Customers of Montana-Dakota Utilities will see their electric bills go up $10.32 a month on average starting April 1.

Tuesday, the Montana Public Service Commission approved an interim rate increase for the monopoly utility.

The request had been pending for five months, and the PSC took up the matter a couple of times, but didn’t approve any increase until this week.

A staff report said MDU argued the Public Service Commission’s “failure or refusal” to act on the interim request was “an arbitrary and capricious abuse of discretion.”

It also said intervenors, including the Montana Consumer Counsel, had not opposed the rate increase. The Consumer Counsel advocates on behalf of customers.

MDU argued it is “undisputed” that the company was under-earning on electric operations, so without an interim increase, the rates were confiscatory, or unfair to the utility, the staff memo said.

The PSC said MDU’s costs to provide electricity to its Montana customers increased in the three years since its last rate case. MDU requested a revenue increase of $14.1 million, but the PSC’s decision on the interim rate gives the utility $7.7 million as the case proceeds, the PSC said.

In an analysis of legal standards, PSC staff said the U.S. Constitution protects a public utility’s property from the effect of a confiscatory rate.

“Any rate that is so low as to deny a utility a reasonable opportunity to earn a fair return on property used to provide service is unconstitutional,” the staff memo said.

MDU serves roughly 25,500 customers in Montana. An MDU spokesperson said the utility would be able to provide the total bill impact by Thursday.

Commissioner Brad Molnar moved to deny the rate increase for numerous reasons, including because he said MDU hadn’t conducted a robust search for generation or established its choices were “of maximum benefit to the ratepayers.”

“Important facts are missing, so they need to be addressed,” Molnar said.

Commissioner Jennifer Fielder said she too has had concerns with MDU’s application, and previously voted against increases.

However, Fielder offered a motion instead to grant a portion of MDU’s request, 55%.

Fielder said PSC staff closely reviewed the case, and it was important to protect ratepayers but also allow a regulated utility to recover legitimate costs.

She said her proposal would mean a roughly $10 monthly increase for the average customer starting on April 1 instead of a $14 monthly increase starting Jan. 1, 2026.

“This just balances the need for the company to be able to recover legitimate costs while ratepayers aren’t straddled with potentially higher costs that aren’t legitimate,” Fielder said.

In the meantime, she said, the PSC will continue to do a full review of the case to determine a final rate.

On its website, MDU notes it filed the case at the end of September 2025, and the PSC typically has up to nine months to issue a decision.

PSC President Jeff Welborn and Commissioner Annie Bukacek joined Fielder in supporting the interim increase. Commissioner Randy Pinocci and Molnar opposed it.

A surface trough is expected to move through the area from now through noon on Friday. There is moderate confidence of accumulating wintry mix occurring. Anywhere between a trace of snow up to 1.5 inches of snow are expected.

Story Credit to Norther Plain Independent of Wolf Point:

Well over 300 people attended a fundraiser in Froid Feb. 28 for the family of Roberto Orozco-Ramirez, who has been detained on a charge of illegal reentry since he surrendered to authorities Jan. 25. Fundraising efforts exceeded expectations as people poured into the tiny community from around the state and region.

Organizer Keith Nordlund told the Community News that most participants were local but added that the number of guests who stopped to sign in at the door far exceeded the municipal population.
“Our entire community was there and many people we didn’t know,” Nordlund said. “And everyone there was there to support the family. No left or right talk, just community helping our neighbors.”
There was a line around the corner leading to the entrance of the event, with standing room only inside during the live auction portion. “I think my favorite part of the evening was seeing the crowd and how full the community center was,” Nordlund said. “Seats were full, people were standing.”
Froid’s Mayor Sheri Crain said she couldn’t remember another local event to rival the turnout. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” Crain said during a follow up interview on March 1.

Along with a big turnout from locals, Democratic politicians from across the state showed up to support the Orozcos. In all, seven lawmakers from as far away as Billings and Helena attended, including Rep. Frank Smith and Sen. Jonathon Windy Boy, as well as the party’s executive director Emily Marburger. Asked about her motivations for attending, Sen. Cora Neumann from Bozeman said, “I wanted to represent the Democratic Party in Froid.” In a social media post after the event, Neumann said, “When something happens to one person in a town of 195, it happens to everyone. And Froid proved that Montanans show up for each other.”

For the most part, the politicians were swallowed up by the crowd. A sign at the door warned participants against turning the family fundraiser into a setting for political debates. A decision from organizers to limit beverages to nonalcoholic options also helped keep things polite.
Nordlund and other organizers were overwhelmed by the level of support. “I just opened five more envelopes with money for the family. Got one all the way from Illinois,” he said.

Nordlund said donations for the fundraiser came from all over the country, but stressed that local contributions were the most prominent, adding that even large sums offered from out-of-town supporters were quickly beaten by locals during live bidding. He said many donations came from area families and ranch operators with conflicted political views, who nonetheless wanted to support a local family during a difficult time.

Crain said high school boys set up chairs and helped staff the event, along with numerous area residents who donated their time and energy. Nordlund singled out Froid’s Kayla Luff Johnson for praise, saying that she has spearheaded letter writing efforts and attempts to contact Montana’s congressional delegation for help.

While the event was an unqualified success, the future remains uncertain for Orozco and his family,
“We will continue to stand by this family and help them as much as we can,” Nordlund said. “I encourage everyone to continue to reach out to our elected officials and encourage them to look into this case and help in anyway they can.”

Nordlund added that Orozco reached out to express his gratitude following the event. “Roberto just called me and wanted me to make sure to let everyone know how grateful he is for the support for his family.”

Nordlund said that anyone interested in contacting Orozco can write to him care of Cascade County Detention Center, 3800 ULM North Frontage Road, in Great Falls.

The filing deadline for political offices in Montana was Wednesday.

Valley County candidate filings:

John Rogenes- Valley County Commissioner, District 1
Paul Tweten- Valley County Commissioner, District 1

Brenda J Anderson-Valley County Treasurer

Christina M Hillman-Valley County Justice of the Peace

Tom Boyer-Valley County Sheriff/Coroner

Dylan Jensen- Valley County Attorney

Marie Pippin- Valley County Clerk and Recorder/Superintendent of Schools

Tara Strommen- Valley County Clerk of District Court

Montana Legislature filings

Senate District 14
R-Eric Albus
R- Mark Wicks
D- Blake Borst

House District #28
R- John South
R- Chisolm Christensen

House District #29
R- Linda Harmon
R- Valerie Moore
D- Tess Fahlgren
D- Rachel Sundheim

House District #31
D- Lance Fourstar
D- Natalie Oneal

Montana Public Service Commission District #1
R- Jeff Pattison
R- Jeremy Trebas
D- Angeline Cheek

United States Senate
R- Kurt Alme
Lib- Kyle Austin
D- Michael Hummert
D- Alani Bankhead
D- Michael Black Wolf
D- Reilly Neill
I- Seth Bodnar
R- Lee Calhoun
Lib-Tom Jandron
D-Christopher Kehoe
R- Charles Walking Child

2nd Congressional District (Central and Eastern Montana)
D- Brian Miller
D- Sam Lux
R- Troy Downing
D- Jonathan Windy Boy
I- MIchael Eisenhauer
Lib-Patrick Mccracken
I- Michael Eisenhauer

1st Congressional District (Western Montana)
D- Russell Cleveland
D- Matt Rains
D- Ryan Busse
D- Sam Forstag
R- Al "Doc" Olszewski
R- Aaron Flint
R- Christi Jacobsen
R- Ray Curtis
Lib- Nick Sheedy
I- Kimberly Perisco

Montanans love living in the “406,” but Montana could run out of 406 phone numbers by 2033.

It’s not because all the numbers will be in use by far.

Still, the clock is ticking on assigning a new second area code, and there’s no question Montanans have pride around the 406.

“Montana is one of the last states with a single area code,” said Mike Sheard, with the Montana Public Service Commission. “ … The 406 area code has become a real popular feature of the state’s identity.”

Tuesday, the Public Service Commission voted unanimously to take a step to try to make sure one area code will work for a lot longer by sending a letter to Qwest Corporation, a telecommunications company that controls at least a couple of pieces of the puzzle.

It isn’t the first time the PSC has taken up the 406 area code.

In 2013, the PSC received federal permission to implement a more efficient way of assigning numbers, and it ordered telecommunications companies to follow it, according to the Great Falls Tribune. The Tribune said that change pushed back the “exhaust” date of the 406 area code for a while.

Alaska, the Dakotas, and Wyoming are among the states that still have a single area code, according to allareacodes.com.

Now, however, an organization that assigns area codes could be getting to work soon on another one for Montana.

The North American Numbering Plan Administrator oversees the distribution and use of telephone numbers across North America, and it’s the organization that projects Montana will run out of 406 numbers in the first quarter of 2033, according to a PSC staff memo.

Generally, the organization starts planning three years prior to a forecasted “exhaust” date, or the first quarter of 2030 in this case, but the staff memo said the idea might not go over well.

“The implementation of a second area code in Montana could be complicated, costly and may result in confusion and dissatisfaction,” the memo said.

However, in the letter, the PSC is requesting Qwest provide an analysis of “rate center consolidation,” basically, a different way to distribute and “conserve” phone numbers.

Qwest Corporation could not be reached for comment on Tuesday; multiple emails to media contacts were returned as no longer valid.

In a presentation and staff memo, PSC regulatory and compliance staff outlined the way area codes and phone numbers work.

The memo described the different parts of a phone number — the area code, then, the NXX code, and the four-digit line number. (For example, the PSC’s NXX number is 444, with a phone number of 406-444-6150.)

“In Montana, it is the dwindling number of unused NXX codes that is causing the state to run out of telephone numbers,” the staff memo said.

The maximum number of NXX codes available for telephone companies to use is 786, and of those, 753 are already in use, according to the staff memo. That means only 33 NXX codes are left for Montana.

Those codes are all assigned to smaller geographic areas called “rate centers,” which often coincide with municipal boundaries, the staff memo said. Montana has 516 rate centers.

Each NXX code also is associated with a specific telephone company, such as the PSC’s 444 code being connected with Qwest’s “switching center” in Helena. A call to the PSC goes to that “switching center,” which then sends it to the PSC using the last four digits.

But the memo said service providers typically want numbers in multiple rate centers to establish a footprint in a specific geographic area. Those providers are typically assigned telephone numbers in 1,000 number blocks.

“Once a service provider puts 100 or more of the numbers in a block into active service, the entire block is considered ‘contaminated,’ and the rest of the numbers in that block are reserved for the exclusive use of that service provider,” the memo said.

That demand for numbers in multiple rate centers means service providers are allocated a lot more numbers than they’ll use to serve their customers, which means many numbers are “stranded” and unusable by others, the memo said.

“It is likely the total telephone numbers that are actively in-service for Montana’s 406 area code is less than 50% of total available numbers,” the memo said.

One solution is to start combining rate centers into one, the memo said. That way, a service provider can use its chunk of numbers to serve any customer in a larger area, allocating more numbers.

One hurdle in Montana is rate centers can only be consolidated within the same local access transport area, or LATA, and Montana has an eastern and western LATA, the memo said. The state has 277 rate centers in the west and 239 in the east.

Montana has 65 service providers with 406 area code numbers assigned to them, but the staff memo said much of the demand for new NXX codes is associated with one or both of Qwest’s tandem switches.

Qwest uses most of the NXX codes in Montana, it serves the most rate centers in Montana, and it operates in the eastern and western districts, the memo said.

“These rate centers, typically in more urban areas of the state, are also where the most requests for numbers occur,” the memo said.

The memo said the idea of consolidation is not new, and the Federal Communications Commission has encouraged it whenever possible; it’s taken place in Kansas, Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Nebraska and Maine.

In the memo, staff recommended the best starting point for consolidation would be to require Qwest, the largest user of numbers, to consolidate its 26 rate centers in the eastern area into one rate center, and consolidate its 30 rate centers in the west into one.

During discussion, PSC President Jeff Welborn said if consolidation takes place, rural areas could help more populated areas, and some numbers could be put into use that would otherwise be locked up.

“There’s a lot of potential statewide to preserve a lot of phone numbers under the 406 umbrella,” Welborn said.

Commissioner Brad Molnar wanted to know if an appeal was possible to undo the LATA designation, and he said he would be willing to call the Congressional delegation should legislation be necessary for change.

“I can’t imagine they’d be adverse to being the champion of 406,” Molnar said.

Commissioner Randy Pinocci said a waiting list could be developed for people who want a 406 number, but he’s seeing more and more people who live in Montana and don’t have a 406 area code either.

“There are people that could care less whether they have a 406, alright? And there are those people that will want one, especially businesses, or someone who kind of wants to say, ‘That’s our brand’ when you call, right?’” Pinocci said.

In the letter, the PSC will ask Qwest to provide an analysis of a consolidation of its rate centers into each of the state’s two districts, including how it would work technically; its operational efficiencies or inefficiencies; call routing impacts; and timelines and cost.

PSC Vice President Jennifer Fielder supported the move to send the letter to Qwest, but she also cautioned that promising that Montana remains the 406-only state wasn’t a sure bet because the Commission doesn’t control all the factors.

American Prairie has acquired 2,082 acres of “high-value wetland” and grassland habitat in Phillips County, Montana – an area renowned as one of the most important waterfowl breeding regions in North America.

Located south of Dodson, and locally known as “Pintail Flatt,” this property comprises 1,762 deeded acres and 320 leased Bureau of Land Management acres. The acquisition strengthens a growing corridor of conserved habitat, as it is adjacent to American Prairie’s existing Wild Horse unit and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Korsbeck Waterfowl Production Area.

This latest acquisition brings American Prairie’s total habitat base to 605,739 acres, which comprises 168,832 deeded acres and 436,907 leased public acres.

“Phillips County sits within the famed prairie pothole region, an area that is often called North America’s duck factory,” said Garrett Budds, Chief Conservation Officer at American Prairie. “This region’s extraordinary ecological value has been well documented as the Montana Hi-Line boasts some of the highest wetland densities on the prairies. Pintail Flatt lies at the heart of this landscape and is a key breeding ground for several species of waterfowl.”

Wetlands make up 142 acres of Pintail Flatt — approximately 8 percent of the property. That figure is striking when compared to Montana’s statewide wetland average of just 2.6 percent, underscoring the outsized ecological importance of this parcel.

“Wetlands play an enormous ecological role, serving as habitat for a diverse array of wildlife, sequestering carbon and filtering water,” said Andy Boyce-Pero, research ecologist at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “In the Great Plains, water is a crucial resource, and the protection of this habitat will have significant benefits for the broader ecosystem.”

The property is protected by an existing Conservation Easement managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks, ensuring long-term safeguards for wetlands and bird habitat while maintaining public access for hunting and recreation. American Prairie will continue working closely with FWP to steward the property, reflecting a shared commitment to conserving wildlife habitat and keeping Montana landscapes accessible to all.

Beyond waterfowl, Pintail Flatt supports high-quality habitat for mule deer, white-tailed deer, and pronghorn, along with thriving prairie dog colonies. The area was previously designated by the BLM as a “Prairie Dog Towns Area of Critical Environmental Concern.”

The property is currently leased to a local rancher for cattle grazing, and that partnership will continue. American Prairie works closely with dozens of livestock producers, leasing land across 10 of its 12 management units to 25 ranchers running more than 8,000 head of cattle. Nearly all of the nonprofit’s 167,070 private acres are open to the public, and American Prairie remains one of the largest participants in Montana FWP’s Block Management Program, with more than 80,000 acres enrolled for public hunting access.

As conservation efforts expand, so do recreational opportunities. In 2025, American Prairie recorded its eighth consecutive year of increased visitation, welcoming more than 6,600 overnight guests to its huts and campgrounds and more than 5,000 visitors to its National Discovery Center in Lewistown.

With the addition of Pintail Flatt, American Prairie continues building a connected landscape where wildlife can thrive, working lands endure, and Montanans, along with visitors from across the country, can experience one of North America’s most iconic prairie ecosystems.

The Montana Department of Commerce announced last week that 51 Montana cities, towns, counties and water and sewer districts will share $1.5 million of grant funding to help communities complete preliminary engineering reports, capital improvement plans and master plans. The funding is through Commerce’s Montana Coal Endowment Program, which helps address the affordability of local infrastructure projects by providing grants to lower the cost of constructing public facilities.

“Assisting communities in need of upgrades to crucial infrastructure like water treatment facilities, bridges and collection systems improves health and safety for residents,” said Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio. “The Montana Coal Endowment Program exists to make these improvements possible even if a community lacks financial resources.”

Area communities receiving grant funding:

The Town of Circle will receive $25,000 to complete a water preliminary engineering report.
The City of Glasgow will receive $30,000 to complete a stormwater preliminary engineering report.
The City of Harlem will receive $30,000 to complete a water preliminary engineering report.
The Town of Nashua will receive $30,000 to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.
The Town of Saco will receive $25,000 to complete a water preliminary engineering report.
The City of Wolf Point will receive $30,000 to complete a wastewater preliminary engineering report.

Each year the Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association (MECA) holds an essay contest to select one student to be sponsored by MECA on the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Youth Tour.

The winner this year is Amelia Gilchrist, a junior at Glasgow High School, whose parents are members of NorVal Electric Cooperative.

This year’s essay topic was: All cooperatives share a concern for their communities. Write about how your local cooperative supports your community or detail new ways they could get involved.

Below is Amelia’s winning essay with minor edits to match RM style.

NorVal Electric: Leading our community toward a brighter future
ESSAY BY Amelia Gilchrist | MECA STATEWIDE YOUTH TOUR WINNER

NorVal Electric Cooperative is a company that is fully invested in the surrounding communities. From Scobey to Wolf Point, and Opheim to Glasgow, this co-op not only keeps the lights on but also helps those in need all across eastern Montana.

This support is especially important in our rural and underserved community. NorVal contributes over $3.5 million annually to the local economy. This helps fund the numerous philanthropic and community projects that enhance our small town and the surrounding areas.

NorVal Electric is a business that supports our rural population through numerous activities, such as donations to nonprofits, offering scholarship opportunities to local high school students, and encouraging its employees to volunteer as coaches and mentors in the surrounding area. Our community wouldn’t be the same without NorVal Electric Cooperative.

Recently, NorVal has both donated to and participated in our local Festival of Trees, which is where different groups, businesses or people in our community decorate Christmas trees to be auctioned to the highest bidder. This money is donated to the Valley County non-profit HOPE (Help Others Pay Expenses) Project, which supports citizens of Valley County who are struggling with medical bills. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the average hospital stay in 2019 was over $14,000, while according to CensusReporter.org, the annual per capita income in Glasgow is only $34,439, with 13 percent of individuals being below the poverty line. Considering these two facts, medical bills could easily result in crushing debt or even bankruptcy.

One community member has said, “Your thoughtfulness means so much more than words can say. Thank you seems so inadequate for all the help you have given us. Thank you so much,” concerning how the HOPE project affected their life. This assistance wouldn’t be possible without support from individuals and organizations such as NorVal Electric.

When the government shutdown threatened the most vulnerable people in our community with the loss of SNAP benefits, NorVal answered the call for assistance. NorVal collected food donations for the Valley Community Emergency Food Bank, offering credits to those who donated canned food. This generosity is nothing new as NorVal has a long history of supporting the local food bank, helping to provide nourishment to those who need it most.

NorVal keeps an eye toward the future. Every year, the humble co-op offers several scholarships for local member high school graduates. These scholarships are especially important as the cost of attending college or a technical/vocational school is only increasing. According to US News, the average college sticker price in 2025 rose over the past year by 3.3 percent for private institutions and in-state public college students, and by 3.7 percent for out-of-state public college students. The average four-year degree costs $19,068 annually, which is a lot to ask, especially for students below the poverty line in Valley County. Without the help of scholarships like these, many students in our community wouldn’t be able to attend these programs.

NorVal’s dedicated employees are involved in the community just as much as the co-op itself. Employees such as Eric Feit, Cody Odom, Jayson Nelson, Kyle Barras and Tracy Henry coach athletic activities and mentor students. These people have had a great impact on our community. NorVal’s workforce is committed to volunteering and influencing our youth in positive ways, while educating them on the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship, and assisting them in building their skills.

One idea that NorVal could consider implementing in our rural community would be a mentorship program for those looking to enter the trades, specifically a lineman training program. This program would aim to mentor high school students interested in the trades on what linemen do and how they could pursue these career opportunities. In addition to teaching about the trade itself, this project could include safety demonstrations, trade school application seminars and what it’s like to work for NorVal. This program would potentially influence students to attend trade school, then return to work for the co-op.

From supporting non-profit organizations to providing scholarships and mentors to the local populace, NorVal Electric Cooperative is truly a business that loves its community. By helping the local area, NorVal has become a pillar of our region that we would collapse without.

The continued presence of our local co-op serves as an important indication of just how essential community bonds are to the welfare of rural areas. As Northeastern Montana faces the future, we can be confident that NorVal Electric Cooperative will continue to stand by our side and aid our community through whatever comes our way.

The Glasgow City Council is moving forward in its search for the city’s next Chief of Police.

During an executive session Monday night, council members voted to narrow the field of applicants from fourteen down to four candidates. Those four individuals will now be invited to interview for the soon-to-be vacant position.

City officials declined to release the names of the candidates at this time but confirmed that all four are from outside the state of Montana. Interviews are expected to be scheduled within the next week and will take place in executive session to protect candidate privacy.

The council says once the field is narrowed further following the initial round of interviews, the remaining candidates’ names will be made public and community members will have an opportunity to meet them.

In other business, the council approved payment of the city’s annual GNDC membership dues in the amount of 3,192 dollars. Council members also approved the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 audit, along with the January 2026 financial reports.

And a motion to reappoint Todd Young to a three-year term on the Glasgow Police Commission failed on a three-to-two vote. Council Members Stan Ozark and Butch Heitman voted in favor of the reappointment, while Brian Austin, Darcia Schindler, and Kristi Brabeck voted against it. Council Member Lisa Koski was absent from the meeting.

Filings for offices this past week include:

John Rogenes- Valley County Commissioner, District 1
Brenda J Anderson-Valley County Treasurer
Christina M Hillman-Valley County Justice of the Peace
Tom Boyer-Valley County Sheriff/Coroner

So far, the only contested race is Valley County Commissioner, District 1, with incumbent Paul Tweten is being challenged by John Rogenes, There have been no filings for Public Administrator.

The filing deadline for County office is Wednesday, March 4, 2026, at 5pm.

Pictured, from left: Cami Feek, NASWA board chair and commissioner from the Washington State Employment Security Division; Donnie Wetzel, Montana DLI tribal liaison; Alicia Doney, DLI tribal youth and young adult coordinator; Sarah Swanson, Montana DLI commissioner. Photo courtesy of DLI.

The state labor department's Office of Tribal Liaison earned national honors this week for its Hope and Realization Initiative.

