The Montana Department of Transportation reports over one third of their snowplows have been involved in crashes since 2015 often due to other drivers’ decisions on the road. In response it has launched the “Don’t Crowd the Plow” campaign aiming to reduce crashes caused by tailgating passing in unsafe conditions or turn...
10,400 + Montana Businesses Registered in September And October
According to the Montana Business Economic Report roughly 4,900 new businesses registered with the Secretary of State’s Office in September while almost 5,500 more registered in October. Montana has had more new registrations in eight of 10 months this year compared to 2023. August had a nearly identical number of new registrations betwe...
Healthcare Marketplace Open Enrollment Runs Until January 15th
Cover Montana is a project of the Montana Primary Care Association with a federal grant to help underserved communities consumers and small businesses find and enroll in quality affordable health coverage through HealthCare dot gov. The nonprofit organization is reminding Montanans open enrollment for health insurance until next January 15th. ...
Venezuelan Prison Gang Tren Dearagua Now In Montana Too
Mexican drug cartels already have a very active presence in the state of Montana particularly targeting Indian Reservations with meth and fentanyl and tribal leaders have also raised concerns about cartel operatives preying on Native American women. Now the Department of Homeland Security has confirmed Montana is one of 16 states where the vio...
Residential Property May Be Up 21% In Next Year’s Reappraisal
Montana Department of Revenue staff told a legislative committee Monday next year’s reappraisal cycle could produce a partial repeat of last year’s tax spike as the state’s real estate market continues to translate into higher residential taxes. The department expects the market value of the average Montana residential property to be reapprai...
Only 20% Of Schools Sampling Water For Lead After Five Years
A 2020 statewide survey found over half of Montana’s schools had unsafe lead levels in drinking water. As the project enters its fifth year progress varies with 20% of schools yet to submit test results. Lead sources vary from solder joints to faucets. Simple filters may suffice but extensive work is sometimes needed. Increased funding was int...
Montanans Getting Off Pretty Cheaply When Buying Groceries
Compared to our neighbors Montanans on average don’t spend as much on groceries according to Visual Capitalist using U.S. Census date. Montana ranks as one of the lest expensive states for the average cost of groceries coming in at number 46. Montanans spend an average of $246 weekly on groceries. The Wyoming the Dakotas and Idaho all pa...
Montana Wind Energy Farm Enough To Power Half Of Oregon’s Homes
Thanks to the Clearwater Wind Energy Center in Eastern Montana Portland General Electric has reached a new milestone in renewable energy production achieving a record-breaking 1 gigawatt of wind power enough to power 830,000 homes or about half of Oregon’s households. With consistent winds across Montana’s plains the facility regularly d...
Department of Corrections Needs More Out Of State Inmate Beds
The Montana Department of Corrections has begun the process to find additional out-of-state prison beds because of its shortage in facilities. The Crossroads Correctional Center near Shelby has 759 inmates for 753 beds and the Montana Women’ Prison in Billings with a capacity of 240 is housing 248 inmates. New data from the U.S. Departm...
Going Into Fall Gasoline Prices Are Fallings Faster In Montana
The cost to fill up at the pumps has fallen again in the Treasure State. GasBuddy dot com reports average gasoline prices in Montana have fallen 4.4 cents per gallon in the last week and sat at an average of $3.04 per gallon as of Monday. Prices are 14 cents per gallon lower than at this time a month ago and 39.3 cents per gallon lower than a ...