Montana Today

After exploring its options and several fires, the Montana Department of Transportation on Wednesday said it will erect a fence under the Reserve Street bridge and begin moving illegal campers to an alternative site once it's established by the city and county of Missoula.

The number of new Covid-19 cases in Missoula County have returned to levels not seen since spring as infections surge across Montana and the rest of the nation. Both the CDC and local health department are urging people to wear masks when indoors.

Saying equity lies at the heart of a vibrant community, the city and county of Missoula are taking parallel steps to adopt a resolution stating their commitment to establish a just, equitable, diverse and inclusive Missoula.

While winter may be months away, the City of Missoula this week began searching for a facility that could be used as an emergency winter shelter as Covid continues to limit the capacity at Missoula's established shelters.

The suit accuses the Montana Office of Public Instruction and Board of Public Education of failing to establish minimum standards for Indian education – to ensure school districts comply with the requirements and work cooperatively with tribes.

While fireworks are illegal in city limits, no citations were issued this year and the number of calls to the hotline established to report such complaints decreased, according to figures provided by the city.

The Anderson Hill Fire burning in Granite and Powell counties has now burned almost 800 acres, and it's moving dangerously close to one of Montana's favorite landmarks, Garnet Ghost Town.

Not even high-paying jobs in the Bakken oil fields of eastern Montana and North Dakota have been enough to fend off a growing shortage of skilled workers. The problem has reached the point where North Dakota state officials are worried that workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic slowdown won't be returning.

According to the request from the Open Aid Alliance, International Overdose Awareness Day aims to remember “the loved ones we have lost and acknowledge the grief of family and friends left behind.”

The number of electric vehicles registered in Montana by the end of last year had doubled to 940, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Those heading Missoula's transportation system, from transit to infrastructure, aren't dismissing the arrival of the electric vehicle.