Earlier this year the U.S. Surgeon General warned about the detrimental effects of social media on children’s mental health prompting the online education company Test Prep Insight to conduct a state-by-state survey asking 3,000 parents to weigh in on what they believe to be the minimum age for children to safely use social media. Parents in Montana stated the age limit for having a social media account should be 15 which is above the national average.
Nearly 285,000 absentee ballots have been received by election officials entering the final week until Election Day. Montana state law allows election officials to start processing envelopes and verifying mail ballots up to three days before Election Day. Machine counting of mailed in ballots begins the day before Election Day. County election administrators have issued more than 500,000 absentee ballots to registered absentee voters for the 2024 General Election.
Democratic Senator Jon Tester’s numbers have improved in a recently released polls. Montana State University Billings released a poll Tuesday showing Tester and Republican challenger Tim Sheehy each capturing 43% of respondents. It was conducted from September 30th to October 16th and surveyed 760 participants with a margin of error of 3.56%.
With the national unemployment rate at 4.1% and labor force participation at one of the highest levels in years the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on a list ranking the states on the best places to find jobs. WalletHub compared the 50 states across 34 key indicators of job-market strength and economic vitality. The data set ranges from employment growth to the median annual income to the average commute time. Montana ranks 15th in job opportunities.
Diabetes is widespread throughout the country and Montana is no exception. According to the American Diabetes Association about 76,837 Montanans representing over 8% of the adult population have been diagnosed with diabetes and each year about 6,625 more Montanans are diagnosed with it. An estimated 24,000 Montanans are unaware they have diabetes significantly increasing health risks for these individuals.
Lewis and Clark County commissioners have OK’d using nearly $72,000 in remaining federal stimulus funds for an on-site all-weather industrial wash bay for heavy-equipment vehicles for its Public Works Department. It is responsible for repair and maintenance of over 135 fleet vehicles.
The Great Northern Development Corporation in Wolf Point has been awarded a $550,000 grant from the U.S. Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund. It will bolster efforts to provide lending services to small businesses across Northeastern Montana.
Yellowstone National Park officials are asking for public comment on a proposal to improve 27 miles of the Northeast Entrance Road between Tower Junction and the Northeast Entrance. The road was damaged during the 2022 flood.
The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee is now accepting applications for their education and outreach grant program. The program supports efforts to recover grizzly bears and reduce human-bear conflicts. Applications are due November 12th.
The city of Troy in Lincoln County with a population of about 900 is looking for a new mayor after former Mayor Chuck Ekstedt resigned abruptly. The city of about 900 has posted a message on its Facebook page that it is accepting letters of interest for the position.
