Measles cases reported in four Montana counties this year
Montana has experienced confirmed measles cases across four counties so far this year. Gallatin County has 17 confirmed cases Hill County has four while both Flathead County and Yellowstone County each report two cases for a total of 25 confirmed measles cases in the state. Two resulted in hospitalizations but there have been no reported deaths from measles in Montana yet in 2025.
Trump Administration Considers Reopening 2,600 Square Miles of Montana and Wyoming Public Lands for Coal Sales
Federal officials are considering reopening vast areas of public lands in Montana and Wyoming to new coal sales. The announcement today is part of President Donald Trump’s push to expand U.S. fossil fuel production. The Biden administration had tried to end coal sales in the Powder River Basin. Trump administration officials are instead considering selling leases on more than 2,600 square miles of federal lands in the region. That’s an area larger than Delaware.
University of Montana changes course, opts in to NCAA’s House settlement for this year
The University of Montana has decided to opt into the NCAA’s House settlement this year, that allows athletic programs to start paying athletes, marking a major shift in college sports. Originally planning to opt-in for the 2026-27 academic year, UM changed course after the final settlement, grandfathered existing rosters, eliminating the need for roster cuts. The deadline for schools nationwide to opt out was last week.
U.S. Supreme Court Refuses Montana Case Requiring Parental Consent for Abortion on Minor
The United States Supreme Court has refused to take a case that seeks the revival of a Montana law originally enacted in 2013 that requires people younger than 18 to get parental consent before getting an abortion. The Montana Supreme Court previously concluded the law violated the Montana state Constitution and contains broader protections for abortion compared to the U.S. Constitution.
Led By Montana Senator Steve Daines Senate Bolsters Oil And Gas Lease Sales
Montana’s congressional delegation played an influential part in stripping federal land sales from the “Big Beautiful Bill” signed into law July 4th by President Donald Trump. Provisions were passed that would bolster oil and gas production requiring the Bureau of Land Management to hold quarterly oil and gas lease sales for Montana and eight other states on public land.
Trump issues executive order codifying surcharge on international parks visitors
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to increase entrance fees for international visitors to national parks an idea hatched by the Bozeman-based Property and Environment Research Center. The additional revenue is expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars for conservation and deferred maintenance projects but a White House statement doesn’t say how much fees will increase or when.
Montana Is One Of The Best States To Live Off The Grid
There are people in Montana who are living off the grid and when HomeGnome dot com analyzed the best states for living off grid Montana ranked ninth and would have ranked much higher if it wasn’t for the climate. The highest-ranked state is Iowa due to their moderate climate access to rural healthcare and successful renewable energy systems. The state where it would be the hardest to live off the grid is Rhode Island followed by New Jersey Connecticut Massachusetts and Maryland.
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This evening the Kalispell City Council is expected to start the process of replacing outgoing City Manager Doug Russell when it meets in City Hall at 7. Russell was named city manager of Lakewood Washington last month and is expected to step into his new job August 25th. A subcommittee of four members of Council will be formed to facilitate the search for a new city manager that could include a recruitment firm.
A conservation group concerned about water quality in the Gallatin River has filed a lawsuit against the Montana Department of Environmental Quality over the agency’s approval of a Big Sky subdivision’s septic system. Upper Missouri Waterkeeper challenges the constitutionality of DEQ’s approval in of phase two of the Quarry Subdivision.
The Missoula Rotary Club has presented $8,520 to the Missoula County Public Schools Board of Trustees to be used toward scholarships for middle school students to attend summer camps for band choir and orchestra. The club regularly also gives checks to Target Range Elementary and Hellgate Elementary dividing their fundraising efforts up by enrollment.
Poison hemlock a deadly plant that resembles a wildflower is spreading through parks and trails in Billings and it could pose a serious risk to anyone who comes in contact with it. The highly toxic invasive species has been found in increasing amounts throughout Riverfront Park and other green spaces. City crews are now working to locate and remove the plant before it spreads further.
In the sandstone cliffs of Bear Gulch just east of Lewistown more than 3,000 pictographs line the rock walls. Now a visitor center solidifies the site’s Blackfeet history as a central part of the experience thanks to a partnership between Blackfeet geologist Souta Calling Last and landowner Macie Ahlgren whose family has owned the canyon since the early 1900s.