The initiative set out to establish new relationships with tribal employment offices, prioritize workforce needs that are specific to reservation communities and raise examples like Chance Main, who established himself as a local contractor on the Fort Belknap Reservation rather than taking a traditional college route.

"I liked to be outside and I liked to work," Main said in a video produced by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. "There was a few people that doubted me. I doubted myself at first, but it goes away with time. … If you want it to succeed, you have to make it succeed. It's all on your shoulders."

Pictured, from left: Cami Feek, NASWA board chair and commissioner from the Washington State Employment Security Division; Donnie Wetzel, Montana DLI tribal liaison; Alicia Doney, DLI tribal youth and young adult coordinator; Sarah Swanson, Montana DLI commissioner. Photo courtesy of DLI.

Donnie Wetzel, the tribal liaison at the state labor department, said in an interview on Friday the initiative has empowered Native youth to find good jobs at home. The program has engaged more than 550 job seekers since it started in December 2024.

"It's about each person's journey to find success in whatever they choose," he said. "What we're emphasizing is the pursuit of purpose, to provide and protect and life yourself up and that spreads to your family, your community and your tribe, eventually."

The Hope and Realization Initiative this week was given the William J. Harris Equal Opportunity Award at the 2026 National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) Winter Policy Forum in National Harbor, Maryland.

The award from the association's equal opportunity committee recognizes innovation and excellence.

In the initiative, Wetzel's office engaged with each tribal government's Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance (TERO), the local employment office. Teams held roundtables to determine which programs would be most helpful depending on the area's needs. Many chose to focus on CDL trucking programs or CNA certification options, along with apprenticeships in various trades like plumbers, electricians and heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialists.

"We have a workforce that's aging out," Wetzel said. "So how do we develop that next generation workforce?"

Wetzel brought on Alicia Doney to run the Workforce Warrior project, as a part of the initiative, which produced videos of different workers who have excelled in their fields to increase visibility of the opportunities the initiative can bolster through its programming.

"I've dealt in education and mental health issues, and someone who serves that purpose lives a longer, healthier life," Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation, noted. "So we want to find examples for others to look up to."

"Our tribal nations are sovereign, they run their own governments," he added. "What I find on the national level is a lot of people overlook that. Many of the programs hardly ever talk about the tribes or work with them. So I think we're trail blazing with this initiative."

NASWA President and CEO Scott Sanders said in a press release this week the Hope and Realization Initiative is a powerful example of what "community-centered workforce innovation looks like."

He said Montana had created a model that "opens doors, strengthens trust and expands opportunity for tribal communities statewide."

Montana DLI Commissioner Sarah Swanson in the same press release trumpeted the work by Wetzel's team.

"Their leadership is not only expanding employment and training opportunities for tribal citizens across Montana, but also helping set the standard for how states honor tribal partnerships, remove barriers to work and ensure every person has a pathway to a career and a plan to achieve it," Swanson said.

Wetzel said, after setting priorities with each tribe, job expos are on deck for each reservation in Montana. Interests include law enforcement, health care and trucking certifications, particularly for rural communities.

"I have to also thank the tribes," he concluded. "We wouldn't have anything if those TERO directors didn't help. They've been absolutely fantastic and our tribal leaders have been so gracious in helping along the way."

The Glasgow City Council will meet tonight at 5pm in the Council Chambers of the Glasgow Civic Center.

The deadline to apply for a couple of new property tax rate reductions has been extended through March 20.

Thursday, Gov. Greg Gianforte and Department of Revenue Director Brendan Beatty announced property owners wanting to apply for the homestead or long-term rental tax rate reduction have roughly three more weeks.

Earlier this week, Bryce Kaatz, with the Department of Revenue, told legislators long-term rental property owners had been slow to apply for the reduction.

Then, a flurry of last minute filings created technical issues for an online portal, according to a news release Thursday from the Governor’s Office and Department of Revenue.

In a statement about the extension, Gianforte said state government should be customer friendly and responsive, and no one should be penalized for a glitch.

“Our top priority is delivering permanent and meaningful property tax relief to the hardworking Montanans who call this state home,” Gianforte said.

For help

Taxpayers experiencing continued technical issues or seeking assistance with their application are encouraged to contact the Department of Revenue’s help line at (406) 444-6900 or visit their local county property assessment office.

Electronic applications must be submitted at homestead.mt.gov by midnight on March 20. Physical applications sent by mail must be postmarked on or before that same day.

This week, the Revenue Interim Committee heard updates on a couple of key property tax reduction bills the Montana Legislature adopted in its 2025 session, Senate Bill 542 and House Bill 231.

Residential owners had seen steep increases in property taxes in recent years, and those bills together aimed to provide relief to residents, including through a rebate, a graduated tax rate, and reductions for homes that are primary residences.

One bill, SB 542, is the subject of a lawsuit filed last month alleging it is unconstitutional, partly for rolling multiple ideas into one piece of legislation; the case is pending.

At the meeting this week, legislators heard about the lag in applications from long-term rental owners as well as the status of the property tax reduction for Montanans who live in their homes, the “homestead” exemption.

During the session, legislators and Gianforte worked to provide relief to Montanans who live in their homes as opposed to out-of-staters who own high-value properties here.

But some Montanans with vacation cabins saw property tax increases too, and at their meeting, legislators mulled that outcome. Previously, some lawmakers had warned about property taxes on cabins.

Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, also said recently at a GOP event that taxes are not actually going down overall, they’re just hitting someone else.

“If your taxes went down $500, somebody else’s taxes in your school district, your city, your county, went up $500 because this is just a shift,” Hertz said. “It’s not somebody up in the Yellowstone Club or somebody up in Flathead Lake or Whitefish Lake … It is someone else in your tax jurisdiction, and most likely it’s another Montana full-time resident like myself. It’s a Main Street business owner.”

At the meeting, though, legislators heard a warning to proceed with caution with any future legislation so as not to harm the property owners they had just helped, those with homes at the median value.

“If you cut taxes on high value non-owner-occupied properties, someone else has to pay more,” said Rose Bender, with the Montana Budget and Policy Center.

Lagging for long-term rentals
Rep. James Reavis, D-Billings, wanted to be sure word gets out about the deadline to apply for long-term rental rates, initially March 2 but extended to March 20.

“Is there anything the agency or we as a legislature could do to make sure that we can educate landlords that there is an opportunity to get a better property tax rate when they are providing long-term rentals?” Reavis said.

In his presentation Monday, Kaatz said more than 21,000 applications had come in from owners of long-term rentals, and the department estimated Montana had 50,000 to 55,000, although he also said the number wasn’t precise.

But he also said a lot of outreach had taken place, and people might just be waiting until the last minute. The assessment seemed to be proving out; by Thursday, the department had seen an additional 4,000 or so filings.

To get the word out, Kaatz said the department mailed 109,000 postcards, sent press releases, made social media posts, conducted media interviews, and reached out to organizations such as the Montana Landlords Association.

Of the applications it received, the department made determinations on 9,200 so far, he said.

Homestead applications on track
Montanans who received a property tax rebate in 2025 were automatically signed up for a lower rate for their principal residence, for roughly 224,000 enrolled.

“If you did get that rebate last go-‘round, you’re probably covered, and you don’t need to light anything on fire for the moment,” said Sen. Becky Beard, R-Elliston.

As of Thursday, the department had received 21,000 additional applications for that new rate, with around 2,000 coming just this week.

It had made determinations on 7,000, Kaatz said. He also said paper applications take “a significantly longer amount of time to process.”

Changes under discussion
Residential property owners had seen stiff increases in their property taxes in recent years, including a median 21% jump after the 2023 legislative session, and last year, lawmakers focused on helping Montanans.

But the fix to protect primary residences meant secondary ones picked up the slack, including second homes owned by Montanans.

Some Montanans have said they just want to pass small family cabins onto their children, and the Montana Legislature is putting that dream out of reach.

Sen. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish, was among the legislators who asked whether the department can sort data for the value of “non-principal homes” in Montana.

Fern said he would like to understand not only the number of second homes owned by Montanans, which he believes is available, but also the different values of those second homes, family cabins versus luxury homes, or “what goes on in Big Sky.”

Kaatz said he believes more information will be available after the department processes new applications.

In the future, Beard suggested legislators consider adding additional classifications based on property use, such as residential for living, residential for recreation, and residential for work-related activities.

She said it might be a slippery slope, but doing so would avoid discriminating against owners of a property.

Jaret Coles, deputy director of legal services, agreed the focus should be on use, not individuals.

“It’s really about coming up with a classification system where everyone that is similarly situated is treated the same way,” Coles said.

In public comment, Bender, with the Budget and Policy Center, stressed the positive impacts legislation that came out of the 2025 Legislature had on everyday Montanans.

Leading up to the session, she said, property taxes had become more regressive, hitting hardest those who could least afford them.

But Bender said legislation started to address the disproportionate impact, and a “vast majority of homeowners” are paying lower residential property taxes as a result, with some 80% seeing decreases.

The Montana Budget and Policy Center is a progressively leaning organization, but in a recent statement about the pending lawsuit, Gianforte, a Republican, pointed to the same data point, that the bills he was proud to sign cut taxes for 80% of Montana homeowners.

Bender said the bills meant average Montanans saw their property taxes decrease, and without the legislation, just 13% would have seen decreases.

Bender said just 11% of residential properties saw tax increases, and those properties are homes with either “very high values or significant valuation increases.”

“We urge this committee to consider how changes geared toward lowering taxes on non-owner-occupied vacation homes will impact everyday Montanans in homes at or near the median value,” Bender said.

Story credit to www.billingsgazette.com

Bridger Pipeline, based in Casper, Wyoming, has submitted a proposal to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality for a 645-mile pipeline that would carry roughly 550,000 barrels of Canadian crude oil per day.

The pipeline would begin near the Canadian border in Phillips County, north of Malta. From there, it would turn east, skirt the northern boundary of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, then run south along the Montana–Dakotas border before ending in Guernsey, Wyoming.

About 80 percent of the proposed route crosses private land. Ten percent would cross Bureau of Land Management property, and another ten percent would be on state land.

The company says the route was selected to minimize new disturbances by following existing pipeline corridors and rights of way where possible. However, the pipeline itself would be entirely new construction.

While the project shares some similarities with the original Keystone XL proposal — including the same starting point at the U.S.–Canada border and a 36-inch diameter pipe — Bridger spokesperson Bill Salvin says it’s a different project altogether.

Salvin says comparisons to Keystone XL are understandable, but not accurate.

Environmental groups aren’t convinced.

Anne Hedges, executive director of the Montana Environmental Information Center, calls the proposal “a very big deal.” She questions the route choice, saying it appears less direct and potentially less economical than the original Keystone XL path.

The proposed line would cross several major waterways, including the West Fork of the Poplar River, the Missouri River, and the Yellowstone River.

Bridger has faced scrutiny before. In 2015, one of its pipelines spilled an estimated 30,000 gallons of crude oil into the Yellowstone River. Only a fraction of that oil was recovered. Salvin, who was with the company at the time, described the spill as unfortunate but said the company responded responsibly.

The document filed with DEQ is not yet a formal application. Instead, it allows the state to begin the environmental impact review process under Montana’s Major Facility Siting Act. The project would also require additional state and federal approvals, including a presidential permit.

The proposal does not specify whether the pipeline would carry oil sands crude — a key concern in past Keystone XL debates.

If approved, Bridger says construction could begin in July 2027, with crews laying about 20 miles of pipe per month.

Governor Greg Gianforte’s office says the governor supports new pipeline development, citing job creation, local tax revenue, and energy security.

For now, the proposal enters what’s expected to be a lengthy environmental review — and potentially another chapter in Montana’s long-running pipeline debate.

Story credit to www.kbzk.com

“Kids can’t learn if they are hungry.” That’s how Livingston mother, Julie Williams, described her reaction after seeing Facebook posts from other parents about a school district policy stating families with more than $100 in unpaid lunch debt could be sent to a collection agency starting Monday, Feb. 23.

“I felt like that was something that if we as a community could step up and help with, then we needed to do that,” Williams said.

Livingston Public Schools Superintendent Chad Johnson said the district’s outstanding lunch debt had reached $30,000 and must be cleared from the books by June 30, 2026.

“Of course, it hit us that $30,000 has to be off the books by June 30th, 2026,” Johnson said during a Zoom interview.

The total has since been reduced to $15,000 with support from First Interstate Bank, the Free Masons, and Farm to Schools.

Johnson said the district is working with families to avoid sending accounts to collections.

“Just contact us. We will work on payment plans. We will support you in filling out the free and reduced information,” he said.

The Glasgow School District is dealing with $10,000 in unpaid lunch bills. Glasgow School Superintendent Brenner Flaten told Kltz/Mix-93 that the Glasgow School Board will be asked to set policy on how to collect the unpaid debt.

Lunch debt policies vary across Montana.

In the Bozeman School District, current unpaid lunch balances total $70,000. While district policy allows accounts to be sent to collections, officials said none are currently being referred.

In Belgrade, lunch debt exceeds $116,000. District policy states principals will call families once debt reaches $30, followed by letters. If a balance exceeds $100 and no contact is made, accounts may be sent to collections.

Williams said some families may not realize how charges accumulate under federal meal guidelines. If a student receiving free or reduced-price lunch does not select the required meal components — including a fruit or vegetable — the meal is not reimbursable, and the district may charge the student.

“People probably were accumulating debt without knowing it, because if you are on free and reduced and your kid doesn’t always choose the right things, that's a charge being accumulated,” Williams said.

According to Feeding America, 1 in 6 children in Montana face hunger. Data from the Kids Count Data Center shows that in the 2024–2025 school year, more than half of Montana households were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

As word spread about Livingston’s lunch debt, donations increased. Johnson said the district is now about $200 short of eliminating the remaining balances and expects the debt could reach zero within days.

Williams said the focus should remain on students.

“We as a community need to figure out a way to get them food to eat and not have that have negative repercussions on their family,” she said.

A Coroner’s Inquest into the death of R.J. Morin was held at the Valley County Courthouse Monday, February 23rd. Morin was shot and killed by McCone County Deputy Nick Skyberg on August 24, 2024, after Skyberg responded to a call at Roundhouse Point in Fort Peck, Montana.

A Coroner’s Inquest is a fact-finding investigation used to determine the who, when, where, and how a person died. A coroner’s jury consists of seven community members randomly chosen from the current jury pool.

Presiding over the proceeding was Sheriff Kiefer Lewis, Prairie County Sheriff/Coroner, with Valley County Attorney Dylan Jensen acting as a facilitator.

During the inquest, Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer, Agent James Ward of the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and Deputy Skyberg all provided their testimony about the events that occurred. The jury was able to hear the 911 call, and they viewed a portion of Skyberg’s body cam footage. The jury was also provided copies of the post-mortem exam report, the toxicology report, ballistics information, and the investigative report completed by Agent Ward.

The jury retired to the jury room to review the information and returned just under two hours later with their conclusion – Deputy Skyberg was found not to be criminally responsible for Morin’s death.

Story credit: https://montanafreepress.org

With a March 1 deadline looming, data from the Montana Department of Revenue indicates that landlords for as many as three-quarters of the state’s rental housing units haven’t applied for an exemption that would shield their properties from hefty tax increases as the state’s new second-home tax is fully implemented on this fall’s tax bills.

Unless tens of thousands of landlords successfully apply in the coming days, long-term rental properties across the state could be hit with a double-digit increase on tax bills — an expense that could translate to steep rent hikes for tenants.

In a Monday email to Montana Free Press, revenue department spokesperson Jason Slead said the state agency is working diligently to get the word out about the March 1 application deadline.

“The Montana Department of Revenue is committed to ensuring every eligible property owner benefits from the reforms passed by the Legislature,” Slead wrote.

John Sinrud, the president of the Montana Landlords Association, said in a Monday interview with MTFP that he’s hearing from many landlords who are confused by the revenue department’s guidance materials.

Among other issues, Sinrud said some property owners are worried that reporting the business information required by the exemption application could expose them to legal liability if it doesn’t precisely match the income tax forms they file with a different branch of the revenue department.

“They don’t want to be brought up on some type of fraudulent charge,” Sinrud said.

Landlords can apply for the exemption at homestead.mt.gov, where forms ask for information on annual rental income, annual expenses and monthly rents. Tenants can also check their landlord’s application status via a lookup tool on the revenue department website.

The applications to exempt long-term rentals from higher tax rates are required as part of the second-home tax, passed by lawmakers and Gov. Greg Gianforte last year. That legislation sets higher default tax rates on residential properties, but reduces rates for properties that qualify either as owner-occupied principal residences or long-term rentals.

Supporters intended to offer tax relief for housing being used as homes for Montana residents, offsetting that relief with higher taxes on second homes and Airbnb-style short-term rentals.

In response to inquiries from MTFP, the revenue department said in a Feb. 19 email that it had received applications for long-term rental rate exemptions for about 19,100 properties associated with roughly 31,700 living units. Another 4,000 to 5,000 paper applications were still pending, the department said.

In comparison, data from the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Montana has about 147,000 units of renter-occupied housing. If each of the pending paper applications represents one housing unit, that leaves about 110,000 renter households unaccounted for — nearly three-quarters of the state’s rental stock.

The census data doesn’t align precisely with the property designations the state uses for tax purposes, but revenue department officials, who have cited similar census data in the past while assessing the tax system, declined to provide MTFP with an alternate figure for the number of likely eligible rental properties. The state’s tax code hasn’t previously required the department to keep tabs on which residential properties are and aren’t being used as rental housing.

Sinrud, with the Montana Landlords Association, also said that the second-home tax law and department application materials don’t line up with some landlords’ specific circumstances, such as when people rent out rooms or housing units on the same property as their primary residence.

“There are dozens of different scenarios that this bill didn’t cover,” he said.

In contrast to rentals, the new law has automatically qualified most owner-occupied homes for “homestead” treatment after successfully applying for the property tax rebates issued by the state last year.

In response to questions from MTFP, the revenue department said that it had granted primary residence exemptions already to about 230,300 properties and had 9,076 more applications pending as of Feb. 19. Primary residences also face a March 1 application deadline.

Given the complexity of the state’s property tax system, it isn’t yet clear how tax bills will shift for individual properties that do or don’t qualify for lower rates. A preliminary analysis by the revenue department last year indicated that an average home that isn’t exempted from the second-home tax as a principal residence or rental could see its tax bill rise by 50% between 2025 and 2026.

The Montana Farmers Union responded to last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning the Trump administration’s tariffs saying the decision benefits small Montana ag producers.

In a statement issued Friday, Montana Farmers Union President Walter Schweitzer said he hoped the decision would embolden Congress to “do its job.”

“The damage that was caused by the tariffs outweighs the money collected in tariff dollars. We have lost customer relationships that we spent decades cultivating,” Schweitzer said. “Because of the illegal tariffs, our former customers will treat us as supplier of last resort and supplier of lowest price, and both our customers and our competitors have developed infrastructure and relationships that exclude the USA.”

The Montana Farmers Union had previously sought to join a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging Montana farmers were suffering “dire financial and mental impacts” from the tariffs.

The major ruling but the nation’s highest court has sparked anger from President Donald Trump and his administration, mixed reactions from Republicans in Congress.

None of Montana’s all-Republican congressional delegation responded to questions about the ruling, whether they support a new round of tariffs Trump has imposed, and whether they support congressional action to carry out Trump’s tariffs.

None of the delegation has posted responses on social media or put forward any public statements as of Monday afternoon.

New Year’s Day for many outdoor recreationists in Montana is March 1. This is the day everyone can buy their 2026 hunting and fishing licenses and apply for special draw licenses and permits. It’s also the day when recreationists need to renew their conservation license to support the state lands they use.

This year, hunters and anglers will see quite a few changes that are worth paying close attention to. These changes come from legislation passed by the 2025 Montana Legislature and new regulations adopted by the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Licenses for the 2026 license year can be purchased starting Sunday, March 1. If you plan on being in the field on that day, you can buy your license online here: https://ols.fwp.mt.gov/

Hunters and anglers buying their license in person at a local business will see some changes as FWP is transitioning to a License Ambassador program. This change will move all licensing sales to Montana’s online licensing system. This allows FWP to add additional businesses that would like to sell licenses and move away from the old point-of-sale systems that were unreplaceable and outdated.

As always, you can buy and apply for licenses online and at your local FWP office as well. Note that some businesses who used to sell licenses may not anymore. To find a License Ambassador, see the map: https://fwp.mt.gov/buyandapply/licenseproviders

Deer
Some of the biggest changes hunters will notice are with deer regulations. In December, the Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted several hunting district-specific changes to deer licenses and permits.

The commission also made some regulation changes aimed at protecting mule deer numbers and managing hunting pressure. These include:
Many Mule Deer B Licenses will be valid only on private land. Check your specific hunting district.
Residents can only hold up to three deer licenses, including their General Deer License. This is down from up to eight in past years.
Nonresidents continue to be limited to one Deer B License, unless they draw a combo license and then they can hold two.
Like always, make sure to read the regulations prior to buying or applying for any licenses or permits. The regulations for your hunting district may have changed.

Elk
Regulations changes approved by the commission include:
The quota of the 799-20 Elk License is 325. A second antlerless Elk B License will be available to any holder of an Elk Permit in hunting districts 702, 704, or 705, subject to the same restrictions in time, open areas, and limitations associated with the permit.
All Region 1 Elk B Licenses will only be valid on private land.

Black bear
The commission also established Black Bear Permits in two bear management units in FWP Region 5, south-central Montana. The deadline to apply for these permits is April 1. Hunters can also accrue bonus points for black bears.

Antelope
The quota of 900-20 Licenses (archery antelope) is 5,600. Region 3 is no longer in this bundle and was placed in its own pool with 500 licenses.• The Region 3 Antelope Archery Licenses are 399-20.
Bighorn sheep

Montana has five unlimited bighorn sheep hunting districts. This year those licenses will only be issued through a drawing.

Hunters applying for any unlimited opportunity will no longer participate in the bonus point program. This keeps hunters from spending their bonus points on an unlimited draw.

Upland Birds
The 2025 Montana Legislature passed a law that limits nonresident upland game bird hunting seasons. Starting in 2026, nonresidents hunting on public lands and privately owned lands that are a part of a hunting access program need to wait 10 days from the start of each respective season for all species of upland bird except mountain grouse. This includes pheasants and turkey seasons as well.
Shed Hunting

The 2025 Montana Legislature passed a law that implements a Nonresident Shed Hunting License for Montana’s Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). Additionally, this new law prohibits nonresidents from picking up antlers on WMAs for the first seven days they are open to the public in the spring. Most WMAs open to the public at 12 p.m. on May 15. However, some have different openings dates. Nonresident shed hunters must review the regulations for the WMA they are looking to visit. There are no changes for resident shed hunters.
A Shed Hunting License for nonresidents costs $50.

