing in the New Year means many are pledging their New Year’s Resolutions and for some that means getting sober. Treatment centers counseling programs and support groups often report a surge in new patients during January. Last January addiction treatment center Ideal Option saw a 33% increase statewide in new patient enrollment for substance use treatment. One key factor is the holiday season which often includes family and social influences which can amplify strained relationships due to substance use or even lead to more substance use issues from holiday stress.
Montana’s 2024 wildfire season destroyed nearly 388,000 acres after getting off to a relatively quiet start potentially because of May moisture. It brought intense smoke and burned more acreage than 2022 and 2023 combined. The Remington Fire was the biggest burning more than 196,000 acres before it was contained in mid-September.
Montana’s largest digital-first nonprofit news organization raised more than $2 million in 2024 from individuals major donors and philanthropic institutions to support and expand its newsgathering operations. This marks the third consecutive year that Montana Free Press has set ambitious fundraising goals and exceeded them, showing that the groundswell of popular support for independent news in Montana continues to rise.
Drivers along U.S. 93 see construction activity as part of the continued growth across the Flathead Valley. Homes are appearing in new subdivisions and commercial buildings pop up on what was once open plots of land north of Reserve Drive. Some of the projects were approved just last year and others have been in the works for more than a decade.
After 25 years Vans Supermarket on the westside of Helena will be sold in March to the Town and Country Foods. The store will continue to serve Helena through the Bozeman-based grocery chain which is an employee-owned Montana company.
State Representative Joshua Kassmier has pre-filed a Senate Joint Resolution in the Montana Legislature which begins Monday urging the United States Congress to pass the SAFER Banking Act. The resolution outlines the ongoing financial barriers marijuana-related businesses encounter due to restrictions on banking access.
In a partnership between the Montana Food Bank Network and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks hunters that legally harvest big game can donate all or just a portion of their harvest. The program called Hunters Against Hunger started in 2014 and has been very successful with almost 400,000 pounds of meat being donated during that time.
Former Montana women’s basketball standout and trailblazer Malia Kipp has died. She was the first Native American female in Montana to receive a full-ride Division I basketball scholarship. Kipp was also the first female to be inducted into the Montana Indian Athletic Hall of Fame.
Flathead High School alum former Kalispell resident and retired NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler will be part of the ESPN broadcast team for the upcoming January 6th FCS National Championship game in Frisco Texas between Montana State University and North Dakota State University. Great Falls native Ryan Leaf will help call the game on radio for Westwood One.
