Sharp Drop in Canadian Travel to the U.S. Raises Alarms Across Border States
A sharp decline in Canadian travel to the United States is reshaping the North American tourism landscape in late 2025, and local economies in tourism-reliant U.S. states are beginning to feel the strain.
According to a tourism analyst with the Canadian Tourism Commission, border towns in states like Montana are among the hardest hit. In Montana, hotel occupancy rates have dropped nearly 40% since last summer, while retail and dining sectors report significant declines in revenue.
Blackfeet Nation Declares Emergency Over Federal SNAP Benefit Cutoff
The Blackfeet Nation has declared a state of emergency due to the lapse in the federal SNAP assistance program starting this weekend, caused by the ongoing federal shutdown that reached the one-month mark today.
About a third of people living on the reservation are below the poverty level, compared to nearly 12% statewide. Nearly 30% of residents in Glacier County — which encompasses the Blackfeet Reservation — rely on SNAP to buy food.
Florida, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, and Montana Challenge Environmental Groups on Antitrust Concerns
A coalition of five state attorneys general — including Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen — has launched an inquiry into several prominent environmental organizations, alleging that their coordinated efforts with major U.S. corporations to impose recycling standards may violate state and federal antitrust laws.
The focus is on the Consumer Goods Forum, the GreenBlue Institute, and the U.S. Plastics Pact. The coalition warns that participation in such collective-action organizations raises serious concerns about collusion and market manipulation.
United States Antimony Corporation Updates Montana Mining Activities
Due in part to new antimony material coming from Stibnite Hill in Sanders County, the United States Antimony Corporation announced Thursday that it is preliminarily raising its Fiscal Year 2026 revenue guidance by $25 million — from $100 million to $125 million.
Antimony is considered a significant critical mineral, and the company’s processing facility near Thompson Falls remains the only one of its kind in the United States.
Teachers Defend Union Conference as Lawmakers, Hedalen Renew Legislative Efforts to Curb It
Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen claims the 2025 Education Conference promoted “extreme far-left ideology” and classroom indoctrination, and she is backing legislation that would change the credit teachers can receive toward their licensure for attending such events.
The Montana Federation of Public Employees, which has hosted the conference for years, disputes state leaders’ characterization, saying it provides teachers across the state an opportunity to network and learn best practices across multiple subject areas.
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What began as the Flathead Community Health Center in 2007 has continued to provide family health care — including medical, dental, and behavioral health services — and has now opened a new 33,000-square-foot clinic in south Kalispell. The number of exam rooms has increased from 15 to 24 in the new location.
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Montana Millionaire tickets go on sale Saturday morning at 5:30 a.m. The Grand Prize drawing on December 26 will award five lucky winners one million dollars each. In 2024, all available tickets sold out in less than three hours.
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A project nearly a decade in the making is providing food sovereignty on the Rocky Boy’s Reservation through a new flour mill that processes locally grown Kamut wheat. Tribal and agricultural leaders recently celebrated the ribbon-cutting for the mill, which supplies organically produced Kamut flour to neighboring tribes at Fort Belknap.
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The Bridger Ski Foundation’s Annual Ski Swap will run Saturday and Sunday at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. Now in its 57th year, the swap will feature more than 10,000 items — including alpine, Nordic, snowboarding, and backcountry gear — up for sale.
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Most Americans will turn their clocks back one hour this weekend when Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday, including Montanans. Most cell phones, tablets, watches, and computers adjust automatically. It’s also a good time to replace your home smoke detector batteries.