License and application fees
The 2025 Montana Legislature passed laws adjusting several license fees. The new fees are as follows:

Nonresident Base Hunting License fee increased from $15 to $50
Fee for resident and nonresident Crane and Swan License - $10 and $75 respectively.
Application fees $10 resident, $50 nonresident
Resident Migratory Bird License increased from $5.50 to $10
Increased Resident Upland Bird and Sportsman’s Combo License fees:
Upland bird from $7.50 to $10
Sportsman without Bear from $62 to $64.50
Sportsman with Bear from $77 to $79.50
Increased Nonresident Upland Bird (season and three-day) and resets combination license fees:
Upland Bird (season) from $110 to $127
Upland Bird (three-day) from $50 to $60
Big Game Combo to $1,312
Elk Combo to $1,112
Deer Combo to $760

Valley County Commissioner, District 1
Paul Tweten, incumbent, has filed to retain his seat (6-year term, through 12/31/2032)

Valley County Attorney
Dylan Jensen, incumbent, has filed to retain his seat (4-year term, through 12/31/2030)

Valley County Clerk and Recorder/Superintendent of Schools
Marie Pippin, incumbent, has filed to retain her seat (4-year term, through 12/31/2030)

Valley County Clerk of District Court
Tara Strommen, incumbent, has filed to fulfill the remaining two years of the term which she was appointed when Shelley Bryan retired (through 12/31/2028)

Other offices up for election this time are:

Valley County Treasurer, office currently held by Brenda Anderson,
Valley County Sheriff/Coroner, office currently held by Tom Boyer,
Valley County Justice Court Judge, office currently held by Christina Hillman
Valley County Public Administrator, office currently held by Sherri Turner.

The filing deadline for county offices is 5pm on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Declaration for Nomination and Oath of Candidacy forms are available at the Clerk and Recorder’s Office or online at the Montana Secretary of State’s website.

The Caring Hands Project Smile Committee recently awarded $10,000 in funding to local organizations and individuals to help address basic human needs within the community.

Of the total awarded, Eastern Montana Community Mental Health Center (EMCMHC) received $5,000 to support its ongoing services. Milk River Inc. was granted $1,750, while the Giving Tree program through Elle Boutique received $600. The remaining funds were distributed to several individuals facing immediate personal needs.

According to the Project Smile Committee, awards to community organizations often support multiple projects, helping provide essential services and hope during times of hardship. In addition, the committee is able to make direct awards to individuals experiencing social and economic challenges, offering immediate relief when it is most needed.

Committee members emphasized that serving the community is both an honor and a privilege, made possible through the continued support of the local thrift store, whose proceeds fund Project Smile's efforts.

Project Smile's mission is to support the health, well-being and healing of community members through compassion and humanity. The organization aims to put smiles on faces and instill hope for the future by helping cover unexpected costs associated with basic human needs.

Four candidates so far have filed to run for the Montana Public Service Commission, and all are Republican.

Two seats are up for grabs, in Districts No. 1 and No 5.

District No. 1 is a huge but uneven swath of eastern Montana, and District No. 5 is an area in northwest Montana.

In District No. 5, Commissioner Annie Bukacek, also a medical doctor, will try to hold off challenger David Sanders. Bukacek is serving in her first PSC term.

Sanders previously served as the executive director for the Public Service Commission and works for the State Auditor’s Office.

In District No. 1, Commissioner Randy Pinocci is departing to run for the Montana Legislature, and Sen. Jeremy Trebas of Great Falls and Jeff Pattison of Glasgow will fight for the post.

Trebas, an accountant who owns Trebas Tax and Accounting, has served in the state House in 2017-18 and 2021-22 and in the Senate since 2023.

Pattison is the owner of Pattison Land and Livestock, according to his LinkedIn profile. Pattison also served in the House in 2001 and 2003.

The Public Service Commission regulates monopoly utilities in the state, including NorthWestern Energy. Its decisions affect people’s power bills, garbage service, and in some cases, ability to water lawns.

In August 2025, NorthWestern announced plans to merge with Black Hills Corp, and the potential $15.4 billion enterprise will be before the PSC in the coming months.

Commissioners are elected by district, and currently, all five are Republican. They earn a salary of $128,253.

A spokesperson for the Montana Democratic Party said Tuesday the party is actively recruiting candidates to run.

In at least the last 12 months, the PSC has been marked by infighting, including allegations of misconduct, a presidential demotion and changeover, a complaint to Gov. Greg Gianforte, and accusations of questionable financial management.

To support an independent candidate in 2024, a committee funded largely by a dark money group raised nearly $500,000, which was an anomalous amount for a PSC race.

A political analyst told the Daily Montanan the big spend was a sign of some dissatisfaction with the commission’s lack of interest in a more sustainable energy future.

However, independent Elena Evans lost to incumbent Republican and current PSC Vice President Jennifer Fielder despite that cash infusion.

Candidates have until March 4 to file for office.

Dreaming of a job as a boiler operator, dentist? Gov. Greg Gianforte wants to explore making the path into those the rest of the state’s 50 licensed professions easier for Montanans by streamlining licensing standards.

The catch? Getting professional associations and the state’s 176,000 licensed workers, many of whom like the rules the way they are, on board. To that end, the governor has assembled legislators, state agency heads and industry association representatives onto a Licensing Reform Task Force in an attempt to build support for licensing changes ahead of next year’s legislative session.

Gianforte, a Republican, has long argued that bureaucratic inefficiencies around the licensing process prevent many working age Montanans from finding jobs.

“We have 100,000 people sitting on the sidelines,” Gianforte said at the task force’s inaugural meeting on Feb. 10. “So you can help us with this. We can and must tear down barriers to employment to grow our labor force.”

The group hasn’t outlined which specific parts of the licensure system it hopes to modify, but its 28 members represent a total of 18 industry associations, indicating which professions will have a voice in drafting legislation ahead of the 2027 session.

That list includes dentists, funeral directors and contractors. Associations from the health care industry, ranging from nurses to pharmacists to physician assistants, make up the plurality.

The state offers 233 distinct professional licenses, grouped into roughly 50 professional categories. An additional 25,000 workers have state-issued independent contractor certificates, which will also be examined by the task force.

Industry associations that represent licensed professions have typically argued in recent years that strict licensure requirements ensure a well-qualified labor force. Free market advocates have countered with allegations that licensure boards gatekeep industries and prevent fair competition.

Gianforte made similar pushes to relax licensing requirements in recent legislative sessions with mixed success. Though he signed licensure reform bills in the 2023 and 2025, debate over some of those policies revealed deep divides over seemingly banal professional distinctions.

2025’s House Bill 218, which would enable optometrists to perform certain surgeries currently authorized for ophthalmologists, spurred rigorous debate. Its hearing in the House Business and Labor Committee lasted one hour and 45 minutes. In its Senate committee, the hearing lasted two hours.

One of the bill’s opponents, Rep. Courtney Sprunger, R-Kalispell, worried that letting medical professionals with less training expand their scope of practice would lead to worse patient care. She said during debate on the floor of the House of Representatives that she credits an ophthalmologist with saving her mother’s life.

“She had ocular melanoma. He was certified to diagnose that. He saved her life. Had it been someone else who didn’t know what they were looking for, she would have died,” Sprunger said.

But bill sponsor Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, argued the legislation permitted optometrists to perform only the procedures they had been trained in. He said the policy shift would increase rural health care access and accused ophthalmologists of gatekeeping.

“If you haven’t figured out what this is about, it’s about turf. The procedures proposed in this bill for optometrists are currently only performed by ophthalmologists in Montana, and these are the folks that are opposing the bill,” Buttrey said during the House floor debate. “So this is about competition.”

HB 218 ultimately passed the Legislature with bipartisan support and received Gov. Greg Gianforte’s signature on April 16, 2025.

During the 2023 session, Gianforte tasked Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras with cutting bureaucratic red tape to boost the private sector. She backed a package of 159 bills intended to streamline redundant laws and sunset outdated statutes, some of which addressed professional licensing. That year’s Senate Bill 166, for instance, exempted hair-cutters who worked in detention centers and prisons from needing a state barber license. House Bill 87 contained a more sweeping overhaul of reform across all public licensing boards. The Legislature passed about 90% of the 159 bills.

But, much to the governor’s dismay, a long line of dissenters picked apart his central licensure reform bill, House Bill 152, during its first hearing. The Montana Medical Association, for example, worried changes shifting licensing authority into the labor department bureaucracy would erode the authority of medical practitioners to review alleged misconduct by their peers.

Katiana Stutzer, representing the Montana Athletic Trainers Association, said it removed the wording that differentiates certified athletic trainers from nonlicensed professionals and other health care workers.

“Eliminating this title protection places the health and welfare of Montana citizens at risk while not increasing clarity or efficiency necessarily of the laws enacted to ensure Montanans have access to the highest level of quality health care,” Stutzer said.

Jack McBroom, representing electrical workers unions, said the bill reduced the qualifications necessary to be an electrician.

“We don’t need our homes burning down because someone that didn’t have the proper qualification, or do the test properly, failed to do their job and caused a fire,” McBroom said.

At a press conference a few days after the hearing, Gianforte called the industry opposition a “comment on human nature.”

“Everyone hates red tape unless it’s their red tape,” Gianforte said.

By the time the bill passed out of its first committee, amendments had slashed it from 234 pages to five. It ultimately died in the Senate.

Now the governor is courting workers and industry associations well before the session.

Jen Hensley, a longtime lobbyist who also advocated against the 2023 legislation, now sits on the newly created task force. She maintains that the licensing requirements currently on the books were put into place after careful consideration. She also said that the professional associations she lobbies for, including physician’s assistants, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and optometrists, will want to retain control over their licensing process.

“They don’t want a bureaucrat deciding what a professional standard should be,” Hensley said.

Hensley also said she feels better about the new task force than she did about the governor’s push for reform in 2023.

“It’s doing what should have happened prior to the ‘23 session,” she said.

Task force chair Sarah Swanson, the commissioner of the state Department of Labor and Industry, said during its initial meeting that the task force will include four subcommittees, one focused on unwarranted barriers to entry and another on sunsetting outdated regulations. The other two will center on licenses in the construction and healthcare industries. Members of the task force also said they wanted a fifth subcommittee to examine professional requirements outside of those two fields.

In the past, Gianforte has created task forces in efforts to move the needle around challenging policy topics. He assembled a task force in 2022 to address affordable housing and another in 2024 to handle rising property taxes. Both produced packages of legislation that the governor and his allies shepherded through the legislative process.

Interested members of the public can submit comments or sign up to receive updates about the task force on a dedicated webpage. The group has its next full-group meeting set for April 13. It plans to present final recommendations to Gianforte in September.

Tuesday, February 17, was the first day of filing for County Offices! Filing will close on Wednesday, March 4, at 5pm.

The following Declarations for Nomination have been filed as of Tuesday:

Paul Tweten-Valley County Commissioner, District 1
Dylan Jensen-Valley County Attorney
Tara Strommen-Valley County Clerk of District Court (to fulfill her term through 12/31/2028)
Marie Pippin-Valley County Clerk and Recorder/Superintendent of Schools

2026 is also an election year for state and federal offices in Montana. Here are the filings for the Legislature and Statewide Offices.

United States Senator- Steve Daines-GOP
United States Senator- Kyle Austin-Libertarian

United States Congress District #2- Brian Miller-Dem
United States Congress District #2- Sam Lux

Montana Public Service Commission District #1- Jeff Pattison-GOP

Montana State Senate District #14- Eric Albus-GOP

Montana House District #28- John South-GOP

Montana House District #29- LInda Harmon-GOP

Montana House District #31- Lance Fourstar- Dem

Valley County Search and Rescue responded to an emergency call at 4:00 pm concerning individuals stranded on Fort Peck Lake who were unable to return to shore. Our team mobilized eight personnel and deployed the airboat, with three crew members aboard and five remaining on standby on land.

Local individuals with side-by-sides assisted in rescuing others stranded on a floating ice that had made it to shore. We appreciate the assistance provided in this successful rescue operation and express gratitude for the safe outcome. As a precautionary reminder, we advise exercising caution due to prevailing weather and ice conditions over the next couple of months.

Please prioritize your safety during these adverse weather conditions.

A man admitted in federal court last week to shooting a man dead on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Ethan Louis Murphy, 27, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to counts of second-degree murder and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime. The homicide last year in Wolf Point spurred a massive search on the part of local and federal authorities, prompting officials to ask locals to shelter in place.

Murphy changed his plea on Feb. 11, at the federal courthouse in Great Falls. He is currently in custody at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility, with his sentencing scheduled for June of this year.

Late on the night of Sept. 28, 2025, Murphy approached two men in the parking lot of an Albertsons in Wolf Point. He had a pistol in his hand. One of two men drew a machete, and Murphy shot him in the head, killing him. Murphy then shot and wounded second man before leaving the area.

Surveillance footage of the shooting captured the voice of someone saying, “It was Ethan. It was Ethan,” according to court documents.

Officers with the Wolf Point Police Department responded to the shooting. Members of the FBI and Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigations soon joined in the investigation, collecting bullet casings at the scene. When investigators identified Murphy as the suspect, a search began that looped in the Roosevelt County Sheriff's Office, Wolf Point Fire Department, Indian Health Service staff, U.S. Border Patrol and Montana Highway Patrol.

Federal charges were filed against Murphy in December 2025. With the second-degree murder charge, Murphy was essentially accused of killing someone deliberately and maliciously, but not premeditatively. With his guilty plea, Murphy is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison.

Press Release from Main Street America:

www.mainstreetamerica.org

We are proud to announce the recipients of the 2025 Backing Small Businesses grant program, supported by American Express. This nationwide initiative has awarded 400 grants of $10,000 to locally significant small businesses across the country, helping them fuel growth and continue to make a meaningful impact in their communities.

The 400 grant recipients demonstrated both resilience and a strong local impact and vision for the future in their applications.

The Montana recipients:

Outlaw Diner | Columbia Falls, Montana
Mount Powell Tap Room | Deer Lodge, Montana
Glasgow Flower & Gift | Glasgow, Montana
Teal Dragonfly Creations | Glendive, Montana
Black Sheep Market | Glendive, Montana
Dear Potato | Helena, Montana
Door 804 | Miles City, Montana

A winter storm this afternoon and tonight will bring snow with strong west to NW winds that will create blizzard conditions over parts of northeast Montana. Strong northwest winds will continue on Wed with blowing snow creating whiteout conditions.

2026 is an election year in Montana with state and federal offices on the ballot. The filing for political offices starts today and ends March 4th.

There are several Valley County elected positions that will be on the ballot in 2026.

Valley County Commissioner: Paul Tweten
Valley County Sheriff- Tom Boyer
Valley County Clerk and Recorder- Marie Pippin
Valley County Treasurer- Brenda Anderson
Valley County Attorney-Dylan Jensen
Valley County Justice of the Peace- Christi Hillman

Tom Boyer told Kltz/Mix-93 that he plans to run for re-election in 2026.

At the federal level, Steve Daines is up for re-election as is Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke.

At the state level, all 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives are up for election and 25 of the Montana Senate seats.

The Glasgow City Council will meet on Tuesday at 5pm in the Council Chambers of the Glasgow Civic Center.

Press Release from Prairie Ridge Village:

From sweet treats to something even sweeter…

Because of our amazing community and the generous hearts of our Prairie Ridge residents, $1,200 was raised to help cover school lunches for students in Glasgow, Nashua, Opheim, and Hinsdale.

Our residents understand the importance of showing up for the next generation.

We are so proud to be part of a community that cares this much. Thank you to everyone who made this possible.

Special Elections will be held in Valley County May 5th.

Fort Peck Rural County Water District, 3 – 4-year terms open, 6 candidates have filed:
Mary Kaercher
Ron Miller
Linda Parpart-incu
Debra Steffani
Josh Thompson-incu
Joe Yeoman-incu


North Valley County Water & Sewer District, Inc., 3 – 4-year terms open, 7 candidates have filed:
Jason Tyler Dickerson
Krystal Dickerson
Tristan Erb
DeLee Hustad-incu
Clinton Parsons-incu
Tina Peabody
Carmen Pedersen


Elections will be cancelled for Valley View Home Hospital District and the St. Marie Rural Fired District since the number of candidate filings for each district is equal to or less than the number of positions to be filled.

Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson delivered 11 hand-knitted blankets from members of Veterans of Foreign Wars Fort Peck Post 3107 in Glasgow to the VA Hospital at Fort Harrison in Helena.

The blankets were created by local knitters with Post 3107 and sent as a gesture of honor and respect for veterans receiving care at the Fort Harrison VA Medical Center, part of the Montana VA Health Care System. Commissioner Swanson, who hails from northeast Montana, was asked by the Post to present the gifts on their behalf.

Christina Lundstrom, Chief of Stakeholders and Community Relations for the Montana VA Health Care System, accepted the donation during National Salute to Veteran Patients Week (February 8–14), an annual observance that encourages communities across the country to recognize and support veterans receiving care at VA facilities.

“Each blanket is a personal expression of gratitude to those who have served our nation,” Commissioner Swanson said. “My friends in Glasgow hope these gifts symbolize the warmth and appreciation the members of VFW Post 3107 have for those who receive them.”

Lundstrom said volunteer efforts like this have a real impact on veterans staying at Fort Harrison. “The knitted blankets not only provide physical warmth but also remind our veterans that their service is deeply appreciated and remembered in the community,” she said.

National Salute to Veteran Patients Week has been bringing volunteers and VA patients together since 1978, inviting individuals and groups to visit VA medical centers, deliver valentines and gifts, and show appreciation for veterans’ service.

The Montana Department of Transportation is reporting that ridership on Cape Air Airlines out of Glasgow is up 4% in 2025 compared to 2024.

In calendar year 2025 a total of 6,051 passengers used Cape Air Airlines out of Glasgow. This compares to 5,817 passengers in calendar year 2024.

The busiest month was September when 600 passengers used the airline out of Glasgow. The slowest month was February when just 305 passengers used Cape Air.

Gov. Greg Gianforte reminded Montana homeowners that they have until March 1 to apply for the 2026 “Homestead Reduced Rate” for property taxes on their primary home and long-term rentals.

“Recognizing the burden of rising property taxes, we worked with the Legislature to deliver permanent and meaningful property tax relief,” Gianforte said in a statement. “Thanks to our reforms, 80% of Montana homeowners saw lower property taxes last year.”

Properties that qualified for and received the 2025 property tax rebate will automatically qualify for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate if ownership has not changed and the property continues to be used as the primary residence.

Apply, verify
Montanans can verify enrollment or apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate and Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate by visiting homestead.mt.gov.

The news release said approximately 80% of property tax revenue from residential homeowners goes directly to local jurisdictions and the remaining 20% goes to the State of Montana, which returns the amount in full to help fund K-12 public schools throughout the state.

Beginning Dec. 1, 2025, Montana homeowners became eligible to apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate for the 2026 tax year.

To qualify, applicants must attest that they will own and live in their Montana home as their principal residence for at least seven months during 2026. When applying, homeowners will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, and the names and Social Security numbers of the property owners.

House Bill 231, sponsored by Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, established the Homestead Rate, which takes effect this year. The Homestead Rate is a new, lower property tax rate for long-term rentals and primary residences.

Additionally, the application period for the Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate is open. To qualify, properties must be rented to tenants as their residence for periods of 28 days or longer for at least seven months of the year. Applicants will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, owner information, and details on rental income and expenses.

In November, Gianforte announced that nearly 80% of homes will see a tax cut from the reforms, and 10% will see property taxes remain flat, the news release said. According to the Governor’s Office, the average savings for homeowners who saw a tax cut was more than $500, not including the up to $400 property tax rebate.

Senate Bill 542, sponsored by Sen. Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, establishes new, tiered tax rates to deliver property tax relief for Montanans for their homes, small businesses, farms, and ranches in 2025 and provided a property tax rebate for Montanans for their primary residence.

A lawsuit that alleges SB 542 is unconstitutional is pending.

Last year, more than 235,000 Montana homeowners claimed and received a property tax rebate, the news release said.

The Glasgow School Board met in regular session Wednesday night for its February meeting, approving several key action items.

Board members approved the purchase of a 2025 American Dreamliner 57-passenger bus at a cost of 396-thousand, 485 dollars. Funding for the purchase will come from the district’s bus depreciation account. The vehicle will replace an older cruiser that has logged one-and-a-half million miles. The newly purchased bus currently has 30-thousand miles.

The board also approved the addition of girls flag football as a non-sanctioned sport beginning in the fall of 2026. The district has been awarded a 15-thousand-dollar grant from the Arthur Blank Foundation to launch the program and will receive an additional 15-thousand dollars annually for the following three years.

While the sport is not currently sanctioned by the Montana High School Association, Glasgow High School Activities Director Mike Erickson says girls flag football is the fastest-growing girls sport in the nation. Twenty-six girls in grades eight through twelve have already expressed interest in participating.

In other business, trustees approved a cooperative sports agreement with the Opheim School District. The agreement will allow Opheim students to participate in all Glasgow sports programs except basketball and volleyball.

The board also accepted a recommendation to move to Bridged Health as the district’s new employee health insurance provider. The change will take effect for the 2026–2027 school year.

Current district enrollment stands at 750 students. That figure is down 26 students from last year and down seven students since the start of the current school year.

Superintendent Brenner Flaten also reported the district will need to address outstanding balances in the school food program. At this time, unpaid meal balances total approximately 10-thousand dollars.

In a notable break from President Donald Trump’s signature trade policy, several House Republicans joined Democrats in passing a resolution to terminate the president’s national emergency at the northern border that triggered tariffs on Canada just over one year ago.

The measure, passed 219-211, revokes Trump’s Feb. 1, 2025, executive order imposing tariffs on Canada, which he triggered under an unprecedented use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA.

Whether he has the power to invoke tariffs under the 1970s law is under review at the U.S. Supreme Court, which heard arguments in November. An opinion, still not released, has been expected for months.

Reps. Don Bacon, R-Neb., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Jeff Hurd, R-Colo., Kevin Kiley, R-Calif., Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., broke ranks with the GOP to join Democrats in rebuffing Trump’s levies on Canadian goods.

Ryan Zinke and Troy Downing voted against the resolution which would have terminated the President's tariffs against Canada.

Montana currently imports $6.8 billion annually from Canada including $5.1 billion in crude petroleum and $282 million in animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution.

Two Republicans, Greg Murphy of North Carolina and Riley Moore of West Virginia, did not vote.

The House vote occurred less than 24 hours after three House Republicans delivered a rebuke to Trump and joined Democrats in blocking House leadership’s effort to extend a ban on bringing any resolutions to the floor that disapprove of the administration’s tariffs.

Trump’s centerpiece economic policy has drawn criticism over its on-again, off-again changes, causing uncertainty for business and costs passed along to consumers.

The vote also comes just days after Trump threatened to close a new bridge between Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, Michigan, if Canada does not negotiate a new trade deal with the United States.

