Zinke To Announce Including Madison Gallatin As Wild And Scenic

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Representative Zinke to announce intent to include Madison Gallatin rivers in Wild and Scenic system

Representative Ryan Zinke has scheduled a press conference for today to announce a bill that would include 100 miles of the Gallatin and Madison rivers and some tributaries in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Of Montana’s 170,000 miles of rivers and streams 388 are protected within the Wild and Scenic Rivers system on The Flathead River                                            The Missouri River and East Rosebud Creek.

Montana Maintains Near-Record Low Unemployment

Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.8% in June the ninth consecutive month below 3% and extending a run of four straight years with unemployment at or below 3.4%. June was the fourth consecutive month the number of unemployed Montanans remained below 16,000 near the record low of just under 14,000 set in 2023.Montana’s unemployment rate              was 1.3 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.1% ranking among the top five nationwide for lowest unemployment rates.

RNC Backs Montana in Fight Over Election Integrity Laws

In May the Montana Federation of Public Employees filed a lawsuit alleging legislation repealing election-day registration and another bill strengthening voter ID requirements in Montana are unconstitutional. Monday the Republican National Committee announced it and the Montana Republican Party have intervened in that lawsuit to defend the state’s                            election integrity laws.

Massive release of private data to state Legislature puts Montanans at risk

A bulk transfer of some Montanans’ private information from the state judiciary to the legislative branch’s audit division has alarmed Montana district court clerks who say they are worried about individual privacy rights. State law governing confidential court information does not have a provision in which sealed records are released without a judge’s decision                to do so.

Lawmakers consider state energy capacity with AI data centers looming

As Montana attracts data centers and leaders look for ways to deal with artificial intelligence developments lawmakers are looking into the state’s power generation capacity as part of the Energy and Technology Interim Committee. It met Monday to determine priorities and also heard concerns and comments about data centers and power load. Several                                           new data centers have been planned statewide that are expected to require around 1,000 Megawatts of energy.

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Glacier Medical Associates has opened a new clinic on U.S. 2 in Evergreen providing access for more patients in the Flathead Valley with seven exam rooms and potential for growth. Glacier Medical Associates was established in 2001 with a focus on family medicine internal medicine pediatrics and geriatrics.

The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Helena has been decommissioned after a 38-year lifespan. The city of Helena will receive two large relics from the submarine the sail which is the tower-like structure at the top of a submarine and the propeller. Helena already has some items from a previous USS Helena at Anchor Park adjacent to the                                            Lewis & Clark Library.

The University of Montana and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have formed the Center for Hunting and Conservation the first of its kind in the West focused on wildlife research and the role hunting plays in wildlife management. A $2 million gift from the foundation will go toward hiring the director support staff and essential needs.

A new PET CT scanner at Benefis Health Center in Great Falls is helping detect cancer faster and more efficiently than ever before. The previous scanner took about 30 minutes plus the scan and the new one takes less than ten. It works by detecting abnormal cellular activity that could indicate cancer.

Today the American Tort Reform Association named Montana a 2025 “Tort Reform Trailblazer” in its annual Legislative HeatCheck report. It recognizes the state’s focus on passing impactful civil justice reforms during the 2025 legislative session. Montana’s legislature joins Arkansas Georgia and Oklahoma lawmakers as 2025’s “Tort Reform Trailblazers.”

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