Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen officially launched the 69th Legislative Assembly and the 2025 Session Monday afternoon where legislators from across the state completed their oaths of office ahead of the Legislative Session. After being sworn into office, representatives and senators attended the first House and Senate Floor Sessions of 2025.
Governor Greg Gianforte was sworn in Monday for his second term as the 25th Governor of Montana on the steps of the Montana State Capitol. He was joined by his wife First Lady Susan Gianforte during the ceremony. Gianforte is the first Republican to be re-elected since 1996. His first term began in January 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 69th legislative session kicked-off Monday and many newly-elected legislators are meeting at the capitol in Helena to consider new laws and develop a two-year state budget. AARP Montana has crucial issues it wants lawmakers to act on. Among them are property tax relief and renewal of Montana’s expanded Medicaid health coverage program.
Finding a better job often proves to be more effective at keeping up with inflation than cost-cutting and today WalletHub released its report on the Best Places to Find a Job in 2025 comparing more than 180 cities across 31 key metrics. Billings ranks 127th and Missoula comes in at 133rd.
At the end of 2024 Montana gasoline prices had dropped 20 out of 22 weeks but for the first week of 2025 prices are up slightly. Average gasoline prices in Montana have risen point 8 cents a gallon in the last week averaging $2.77 today. Prices in Montana are still 5.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 14.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.
Initial filings for unemployment benefits in Montana increased to 1,203 in the week ending December 21st up from 1,003 the week before. Kentucky saw the largest percentage increase in weekly claims jumping by 64.9%. West Virginia saw the largest percentage drop in new claims dropping by 29.1%. U.S. unemployment claims dropped to 219,000 last week down 1,000.
Butte-Silver Bow County hopes to announce it’s getting a $20 million federal grant that it applied for n the spring to pay for a new community recreation and resilience center near the Butte Civic Center. It could happen Friday morning when local officials and Environmental Protection Agency representatives will discuss details about the grant.
George Ostrom has died at the age of 96. He was the voice of The Flathead Valley for more than 60 years. Ostrom was a radio personality newspaper owner author longtime newspaper columnist for the Hungry Horse News avid hiker and humorist. In 2004 he was inducted into the Montana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame and retired in 2017.
A new conservation agreement west of Lolo will permanently protect a stretch of habitat that could help connect isolated grizzly bear populations. The Vital Ground Foundation partnered with local landowners in a voluntary agreement to set aside 160 acres of forest and wetland in the Ninemile Valley.
An Army nurse from Helena was among 20 recipients honored for her service to her country January 2nd with the Presidential Citizens Medal. Diane Carlson Evans served in the Vietnam War as an Army nurse before she founded the Vietnam Women’s Memorial Foundation for female service members to be recognized for service to their country.