In a nearly 300-word post Monday on his platform Truth Social, Trump predicted that if Canada struck a deal with China, the eastern power would “terminate ALL ice Hockey being played in Canada, and permanently eliminate The Stanley Cup.”

‘Canada is our friend’
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the resolution’s lead sponsor, criticized Trump’s “manufactured emergency” regarding Canada.

“Canada isn’t a threat. Canada is our friend. Canada is our ally. Canadians have fought alongside Americans, whether it was in World War II or the war in Afghanistan,” Meeks said.

Meeks also said tariffs are costing his constituents up to $1,700 per year.

“That’s what this is about. It’s about American people and making things affordable for them,” Meeks said on the floor ahead of the vote.

Analyses from the Tax Foundation and Yale Budget Lab pin the average cost per household between roughly $1,300 and $1,750 from all current tariffs combined — not just import taxes on products purchased from Canada.

Fentanyl debate
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., disagreed, arguing the cost amounted not to lost income but to drug overdose deaths attributed to illicit fentanyl.

“Who will pay the price? It’s a very sad thing to have (been) asked by this colleague of mine … because it’s important to remember, what is this resolution? This resolution ends an emergency related to fentanyl,” Mast said during pre-vote debate.

But U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from fiscal year 2023 to the present shows fentanyl seizures at the northern border dwarfed by the amount intercepted at the southwest border.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency identifies China as the beginning of the illicit fentanyl supply chain that moves through clandestine labs in Mexico and then into the United States.

Trump’s Feb. 1, 2025 executive order conceded that Border Patrol agents seized “much less fentanyl from Canada than from Mexico last year,” but claimed the amount seized at the northern border in 2024 was still enough to kill 9.5 million people.

The synthetic opioid “is so potent that even a very small parcel of the drug can cause many deaths and destruction to America(n) families,” according to the executive order.

Senate action so far
A handful of Republican senators have also rebuked at least one category of Trump’s emergency tariffs.

In late October, Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul of Kentucky, along with Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, Maine’s Susan Collins and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, supported a joint resolution in a 52-48 vote to terminate Trump’s 50% tariffs on Brazilian products, including coffee.

The president declared a national emergency and imposed the steep tariff on Brazilian goods on July 30 after accusing Brazil’s government of “politically persecuting” its former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro for plotting a coup to remain in power in 2022.

The Senate vote marked a shift from two earlier efforts in April to stymie Trump’s tariffs, including a measure to terminate the president’s levies on Canadian imports.

School Elections will be held in May across Montana. The filing deadline for school board was earlier this week. Here are the slate of candidates for Valley County Public Schools:

Frazer School District has two seats open; five candidates have filed for a seat on this board:
Yancey Beston
Michael Cole
Chris Miller
Dorian M Talks Different
Angie M Toce

Glasgow School District also has two seats open; the two incumbents have filed to retain their seats:
Whitney Tatafu
Blaine White

Hinsdale School District has two seats open, as well; two candidates have filed to fill these seats:
Jess Korman
Jared Sloan

Lustre Elementary School has one open seat; the incumbent has filed to retain his seat:
Dawson Olfert

Nashua School District has two seats open; two candidates have filed to fill these seats:
Mykayla Lien
Patti Sibley

Opheim School District has two seats open; only one candidate has filed:
Alan Douglas Mason

indicates the candidate is an incumbent

Monday, March 2, is the deadline for write-in candidates to file for a trustee position on a school board. Candidates must file a Declaration of Intent with the school district clerk.

Big Sky Passenger Rail Press Release:

The Havre, MT Terminal Passenger and Freight Efficiency Project has been submitted for federal funding through the Federal Railroad Administration’s National Railroad Partnership Program. If awarded, this project would address a long-standing rail bottleneck by adding approximately six miles of a second mainline track east of the Havre station, separating freight inspections from the passenger platform and improving safety, reliability and on-time performance for both freight and passenger rail.

This is a strong example of collaboration, with Big Sky Passenger Rail, Amtrak and BNSF Railway working together to support rural mobility, national logistics, and the future of the Empire Builder route.

Total project cost is $51 million, including a $40.8 million federal request and $10.2 million in non-federal match.

The Valley County Comprehensive Child Find Screening will be held February 23- 24 at the First Lutheran Church in Glasgow from 9:00 a.m. until noon and 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

The screening is for all children from birth to school entry age. The purpose of this screening is to find children who may need special help and Irle School kindergarten registration.

The screening assessments include the following areas:
Hearing for children of all ages
Speech for children three years old and older.
Gross/Fine Motor Development
Concept Development

Each appointment will take approximately 1-1.5 hours. To make an appointment for the Child Find Screening please visit the Irle Elementary Facebook Page or the Glasgow Schools Website. You can also make an appointment by following the direct link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054CAEAB2FA2FCC34-61481052-valley#/

The Valley County Health Department will be giving immunizations by appointment. Please call the VCHD in advance to make an appointment for your child's required school-entry immunizations at 406-228-6261 (Open 7:30 am - 6:00 pm M-Th)

It is mandated that children entering kindergarten have these immunizations prior to the start of school. Please bring your child’s immunization record and insurance card to the health department. No one will be turned away due to the inability to pay.

**ALL children who will be entering kindergarten in the Glasgow School District this fall are required to attend child find screening/registration. Glasgow Kindergarten students only: Kindergarten Registration can be completed at Child Find on laptops provided.

Valley County Sheriff Tom Boyer has announced that a Coroner’s Inquest will be held later this month in connection with the shooting death of Raymond Morin.

The inquest is scheduled for February 23rd at 9 a.m. at the Valley County Courthouse.

A coroner’s inquest is a formal legal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding a death. It aims to determine “how, when, where, and by what means” a person died.

The case stems from an incident on August 24th, 2024, when the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation began looking into a deadly shooting involving a McCone County Sheriff’s deputy.

According to the Montana Department of Justice, the deputy—working under contract in Valley County—was responding to a disturbance at the Roundhouse Point Campground around 9:19 p.m. While on the way, he encountered a man and a woman arguing beside their vehicle near mile marker 3 on Highway 117.

As the deputy got out of his patrol car, investigators say the male suspect, later identified as Raymond Morin, pulled a handgun and fired several shots at the deputy.

The female at the scene then moved aggressively toward the deputy, who used his Taser to subdue her.

Officials say Morin then advanced toward the deputy while still armed, and the deputy fired his duty weapon. A Valley County deputy arrived as shots were being fired, and both deputies immediately provided medical aid.

Morin died at the scene from his injuries.

The February 23rd inquest will publicly review the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine whether the use of force was justified.

Roberto Orozco-Ramirez pleaded not guilty Monday to a federal charge of reentering the United States illegally in U.S. District Court in Great Falls.

The detention hearing arraignment lasted 10 minutes, with about two dozen people in attendance supporting Orozco-Ramirez, many wearing “Orozco Diesel” sweatshirts from his repair business in Froid.

Gathering in the lobby of Missouri River Courthouse, they made the trek up the stairs to a courtroom the Froid community is starting to get familiar with.

His supporters had driven almost seven hours from Froid, a town of about 200 people in the northeastern reaches of the state, to back one of their own. Among those who made the trek were three of Orozco-Ramirez’s sons.

Froid is a small community and a “family,” resident Keith Nordlund said on Monday, and Orozco-Ramirez’s arrest has caused frustration and confusion in the small community as to why immigration agents would come after a man who owns a crucial business in Froid and has no criminal record in Roosevelt County.

“I swear it was 20 below, and he was working on school buses to get them so they had heat so these kids could make it to an event,” Nordlund said. “You don’t see people do that.”

Orozco-Ramirez’s arrest by federal agents has put a spotlight on immigration in Montana and in the wake of massive deportation efforts by the Trump Administration. Across the state, municipalities have grappled with how to handle federal immigration agents in their towns, and many people have voiced their frustration with the tactics used by federal agents.

In the Froid area, it’s more common to see Border Patrol agents now, community members said, and Orozco-Ramirez’s arrest came after a significant operation that included plainclothes agents, according to court documents.

Court documents state two of Orozco-Ramirez’s brothers were arrested by Border Patrol agents, the first in March 2025 and second in July. It didn’t say if they were removed from the country.

Government lawyers told federal Judge John Johnston that Orozco-Ramirez represented a flight risk on Monday in court, though they did not give a reason. The federal government appeared to not be pursuing a second charge of threatening a peace officer, with Orozco-Ramirez’s lawyer, a public defender, saying it wasn’t on the indictment handed down by a grand jury.

Community members and family flowed out of the courthouse after the short hearing, talking among themselves and with reporters. Part of the frustration is with how Orozco-Ramirez has been portrayed by the federal government, which included allegations he was a criminal — despite also stating he had no criminal record — in a deposition by a Border Patrol agent based out of the Plentywood station.

The Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office said Orozco-Ramirez never posed a threat to the community in a media release.

Sports and the school are binding factors in the community, and several people in attendance said their kids and the Orozco family had been on various sports teams together.

“We all have children, they have children all throughout the whole school, different ages,” Laurie Young said. “So pretty much the entire community is affected by this.”

Nordlund said they’re hoping for an Order of Supervision from U.S. Immigration officials, which would allow Orozco-Ramirez to stay in Montana.

“I know a lot of people asking what they can do to help,” Nordlund said. “Call the politicians. Call them. Call them, call them, call them, call them. Your local ones, the state level. Call, call, call.”

The Valley County Sheriff’s Office is pleased to announce it has been awarded $3,000 through AgWest Farm Credit’s Rural Community Grant program to be used towards the purchase of life-saving equipment for our deputies.

The funds granted to the Sheriff’s Office will directly benefit the local community by ensuring deputies are properly equipped and protected during critical calls for service.

“I am sincerely grateful to the AgWest team for their support in providing grant funding to the Sheriff’s Office for the purchase of new personal protective ballistic shields for our deputies. Previously, our office had only two such shields, both of which had exceeded their service life. Through this funding, each deputy will now be equipped with a ballistic shield that can be carried in their patrol vehicle and immediately deployed when a critical incident requires enhanced safety measures. The Sheriff’s Office will contribute an additional $1,600 to complete the purchase of this equipment.”
— Sheriff Boyer

AgWest’s Rural Community Grants provide funds to non-profit organizations for projects that improve rural communities within Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. This includes efforts such as building or improving facilities; purchasing necessary equipment to facilitate a local program; and funding capital improvements which enhance a community’s infrastructure, viability and prosperity.

For more information about the Rural Community Grant Program, please visit AgWest Rural Community Grants.

The Glasgow Kiwanis Club recently presented Bring Up Grade (BUG) Certificates to 47 students at the Middle School in grades 6, 7, and 8 to those students showing improvement between the first and second grading periods.

Pictured in the sixth grade are Destanee Fischer, Laramie Hystad, Madison Sager and Mason Waarvik (Hattie Kalinski was absent) with Charles Wilson and Ben Wilson from Kiwanis.

Pictured in the seventh grade are Oakley Bietz, Lively Braaten, Marie Burkhart, Abygail Cole, Noah Cooper, Seth Esaias, Owen George, Aaron Gustafson, Sophia Kennedy, Jayce Knight, Layla Lonebear, Newton Moala, Ava Nickels, Amelia Odom, Genova Pang, Ashlin Turner, Aubrey Williams and Campbell Youngman, with Kiwanis members Brenner Flaten, Ben Wilson and Charles Wilson.

Pictured in the eighth grade are Bethany Bras, Kaydee Brown, Ransome Butterfield, Lilyanna Conley, Chloe Elliot, Ella Gilchrist, Callen Gutow, Brynlie Harris, Olivia Jackson, Elise Kirland, Tate Loftsgaard, Phoenix Marsh, Rueby Nixdorf, Ryker Nixdorf, Lucinda Proctor, Sophee Russell, Jacob Seekins, Finley Tatafu, Tucker Twitchell, Hunter VanderMars, Asher Wersal, and Hunter Wilson (absent were Beckett Doornek and Oliver Kemp) presented by Kiwanis members Brenner Flaten, Ben Wilson and Charles Wilson.

The Kiwanis provided ice cream, served by Builders Club students Guinevere Turner and Sam Thompson, along with Advisor Mrs. Nicole Boos and Principal Mike Zoanni. Builders Club co-Advisor Mrs. Laurie Enebo took the pictures, and the certificates were printed by the Chamber of Commerce.

Kiwanis is a community service organization affiliated with the Montana District of Kiwanis and Kiwanis International and also supports the Swim Team, Scouting, 4-H, Easter Egg hunt and other projects. Anyone wanting to join Kiwanis can contact any member for more information.

President Trump signed an executive order Friday that quadruples the amount of beef imported into the U.S. from Argentina under a new trade agreement with the South American country.

Argentina's Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement that the new agreement, which was signed Thursday, will "grant an unprecedented expansion of preferential access for Argentine beef to its market by 100,000 tons," representing an increase of "$800 million in Argentine beef exports."

Entitled "Ensuring Affordable Beef for the American Consumer," Mr. Trump's executive order said that domestic production capacity has failed to keep pace with increasing demand in recent years, leading to higher prices. The order notes that the cost of beef has soared, peaking at $6.69 per pound in December, according to the Federal Reserve. That is the highest level beef prices have reached since the Department of Labor started tracking prices in 1984.

"I determine that it is necessary and appropriate to temporarily increase the quantity of [beef] imports," the order says. "In addition, I determine that it is appropriate to allocate all of the increased in-quota quantity of beef, as established by this proclamation, to Argentina."

The order clears the way for the U.S. to allow the importation of an additional 20,000 metric tons of beef every quarter at a lower tariff rate until the end of the year.

The main group representing American cattle ranchers has said the increase in imports is a "misguided effort" and will damage the "livelihoods of American cattlemen and women, while doing little to impact the price consumers are paying at the grocery store."

In a statement in October, when plans for expanding imports were first reported, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association said it "cannot stand behind the President while he undercuts the future of family farmers and ranchers by importing Argentinian beef in an attempt to influence prices."

"It is imperative that President Trump and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins let the cattle markets work," said Colin Woodall, the group's CEO.

Mr. Trump previously prodded cattle ranchers to "get their prices down" in an effort to bring relief to consumers.

"The Cattle Ranchers, who I love, don't understand that the only reason they are doing so well, for the first time in decades, is because I put Tariffs on cattle coming into the United States," Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social in October. "If it weren't for me, they would be doing just as they've done for the past 20 years — Terrible! It would be nice if they would understand that."

Under the new trade agreement, the U.S. plans to remove reciprocal tariffs on a variety of goods from Argentina, including pharmaceutical ingredients, and review other tariffs on steel and aluminum.

The trade deal could be a significant boost for Argentine President Milei, a key ally of Mr. Trump's.

"The deepening partnership between President Trump and President Milei serves as a model of how countries in the Americas, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, can advance our shared ambitions and safeguard our economic and national security," U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said.

Valley County Masonic Foundation announces the availability of grant funding for projects that benefit the communities and residents of Valley County. Grants will be awarded from the Valley County Masonic Endowment Fund, which was established at the Montana Community Foundation by the Nemont Manor Foundation, Inc. Applications for the 2026 grant cycle will be accepted from February 15 through March 31.

Applicants must be either a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or an exempt governmental unit. Grants will be up to $5,000. While grants must be used for projects benefiting communities or residents in Valley County, the grantee organization does not need to be based in Valley County. Only one application is allowed per organization.

Eligible projects must be within the following areas of interest: arts and culture, basic human needs, economic development, education, and natural resources and conservation. Ineligible projects include annual or capital campaigns, endowments, debt retirements, and religious, partisan, or sectarian activities. Grant requests are reviewed by the Nemont Manor Foundation.

The Valley County Masonic Endowment Fund was established with proceeds from the sale of Nemont Manor, an affordable housing facility in Glasgow, built more than 40 years ago and managed by the Valley County Masons. The Nemont Manor is now owned by Silver Tree Residential, a group that acquires, rehabilitates, and permanently preserves affordable housing units which were originally developed under HUD programs. Their goal is to ensure the long-term affordability of units for current and future residents.

In 2025, the Valley County Masonic Endowment Fund awarded $50,000 in grants to 13 organizations that benefit Valley County. These grants ranged from funding a CAN pathway and training program for high school students to emergency food assistance and senior services.

“These grants are about meeting real needs and investing in practical solutions that strengthen Valley County,” said Jim Rector, Secretary and Treasurer of the Nemont Manor Foundation. “Whether it’s helping students explore healthcare careers, supporting seniors, or improving community spaces, this fund allows us to give back in a way that will continue to benefit Valley County for generations.”

Learn more and apply at https://mtcf.org/grants/apply-for-a-grant/valley-county-masonic-endowment . Only online applications will be accepted. For questions, please contact Local Community Foundation Program Officer, Shyanne Wallace at 406-230-2785 or Shyanne@mtcf.org.

Local ranchers are stepping up to connect students with agriculture through the food they raise.
Glasgow, MT – The Ranchers Stewardship Alliance is kicking off a community-wide effort to bring locally raised, nutrient-dense beef into Glasgow schools through Glasgow Beef Into Schools. While the idea has been taking shape locally, this moment represents a coordinated step forward to build momentum, invite broader rancher involvement, and support the long-term success of the effort. At its heart, this work connects local ranchers directly with local students through the food they produce.
RSA is grateful for the opportunity to take a leadership role in this next phase and comes into the effort with strong footing. Having helped fully stock the Malta and Saco school systems with the beef needed for successful school years, RSA is now bringing that experience to support a similar outcome in Glasgow.
Local Accolades
The early groundwork for Glasgow Beef Into Schools was led by Roubie Younkin and Whitney Tatafu, whose initiative and persistence helped get the effort started and moving forward.
Strong school involvement has been essential. Katie Potter, Food Service Coordinator for the Glasgow school system, has played a key role by committing to the use of local beef in school meals. While this decision does add logistical work, her willingness to take that on reflects a deep commitment to student health and community values. The effort has also been supported by Brenner Flaten, Superintendent of Glasgow Schools, whose openness and encouragement have helped move the work forward.
Support from the agricultural community is already taking shape. Cody Cornwell of the Glasgow Stockyards has donated the first animal to the effort, setting an early example of participation. Bill Webb, a local cattle buyer, has also volunteered his time to assist with purchasing animals at the stockyards for those who wish to contribute financially.
How It Works
Ranchers can support the effort by donating a beef animal. Once an appropriate number of cattle are ready for transport, Glasgow Stockyards will serve as the drop-off location, with Producer Partnership, a nonprofit USDA-inspected facility, handling transport and processing at no cost. This approach helps reduce barriers for participation while ensuring the beef is processed safely and efficiently for school use.
Community members who do not raise cattle can participate by donating cash toward the purchase of an animal or by purchasing an animal outright to donate to the schools, with local support available to help facilitate the process. This is true throughout the year as well as during the Northeast Montana Fair.
Anyone interested in donating beef or contributing financially can contact Mary Oxarart at Ranchers Stewardship Alliance at 406-654-1405 or moxarart@ranchstewards.org.
All beef provided to the schools will be used as ground beef to meet school meal needs. Donors may retain specific cuts from an animal if desired.
Real Needs. Real Impact.
The Glasgow schools require approximately 14 animals per year to meet their needs. Due to storage limitations, 4 to 5 animals can be handled at a time. The first batch of animals is anticipated to be ready for processing this fall, though donations will be accepted this spring if cattle are ready sooner. With the first animal already donated, the focus is now on building the initial group needed to move the effort forward.
Each contribution helps provide healthy meals for students while strengthening relationships between schools, ranchers, and the broader community. As this work continues, RSA is also open to assisting other schools in Blaine, Phillips, and Valley Counties that may be interested in developing similar local beef efforts. By sharing lessons learned and supporting local leadership, the goal is to help more communities bring locally raised beef into school meals.
Looking Ahead
This effort is about more than food. It is about building community, supporting food security for local youth, and creating meaningful connections between students and the people who raise their food. Agriculture continues to be the backbone of rural communities, and this work reflects a shared commitment within the industry to support and invest in the next generation.
As part of this broader vision, RSA, with support from Roubie Younkin at Valley County Extension and Hayley Young at the Valley County Conservation District, is planning an Ag Education Day this fall. Valley County third and fourth graders will take part in a hands-on day of agricultural learning that connects classroom lessons to real-world experience and builds appreciation for local agriculture.
Together, these efforts reflect a shared commitment to celebrating agriculture, supporting local families, and strengthening the ties that hold rural communities together.
Those interested in getting involved are encouraged to reach out.

Story credit: https://www.northernag.net/

The popular CattleFax Outlook Seminar, held as part of CattleCon 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee, shared expert market and weather analysis this week.

“The U.S. cattle and beef industry enters 2026 with strong but volatile market conditions, as historically tight cattle supplies, record-setting beef demand, and elevated policy and weather uncertainty continue to support prices, even as markets appear to near cyclical highs. Tight inventories and exceptional demand remain the dominant forces shaping the market; however, producer demographics, high input costs, and policy uncertainty point to a slow and measured expansion phase,” said Mike Murphy, CattleFax chief operating officer.

Economic, Energy, and Feed Grain Outlook
Shifting the discussion to an outlook on the economy, energy and feed grains, Troy Bockelmann, CattleFax director of protein and grain analysis, noted that inflation continued to moderate in 2025, ending the year at 2.7% CPI growth and spending most of the year below 3%, the lowest since 2020-2021. With inflation relatively low, the U.S. Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in 2025, finishing the year with the Prime Rate just below 7%, which is still relatively high relative to the 3% level seen from 2009 to 2021.

“After several years of navigating economic turbulence, the U.S. is finally entering 2026 with a macro-economic foundation that feels steady and more predictable,” said Troy Bockelmann. “Moderating inflation, improving monetary policy, and strong consumer spending are reinforcing the sense of stability across the industries we serve.”

U.S. corn production reached a record 186.5 bu/acre in 2025, driving total output to 17 billion bushels from 98.8 million planted acres. Competitive prices and ample supply are expected to boost exports in 2026. With a 13.6% stocks?to?use ratio, corn prices should stay in the $4–$5/bu range.

CattleFax shared that U.S. hay production increased slightly in 2025 to about 123 million tons. Hay prices are expected to average around $145/ton in 2026. On the energy front, Bockelmann said that energy supply should remain adequate, keeping prices low and rangebound for diesel, natural gas and oil. When taking a look at competing proteins, pork and poultry markets are expected to see modest growth in 2026.

Cattle Markets: Strong Fundamentals, Shifting Dynamics
Kevin Good, vice president of market analysis at CattleFax, reported the U.S. beef cow herd decreased 280,000, while dairy cow inventories increased by 190,000 head.

Cattle availability will remain constrained in the first half of 2026 due to limited feeder cattle supplies. Fed slaughter is projected to decline by 600,000 head, primarily early in the year, and non-fed slaughter is expected to remain historically tight at 5.6 million head. Total commercial beef production is projected to decline again in 2026, albeit at a slower pace than in 2025. With imports up 5% and exports down 5%, U.S. per-capita beef supplies are forecast 0.2 lbs. larger in 2026 to 59.2 lbs., the largest since 2010.

