In The News

The state of Montana announced emergency restrictions Thursday on the launch or removal of boats, docks and other structures for Tiber and Canyon Ferry reservoirs until they freeze over. The restrictions were approved Thursday afternoon by a newly formed Montana Mussel Response Team and the directors of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. “We’re not anticipating that this is going to impact a lot of recreationists,” said Greg Lemon, an FWP spokesman. “Obviously, the response team feels like it’s an important step.” Restrictions are necessary to prevent the potential spread

Montana’s outdoor recreation industry is frequently cited as a top economic driver in the state, but aside from a scattering of privately funded studies and location-specific economic impact reports, the sector’s full scope remains largely unknown. That could change within two years if a bill passed unanimously by the Senate this week wins President Barack Obama’s signature. The Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act directs federal agencies and departments to begin accounting for outdoor recreation as an economic sector within gross domestic product, a measure the country’s overall economic output. “At a really macro level, it helps show the

In a defeat for privacy advocates, Senate leaders rebuffed a last-ditch effort by a bipartisan group of senators Wednesday to allow a vote to block a new rule that allows federal agents armed with a single search warrant to hack millions of Americans’ computers or smartphones at once. That rule will now take effect Thursday. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Chris Coons, D-Del., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., took to the Senate floor to seek agreement to bring up bills to stop the rule from taking effect or at least delay it for three to six months to give Congress more time to study it. Republican Senate leaders denied

U.S. Senator Steve Daines today announced $1,402,200.00 for the Western Transportation Institute to study how best to improve accessibility and efficiency of rural public transportation. “It’s great to see additional funds being sent to an organization that has been an advocate for rural transportation efficiency and safety for over 20 years,” Daines stated.  “As a graduate of MSU’s College of Engineering, I am proud their contributions are recognized and these funds will be used to improve mobility in Montana and rural America.” The Western Transportation Institute is a department within Montana State University’s College of Engineering.  They have been designated one

A last-ditch effort in the Senate to prevent changes to a rule that will ease the process for law enforcement to use hacking in investigations failed Wednesday morning, allowing the controversial updates to Rule 41 to take effect at midnight. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Chris Coons (D-Del) took to the floor and unsuccessfully asked for unanimous consent to either pass or formally vote on three bills to delay or prevent updates to the process used by law enforcement to get a warrant to hack suspects’ computers.  “We simply can’t give unlimited power for unlimited hacking,” Daines argued.  The updates to

Wednesday, Nov. 16, the Shelby FFA left for another fun and educational trip to Bozeman to attend the FFA John Deere Agricultural Exposition. The annual John Deere Ag Expo is full of competitions and leadership activities designed for FFA members to sharpen their skills and expand their knowledge about agriculture and leadership.  The competitions, or Career Development Events (CDEs), included Food Science, Agricultural Communications, Meat Judging, Agricultural Sales, Job Interview, Livestock Judging, Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems, Veterinary Science, Horse Judging and Market/Business Planning just to name a few.  The first CDE Shelby competed in, Meat Judging, was held on

The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill Tuesday that could expand access to specialty health care for rural patients in states like Montana where services are often scattered. The Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act, or the ECHO Act, would pull federal resources toward studying telehealth technology and models to improve patient care in communities often separated from medical support. Catherine Todd with North Valley Hospital said she’s watched telehealth spread through the Flathead Valley in recent years. The Whitefish hospital has used telehealth to expand its behavioral health services to people who Todd said otherwise “fall through the cracks.”

If you want to visualize Missoula’s timber history, ride a bike. Start at Bonner Elementary School and wonder at the massive yellow structure across the street. That was once the world’s largest plywood plant. Behind it was a sawmill. And right across the river was another sawmill. Logs arrived at first by floating down the Blackfoot River. Through the first half of the 20th century, the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. mainly squared them off for mine tunnel timbers, tossing away slabs that today’s mills would turn into 2-by-12s. Bonner Elementary School had a “slab yard” as big as a playground,

Suspect you may have lost track of a 401(k) retirement account or pension benefit? You aren’t alone. As Americans jump from job to job, they are leaving more 401(k)-style accounts and pension benefits with ex-employers. Some lose track of the money, forfeiting a piece of their retirement security. While no one keeps exact tabs on the number of lost retirement accounts, human-resources consulting firm Aon Hewitt estimates that as many as 30% of all pension accounts may ultimately fall into this category—either because a plan can no longer locate former employees who move or change names, or because a participant forgets that