Explore

Poverello Center Unveils Upgraded Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans in Missoula

Poverello Center Unveils Upgraded Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans in Missoula

The Poverello Center in Missoula, Montana, has officially opened a newly renovated facility for its Housing Montana Heroes program, which provides transitional housing for homeless veterans. The new location, formerly the Clark Fork Inn, features 16 private studio units, a community kitchen, a community room, laundry facilities, and offices for case management and supportive services. This upgrade replaces the previous setup where 20 veterans stayed in semi-private rooms on the second floor of the main Poverello Center shelter. Paul Barnes, a Vietnam veteran and former program participant who now serves on the organization's board, highlighted the importance of the new space in providing dignity to veterans from day one. Since its inception in 2015, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Housing Montana Heroes program has served 464 veterans and provided 64,000 nights of shelter. The $6 million project was funded by an $800,000 VA grant and extensive fundraising efforts, with the ...

Mayor Bissen Urges USPS to Maintain Home Mail Delivery and Reconsider Lahaina Post Office Closure Post-Wildfire

Mayor Bissen Urges USPS to Maintain Home Mail Delivery and Reconsider Lahaina Post Office Closure Post-Wildfire

Mayor Richard Bissen of Maui is advocating for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to preserve direct home mail delivery for Lahaina residents who are rebuilding after the 2023 Maui wildfires. He emphasizes that returning families should not lose essential services due to rebuilding efforts. The Mayor's primary concern is that residents might be required to use centralized or cluster mailboxes instead of receiving direct delivery, a service they had prior to the fires. He argues that Lahaina is an established community, and its reconstruction should not be treated as new development that would necessitate changes to mail delivery infrastructure. Additionally, Mayor Bissen has expressed opposition to the proposed permanent closure of the Lahaina Downtown Post Office, located at 132 Papalaua Street, which the USPS intends to close due to irreparable damage from the August 2023 wildfire. U.S. Representative Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02) and Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin have also voiced their opposition to thi...

Multiple Great Falls Schools Placed Under Shelter-in-Place Due to Police Operation

Multiple Great Falls Schools Placed Under Shelter-in-Place Due to Police Operation

Multiple schools in Great Falls, Montana, including East Middle School, Lewis and Clark Elementary, and Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind, were placed under a shelter-in-place order. This action was taken in response to an ongoing police operation at a nearby apartment complex located on Central Avenue. The Great Falls Police Department (GFPD) issued a directive for residents in the vicinity to adhere to instructions provided by police personnel at the scene. Great Falls Public Schools confirmed that students were safe during the incident. Updates from Great Falls Public Schools later indicated that a 'stand down all clear' was issued for Lewis and Clark Elementary and East Elementary School, suggesting a resolution or de-escalation of the situation affecting those specific schools. The incident was a developing story, with authorities providing updates as the situation progressed.

Montana Daily Montanan Highlights Historical Erasure of LGBTQ+ Figures, Citing William Andrews Clark Jr.

Montana Daily Montanan Highlights Historical Erasure of LGBTQ+ Figures, Citing William Andrews Clark Jr.

The Daily Montanan has published an article emphasizing the historical erasure of LGBTQ+ individuals, particularly focusing on William Andrews Clark Jr., a prominent Montana millionaire and philanthropist. Clark Jr., born in Deer Lodge, was a lawyer and businessman who became one of Montana's wealthiest men. He was a significant cultural benefactor in Los Angeles, founding the Los Angeles Philharmonic, helping create the Hollywood Bowl, and donating his extensive collection of rare books and manuscripts, including a world-class collection of Oscar Wilde's works, to UCLA. The article highlights that Clark Jr. was a gay man whose relationship with his partner, Harrison Post, was concealed due to societal norms of the time. Despite his significant contributions, his personal history as a gay man was largely hidden and later subject to archival silence, with personal correspondence between him and his partner being destroyed after his death. This historical omission is presented as an example of 'queer erasure...

Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation Appoints New Food Agriculture Development Center Specialist

Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation Appoints New Food Agriculture Development Center Specialist

Eastern Plains Economic Development Corporation Appoints New Food Agriculture Development Center Specialist

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda Condemns USPS for Denying Mail Delivery to Lahaina Wildfire Survivors, Demands Restoration of Service

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda Condemns USPS for Denying Mail Delivery to Lahaina Wildfire Survivors, Demands Restoration of Service

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii) has labeled the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) decision to deny home mail delivery to Lahaina wildfire survivors who have rebuilt their homes as 'absolutely unacceptable.' Following the devastating August 2023 wildfires, residents returning to rebuilt homes in Lahaina are finding that USPS is treating their area as a 'new development,' thereby refusing door-to-door service. Instead, mail carriers are reportedly driving past these homes to deliver mail to unaffected areas just blocks away. Residents, including Pam Reader, Calvin Cox, and Kesa Ferguson, have expressed confusion and anger, with some experiencing lapsed insurance policies, missed medical prescriptions, and unreceived voting ballots due to the lack of mail service. The downtown Lahaina post office, which burned in the fire, is also slated for permanent closure. Tokuda and her staff are actively engaging with USPS Hawaii leadership to rectify the situation, emphasizing that Lahaina has 'already lost enough.'