Retail beef demand remained historically strong in 2025, with record retail prices supported by steady consumption and exceptional product quality. Consumer preferences continue to favor high-protein, nutrient-dense foods, reinforcing demand even as higher prices move through the supply chain.

“With 84% of fed cattle grading Choice or higher and 12% grading Prime, the industry is well positioned to sustain premium pricing,” Good noted. “Beef demand continues to be anchored by exceptional quality and strong consumer confidence in beef as a premium protein. Even as markets adjust and trade flows shift, the fundamentals supporting long-term beef demand remain solid.”

Price Outlook for 2026
Cattle and beef prices are forecast to average steady to higher in 2026, with risk increasing later in the year as markets anticipate larger supplies in 2027.

Cow-calf producers are expected to retain the strongest leverage as the cycle turns, supporting continued profitability for several more years. CattleFax forecast the average 2026 fed steer price at $224/cwt., steady from 2025. All cattle classes are expected to trade higher, with 800-lb. steer prices expected to average $335/cwt., and 550-lb. steer prices averaging $440/cwt. Utility cows are expected to average $155/cwt., with bred cows at an average of $4,000/head.

2025 USDA All-Fresh Retail Beef prices are expected to average $9.25/pound, however, the continued increase in retail prices has CattleFax predicting consumer resistance to further price increases, even as demand is supported by a strong economy, beef quality and dietary focus on protein.

“As we look ahead, several factors will shape the trajectory of the beef industry. The potential threat of New World Screwworm and the status of Mexican feeder cattle imports is something we’re watching closely,” Murphy said. “At the same time, shifts in packing capacity are rebalancing market leverage. Finally, the dairy industry will continue to be a growth industry supplying more cattle to the beef industry, following strong financial performance in 2025.”

Despite near-term volatility, the long-term outlook remains positive. Strong domestic demand, improving beef quality, and sufficient packing capacity are expected to continue supporting profitability for the cow-calf sector as the industry moves into the next phase of the cattle cycle.

The Montana State Library is pleased to announce that 109 librarians and trustees from across Montana earned certification through the Montana State Library (MSL) certification program. The goal of MSL’s certification program is to ensure that Montana’s library patrons receive the best possible library service from well-trained library staff who are committed to offering 21st century library services.

MSL issued 19 trustee, 46 library administration, and 43 library staff certificates. Certification recipients include public library staff as well as state agency, university, and tribal college library directors. Their individual efforts total more than 5,500 hours of learning over the past 4 years.

“Montana’s libraries provide excellent educational programming and services to Montanans due, in large part, to the ongoing commitment of library directors, trustees, and staff to continuing education. These professionals understand that their investment in professional development means that their communities benefit from continually improving library services,” said Jennie Stapp, Montana State Librarian. “The State Library’s certification program ensures that Montana librarians have up-to-date credentials, much like our colleagues in K-12 education. There’s always something to learn at your library and your librarians bring something new from every training and workshop they attend. We congratulate all of the 2025 MSL certification awardees for their hard work and dedication to Montana libraries.”

The Montana State Library actively promotes professional development for trustees and library staff through its Continuing Education and Certification Program. This effort includes providing information and resources to connect local library trustees and staff with the continuing education they need to be successful in providing excellent library services in their communities. Certification is one way to demonstrate expertise and commitment to improving library services across the state.

Conrad Public Library Director Tiffany Chrisensen says, “the MSL certification program has been the perfect opportunity to stay current with training to better serve our patrons in a constantly evolving field while also investing in our staff members through their own professional development.”

To receive the Library Certification, participants earn 60 or more valid continuing education credits in a four-year period. Certification expires in four years, so librarians must continue to seek professional development to maintain their certification. Public library trustees earn 15 continuing education credits in a four-year period to achieve certification.

“As a Trustee, I learned so much about the services and management of our local, regional and State libraries through the certification process. We are better prepared to move forward to engage our community in the offerings of our Library. “Julie Bushmaker, Board Chair, Butte-Silver Bow Public Library

The Montana State Library provides information, resources, and guidance to organizations, communities, and residents of Montana to help them expand their knowledge and empower their decisions. Our leading-edge data and applications help those seeking answers about Montana’s government, natural resources, heritage, land ownership, and more while our vital services improve public libraries and provide reading materials to those with disabilities.

Janet Edison an employee of the Glasgow City-County Library received her certification from the Montana State Library.

The Glasgow City Council met in regular session on Monday.

Action items taken by the council:

Reappointed Jill Page and Pete Helland to the Recreation Board for a 3-year term through 2029.

Promoted Adam Morehouse into the Permanent Water Supervisor Position with an increase in salary to $30.25 per hour.

Approved a revised Director of Public Works Job Description. The city will begin advertising immediately for a new Public Works Director.

There are currently 13 applicants for the Glasgow Chief of Police position. The council will look to narrow the list of applicants when the position closes this week.

Approved Great West Engineering to apply for Montana Resiliency Funding for the Levee Closure Project.

The council voted to withdraw from a contract with Morrison-Maierle to evaluate the wastewater treatment facility. This will save the city $28,500.

The Glasgow Drama Department presents “Wizard of Oz”!

Show dates:
Thursday, February 5 at 6pm
Friday, February 6 at 6pm
Saturday, February 7 at 2:30pm
Sunday, February 8 at 2:30

Where:
Glasgow High School Auditorium

Cost:
Students: $7
Adults: $10
Students under kindergarten: free
One night family cap: $40
Available this year: (weekend passes allow admittance for all 4 shows— tickets are non transferable)
Adult weekend pass: $35
Student weekend pass: $25
Family Cap weekend pass: $150

Limited concessions will be available! Cash and local checks only, please!

The Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Mark Dale Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded for the first time in July 2026. This meaningful addition marks the eleventh established FMDH Foundation scholarship and honors the life, legacy, and community spirit of Mark Dale.

Mark Dale was a 1982 graduate of Glasgow High School and was actively involved in wrestling and football during his school years. His dedication and work ethic carried into adulthood, where he became a familiar and respected presence in the Valley County community. Mark proudly volunteered with the Long Run Fire Department and was known for his welcoming personality, someone who truly never met a stranger.
After five years of hard work, Mark became a journeyman and went on to spend 40 years working as a plumber with Dale Plumbing & Heating. His career was a testament to perseverance, craftsmanship, and commitment to serving others.

The Mark Dale Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to students who reflect these same values. Applicants must be graduates of a Valley County high school and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0. The scholarship is intended to support students who demonstrate a strong work ethic, a commitment to service in the medical field, and a connection to Valley County.

The FMDH Foundation extends its heartfelt gratitude to the family of Mark Dale for choosing to honor his legacy through this scholarship. “We are incredibly thankful to Mary Ann, Mike & Stephen for their generosity and for thinking of the FMDH Foundation,” said Taylor Hohlen, FMDH Foundation Coordinator. “We are honored to be part of preserving Mark’s legacy and supporting future students who embody the qualities he lived by.”

More information about the Mark Dale Memorial Scholarship and other available scholarships will be available at fmdh.org/scholarships.

After several years of rapid expansion during the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana’s population growth rate has continued settling to a slower pace according to 2025 figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau this week.

The Census Bureau estimates Montana added 7,137 residents between mid-2024 and mid-2025 for an annual growth rate of less than one percent. That’s a modest increase from the roughly 5,900 residents added the previous year but remains far below the nearly 18,000 added in 2021, the peak of the pandemic migration surge.

The past two years have also seen slightly slower population growth than the pre-pandemic years. Between 2011 and 2019, the state averaged around an annual population increase of 8,800 residents, an annual growth rate of 0.86%.

By comparison, the 7,137 residents added in 2025 translated to a 0.62% increase, the second-lowest growth rate in the past fifteen years after 2024.

Migration continues to be the primary factor driving Montana population change. In 2025, net migration, the number of people who moved into the state minus the number who moved away, added an estimated 7,247 residents. The vast majority, 6,348, moved from other U.S. states while just under 900 were international arrivals, the bureau estimates.

Without migration, Montana’s population would have barely changed as the state recorded 90 fewer births than deaths in 2025, a reflection of Montana’s older population and low birthrate. While the state has typically seen a few more deaths than births in recent years, the bureau’s statistics saw that trend reverse for the first time since 2019, with 12 more births than deaths.

County-level population data slated for a March release and city-level population expected for May will let statisticians and the public evaluate growth trends specific to different parts of the state. The 2024 data indicated that Kalispell was the fastest growing urban area while Bozeman’s historic growth was slowing.

These annual estimates are part of the Census Bureau’s efforts to track population change between the once-every-ten-years decennial censuses, which is mandated by the U.S. Constitution. Each year’s figure reflects the population as of July 1, so the population growth figure for 2025 estimate measures changes from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2025.

Two incumbents have filed for 2 open positions on the Glasgow School Board. Blaine White and Whitney Tatafu both filed the necessary paperwork and are now officially candidates for the school board.

Filing opened in December and will close on February 9th.

School elections are set for May 5th across Montana.

Those interested in being a candidate for the Glasgow School Board can contact the Central Office for more information.

Qualified Montana taxpayers have until March 1, 2026, to enroll their property to receive the homestead or long-term rental property reduced rate.

The fastest way for taxpayers to enroll their property is online at homestead.mt.gov. Mailing a paper application form will add processing time. For more information or to enroll your property, please visit homestead.mt.gov.

From Glasgow High School Speech and Drama:

State 2026 is coming to a close. We are extremely proud of how well our kids did at state this year!!

Oliver Kemp came in 17th place in SPOI
James Pearson came in 13th place in Impromptu
Cody Lacock came in 11th place in Extemporaneous
Gabe Allen came in 6th place in LD Debate
Vick Overbey came in 2nd place Dramatic Interpretation
Ash James came in 4th place in Humorous Solo

Next up is National Qualifier in February!

Freezing rain mixed with light snow and light rain is expected tonight and Saturday morning. Roads are expected to become icy and hazardous late tonight and Saturday morning. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 8 pm tonight through 2 pm Saturday.

A Poplar man who assaulted a female on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation was sentenced this week to 23 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Lawrence George Fast Horse, 35, pleaded guilty in September 2025 to one count of domestic assault by a habitual offender.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that on August 2, 2024, Lawrence George Fast Horse stabbed Jane Doe in Poplar. Responding officers observed a stab wound on Jane Doe’s upper back. An officer searched Fast Horse at the scene and located a knife with brass knuckles attached to it in his right-side shorts pocket.

A witness told law enforcement Fast Horse and Jane Doe were arguing. She saw Fast Horse push Jane Doe from behind and then noticed him attempt to conceal a blade behind his back.

Jane Doe was treated for three stab wounds and was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation.

Fast Horse has been convicted of several prior domestic assaults, including on June 20, 2008, May 23, 2009, January 27, 2013, October 21, 2019, and October 26, 2020.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice conducted the investigation.

A Poplar man accused of murder and using a firearm in the commission of the murder admitted to charges this week, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Michael J. Ackerman, 74, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence. Ackerman faces a maximum term of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 3, 2026. Ackerman was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in the early morning hours of September 14, 2025, law enforcement officers in Billings responded to a call and were advised Ackerman had admitted to killing three people – Jane Doe 1, John Doe, and Jane Doe 2. Deputies initiated contact with Ackerman inside the house in Billings.

After the deputies read his Miranda rights, Ackerman agreed to speak with law enforcement. He said on Thursday, September 11, 2025, he and the rest of the people in the house were using methamphetamine. Ackerman believed Jane Doe 1, John Doe, and Jane Doe 2 were “setting him up.” Ackerman said he was in the bedroom with Jane Doe 1, and Jane Doe 1 had a pistol in her hand. Ackerman picked up his Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol and shot Jane Doe 1 twice in the head. The defendant heard John Doe and Jane Doe 2 moving in the next room. Michael walked into the room where John Doe and Jane Doe 2 were sleeping and shot them both. Ackerman told officers they would find the deceased inside his house in Poplar.

Fort Peck Law and Justice Department officers went to the house in Poplar and received no response. They were granted a telephonic search warrant from the Fort Peck Tribal Court and went inside the house at around 5:30am. Inside they found the deceased individuals mentioned by Ackerman – Jane Doe 1, John Doe, and Jane Doe 2. All three of the bodies had gunshot wounds and four 9 mm casings were close to the bodies.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

FORT PECK, Mont. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Fort Peck Project has announced winter guidance for motorized access at Fort Peck Reservoir located near Fort Peck, Montana.

Motorized recreational vehicles are only permitted on developed ice access routes such as public or numbered roads, boat ramps or other designated routes within USACE owned recreational areas. All other off-road vehicle operations are prohibited on USACE land. This prohibition includes driving along the shoreline between the frozen lake and the high-water mark except for the purpose of navigating around an ice pressure ridge or open water. In this situation, the shortest route available must be used and cannot exceed one-eighth of a mile.

Motorized vehicles, to include snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and side-by-sides, must be properly licensed and registered while operating on USACE roads and designated access routes.
In addition to recreation area boat ramps, the following routes are designated open for vehicle access to the ice on Fort Peck Reservoir: Road #2002 behind the Shaft Buildings; First Dredge Cuts access road across Highway 117, located west of Roundhouse Point; Second Dredge north parking lot located adjacent to the vault toilet; and Duck Creek Road #1901 to the point.

Vehicles can access the ice in the Pines area at the end of Pines Recreation Area Road #1300. Gates are open along with the designated route through the Old Pines youth camp to Fifth Coulee Bay.

Fort Peck Reservoir and the Dredge Cuts were covered with ice as of Jan. 24, 2026, but it is important to note that conditions may change across the frozen lake at any time. Recreationists may travel on the ice at their discretion. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers does not encourage or recommend driving on the ice at any time. Thin ice or open water may exist near springs, shallow points and pressure ridges.

In addition, changing water flows through the powerhouses can influence ice conditions both above and below the dam. Flows at Fort Peck are determined in coordination with the Missouri River Basin. Current conditions can be found here: https://www.nwd-mr.usace.army.mil/rcc/

For more information, call the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Peck Project natural resources office at (406) 526-3411.

Story Credit: https://dailymontanan.com/

There’s probably nothing more iconic to Montana than boots, cowboy hats, cattle and ranching, something that defines the image of the Treasure State. And there is probably no other blocs of voters that Montana politicians sidle up next to more than ranchers, often copying their dress, down to the belt buckle.

That’s why a coalition of organizations representing the state’s cattlemen and ranchers was remarkable in Billings on Tuesday as they specifically called out three-quarters of the state’s Congressional delegation for their lack of support of country-of-origin labeling for beef, something they said is costing not just cattle producers but consumers at the grocery market.

Only Rep. Ryan Zinke, Montana’s western Congressman, has announced support for mandatory country-of-origin labeling legislation for beef.

Country-of-origin labels had been used until 2015, when it was repealed due to concerns by the World Trade Organization. But, the advocates on Tuesday said world of cattle buying and selling has changed, as consolidation in the meat packing business has created an oligarchy of four large multinational producers who often don’t disclose where their beef is coming from, or instead, will label it as American because it was slaughtered and packaged domestically.

The coalition, including the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association, R-Calf, Northern Plains Resource Council, the Montana Farmers Union, the National Farmers Organization, the Montana Cattlemen’s Association, Abundant Montana and the Yellowstone Valley Food Hub, said they believe American consumers are willing to pay more for American-sourced beef, but may not have that option because of the labeling. Instead, inferior beef products from other countries may be mixed into the food chain.

Two pieces of legislation exist in Washington, D.C., that would reinstitute mandatory country-of-origin labeling, Senate Bill 421 and House Resolution 5818. Currently, any country-of-origin labeling is optional. However, beef producers on Tuesday said that consumers already know where fruits, vegetables and some other meats are sourced, and the same should be true with beef.

The coalition were also critical of Montana’s two U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, both Republicans who have not signed onto either bill, or said they support the legislation. Rep. Troy Downing has also not announced a position on country-of-origin labeling.

The Daily Montanan reached out to all three offices on Tuesday afternoon, with questions about their support or positions, but only Sheehy’s office responded by publication time.

“Sen. Sheehy believes American beef should be labeled as American beef. As a rancher, he knows firsthand the challenges we face with the over-consolidation of corporate agriculture and the introduction of foreign entities into the American food system,” a spokesperson said. “For too long, foreign-owned meat packers have controlled our food supply, and Senator Sheehy believes we must break that monopoly and offer American alternatives to increase our national food security. Bringing profitability back to agriculture is one of Sen. Sheehy’s top priorities, and he is firmly committed to ensuring that American ranchers and cattle are placed at the center of our livestock policy framework to keep American ag alive and strong.”

Bruce Shultz, a member of the National Farmers Organization, who ranches in Raynesford, said that he and many producers saw their prices plummet the year after Congress rescinded mandatory country-of-origin labeling. Shultz said he lost nearly 40% of the value of his market cattle the next year because large packing companies could drive down prices by buying from nearly two dozen other countries, and have a similar product on store shelves without consumers knowing the difference.

The groups also said that mandatory country-of-origin labeling must be included in the Farm Bill to make meaningful change. They said that labels should say the country of origin for the animal, and not just where it was slaughtered or packaged.

Montana’s cattle industry has been hit hard in the recent decade as domestic cattle herds have reached their lowest point in 70 years, and the leaders warned that younger generations will not return to the ranch unless there is more transparency for the end customer.

Benjamin Peterson of the Montana Farmers Union from Judith Gap told the audience that since 1980, more than half the cattle ranches have been lost. And, Shultz told the group that from 2017 to 2020, in Ravalli County alone, 150 farms had closed, and more than 50,000 acres was taken out of production.

The ranchers said that the labeling practices driven by the large packing plants are also bad for consumers, who don’t know what they’re buying. He said that for the United State, cattle production is a $100 billion business, with $2 billion contributed to Montana’s state economy.

“The (current) labeling doesn’t tell the truth,” said Samantha Ferret of Toston, who ranches with her husband and serves on the U.S. Cattlemen’s Association. “Why is it not revealed where the beef comes from? This is no accident.”

The group said that if consumers could have the choice between the foreign beef and the kind raised in Montana, they’d be willing to pay a premium, which would, in turn, create more market demand, raise domestic prices and help ranchers rebuild their herds.

The organization said it’s important to label beef in several ways — where it born, raised and processed.

“There has never been a greater demand for beef directly from the producer, and that’s because they want to know what they’re buying,” said Tim Brunner, the western district director of the Montana Cattlemen’s Association from Fairfield. “Why haven’t all the elected officials put their support behind the cattle industry then?”

R-CALF, a Billings-based nation organization that supports just cattle and sheep producers, said that labeling may seem simple, but it sends a powerful message.

“Competition can only happen if the consumers have a choice, and right now the consumers can’t signal a demand for (American) beef,” said Bill Bullard, R-CALF’s chief executive. “It’s a demand signal.”

They said that it will take a coalition like the one they’ve built to demand no support of the Farm Bill without mandatory country-of-origin labeling.

“The only way to know now is if you drive it off the ranch itself,” Peterson said. “We’ve heard that politicians currently want to put America First, well mandatory country-of-origin labeling does that. They should take the easy win.”

Message from the Valley County Health Department:

Flu & COVID-19 Update – Valley County
We’ve updated our local illness numbers:
COVID-19 cases: 23
Flu cases: 32
Knowing the difference between flu and COVID-19 symptoms can help you decide when to test and seek care. Please reference the infographic below to learn more about how symptoms compare.

The Valley County Community Foundation is pleased to announce this year’s Markle Scholarship winners for those pursuing advanced degrees.

Michelle Eliason is a 1988 graduate of Nashua High School pursuing the Behavioral Analyst Masters Program at Ball State University to become a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA). Not only is Michelle pursuing a Masters Degree, but she also works full-time. After obtaining her Masters, her plan is to continue her employment with Milk River, Inc. as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She will continue serving individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities by designing and implementing behavioral support programs that promote independence, skill-building, and quality of life.

Sara Wesen is currently enrolled at the University of Montana – Alexander Blewett III School of Law in pursuit of a Juris Doctorate. Sara will continue working part-time while attending law school. After completing her Juris Doctorate and passing the Montana Bar Exam, she looks forward to practicing law in Glasgow and to focus on estate planning, property, Ag law, and tax law. She is excited to make a positive impact on Glasgow and the surrounding areas as an advocate and an attorney.

McKenna Strommen is a 2022 graduate of Glasgow High School and is also pursuing the University of Montana – Alexander Blewett III School of Law and is working towards her Juris Doctorate. She graduated in 2024 from Montana State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. She plans to graduate in 2028 and return to Valley County to bring competent and compassionate legal services to the community and to help those in need.

Chaykota Osksa is a 2019 Hinsdale High School graduate and is pursuing Speech-Language Pathology at Minot State University. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education/Services and Child Development from Montana State University. She plans to graduate in 2026, and her career goal is to become a pediatric speech-language pathologist working in schools, early intervention programs, or children’s hospitals. She hopes to help children become confident communicators while providing guidance and advocacy for their families.

The Thomas and Cynthia Markle Scholarship was established in 2018 with the goal of assisting in the financial burden of obtaining an advanced degree for Valley County community members. The Markle’s recognized a gap in scholarship availability for advanced degrees in our community and established an endowment to assist in carrying that financial burden for future generations. The scholarship is based on need to Valley County graduates or Valley County residents who have resided in the county for the past 5 years.

Applications for the Markle Scholarship for Advanced Degrees is due annually on September 30th. The Valley County Community Foundation manages the Markle Scholarship, as well as others. More information is located on our website at: valleycountycf.net.

Story credit to www.ktvq.com

ANGER AND DISBELIEF ARE RIPPLING THROUGH THE NORTHEASTERN MONTANA TOWN OF FROID after U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a well-known business owner, youth coach, and father of four.

Forty-two-year-old Roberto Orozco-Ramirez turned himself in Sunday night at the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office, following what neighbors say was more than a week of federal surveillance.

Orozco owns Orozco Diesel, a trucking and repair shop residents say is essential to keeping school buses and farm equipment running in the town of fewer than 200 people. He also coaches youth sports and has lived in Froid with his family for more than a decade.

“This isn’t somebody you don’t know,” said Froid resident Keith Nordlund. “This isn’t somebody on the FBI’s most wanted list. It’s tough to see that happen in our little neck of the woods.”

According to federal court documents, Orozco was previously removed from the U.S. in 2009 and is accused of illegally re-entering the country. A sworn affidavit also alleges he was once identified as a member of the Sureños gang during an encounter in Utah, though records show no criminal history in Montana or elsewhere.

Border Patrol agents first approached Orozco at his business on January 16. Agents allege he refused entry and later threatened them. Orozco now faces federal charges of illegal re-entry and threatening a federal officer.

