According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis for the Ninth District which includes Montana manufacturing activity decreased for the second year in a row in 2024. Profits production levels and exports decreased as well. Both productivity investment in plant and equipment increased and manufacturers expect growth in every business indicator and in particular for demand.
A Senate Ethics Committee hearing concerning state Senator Jason Ellsworth’s relationship with a government contractor will continue when lawmakers return from their transmittal break Friday. The first hearing last Friday stretched nearly seven hours and included two witnesses along with a debate over what witnesses the former Montana Senate president could use in his defense. The committee made up of two Republicans and two Democrats will forward its findings to the full Senate for review.
The Montana Legislature is on its mid-session transmittal break with the second half of the 69th Legislative session left. The Senate expects to resume for the second half of the session this Friday and the House plans to return to the Capitol next Monday. Bills that have passed either the House or the Senate will now face a second round of scrutiny in the other chamber ultimately passing to the governor’s desk if they can secure support on both sides of the Legislature.
Northwestern Energy is conducting aerial inspections of its power lines across the state until April 18th and they’re using helicopters to get a closer look. They are manned by an operations supervisor and vegetation management coordinator who scan the transmission lines to look for faulty or damaged equipment that may need repairs. Northwestern Energy serves over 775,000 customers providing electrical service to 337 communities and natural gas to 202 communities.
Montana’s wolf hunting and trapping seasons now end in mid-March but House Bill 258 would extend them until June 15th. That bill will go before the Montana Senate’s Fish and Game Committee March 18th. So will House Bill 259 that would allow hunters to use thermal imaging and night vision scopes. Montana has an estimated wolf population of 1,087.
The University of Montana says it’s compliant with President Donald Trump’s executive orders banning diversity equity and inclusion practices in public education. Last month it conducted a five-day audit of its departments to ensure they weren’t out of line with Trump’s interpretations of federal anti-discrimination laws. Some departments may have changed policy and website language in light of the executive orders.
Pebbled beaches are the norm for much of Flathead Lake’s natural shoreline but a combination of high summer water levels and frequent storms have cut much of the lakeshore into a jigsaw of steep banks and exposed roots. State parks officials are now fast-tracking plans to install more gravel beaches around Flathead Lake as part of ongoing efforts to combat shoreline erosion.
The Montana Department of Transportation is asking for input on its access management plan for U.S. 93 from Kalispell through Whitefish. The department will hold an open house Tuesday afternoon from 4 to 6 at the Easthaven Baptist Church in Kalispell. A second one is set for May 27th at the Whitefish City Hall.
Missoula will conduct a phased closure of the Johnson Street Temporary Emergency Shelter starting in April and concluding by August. The closure is driven by the end of pandemic-era federal funding with federal relief funds such as CARES Act and ARPA funding no longer available to support emergency shelter operations.
People who work long-term in farming and ranching are 46 percent more likely to develop cognitive issues like Alzheimer’s. With that in mind Montana State University Extension recently released a two-volume magazine on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The free magazine is designed for Montana agricultural producers facing the early to middle stages of Alzheimer’s disease as well as their families and family caregivers.
