76,543 children relied on the summer lunch program in 2024 but the Joint Subcommittee on Health and Human Services has voted to cut the $20 million of mostly federal money for the biennium out of the state budget. The state Legislature could still vote to restore the funds which provide a $120 grocery benefit per eligible child for the summer is not duplicated with other programs and has an annual economic impact of $9 million in Montana.
Governor Greg Gianforte has announced 130,00 forested acres have been placed in Department of Natural Resources and Conservation management since he took office. Revenue from state trust land timber projects benefits trust beneficiaries such as K- through 12 schools. Last year all revenue generating activities across trust lands provided approximately $374 per student. In the last biennium the DNRC placed over 72,000 acres under management.
The Trump administration says it is restoring jobs for dozens of National Park Service employees fired amid government-wide reductions and hiring nearly 3,000 additional seasonal workers following an uproar over an aggressive plan to downsize the agency. It’s not known yet how many of the 360 Montana based federal employees will get their jobs back if any.
The United States Postal Service has announced plans to retain certain local mail processing operations at the Missoula postal facility rather than being relocated to Spokane. The Missoula facility will see significant changes with USPS planning to invest up to $12.2 million. This follows a decision last year to shift all originating mail processing operations to Spokane’s processing and distribution center. It is all part of a proposed operational strategy aimed at increasing efficiency and saving an additional $3 billion annually nationwide.
Billings Logan International Airport will run new seasonal United Airlines direct flights to Chicago O’Hare Airport May 22nd through October 25th. According to the Big Sky Business Journal United will also add an additional flight per day to Denver from May 22nd through August 18th expanding direct service to six flights each day over the summer months.
Shodair Children’s Hospital has had an outpatient facility in Butte for several years but has now moved to a brand new clinic in the Butte hospital. The statewide healthcare agency treats a variety of health issues in children including helping those who are at risk of death by suicide.
The University of Montana’s Co-Lab for Civic Imagination is touring over twenty primary rural communities in response to the troubling trends in Montana’s behavioral and mental health outcomes. The State of Mind Program will be in Livingston Wednesday and Thursday and will have a free theatre performance for the general public and workshops for local students school faculty and staff and local health providers.
The latest data from the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services indicates influenza cases continue to increase across the state. The state recorded 1,797 flu cases for the week ending February 15th. That’s up from 1,626 a week before. Hospitalizations from influenza declined during the same time frame.
Mount Maurice in the Beartooth Mountains near Red Lodge burned during the Robertson Draw Fire of 2021 scorching 30,000 acres. Now nearly four years later a crew from Sterling Colorado has been contracted by the Bureau of Land Management to reseed one-third of the mountain that burned.
Fish Wildlife and Parks has released a final environmental impact statement analyzing potential environmental impacts from the statewide management of gray wolves. The final EIS addresses issues and concerns raised during the public comment period. To read all about it visit the FWP wolf management webpage.