Neighbors dispute the agents’ tactics and say Orozco’s family was followed for days.

“The kids quit going to school because they were being followed and harassed,” Nordlund said.

The Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Office says Orozco surrendered peacefully and posed no danger to the community. The sheriff’s office also emphasized the operation was conducted independently by Border Patrol.

The arrest comes amid growing national concern over aggressive immigration enforcement. ACLU of Montana Deputy Director Alex Rate says the case reflects a troubling trend.

“We’re seeing our friends and neighbors detained and deported,” Rate said. “That should concern everyone.”

Back in Froid, residents have begun raising money for Orozco’s legal defense, and students have written his name on their wrists during games.

“We judge people by their character,” Nordlund said. “We want him to become legal — and we want him back in our community.”

Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana’s unemployment rate rose to 3.4 percent in December, continuing the record of over four consecutive years of unemployment at or below 3.4 percent.

Montana’s unemployment rate was 1.0 percent lower than the national unemployment rate, which was 4.4 percent in December. Montana remained in the top ten states in the nation with the lowest unemployment rates.

The unemployment rate in Valley County was 3.7% which compared with 3.2% in December of 2024. There is a total labor force in Valley County of 3,528 which is down 22 from December of 2024.

“Working with the Department of Labor & Industry, we’ve identified a framework to ensure all Montanans in the labor force have a pathway to a career, college, military, or entrepreneurial opportunity,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Through 406 JOBS, we’re helping open the doors in the public and private sector to greater opportunity and a stronger workforce for our leading industries.”

Montana’s labor force added approximately 1,150 workers over the last month, while total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers) increased by 500, resulting in an increase in the unemployment rate. Payroll jobs grew by over 2,000 in December, with the largest gains in construction and leisure activities.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis in December. Over the last twelve months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for shelter rose 0.4 percent in December and was the largest factor in all items monthly increase. Core inflation, or the index for all items less food and energy, rose 2.6 percent over the last twelve months.

Last August, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry released a report showing that more than 100,000 working age Montanans are not employed and not seeking work. Through Gov. Gianforte’s 406 JOBS Initiative, the department is helping Montanans enter or re-enter the workforce with a specific focus on health care, construction, hospitality and recreation, advanced manufacturing and computing, education and child care, and financial and professional services.

Glasgow Police Chief Robert Weber has released a statement regarding a traffic fatality near Fort Peck last week. The 2 vehicle accident involved a GPD off-duty officer.

This is the only information that has been released from GPD regarding the fatality. The officer is currently on administrative leave.

The Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Foundation is deeply grateful as its annual Tree of Life end-of-year giving campaign came to a close on December 31st. Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of donors across Valley County and beyond, this year’s campaign raised a record-breaking $36,545, more than doubling the original goal of $15,000.

Each gift, given in honor or memory of someone special, helps strengthen high-quality healthcare close to home. Funds raised through the Tree of Life campaign support four key areas that directly benefit our community:
General Endowment: $5,710
Scholarship Fund: $26,680
Mammography Fund: $2,460
Markle’s Ambulance Trust: $695

This year’s total also includes a special gift toward a new scholarship launching in 2026, created to honor the life and legacy of Mark Dale. More details about the Mark Dale Memorial Scholarship will be announced in February.
The Tree of Life is a meaningful symbol of the generosity within our community and those who make it special. This year, gifts were made in honor of both special milestones and cherished individuals. One gift celebrated a remarkable milestone – 27 years breast cancer–free! Another honored Jack and Jeanine Markle. Donations were also made in memory of the following loved ones, whose names shone as ornaments on the tree:

Mona Amundson; Tristin Vandall; Paul & Ferne Zerbe; Dennis Svedjan; Lisa Markle Martin; Marlin Mogan; Floyd Eklund; John Mogan; Agnes Mogan; Nancy Etchart; Dr. William Wright; Junior Lee English; Evelyn Koski Mustonen; Jim Koski; Jan McInerney; Jerry Koski; JuDee Koski Blockhus; Charlotte Claypool; Corbin See; Bob Claypool; Stan Sonsteng; Karen Newton; Pat Hallett; Michaela Hoffman; Guy Reed; Sara Bell, R.N.; Butch Tewell; Carol Neufeld; Magnus & Betty Swanson; Dennis Jansa; David Shapland; Jed & Donna Tihista; Bob & Eunice Rorvig; Melvin & Verna Gauthier; Helen Burt; Michael Del Gienger; Jody Menge; Dillon & Biaka Cassel; Steve Bell; Erik Walstad; Jim & Gayle Hill; Frances Mahon; Lloyd Lindvig; Henry Lannen; Max Barnes; Roberta Barstad; Shirley Grimsrud Nail; Ellsworth & Josephine Richardson; James & Mary Lou Sintler, Sr.; Sam Richardson; Buell & Grace Hayward; Dr. Lawrence Palazzo; Dan Taylor; Mark Dale; Lillian, Leslie & Mary Margaretten Hanson; Dennis N. Wright; Nancy A. See; Kevin A. See; Juanita Brown; and O.E., C.D., & Tag Markle.

“The names hung as ornaments on the Tree of Life do more than honor and remember loved ones, they ensure a continued investment in compassionate, high-quality healthcare for generations to come,” said the Foundation Coordinator.

The FMDH Foundation Board of Directors and Foundation Coordinator extend a heartfelt thanks to every donor who participated in this year’s campaign. “Your generosity truly lights the way, and we are honored to carry these gifts forward in service to our community.”

For more information about the Tree of Life or the work of the FMDH Foundation, visit fmdh.org/fmdh-foundation

The Montana Lottery has awarded $93,991 in high-tier prizes since January 19.

A high-tier prize is any prize of $600 or more. Winners of $5,000 or more are listed below.

A Townsend winner, playing Big Sky Bonus, claimed their prize of $38,160 on January 23. The winning ticket was purchased at Bob's Supermarket in Townsend.

A Stanford winner, playing Super Hot 7's, claimed their prize of $7,777 on January 22. The winning ticket was purchased at Woody's Fuel Stop in Stanford.

A Dillon winner, betting with Sports Bet Montana, claimed their prize of $5,259 on January 20. The winning ticket was purchased at Lucky Lil's Casino of Dillon.

A Wolf Point winner, playing 2nd Edition Millionaire Maker, claimed their prize of $5,000 on January 22. The winning ticket was purchased at Agland Co-Op in Wolf Point.

Thank you to our local Caring Hands organization!

They will generously be paying for School Lunches for ALL students in Valley County on EVERY Tuesday in February and April. (The dates affected will be Feb. 3, 10, 17, and 24. April 7, 14, 21, and 28)

Funds that were raised during the Block of Bucks Fundraiser will be used to pay for the school lunches.

Thank you to the Caring Hands Organization!

The department recently notified business owners with a personal property reporting requirement that it is time to report for Tax Year 2026 through the department’s TransAction Portal (TAP) at https://tap.dor.mt.gov. Online reporting forms are pre-populated with the business equipment reported in 2025. Owners will review the previously reported equipment and make any needed additions and deletions. An immediate confirmation receipt will be sent after the report is submitted.

Individuals and businesses that own business equipment with a statewide aggregate market value of $1 million or more as of January 1, 2026, must report by February 15, 2026, to avoid a 20 percent penalty. Entities and individuals new to reporting personal property in Montana can contact the department at DORPPReporting@mt.gov for assistance.

Businesses whose statewide market value of equipment is $1 million or less are exempt from the business equipment tax. These businesses are not required to file a report unless: (1) they have acquired new personal property that may increase their aggregate market value above the exemption threshold; or (2) there are related entities that own personal property in Montana and the combined personal property value is near to or exceeds the exemption threshold; or (3) the department requests a personal property reporting be completed.

For more information, visit revenue.mt.gov or contact us at (406) 444-6900 or DORCustomerAssistance@mt.gov.

One person died in a car crash outside Fork Peck on Thursday, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

Patrol said one car was pulling out of Galpin Road to turn left on MT-24 and hit a car driving towards Glasgow. The crash happened at mile marker 59.6.

The incident report from the MHP is attached.

The 40-year-old driver did not report any injuries.

Montana Highway Patrol said roads were bare and dry and that alcohol and drugs were not suspected to have played a role in the fatal crash.

Fort Peck Summer Theatre is having Community Cast Auditions this Sunday, January 25th at the Irle School.

Adults & teens 13 & older will be from 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., and children ages 7 – 12 will be from 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Audition materials, requirements, & additional information are all available at FortPeckTheatre.org, or by calling 406-228-9216.

Passenger and freight traffic across Montana’s northern border fell sharply in the first 11 months of 2025, with commercial freight seeing the sharpest decline from a for comparable periods in at least 30 years. The number of inbound people crossing also saw the steepest year-over-year percentage declines of recent decades outside of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics indicates that full shipping container crossings into Montana for the first 11 months of the year fell 21% from its 30-year peak in 2024. Over the same period, individual crossings dropped 29%. The drop comes after years of sharp increases in freight and individual crossings coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Economy and tourism experts interviewed by MTFP pointed to President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff battle with Canada as a likely explanation for the drop.

“The decline in visitation is well beyond what could be explained by exchange rates, the Canadian economy, or other typical factors,” said Jeffery Michael, director of the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research. “It’s clearly related to political tensions between the two countries.”

Michael said he’s seen consistent decreases in both freight and passenger flow at Montana’s ports of entry since February, the month after President Donald Trump took office for his second term. He also said the trend accelerated after the Trump administration announced tariffs in April.

The number of people entering the U.S. at Montana ports dropped to just 200,000 in the first 11 months of 2020, then 163,000 in 2021 — the years of the COVID-19 pandemic border closures — but rebounded to just over one million in 2024. However, they then fell to 736,000 in 2025, a 29% decline, the lowest mark in over 30 years outside of the pandemic.

Racene Friede, president and CEO of Glacier Country Tourism, which promotes tourism in Northwestern Montana, said in an interview with Montana Free Press that the decline in tourism traffic had started after “friction points” in political relations between Canada and the U.S.

“We actually don’t anticipate changing in the near term,” she said.

Friede said the downturn has not affected all visitors equally. Higher-end international travel has remained strong, while other segments have been more volatile. “The luxury market is doing very well,” she said. She also noted uncertainty around the tourism effect of a new international visitor park fee, which imposes a $100 surcharge on visitors to 11 U.S. parks, including Yellowstone and Glacier.

Tourism groups say the decline in crossings is also reflected in spending data.

Brad Niva, president and CEO of Visit Big Sky, which promotes the southwest Montana resort community, said Visa credit card data indicates that Canadian spending in Big Sky is down by nearly 17% from January through September of 2025, even as spending from other international markets increased.

“Canada is our biggest foreign market,” Niva said. “All of our other countries are increasing, except Canada.”

Niva said Big Sky has been less affected than communities closer to the border but still reflects the broader trend. “Are we affected by the Canadian market? Yes — we’ve seen declines in cards, spending and people,” he said.

The drop in visitors from Canada was accompanied by a large drop in container traffic entering at Montana ports.

In total, Montana ports of entry processed about 275,000 full shipping containers in the first 11 months of 2025, down from almost 350,000 for the same period of 2024. The decline reversed several years of growth and exceeded any single-year drop recorded since at least the mid-1990s.

Since President Donald Trump took office for his second term in early 2025, his administration threatened and then imposed 25 percent duties on many Canadian goods, with a ten percent levy on energy. Trump has also repeatedly floated the idea of making Canada the “51st state” to eliminate the tariffs, a notion that has infuriated many Canadian politicians and citizens.

Brigitta Miranda-Freer, executive director of the Montana World Trade Center, told Montana Free Press that unpredictable trade policy, including tariffs announced “by tweet,” has hurt demand for both exports from Montana and imports from Canada. She also said that many consumers outside of the U.S. seem to be choosing to skip American-made products out of national pride.

“There is a lot of anti-American sentiment in other countries in regards to how we are approaching trade with our long-standing partners,” Miranda-Freer said.

State Sen. Susan Webber, a Browning Democrat whose district includes the Canada-adjacent Blackfeet Reservation, said the effects of higher trade costs are being felt directly by communities along the border, particularly on the reservation, which has two ports of entry into Canada. “People who used to go into Canada for hay, tractor parts and lumber have stopped doing it,” Webber said. Webber is a plaintiff in a suit alleging that the tariffs violate the Jay Treaty. That suit is currently awaiting a ruling in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Webber said the reduction in cross-border trade has disrupted long-standing economic relationships between nearby Canadian and U.S. communities.

“We had a pretty good relationship with producers and services in Canada because we are so close,” Webber said.

Tourism officials said they’ve heard from Canadian visitors that the downturn is not rooted in local relationships or community level issues — and said they’d love to see Canadians return in greater numbers.

“Everyone we talk to says it isn’t the people,” Friede said. “I like to think of it as, ‘Our parents aren’t getting along, but we’re getting along great.’ ”

The Valley County Community Foundation would like to announce to the community that the 2026 grant application is currently open until March 31st. Grant applications will only be accepted online at our website, valleycountycf.net. Paper applications will no longer be accepted

Community groups, such as 501c(3) organizations, schools, and government entities, who are working to complete a project and looking for capital funds to assist in their project, are encouraged to apply.

In 2025, the Valley County Community Foundation awarded over $40,000 to 13 projects around the county. A few of those projects included repairs to the rear deck at the Fort Peck Summer Theatre, installing a backup generator at the Lustre School, purchasing hygiene kits distributed to area schools from the Valley County Health Department, and repairs to the main cabin and bath houses at Boy Scout Park.

The Valley County Community Foundation is a steward of a community savings account through which private assets, entrusted by donors, are invested to meet the challenges of contemporary life. The Foundation is the guardian of a permanent endowment where the income generated is used to help fund economic, cultural and charitable projects in Valley County.

Deadline for applications is March 31, 2026, and can be found at valleycountycf.net.

From Valley County Health Department:

Valley County is currently reporting 21 active COVID-19 cases and 14 active influenza cases. Staying informed and getting tested when you’re sick helps protect our community. VCHD offers free COVID-19 and Flu A & B drive-by testing, provided by our staff — quick, convenient, and right from your vehicle. If you’re feeling ill, and would like to be tested, please call to schedule.

Small steps make a big difference in keeping Valley County healthy!

Two state senators and a former lawmaker filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against an omnibus piece of legislation that made broad changes to property tax law, alleging it doesn’t adhere to the state constitution.

The lawsuit, filed against the state and the state’s Department of Revenue, alleges Rep. Llew Jones, a Conrad Republican, orchestrated an effort to gut the original intention of Senate Bill 542 and replaced it with “controversial” legislation through amendments and misled the public while he did it.

Sen. Greg Hertz, Sen. Tom McGillvray and former legislator Keith Regier jointly filed the lawsuit. Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The original goal of the property tax legislation discussion was to figure out a way to lower property taxes for Montanans. Numerous bills were discussed, ranging from so-called “Homestead exemptions” to a simple freeze to more rebates. One of the popular fixes supported pushing the tax burden onto out-of-state residents who own homes in Montana.

Regier, who is the father of Senate President Matt Regier, said the opposite has happened.

“Instead, they’ve accelerated the land grab by significantly raising taxes on multigenerational properties that will force Montanans to sell their family legacy property to someone with the financial means to pay the tax bill,” Regier said.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte supported the Homestead Tax exemption and his office indicated support for the legislation on Wednesday.

“While the governor’s office doesn’t generally comment on litigation, the governor is proud to have signed the only two property tax bills into law that reached his desk, cutting property taxes for 80% of Montana homeowners,” Sean Southard, the Governor’s communication director said in a statement. “If Senate Bill 542 is struck down, property taxes for Montana homeowners will increase significantly, reversing the relief that 80% of homeowners received.”

SB 542 has three parts — a $90 million tax rebate, a permanent restructuring of property tax rates, and, last, a fix to the so-called “Billings problem.” That fix essentially pushed state funds to cities whose charters ran afoul with the changes around mill levies.

Cities with a charter that has specific stipulations around how many mills they can levy without voter approval could have lost millions if the state reimbursement wasn’t added. The suit calls that “vote buying.”

“Individual homeowners received rebates, favored property classes received rate reductions, and charter cities received revenue protection,” the lawsuit reads. “Each piece targeted a different constituency, and each required bundling to secure sufficient votes for passage.”

McGillvray, the senate majority leader, called it “ Washington D.C.-style corruption.”

“Montanans pride ourselves that our Legislature debates each policy idea on its own merits, with genuine public participation,” McGillvray said in a statement. “We’re not Washington, D.C., where massive bills get cobbled together behind closed doors and shoved down legislators’ throats as ‘must pass’ legislation.”

The suit says that 10 days before SB 542 had a hearing in the Senate’s Taxation committee, Rep. Jones had already decided to gut the original bill, which was originally a three-page bill that froze property taxes for two years. By the end, it was a 40-page behemoth, which some legislators took to calling “Frankenstein”, and included none of the original wording of SB 542 as introduced by Sen. Wylie Galt.

“At that hearing, neither Jones nor any other legislator disclosed the plan to Montana citizens who testified in support of what they believed was a simple property valuation freeze,” the suit reads.

The suit calls pairing unpopular legislation with things that are more palatable “log rolling,” which the suit says violates the state’s constitution and the single-subject bill rule. Essentially, the title of the bill should reflect what’s in it, at least in theory.

The lawsuit even quotes Jones, saying “When later asked about using cash rebates to buy votes for a complex rate restructuring bill, Jones admitted: “On the rebate deal, I support it because now it’s what it takes to pass the bill … [S]ometimes, that’s the cost of doing business up here.”

The suit says the bill combined multiple subjects into a single bill: specific appropriation for a one-time rebate, permanent property tax rate restructuring, as well as charter overrides and municipal reimbursement. The suit says that’s unconstitutional.

It goes on to say, in direct terms, “If the Legislature can deliberately bundle appropriations with substantive policy to buy votes, then Article V, § 11(4) becomes meaningless – a suggestion rather than a command.”

The bundling also pushed legislators into an unconstitutional choice, the suit says.

“Accept the controversial permanent rate restructuring if they wanted to support the popular temporary rebate; or reject the popular rebate if they opposed the controversial restructuring,” the suit states, going on to say that’s why the single-subject rule exists.

Frustration has been mounting everywhere over the issue. Missoula County caught some criticism from legislators over an 8% tax hike in response to state legislation.

And the Department of Revenue is fielding questions on property taxes, though it said that fewer people appealed their property taxes last year in comparison to 2024.

Hertz pointed out during the session that SB 542 was likely unconstitutional, as did House Taxation chair Rep. Paul Fielder.

“I’ve been critical when Montana courts overstep their constitutional boundaries,” Hertz said in a statement. “The Legislature must abide by the same standard. The courts exist to enforce constitutional limits when the legislative process itself has been corrupted.”

https://northdakotamonitor.com/

A leading North Dakota oil producer is pausing new drilling amid low oil prices, but state regulators emphasized Tuesday the company is not exiting the Bakken.

Continental Resources Founder Harold Hamm said in a recent interview it will be the first time in 30 years the company will not operate a drilling rig in the state. But the company, the No. 2 oil producer in North Dakota, will continue to operate existing wells and likely reevaluate the economics of drilling in a few months.

“Continental is not pulling up stakes and leaving the state,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said during Tuesday’s meeting of the North Dakota Industrial Commission.

Continental Resources had been operating three drilling rigs in North Dakota, but one has ceased operations, said Nathan Anderson, director of the Department of Mineral Resources. The two other rigs are expected to go offline by early March, Anderson said.

Hamm told Bloomberg News that oil and gas companies are reassessing their drilling activity in all oil fields, not just North Dakota’s Bakken, due to thin profit margins.

“There’s no need to drill it when margins are basically gone,” Hamm said in the article.

A public relations representative from Continental Resources did not return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

The breakeven price for companies operating in North Dakota ranges from $50 per barrel to $65 per barrel in West Texas Intermediate prices, depending on the geographic location, Anderson said. The price of WTI oil was $60 per barrel as of Tuesday morning.

Low oil prices are likely to continue unless the supply of crude oil on the international market drops significantly or if demand grows quickly.

“It’s a world problem. It’s not just a North Dakota issue,” Anderson said. “We’re oversupplied by 2 (million) to 3 million barrels right now.”

There are 30 active drilling rigs in North Dakota, three fewer than a year ago at this time, Department of Mineral Resources data shows. By comparison, the state had 27 drilling rigs operating during a downturn in 2016 and 11 rigs operating amid the COVID-19 downturn in the summer of 2020.

“To be clear, this isn’t the first time an oil company has laid down rigs,” Armstrong said. “It’s happened a lot.”

Anderson said he has heard from two other companies that have indicated they plan to halt drilling in the Bakken.

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said a divide has been developing between privately-owned companies and public companies traded on the stock market.

“The private companies have taken similar actions, or are in the process of taking similar actions,” Ness said. “The public companies have maybe gone from three rigs back to two rigs, tapping the brakes a little bit.”

North Dakota produced an average of 1.1 million barrels of oil per day in October, the most recent figures available. Only Texas and New Mexico produce more.

While companies will sometimes shut in production due to low prices, Ness said he has not heard of that happening at this time.

“You’re still producing the wells that you have,” Ness said. “We’re still going to make 1.1 million barrels a day for a while, but it will decline the longer this goes on.”

Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, R-Williston, said if other operators stop drilling, that impacts state oil tax revenue as well as sales tax revenue.

Many drilling and hydraulic fracturing crews are based in Williston, Bekkedahl said, which means downturns in activity have a significant impact on the local community.

“As they start to downsize their operations, we take significant reductions in population to the city of Williston,” he said.

The National Civics Bee is an annual competition for middle school students designed to inspire young Americans to engage in civics and contribute to their communities. Students who participate in the National Civics Bee gain knowledge about American democracy, practice engaging respectfully and constructively, and build trust in others and institutions. Students strengthen their civics, writing, and public speaking skills, and form friendships with other young leaders along the way.

The Mansfield Center is the official Montana Civics Bee representative on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. In 2026, we offer a nonpartisan Bee in partnership with the Chamber Foundation, the Montana 250th Commission, and local Chambers of Commerce in Kalispell, Helena, and Miles City. The Montana Bee is designed to reinvigorate civic education and help prepare schools and communities to mark the upcoming 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

This multi-round event supports students in learning about and demonstrating their understanding of U.S. government, history, and civic responsibility through multiple-choice questions and a civic engagement essay. Winners receive recognition, scholarships, and the opportunity to advance to the national competition.

Past Years

On May 10, 2025, sixteen middle school students from across Montana gathered at Capital High School in Helena to compete in the Montana Statewide Civics Bee. These young civic leaders showcased their knowledge, critical thinking, and passion for public service in a dynamic three-round competition.

