Governor Greg Gianforte has issued an executive order. It prohibits so-called vaccine passports in Montana and also prohibits businesses from requiring customers to show they’ve been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 to receive services or enter a business. Since summer 2019 even during the pandemic the community of Lewistown has con...
Johnson and Johnson Vaccine Paused In Montana
Montana health officials have temporarily halted administering the single dose Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine until an investigation into whether the vaccine is linked to an exceptionally rare type of blood clotting is complete. Montana has utilized far more Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in immunizing residents than the Johnson and Johnson...
Great Falls
John Barnes & Neal DuBois, Tracy’s Diner – Great Falls, MT Tracy’s Family Diner had closed prior to the pandemic, after being in business for 50 years. New owners John Barnes and Neal DuBois revived the iconic restaurant months before the pandemic began. They responded to the community’s need by donating and deliver...
Biden Infrastructure Report Details Improvements For Montana
According to a new infrastructure report card from the Biden White House, Montana has 377 bridges and more than 1,485 miles of highway in poor condition and one in four of the state’s public transit vehicles is ready for the scrapyard. The report card gives Montana’s overall infrastructure health a C grade and highlights how the pa...
Transgender Athletics Bill Moves Through House Of Representatives
The House of Representatives voted Monday to keep a bill that would limit transgender women’s rights alive by sending it to a committee to rectify differences between the House and Senate versions. James Bradley from the University of Montana Legislative News Service reports that House Bill 112 would bar transgender women from competing on wom...
Billings City Council Discusses Ordinance For Illegal Massage Parlors
Legislation that would have required the state health department to check a significantly broader network of data when qualifying people for public assistance programs was voted down Monday evening. Senate Bill 100 would have also ended continuous eligibility for Medicaid expansion in the state. A fiscal note for the most recent version of the...
Local Montana Wineries See Potential For Growth Across The State
A new study by security.org shows Montana has the 15th highest rate of homelessness in America. Using data released in March from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the study on the State of Homelessness saw a substantial 13% annual increase in the homeless population in Montana — the fourth largest increase in the nation....
Colstrip Plant Contract Bill Passes House
Legislators voted Monday to empower the attorney general to force Colstrip Power Plant’s six owners to make power plant repairs that the state deems essential after the state House voted for Senate Bill 266 to nullify portions of the private business agreement governing the generator. Not making the repairs dictated by state government ...
CDC Urges States To Stop Administering Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
Federal health agencies called for an immediate pause of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine this morning after six people in the United States developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within about two weeks of getting the vaccine. The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will stop us...
Harlowton Railyard To Begin Massive Cleanup
Work is set to begin next week on the cleanup of the Harlowton railyard in central Montana that’s contaminated with asbestos and petroleum. It is in attempt to revitalize a 180-acre site in the town that lost its largest employer after the last train passed through more than 40 years ago. The work is being paid for through grant money an...