Dennis Bragg
Absence of concerts costing downtown Missoula tens of millions of dollars
The COVID-19 pandemic shutdown of Missoula's concert scene isn't just an inconvenience for fans. It also could be costing local businesses as much as $100 million in lost revenue.
With Congress at a stalemate, little hope for western Montana concert industry
Logjam Presents has been forced to lay off 125 people since the pandemic started. But the layoffs and loss of infrastructure for the music industry go much deeper, with the danger of the entire system collapsing.
Fall visits strong, but pandemic cuts Glacier traffic in half
Although nice fall weather convinced more people to visit Glacier National Park than last year, even with the pandemic, overall park visits for 2020 will be the lowest in nearly 20-years.
New Missoula homeless shelter being used by dozens every night
The weather is just starting to turn cold for good, but already the new Johnson Street emergency homeless shelter in Missoula is seeing regular use, just a week after opening.
EPA closing Libby asbestos office after 20 years
The Libby Field Office on Ninth Street opened as an information center as the EPA was ramping up its cleanup efforts after the town was declared a Superfund site from decades of asbestos contamination.
Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey survives recall, ‘dark political climate’
Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey said the recall he survived this week "sheds light on what has become a dark political climate" in the Bitterroot town.
New report cites growth of ‘People’s Rights Network’ involving thousands
A new report suggests an Idaho man known for armed standoffs and civil unrest in the Northwest has built a new network based on anti-government rhetoric which now claims more than 20,000 members nationwide, including several hundred in Montana.
Daines, Undersecretary of Ag say plans to fight fires during pandemic successful
With Sen. Steve Daines, the U.S. Agriculture Undersecretary for Forest Service operations said plans to fight fires during the pandemic have been successful, keeping COVID-19 outbreaks low even with a record deployment of firefighters.
Federal judge nixes Trump, GOP attempt to stop Montana mail-in ballots
Citing both the lack of evidence of voter fraud and the "compelling public health concerns", U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen on Wednesday rejected a request by Republicans to stop Montana's use of vote-by-mail.
As fires rage, Neptune Aviation questions ‘as needed’ approach to tanker contracts
As the West's record fire season scorches its way into the fall, air tanker operators like Missoula-based Neptune Aviation continue to scramble to protect communities from the air. But some are questioning the 'as needed" approach to tanker contracts.