For more information: https://www.umt.edu/mansfield/democracy-programs/national-civics-bee/

In Rounds I and II, students tackled 20 civics-based multiple-choice questions, testing their understanding of our government, history, and democratic principles. The top five scorers advanced to the final round, where they delivered compelling three-minute pitches based on original essays outlining their solutions to pressing community challenges. They then fielded thoughtful questions from a distinguished panel of judges: Montana Supreme Court Justice Jim Shea, Cheryl Jones of the League of Women Voters, and Steve Armstrong, representing both the Sons of the American Revolution and the Montana 250 Commission.

Daisy, from Pray, earned first place and a $1,000 prize. She will go on to represent Montana at the National Civics Bee in Washington, D.C., on November 10-11, 2025. Gage, from Pine Creek, secured second place and a $500 prize, while Ainsley, also from Pine Creek, placed third and received $250.

From UM News Service

MISSOULA – University of Montana President Seth Bodnar today announced he will step down after eight years leading the state’s flagship institution. UM’s leadership transition will begin immediately.

After notifying the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education and the Montana Board of Regents, Bodnar issued the following message to the campus:

“I write today with a deep sense of gratitude to share that I am stepping down from my role as president of the University of Montana.

“I love this university and am inspired by our work here. Service has always been the animating force of my life, and Chelsea and I would like to consider whether to pursue a new way to serve our state and our nation. I will work closely with Commissioner Christian and our leadership team to ensure a smooth handover of my responsibilities here at UM, after which my family and I will focus on this consideration.

“Teddy Roosevelt once said, ‘Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.’ Serving as president of this university has been the most meaningful professional experience of my life. A little over eight years ago, Chelsea and I arrived here in Missoula, three young kids in tow, wide-eyed and hopeful about the future. I will always remember those first weeks here: the warm welcomes and receptions, the apprehension about the challenges our university faced, the long days and nights at the office, and, most importantly, the knowledge that we had been given the opportunity to work alongside a group of incredibly passionate and talented people who cared deeply about their university and their community. Montana, Chelsea’s family’s home for five generations, quickly became my home and the place our kids would spend their formative years.

“Today, I remain all in on Montana, UM, and the vital work we do – for our students, for our state, and for our country. What we do here matters. Now more than ever.

“Throughout my time here, I’ve spoken often about inclusive prosperity. It’s not a slogan; it’s a guiding principle that shapes how we teach, how we lead, and how we serve. These words speak to our collective responsibility to ensure that every member of our community – regardless of their background, the size of their bank account, or where they grew up – has the opportunity to reach their unique, full potential. These words reflect a long-standing truth: When high-quality education is accessible and affordable, it transforms not just individual lives, but entire families and communities. This remains key to the promise at the heart of the American Dream: that anyone who’s willing to show up and work hard ought to have a fair shake at building a better life for themselves and their family.

“That’s why I came to UM, it’s why I’ve poured my heart and soul into our work here, and it’s why I believe so deeply in UM’s future.

“This university is strong, not because of any one person, building, or program, but because of the people who show up to work here each and every day, fueled by a sense of purpose and conviction. Over the past eight years, we’ve leaned into the challenge of delivering on a trifecta of imperatives: world-class quality, wide open access, and broad affordability. We’ve made tough decisions. We’ve embraced innovation – even when it required us to stretch. We’ve supported one another through a global pandemic and emerged from it even stronger. And we’ve done it all in service to our students and our state.

“Together, we have reversed a decade-long enrollment decline. We’ve achieved record-high retention and graduation rates. We’ve significantly expanded access to education for low-income, first-generation, Native American, and military-affiliated students. We’ve nearly doubled our research award volume and earned R1 research status. We’ve been named the #1 university in the nation for community and national service, as well as the most military-friendly university in the nation. We completed the university’s largest fundraising campaign ever, and we’ve undertaken the largest infrastructure renewal in campus history, making investments that will benefit generations of Grizzlies to come.

“But perhaps most importantly, we’ve fueled pride in this incredible institution – not by chasing prestige, but by being unapologetically true to who we are: a public flagship university committed to the common good and to fostering prosperity for all.

“Our work has never been about ‘fixing’ a university. It’s been about building a durable foundation for the future – one centered on students, grounded in values, and powered by belief in what public higher education can still mean in this country.

“That important work and the momentum we’ve built will continue, just as it has since this university was chartered nearly 133 years ago. We have an outstanding leadership team in place, an excellent group of deans, and incredibly talented faculty and staff. Our enrollment trajectory is positive, with applications for this coming fall’s class very strong and retention and persistence rates continuing to rise. Our strategic direction is clear. And the important work underway – to expand opportunity, deepen our impact, and serve the needs of all Montanans – will carry forward.

“Our family will miss this university and each of you dearly. This campus – a place where Chelsea spent a good portion of her childhood – has been the source of countless memories for our family, and I will be forever grateful to Commissioner Christian and the Board of Regents for giving us the opportunity to be part of something uniquely special.

“It has been my incredible privilege to serve alongside each of you in our important work here at UM. Thank you for your faith in me these past eight years, for your incredible hard work and commitment to our students, and for your belief in the importance of this university’s mission.”

Glasgow is one of 18 Montana communities selected to participate in the sixth Reimagining Rural virtual community gathering series, a free program offered through Montana State University Extension that focuses on strengthening rural community vitality.

Reimagining Rural invites residents of small towns to explore new ideas, share successes, and spark conversations about the future of their communities. Along with Glasgow, participating towns include Ekalaka, Lima/Dell, Hays, Hardin, Forsyth, Boulder, Baker, Glendive, Browning, Chester, Condon, Hysham, Fromberg, Havre, Malta, Cut Bank, and Miles City.

Local sessions will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesdays, Feb. 4, 11, and 18, at the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, located next to Verizon at 54147 Hwy. 2, Suite 2, Glasgow.

The Reimagining Rural series features presentations from rural development experts and highlights success stories from small towns across Montana. While the presentations are delivered virtually, participants gather locally to watch together and then take part in facilitated discussions focused on how new ideas could be applied in their own communities.

The program is designed for rural communities that may be experiencing challenges such as declining school enrollment, loss of businesses, or shifts in local industry. Its goal is to inspire volunteer engagement, build local capacity, strengthen partnerships, and encourage innovative thinking.
Reimagining Rural is sponsored by the Montana Community Foundation.

Community members of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend. Whether you’re a volunteer, community leader, or simply passionate about Glasgow’s future, organizers say the series offers a chance to dream big and help shape what’s next for the community.

An arctic cold front is expected from Thursday through Saturday across northeast Montana which will bring lows Thursday night and Friday morning between -5 southwest and -30 near the Canadian border.

Any wind that occurs may produce wind chills as low -40.

The Glasgow City Council met in regular session on Tuesday.

The council approved a resolution appointing Chris Duros to the Glasgow Volunteer Fire Department for a probationary period of 6 month.

The group who raised money and guided the construction of a new Glasgow Swimming Pool, is using $15,000 of donated money to pay for Interstate Engineering to design a future splash park to be located at Hoyt Park. The city council approved the contract but no plans are currently in the works for the city to approve a splash park to be constructed at Hoyt Park. The group is interested in knowing how much a splash park would cost if it were to be built.

A committee of the city council is currently working on a job description for the Director of Public Works position which is currently vacant after the departure of Paul Skubina. Applications are currently being accepted for the Chief of Police position which will be open when Chief Robert Weber retires this year.

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) is announcing and inviting the public to comment on a proposal that will resurface about 4.5 miles of Secondary Highway 246 (S 246), northwest of Glasgow. The project begins at the intersection with Long Sukut Road, and extends northwest, ending near Tampico Road West.

Proposed work includes milling the existing surface, applying a new overlay, and finishing with a seal and cover (chip seal), upgraded pavement markings, signage, and guardrail. The purpose of the project is to extend the service life of the pavement and reduce maintenance costs.

Construction is tentatively planned for 2027 depending on completion of design and availability of funds. No new right-of-way or utility relocations will be needed.

Partnering with the community is an important part of properly planning for future projects. MDT welcomes the public to provide ideas and comments on the proposed project. Comments may be submitted online at mdt.mt.gov/contact/comment-form.aspx or in writing to Montana Department of Transportation, Glendive office, PO Box 890, Glendive, MT 59330-0890. Please note that comments are for project UPN 10676000.

The public is encouraged to contact Glendive District Project Development Engineer Jim Frank at 406-345-8214 or Project Design Engineer Joy Fleming at 406-345-8221 with questions or comments about the project.

For more information about active MDT projects around the state, please visit our website and MDT’s five-year Tentative Construction Plan.

MDT is a workforce of over 2,000 people across Montana determined to do all we can so that you arrive at your destination safely. Our mission is to build, operate, and maintain a safe and resilient transportation system. For more information, visit mdt.mt.gov.

To request an alternative accessible format of this document, please contact MDT’s ADA Coordinator at 406-444-5416, Montana Relay Service at 711, or by email at mmaze@mt.gov.

Reata Walden is pleased to announce that she has been awarded $1500 through AgWest Farm Credit’s Rural Community Grant program, to be used towards her 4-H Leadership Project.

Her 4-H Leadership Project goal is to assist the Valley Ridge Runner’s Saddle Club in refurbishing their arena and crow’s nest. The funds granted to the Ridge Runners Restoration Project will impact the local community by increasing the usability of the arena for the Ridge Runners, Middle of Nowhere Pony Club, and all of Valley County.

Reata is sourcing funding this winter and hopes to put improvements in place this spring and summer. AgWest’s Rural Community Grants provide funds to non-profit organizations for projects that improve rural communities within Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. This includes efforts such as building or improving facilities, purchasing necessary equipment to facilitate a local program, and funding capital improvements which enhance a community’s infrastructure, viability and prosperity.

For more information about the Rural Community Grant Program, please visit AgWest’s Rural Community Grants’ Webpage. For more information about the Ridge Runners Restoration Project, contact Reata Walden at (406)-974-7780.

Save the date and plan to attend a conservation fundraising dinner hosted by the Hi-Line Sportsmen on Saturday evening, Feb. 21 at Glasgow’s St. Raphael’s Parish Center gymnasium.

The “keep-it-local” conservation group took last year off, but is hosting its 9th annual banquet that will once again offer a wide variety of guns and one-of-a-kind items available to win on raffle or auction. Proceeds from the banquet fund a wide variety of conservation projects, college scholarships, youth field days, and other events that benefit wildlife, hunters and anglers, and landowners in Valley and neighboring counties.

The evening is a celebration of fellowship and the group’s renewed commitment to improving the wildlife, habitats, outdoors opportunities, and communities across northeastern Montana. It’s an opportunity to win guns, sporting goods, and many items donated by local businesses and organizations. It’s also an evening to eat a perfectly roasted prime rib dinner with shrimp and all the fixings.

Tickets for the banquet cost $50 per seat. Businesses or groups of friends can reserve $500 tables that seat 8 and come with premium table gifts. Attendees who purchase tickets prior to Feb. 7 will be entered into an early bird drawing.

Doors open on Feb. 21 at 4:30 p.m. for drinks and games. A prime rib dinner with all the trimmings will be served starting at 6 p.m. Nearly a dozen rifles, shotguns, and handguns will be auctioned or raffled over the course of the evening.

One of the highlights of the annual banquet is the presentation of Hi-Line Sportsmen Scholarships. Since its inception, the group has awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships to Valley County high school seniors, and again this year the scholarship fund will be augmented by proceeds from the auction of special firearms.

For more information on the Feb. 21 banquet and Hi-Line Sportsmen, visit the group’s Facebook page or call club president Justin Schaaf at 406-230-2822.

American Prairie’s permit to graze its bison on federal land has been revoked, according to a new proposed decision from the Bureau of Land Management.

The nonprofit conservation group will lose its right to graze bison on seven plots of land in Phillips County. American Prairie has sought to reintroduce bison to parts of Montana, managing more than 500,000 acres in the state and owning about 167,000 acres. The nonprofit organization has 940 head of bison across 46,000 acres and a mission to create one of the largest nature preserves in the country.

AP has grazed bison using federal leases since 2005. They stand to lose at least 63,000 acres of land they were leasing to graze on. The organization is also concerned about impacts to other livestock owners.

“Our organization and conservation model remain resilient, but that does not negate the fact that this creates uncertainty for all livestock owners who depend on public lands for grazing,” American Prairie CEO Alison Fox said in a press release. “We have followed the law, complied with every requirement, and prioritized transparency at every step.”

Opponents of their bison operation say the Taylor Grazing Act, a bedrock 1934 piece of agricultural legislation, does not allow for conservation grazing, which is essentially grazing that is done for multiple purposes, including ecological benefit. The act does not define what animals can be grazed, only that the Secretary of the Interior can permit “free grazing within such districts of livestock kept for domestic purposes.”

In fact, the act appears more concerned with impacts to other industries, specifically naming various resources, like stone and clay, that can be used on those grazing lands and also protecting the ability to mine in those areas.

The Interior’s argument in the decision rests on two words that are not defined in the act—“livestock” and “domestic.” Two other federal laws cited in the decision — the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the Public Rangeland Improvement Act don’t define the terms either.

“The BLM’s regulations define the term to mean ‘species of domestic livestock—cattle, sheep, horses, burros, and goats,’ the decision said, citing federal code. “But that definition does not answer the question whether livestock can mean anything other than animals managed as part of a production-oriented operation.”

The decision attempts to answer that question, saying that the term “stock” is tied to commerce and “domestic” is the opposite of “wild.”

“The dictionary definition, therefore, supports the proposition that livestock as used in the TGA and related authorities refers to animals “kept for sale or trade,” id., and that the authority to issue grazing permits and leases is limited to applicants who will use the animals to graze the public lands in that manner,” the decision reads.

American Prairie has insisted that there’s nothing in those laws preventing grazing by conservation herds. Even more, for they’ve said they qualify as a stock owner and that they are engaged in the livestock business. And they have sanctioned bison hunts as well.

“Our bison herd has supported food security, improved rangeland health, and created valuable opportunities for local nonprofits which include veterans associations, youth organizations, and local sportsmen’s chapters,” Fox said in a release. “Those benefits should matter. Instead, we’re seeing a departure from consistent application of the law that puts producers and working lands at risk.”

Burgum assumed control of the case last year, which came after pressure mounted from Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte and the four members of the state’s Congressional delegation.

He praised the decision in a press release.

“Today’s decision by BLM is a win for Montana’s ranchers, our agricultural producers, and the rule of law,” Gianforte said in a statement. “For years, we have raised serious concerns about the federal government’s failure to listen to the folks who live and work the land. By proposing to cancel these permits, BLM is finally acknowledging that federal overreach cannot come at the expense of our local communities and the production agriculture that feeds our nation. I’m proud of our administration’s work to achieve this decision and I would like to thank Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and BLM for following the law and putting Montanans first.”

In that letter, the politicians say American Prairie is harming the state economy, which the nonprofit has bristled at, calling the notion “absurd” last year.

Gianforte painted the decision as a win for farmers and ranchers, though some ranchers have expressed that billionaire ranch owners are a bigger problem than any issues they might have at American Prairie.

“This administration will always stand with our farmers and ranchers against federal overreach,” Gianforte concluded. “We will continue to protect our way of life and ensure that Montana voices are heard in Washington, D.C.”

American Prairie has 15 days from receiving the decision to file an appeal.

“American Prairie is reviewing the decision and determining its course of action, and will continue to advocate for a public-lands grazing system that is lawful, predictable, and applied equally,” a press release from the organization said.

Gov. Greg Gianforte formally requested a presidential major disaster declaration last week for a windstorm late last year.

The windstorm impacted most of the state, toppling trees and powerlines, blocking roads and generally creating hazardous driving conditions. The winds lasted for hours, as winds from the upper atmosphere blasted the state, with some areas just beginning the early recovery process from devastating floods.

Some schools also lost their roof in the storm, five in all, Gianforte said in a press release. And in one of those schools, vermiculite asbestos was found.

In a press release from his office, Gianforte stated the ask from the federal government for windstorm damages is $6.5 million. Flooding in western Montana, which Gianforte also asked for a separate presidential disaster declaration on Jan. 9, totaled almost $10 million.

“The totality of impact from the most detrimental windstorm in 30 years is estimated to be $13.3 million,” Gianforte said in a press release. “Damages, response, and recovery efforts impacted 45 of 56 Montana Counties, five of seven Tribal Nations including one with significant water system damages, five school districts, and 19 of 25 Rural Electrical Cooperatives. Damage from the storm is spread across 80 percent of Montana.”

Gianforte went on to say the damage was “unparalleled for this time of year.”

The Glasgow City Council is set to meet tonight at 5pm in the Glasgow Civic Center.

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Discussion and Decision Meeting
Valley County, Glasgow, Mt

Wednesday January 21, 2026, 10:30 a.m.

1. Additions/Deletions
2. Public Comment on Agenda items
3. Action on Employment/Termination Notices
4. Consideration of Pliley Minor Subdivision with Casey Burke, County Planner providing an overview.
5. Public Comment on Non-agenda items

Friday and Saturday were extremely windy days for much of eastern Montana. Back to Friday in Glasgow, the average wind speed was 29.7mph, with a top sustained wind of 51mph and peak gust of 67mph.

Saturday's peak gust was just 28mph, but Sunday saw a gust of 49mph, with average wind speed of 16.7mph.

Ryan Dennis of KRTV reported that the windiest day on record occurred in both Baker (38.1mph) and Miles City (32.6mph).

On January 15, 2026, Leone Tautuiaki Ahoia, 34, of Nashua, was arrested in connection with an incident that occurred earlier the same day at McDonald’s. Ahoia is accused of entering the restaurant, assaulting two employees, and causing damage to the property.

Following the incident, Ahoia fled the scene and was later located and arrested at Ezzie’s Midtown. During the investigation, it was learned that Ahoia was accompanied by an individual who is listed in an active order of protection.

Ahoia was charged with Burglary, two counts of Assault, Criminal Mischief/Vandalism, and Violation of a No-Contact Order. The charges are allegations only, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Ahoia will be held pending an appearance before a judge to determine conditions of release.

Two incumbents have filed for 2 open positions on the Glasgow School Board. Blaine White and Whitney Tatafu both filed the necessary paperwork and are now officially candidates for the school board.

Filing opened in December and will close on February 9th.

School elections are set for May 5th across Montana.

Those interested in being a candidate for the Glasgow School Board can contact the Central Office for more information.

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 58 MPH - 7 W Carlyle, Wibaux, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 64 MPH - 10 ESE Zortman, Phillips, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 70 MPH -2 W Bloomfield, Dawson, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 70 MPH -9 SW Bredette, Roosevelt, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 74 MPH -2 E Fort Peck, McCone, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 66 MPH - 13 NNE Nelson Creek Rec, McCone, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 60 MPH - 1 NNE Froid, Roosevelt, MT

ASOS reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 64 MPH - 2 NNE Glasgow, Valley MT

AWOS reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 61 MPH - 1 NW Forest Park, Dawson, MT

Mesonet reports Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 65 MPH - 5 ESE Hoyt, Dawson, MT

There is a new flavor in the Girl Scout cookie lineup this year.

The organization has added a rocky-road-inspired cookie called “Exploremores,” which are now on sale.

The new chocolate sandwich cookie has a creamy filling with notes of chocolate, marshmallow, and toasted-almond-flavored crème.

Like the Girl Scouts’ other cookies, they will be sold online and in person by local troops.

In exchange for “Exploremores,” the Girl Scouts discontinued the “S’mores” and “Toast-Yay!” cookies after several years on sale.

The 2026 Girl Scout cookie lineup includes:

Adventurefuls
Lemon-Ups or Lemonades (depending on your region)
Trefoils
Do-si-dos
Samoas
Tagalongs
Thin Mints
Exploremores
Toffee-tastics (gluten-free)

The national average for a gallon of regular gas went up a couple of cents since last week to $2.84. Drivers are still paying less than they were last year when the national average was $3.08. Pump prices are typically low in January thanks to a dip in gas demand and cheaper winter blend gasoline. Crude oil prices remain low as markets keep an eye on tensions in Iran, which is a member of OPEC and one of the world’s top oil producers. Any disruption to Iran’s oil infrastructure could have a ripple effect on gas prices here at home.

Today’s National Average: $ 2.844

One Week Ago: $2.819

One Month Ago: $2.906

One Year Ago: $3.089

The average price of gasoline in Montana is $2.74 per gallon compared to $2.86 per gallon in 2025. The average price of gasoline in Valley County is $2.73 per gallon.

According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand increased last week from 8.17 million b/d to 8.30 million. Total domestic gasoline supply increased from 242 million barrels to 251 million. Gasoline production increased last week, averaging 9.0 million barrels per day.

Oil Market Dynamics

At the close of Wednesday’s formal trading session, WTI rose 87 cents to settle at $62.02 a barrel. The EIA reports crude oil inventories increased by 3.4 million barrels from the previous week. At 422.4 million barrels, U.S. crude oil inventories are about 3% below the five-year average for this time of year.

State Stats

Gas

The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are Hawaii ($4.40), California ($4.21), Washington ($3.79), Alaska ($3.47), Nevada ($3.35), Oregon ($3.33), Washington, DC ($3.10), Pennsylvania ($3.01), Michigan ($2.99), and Vermont ($2.99).

The nation’s top 10 least expensive gasoline markets are Oklahoma ($2.32), Texas ($2.42), Kansas ($2.42), Mississippi ($2.43), Louisiana ($2.43), Arkansas ($2.45), Missouri ($2.46), Wyoming ($2.49), Alabama ($2.50), and Iowa ($2.50).

The Business Professionals of America (BPA) team departed at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 14, to compete in many different business competitions at the Regional competition in Lambert. Glasgow competes in Region 8 of Montana, and 24 students represented the school at the conference—delivering an outstanding performance throughout the day.

“I was really proud of how hard they prepared and how they showed up today,” said Jill Page, BPA advisor.

All of the students listed below earned the opportunity to advance to the State BPA competition in March, which will be held in Billings. Students who place at State can move on to compete at the National Leadership Conference in Nashville. All the students represented our school professionally, in some cases, stepped out of their comfort zone, and finished something hard, even if they didn't place.--That matters! Below is the list of how things finished up for us:

Front: Blake Estes, Mary Knierim, Breelyn Marsalek, Niyoka Harris, Alexys Wittmayer, Guinevere Abern, Haleigh Huntsman, Leah Potter, Tessa Stutheit, Ryla Brown

Back: Rayne Jenkins, Kyler Whitman, Garrett Thompson, Jackson Abern, Bridger Wesely, Gabe Allen, Rowen Kloker, Mayzie Yoakam, Amelia Gilchrist, Amani Probert, Violet Thompson, Harper Thompson

Not pictured: Sadie White, Riley Clampitt

University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is expected to run for U.S. Senate as an Independent, part of an elaborate plan apparently backed by former U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in a move that has angered Democrats.

A spokesperson for Bodnar confirmed the plan to Montana Free Press on Tuesday, saying that the president will wait to discuss the election until he’s ready to make a formal announcement. The spokesperson said Bodnar would resign his presidential post to run.

