Fall Foliage 2025: Maps Predict Where and When Colors Will Peak in Montana
A map from Great Smoky Mountains National Park predicts that this week will offer the best fall foliage viewing in western Montana. In the eastern half of the state, peak or near-peak conditions are expected next week. Counties along the Montana-Wyoming border are forecast to reach peak color around October 20. All of Montana will be past peak starting the week of October 27.
SNAP Recipients Face Reductions or Loss of Benefits Under New Rules
Federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now in effect, bringing new work requirements and increased costs to the state. An estimated 80,000 Montanans received SNAP benefits in fiscal year 2024. For those who remain eligible, some families could see monthly reductions ranging from $72 to $231. Around 30,000 Montanans could lose their SNAP benefits entirely due to these new requirements.
Montana Sees Dramatic Drop in Fentanyl Seizures
Montana task forces are reporting a dramatic drop in fentanyl seizures. In the first quarter of this year, law enforcement seized more than 31,000 units of the drug—an 80% decrease from the same period last year, when seizures totaled over 163,000 units. Officials credit the decline to tougher state legislation passed in recent sessions, along with federal policy changes at the southern border, where most of the drugs originate.
Montana Ban on Lab-Grown Meat Now in Effect
Montana House Bill 401, which bans the manufacturing and sale of lab-grown meat, was signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte in May and took effect this month. The legislation targets meat products made from animal cell cultures rather than slaughtered animals. Montana joins several other states with similar bans, including Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. Penalties for violations include fines, jail time, and possible license suspension for businesses.
DEQ Issues Maximum Fine for CHS Refinery Pollution
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued a $100,000 fine—the maximum allowed under state law—against the CHS refinery in Laurel for repeatedly discharging toxic pollution into the Yellowstone River. Although the refinery passed tests from February through August of this year, it had failed nearly every quarter since the third quarter of 2021.
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The Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary in Red Lodge has seen its first snowfall of the season but remains open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Tuesdays. The facility houses bears, big cats, raptors, and other animals that can no longer survive in the wild, including two gray wolves named Pilot and Index.
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According to the Big Sky Business Journal, Montana business owners are feeling upbeat. The Small Business Optimism Index rose by 0.5 points in August to 100.8—nearly 3 points above the 52-year average of 98—driven by expectations of higher sales.
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Two Montana universities have been named to the Princeton Review’s Best 391 Colleges for 2026. Montana Technological University in Butte and the University of Montana in Missoula earned spots on the list, which recognizes only about 15% of U.S. four-year colleges.
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House Bill 328, passed earlier this year, expands hunting privileges for Montana residents age 75 and older. It allows them to use a general elk license to harvest an antlerless elk on private lands during any season in a district where youth under 15 may also harvest an antlerless elk.
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Montana’s flood preparedness framework is based on a “100-year flood” scenario. A new 54-minute documentary, One in Five Hundred, explores the devastating flash flood that struck the upper Yellowstone Valley three years ago. The film will be shown Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Columbia Falls High School Theater, with the public invited to attend.
