Montana Today

Thanks to recent funding, the Missoula Office of the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation has upped its capacity to provide native pine seedlings to a wide variety of federal, state, tribal and private reforestation projects around the region.

In both the race for Montana’s U.S. Senate seat and the race for governor, the incumbents easily cleared their primary elections Tuesday – and general election opponents who’ve sharply criticized them also moved on.

Jerome Walker writes, "Trump, badly needing a campaign issue, instead ordered his MAGA followers to kill the plan and blame Biden. In November, let’s send politicians to Washington who will solve problems, not just obstruct solutions."

The mayor's effort to strike a balance in dealing with homeless camping in Missoula's public spaces, address safety and provide shelter to those in need left one council member erupting into an outburst and quitting the meeting while nine other council members eventually voted to move the issue to further discussion and a vote.

A bond needed to cover infrastructure costs in a workforce housing project won initial approval from members of the Missoula City Council on Wednesday, clearing one of the last remaining hurdles.

The city's existing development and zoning codes create barriers to housing diversity and affordability, fail to promote infill and walkable neighborhoods, and are difficult to navigate, planning officials said Wednesday.

Elaine Caton writes, "If you are at all interested, don’t let the myths and sensational news stories scare you away."

The fire levy is permanent and will generate up to $7 million annually to support growth in the Missoula Fire Department.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte fought off a challenge from the right in his primary Tuesday, defeating Lakeside Republican Rep. Tanner Smith and setting up a matchup with Democratic former firearms executive Ryan Busse.

Tranel, a Missoula lawyer and Olympic rower, ran an aggressive campaign against Zinke in 2022. However, in the general election, Zinke won by four points with a Libertarian also on the ballot.