Trump Administration Proposes Rescinding Roadless Rule, Drawing Public Opposition

Trump Administration Proposes Rescinding Roadless Rule, Drawing Public Opposition

The Trump administration has proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, a regulation that restricts road construction, reconstruction, and timber harvesting on nearly 45 million acres of National Forest land across the U.S., including approximately 6.4 million acres in Montana. The proposal, filed on August 18, has generated significant public opposition, as evidenced by a recent event in Bozeman where hunters, conservationists, and public lands advocates gathered to submit comments against the rescission. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting public comments on the proposed change until September 21. Critics, including Scott Christensen, Executive Director of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition (GYC), argue that the administration's 30-day comment period is too brief for such a significant policy change, especially compared to the over year-long process and 1.6 million comments received when the rule was first instituted.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country Seeks Part-Time Sales Merchandisers Across Seven States

Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country Seeks Part-Time Sales Merchandisers Across Seven States

Coca-Cola Bottling Company High Country Seeks Part-Time Sales Merchandisers Across Seven States

Bozeman Residents Urged to Secure Garbage as Bear Sightings Increase

Bozeman Residents Urged to Secure Garbage as Bear Sightings Increase

Bear sightings are on the rise in Bozeman, Montana, prompting Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) to urge residents to properly secure attractants like garbage. As September marks 'Bear Aware Month' and cooler weather sets in, bears are entering hyperphagia, a period of intense feeding to prepare for hibernation, making them more active and prone to seeking food sources in residential areas. Morgan Jacobsen, an information officer with FWP, explained that bears consume thousands of calories daily and can remain active for up to 20 hours while foraging. Easy access to food in neighborhoods, such as garbage cans, barbecues, and bird feeders, is drawing bears into human-populated areas. An inconsistent berry season is also believed to be contributing to bears traveling further in search of food.

Bozeman Residents Raise Safety Concerns Over Street Racing and Speeding

Bozeman Residents Raise Safety Concerns Over Street Racing and Speeding

Residents in Bozeman, Montana, are expressing significant safety concerns regarding an increase in street racing, speeding, and reckless driving on city streets and nearby roads. The Bozeman Police Department is actively reminding the public about the importance of safe driving practices and adherence to all traffic laws. The complaints highlight that the issue extends beyond mere noise disturbances, with residents worried about the potential for serious accidents if drivers lose control. This situation has prompted local authorities to address the community's anxieties and reinforce the need for responsible driving behavior to ensure public safety. The problem appears to be a growing concern within the community, leading to calls for increased enforcement and awareness.

Montana GOP Platform Endorses Public Land Transfers with 'Continued Public Access' Clause

Montana GOP Platform Endorses Public Land Transfers with 'Continued Public Access' Clause

The Montana Republican Party has adopted an updated platform that continues to support the transfer of federally managed lands to state control. This new platform, approved at their biennial convention in Missoula in June, includes language specifying 'a transition plan and continued public access.' This update follows a previous iteration that called for 'relinquishing federally managed public lands to the states in order to secure statehood equality and provide for better management of public lands.' The change in wording has been criticized by groups like the Wild Montana Action Fund, which views the 'transition plan' and 'continued access' clauses as a 'Trojan horse' to make the sale of public lands more acceptable. The platform also calls on Republican lawmakers to oppose perpetual conservation easements and the sale of National Parks and Wilderness Areas, implicitly suggesting openness to selling other types of federal lands. Despite this, some Montana Republicans, including Representative Troy Downi...

Montana State Auditor James Brown Initiates First Market Conduct Review of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana in Over a Decade

Montana State Auditor James Brown Initiates First Market Conduct Review of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana in Over a Decade

Montana State Auditor James Brown has initiated the first market conduct review of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) in over a decade. As Montana's Commissioner of Securities and Insurance, Brown is responsible for overseeing the state's insurance industry, which includes examining the business practices of insurance companies. The review will evaluate BCBSMT's compliance with applicable state laws and regulations, focusing on areas such as marketing, advertising, underwriting, rating, policyholder services, and claims practices. Despite BCBSMT being the largest health insurance company in Montana, its last market conduct review by the Auditor's office was finalized in February 2014, covering activities from July 2006 through December 2010. Auditor Brown emphasized that regular and timely market conduct examinations are a key part of effective insurance regulation and that a decade is too long between reviews for a company insuring hundreds of thousands of Montanans. The initiation of this rev...