Rumors of the move swirled through Democratic circles last week as it appeared that Tester intended not to support a Democratic challenger to two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, who played a heavy role in unseating Tester in 2024. The Republican has never had a close race for federal office.

Democrats Reilly Neill, a former state Legislator from Livingston, and Air Force veteran Alani Bankhead have registered Senate campaigns with the Federal Elections Commission.

A text message — allegedly sent by Tester, who did not return multiple calls from Montana Free Press on Monday or Wednesday — states not only that a Democrat cannot win the race, but that the party’s brand had become a drag on his last two elections.

“Every race I ran as Montana Senator and U.S. Senator it was about distancing myself from the Democratic Party…. During my last two races the democratic Party was poison in my attempts to get re-elected,” the text reads. The message ends with a declaration that Neill will lose badly.

Several people had forwarded copies of the text to MTFP, but no one could confirm Tester as its source. The phone number from which the text was originally sent had been removed from the circulated message, which was signed with the initials “JT.”

Todd Buchanan, the chair of the Montana Board of Regents, which oversees state universities, said in an email Tuesday that he had heard nothing about a Bodnar Senate run. Buchanan’s father, Gary, was an Independent candidate for Montana’s eastern U.S. House district in 2022. In that race, won by Republican Matt Rosendale in a blowout, Buchanan received 21.8% of the vote, slightly better than Democrat Penny Ronning’s 20%.

Neill, who registered her Senate candidacy in November 2024, three days after Tester lost his reelection bid to current U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy, a Republican, said she didn’t have time for political scuttlebutt when asked about a Bodnar run.

“I don’t hear on the ground anything other than we need better health care. Whether you’re in Glendive or whether you’re in Kalispell, the rent’s too damn high. The rent’s high, people. The cost of living is high. Groceries are high,” Neill said. “I think Daines not showing up in any of these places that I’ve been is a huge issue.”

Neill was a write-in candidate for Montana’s eastern U.S. House District in 2024. She entered the race out of disappointment with the candidacy of Democrat John Driscoll, who won a four-way primary, then proceeded to run a low-dollar campaign.

Driscoll never crossed the $5,000 threshold in donations or spending that would have required him to report his finances with the Federal Election Commission. It was the first time since 2008 that a major party nominee in a Montana congressional race didn’t have to report finances to the FEC. Driscoll was the Democrats’ 2008 House candidate as well. In both races, Driscoll picked up better than 32% of the vote, about 10 points less than the Democrats who ran conventional campaigns from 2010 through 2020, according to state election data.

The specter of Montana’s last statewide elected Democrat supporting an Independent for federal office angered many within the party.

“This text from Tester, or whatever it is, we don’t know if it exists really, or where it started, and all the rest of it. This helps Steve Daines. It helps the Republican Party. It helps [Republican Gov. Greg] Gianforte, who is well-equipped because he has the Board of Regents. And the Board of Regents, they direct the activity of the person who is theoretically running,” said former Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer in an interview with MTFP on Wednesday.

Schweitzer won more than 65% of the votes in his 2008 reelection campaign, the highest vote share for a Montana Democratic candidate for governor in at least 50 years. He told MTFP on Wednesday that it was important for Democrats to back their candidates, even ones with little name recognition.

“That was the case when [Republican] Conrad Burns was U.S. senator in Montana. A state senator nobody had heard of from Big Sandy was going to run against him. You could have made the case that the Democrats didn’t have a good candidate,” Schweitzer said.

That no-name state senator from Big Sandy was Jon Tester, who won the race. “There’s a lot of time,” Schweitzer said. “That’s why we have primaries. People are able to start connecting with people and the two-party system narrows it down.”

Schweitzer was one of several Democrats contacted by MTFP since last week who suggested the push for an Independent Senate candidate was being driven by “the consultant industrial complex,” that is to say, professional campaign analysts capable of organizing significant third-party investment from political action committees.

The former governor suggested that the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Nebraska is a model for an Independent Senate campaign. In that race, Independent Dan Osborn challenged incumbent Republican Sen. Deb Fischer. Without a Democrat on the ballot, Osborn won nearly 47% of the vote and outraised Fischer $15 million to $8.4 million according to FEC data. Outside spending in the race also favored the Independent, $20 million to $9.3 million, again according to the FEC.

Daines is one of the Republican Party’s better performers in Montana. His lowest margin of victory since 2012 was a 9.4% in a U.S. House race. In 2014, his margin approached 18% as his Democratic opponent, John Walsh, dropped out because of a plagiarism scandal concerning an academic paper Walsh wrote as a student at the War College. The National Republican Senatorial Committee later admitted leaking the Walsh paper to the New York Times days before the deadline for Democrats to select a replacement candidate.

Amanda Curtis, the current president of the Montana Federation of Public Employees, finished the 2014 Senate race for Montana Democrats.

In 2020, Daines won reelection to the Senate by defeating then-Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock by a 10% margin. That year, Republicans won every statewide race in Montana.

Bodnar has been president of the University of Montana since late 2018. He is a West Point graduate and veteran of the Green Berets. He is still active in the U.S. Army Reserve. Prior to becoming president of the University of Montana, Bodnar was an executive at General Electric working on next-generation freight locomotives.

Fault lines between Tester and Montana Democrats about the party’s future emerged at the Montana Democratic Party officers’ convention in Livingston. Party members didn’t back Tester’s pick for party chair, Mike Jopek.

Tester, who participated remotely, told voters that “The Democratic Party is in trouble. We have done it to ourselves. We have focused on blue districts and not other districts throughout the state. We are seen in polling as woke and weak.”

The party’s newly elected vice chair, Max Johansen, at the convention told MTFP that Tester should have been “more proactive and forthright” about Tester’s 2024 Republican opponent Sheehy during the election.

Johansen resigned as vice chair a few days after the remarks and the party apologized to Tester.

In a post-convention interview with MTFP, Tester said “Things have changed. There’s too many people in the party right now that don’t think I have any value. And I’m OK with that.”

The Local Little Christmas Winners were drawn on Tuesday on Live Under the Big Sky. Lisa Koski of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce told Kltz/Mix93 that there were over 2900 entries in the promotion with the total amount spent locally $290,200!

Congratulations to the winners!

Glasgow Elks Lodge #1922 was recently awarded a Beacon Grant from the Elks National Foundation (ENF) for the 2025-2026 Elks year. The Lodge applied for and received a $4,000 Beacon Grant with the purpose of purchasing school supplies and basic needs items for children in our local area.

With this grant, the Glasgow Lodge purchased them items to donate to the Backpack Fairies program that was started by anonymous generous caring individuals years ago. The supplies the Elks purchased will be distributed through the Backpack Fairies program to those who can benefit from their help. All ENF grants must serve specific populations in the Lodge’s community. Such as people experiencing homelessness, families facing food insecurity, survivors of abuse, students and families who are under-resourced, Veterans in need of assistance, or individuals facing other barriers.

If you would like to donate to the ENF via the Glasgow Elks, or if you would like more information about the Elks or to become a member, please give the Glasgow Elks a call at 406-228-2233, or email them at Elks1922@nemont.net. See less

The Glasgow School Board will meet tonight at 6pm in the Gary F. Martin Board Room.

2026 is an election year in Montana with state and federal offices on the ballot. The filing for political offices will beginning February 17th and ending March 4th.

There are several Valley County elected positions that will be on the ballot in 2026.

Valley County Commissioner: Paul Tweten
Valley County Sheriff- Tom Boyer
Valley County Clerk and Recorder- Marie Pippin
Valley County Treasurer- Brenda Anderson
Valley County Attorney-Dylan Jensen
Valley County Justice of the Peace- Christi Hillman

Tom Boyer told Kltz/Mix-93 that he plans to run for re-election in 2026.

At the federal level, Steve Daines is up for re-election as is Troy Downing and Ryan Zinke.

At the state level, all 100 seats in the Montana House of Representatives are up for election and 25 of the Montana Senate seats.

For the 2025 calendar year, Missouri River basin runoff above Sioux City, Iowa totaled 19.9 million acre-feet, 78% of average. For 2026, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is forecasting runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa to be near- average at 24.5 MAF, 96% of average.

The 2026 forecast is based on current runoff trends, soil moisture conditions, generally below-average plains snowpack and near-average mountain snowpack. At the start of the 2026 runoff season, which typically begins around March 1, the total volume of water stored in the Missouri River Mainstem reservoir system is expected to be 49.0 MAF, 7.1 MAF below the top of the carryover multiple use zone. The System is designed to use the water contained within the carryover multiple use zone to support the eight Congressionally authorized purposes during extended droughts. Those purposes are flood control, navigation, water supply, irrigation, hydropower, recreation, water quality control, and fish and wildlife.

There is enough water in the river for all water supply needs. Access to the water remains the responsibility of the facility owners and operators. “Weather and river conditions continue to be monitored and releases from Gavins Point Dam will be adjusted to the extent practical to help mitigate any negative effects of the cold weather. We know the importance of our operations to water supply,” added Remus.

Mountain and Plains Snowpack:

Mountain snowpack in the upper Missouri River Basin is accumulating at average rates. As of Jan. 4, mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck reach was 99% of average, while the mountain snowpack in the Fort Peck to Garrison reach was 100% of average. More than half the mountain snowfall typically occurs from Jan. 1 to mid-April and normally peaks near April 17. The mountain snowpack graphics can be viewed at: https://go.mil/mr-mtn-snowpack. While there are some small areas of above average plains snowpack, the plains snowpack is generally below average for this time of year.

Fort Peck Flow Test:

Test releases from Fort Peck that would assess the potential benefits of alternative management scenarios for the pallid sturgeon had been planned to be implemented in 2026. The test would include two higher Fort Peck release periods, in late April and June, with target flows at Wolf Point, Montana. While the Corps continues the planning process for a 2026 Fort Peck Flow Test, current reservoir studies indicate there will not be a sufficient volume of water in the Fort Peck Reservoir to conduct the test in 2026.

Reservoir Forecast:

Fort Peck Dam
Average releases past month – 5,000 cfs
Current release rate – 5,000 cfs
Forecast average release rate – 5,000 cfs
End-of-December reservoir level – 2222,7 feet
Forecast end-of-January reservoir level – 2221.6 feet
Notes: Releases will remain at 5,000 cfs in January and February.
The forecast reservoir releases and elevations discussed above are not definitive. Additional precipitation, lack of precipitation or other circumstances could cause adjustments to the reservoir release rates.

Hydropower:

The six mainstem power plants generated 435 million kWh of electricity in December. Typical energy generation for December is 670 million kWh. Total energy generation for 2025 was 7.7 billion kWh of electricity, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh. Forecast generation for 2026 is 8.0 billion kWh.

From the Glasgow Police Department:

On 1/10/25 Duane Evan Mosely 36 YOA was arrested at his residence in Glasgow.

Mosley was charged with Sexual Intercourse without Consent, Unlawful Restraint and Criminal Mischief/Vandalism of a cellphone from an incident that occurred on or about the 12/22/25.

Mosley was also charged with Strangulation of a Partner of Family Member, Unlawful Restraint and Assault with a Weapon from an altercation that occurred at his residence the night of 1/9/26.

Lastly, Mosley was charged with Disorderly Conduct for an altercation the occurred at the Valley County Detention Center on 1/10/26.

A search warrant was obtained, and evidence was collected from Mosley’s residence.

The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

At this time, the Glasgow Police Department would like to ask the community to respect the Victim’s rights to privacy during a situation such as this. The Victim in this case has been assisted by the Glasgow Victim Witness Specialists. Thank for your assistance during this time of healing.

Four new hunting districts across the state recorded a detection of Chronic Wasting Disease since July 2025, the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks said Friday.

The four districts were in FWP regions 3, 4 and 6. Those regions cover the south west, north central and northeast parts of the state.

The department announced since July, there were 433 positive Chronic Wasting Disease tests out of 8,574 tests to date, an increase from last year, though FWP said it was too early to make any authoritative call on potential new trends.

“Without this data, the risk of CWD going undetected increases, which can lead to significant, long-term declines in herd health and hunting opportunities,” a recent FWP release said. “Proactive management based on hunter-submitted data is the only way to help ensure Montana’s big game populations remain resilient for future generations.”

Of the positive results, 250 were white-tailed deer, 179 were mule deer, and four were elk.

As a comparison, from July 1, 2024, to March 25, 2025, there were 356 positive CWD tests on slightly less than 10,000 samples, according to the 2024 CWD report, published by FWP. However, it’s notable high concentrations of animals were tested in areas already known to have CWD.

The data helps biologists track where the disease is moving and guide where the agency might take management action, such as an extended season on a particular animal and where to concentrate their sampling efforts.

“We use the proportion of positive CWD tests from adult hunter-harvested animals to calculate prevalence in each hunting district,” Jacobsen wrote. “To calculate prevalences, we use data from the last three years. We also look at new detections in hunting districts.”

From July to present, the agency processed 8,574 samples, with 433 of those returning a positive test. The fourth week of the season, Nov. 13-19, saw 1,741 samples collected — the highest sampling week ever for that period. The agency processed samples from 4,537 white-tailed deer, 3,047 mule deer, 944 elk and 46 moose.

FWP wasn’t ready to make any determinations on prevalence of the disease compared to last year, as they need to clean the data — a report on the 2025 hunting season and CWD is expected this summer. There are still active hunts on some animals as well, which could also influence the data.

“We would like to thank our hunters and local communities for your collaboration with our seasonal CWD staff who handled collecting and receiving their samples throughout the season,” Sam Treece, FWP’s wildlife CWD technician supervisor, said in a press release. “We are sincerely grateful each and every year for your contributions in aiding the wildlife heritage of Montana.”

On average, hunters received their tests back in an average of 7.6 days.

CWD is a neurological disease that elk, deer and moose can be infected with, and it’s neither a virus or bacteria. Instead, it’s a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy — a naturally occurring protein, called a prion, that is not broken down by the animal the way it should be.

The disease can be spread through contact with feces and other bodily fluids. Importantly, soil that has been contaminated with any of those fluids can also infect other animals. CWD is always fatal to the creature, and animals can spread the disease long before they develop symptoms.

There isn’t a cure for the disease, and there’s been no recorded transmission of CWD to a human. However, meat from CWD-positive animals should still never be eaten.

There are several ways to get animals tested — hunters can remove an animals lymph nodes and mail them in, or bring the head to any FWP regional office. The results of the test can be then found online.

About 30% of Montana’s hunting districts have CWD-positive animals, and the state has invested significant resources into tracking the disease for nearly three decades.

Extended hunting season

FWP also recently announced it was extending the season on white-tail deer hunting in some parts of southwestern Montana due to a rise in CWD cases there.

The extended season runs through Feb. 15, 2026, in all of Hunting District 309 and portions of HDs 301, 304, 311 and 312. Those are primarily along the Gallatin River corridor where white-tailed deer are most concentrated, FWP said in a press release. The goal of the hunt is to reduce the white-tailed population density.

The agency also reminded hunters to check the specific boundaries of the CWD hunt and that there are weapon restrictions in Hunting District 309.

“Reducing deer numbers in key areas is one of the most effective tools we have to slow the spread of CWD,” Region 3 wildlife manager Warren Hansen said in a press release. “Early action improves our ability to keep disease prevalence low, protect mule deer and elk from potential spillover, and maintain a healthier deer herd overall.”

The Montana Lottery has awarded $1,169,138 in high-tier prizes since January 5.

A high-tier prize is any prize of $600 or more. Winners of $5,000 or more are listed below.

• A Billings winner, playing Montana Millionaire, claimed their prize of $1,000,000 on January 5. The winning ticket was purchased at On The Run in Billings.

• A Glasgow winner, playing Powerball, claimed their prize of $50,000 on January 6. The winning ticket was purchased at Town Pump of Great Falls on 401 10th Avenue South.

• A Vaughn winner, playing Shake A Day, claimed their prize of $19,925 on January 5. The winning ticket was purchased at Ramble Inn, Inc. in Sun River.

• A Flaxville winner, playing Shake A Day, claimed their prize of $18,075 on January 8. The winning ticket was purchased at Kick Ass Bar and Grill.

• A Havre winner, playing MT Slots, claimed their prize of $17,150 on January 8. The winning ticket was purchased at Golden Spike Bar in Havre.

• A Havre winner, playing Shake A Day, claimed their prize of $14,837 on January 8. The winning ticket was purchased at Golden Spike Bar in Havre.

• A Laurel winner, playing Big Sky Bonus, claimed their prize of $12,895 on January 9. The winning ticket was purchased at Stop N Shop in Laurel.

Governor Greg Gianforte Thursday announced that Montana homeowners can now apply for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate, delivering on his commitment to provide permanent and meaningful property tax relief for Montanans.

“Recognizing the burden of rising property taxes, we worked with the Legislature to deliver permanent and meaningful property tax relief,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Thanks to our reforms, 80% of Montana homeowners saw lower property taxes last year. While those who claimed a property tax rebate are already enrolled for the lower rate this year, homeowners can verify their status or claim the lower rate by visiting Homestead.MT.gov.”

Largely a function of local jurisdictions, property taxes fund local government services, with approximately 80 percent of property tax revenue from residential homeowners going directly to local jurisdictions and the remaining 20 percent going to the State of Montana which returns the amount in full to help fund K-12 public schools throughout the state.

Beginning December 1, 2025, Montana homeowners became eligible to apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate for the 2026 tax year. To qualify, applicants must attest that they will own and live in their Montana home as their principal residence for at least seven months during 2026. When applying, homeowners will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, and the names and Social Security numbers of the property owners.

House Bill 231, carried by Representative Llew Jones, R-Conrad, established the Homestead Rate, which takes effect this year. The Homestead Rate is a new, lower property tax rate for long-term rentals and primary residences, the places Montanans call home.

Properties that qualified for and received the 2025 property tax rebate will automatically qualify for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate if ownership has not changed and the property continues to be used as the primary residence. Additionally, the application period for the Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate is now open. To qualify, properties must be rented to tenants as their residence for periods of 28 days or longer for at least seven months of the year. Applicants will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, owner information, and details on rental income and expenses.

In November, Gov. Gianforte announced that nearly 80% of homes will see a tax cut from the reforms, with about 10% seeing property taxes remain flat. The average savings for homeowners who saw a tax cut was more than $500, not including the up to $400 property tax rebate available to eligible homeowners.

Senate Bill 542, carried by Senator Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, establishes new, tiered tax rates to deliver property tax relief for Montanans for their homes, small businesses, farms, and ranches in 2025 and provided a property tax rebate for Montanans for their primary residence. Eligible Montana homeowners could claim a rebate up to $400 last year for property taxes paid in 2024.

Last year, more than 235,000 Montana homeowners claimed and received a property tax rebate. Montana homeowners who claimed and received a property tax rebate in 2025 may be automatically enrolled in the Homestead Rate for 2026, provided the homeowner did not move or change ownership in 2025.

Montanans can verify enrollment or apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate and Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate by visiting homestead.mt.gov.

From Energy Information Administration:

The U.S. retail price for regular grade gasoline averaged $3.10 per gallon (gal) in 2025, $0.21/gal less than in 2024. This year marks the third consecutive year of declining nominal retail gasoline prices, according to data from our Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update.

Crude oil prices are the largest component of U.S. gasoline prices. U.S. gasoline prices fell in 2025 because of lower crude oil prices, which were driven by oversupply concerns and a weaker global economic outlook in the first half of the year that dampened demand.

U.S. retail gasoline prices have fallen every year since 2022, when prices spiked to their highest since 2014 when adjusted for inflation after petroleum product prices increased sharply following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The retail gasoline price was highest in 2025 in early April when it reached $3.24/gal, still less than 2024’s high price of $3.67/gal, also reached in April. Similar to 2024, the 2025 high price preceded the summer driving season, which is when gasoline use peaks in the United States and often sets the highest prices of the year. Summer prices were relatively lower for gasoline and other petroleum products because of lower crude oil prices through the second half of the year. Retail gasoline prices decreased to an annual low of $2.81/gal in late December, as low crude oil prices combined with declining crack spreads at the end of November.

U.S. gasoline consumption in 2025 decreased on an annual average basis by less than 1% from 2024. Despite slightly lower consumption, a small increase in net exports in 2025 contributed to similar inventory levels as 2024. In 2025, Memorial Day gasoline prices, which signal the start of the summer driving season, were their lowest since 2020, when adjusted for inflation.

After the 2025 summer season, tightness in the global refining sector caused gasoline prices to increase just above their 2024 levels for September—the first month in which that happened this year. This relative tightness persisted through October and November, as higher refining margins led to gasoline prices that were about equal to 2024 prices going into Thanksgiving.

U.S. gasoline prices vary regionally, reflecting local supply and demand conditions and differences in state fuel specifications and taxes. The annual average retail price for regular grade gasoline in 2025 ranged from a low of $2.39/gal on the Gulf Coast to a high of $4.32/gal on the West Coast.

Governor Greg Gianforte Wednesday announced Montana’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent in November, continuing the record of over four consecutive years of unemployment at or below 3.4 percent.

Montana’s unemployment rate was 1.3 percent lower than the national unemployment rate, which was 4.6 percent in November. Montana remained in the top ten states in the nation with the lowest unemployment rates.

Montana’s labor force added approximately 2,200 workers over the last two months ending in November, while total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers) increased by nearly 800, generating an increase in the unemployment rate. Payroll jobs grew over the last two months, with gains in administrative services and transportation offsetting declines in government and healthcare employment. October 2025 unemployment data are unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis over the two months from September to November 2025. Over the last twelve months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. Core inflation, or the index for all items less food and energy, rose 2.6 percent over the last 12-months. The energy index increased 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending November. The food index increased 2.6 percent over the last year.

The unemployment rate in Valley County was 2.9% which is higher than one year ago when it was 2.2%. The labor force in Valley County is 3539 which is down 34 from last year at this time.

The City of Glasgow has announced the launch of a new mass notification system designed to keep residents informed about critical utility services, service disruptions and city emergencies. Powered by Daupler Notify, the platform allows the city to communicate directly with citizens.

The system is part of a broader effort to provide “more of what matters” to the local community by ensuring transparency during maintenance and emergencies.

Real-Time Updates for Residents.

By registering for the service, residents can receive instant alerts regarding:

Service Interruptions: Immediate notification of water or wastewater outages and other local disruptions.

Repair Progress: Real-time updates on how repairs are proceeding.

Restoration Estimates: Accurate information on when services are expected to be fully restored.

City Emergencies such as in the event of inclement weather.

One of the key features of the new system is user customization. Residents can choose their preferred contact method, including text messages, emails, or voice calls.

How to Register.

The city has made the sign-up process straightforward for all mobile users. To get started, residents can:

Visit the City of Glasgow website, http://www.cityofglasgowmt.com and click on “Glasgow Notification System Signup Information QR Code Setup or Daupler Notification Website – No QR Code.

If you are using the QR code, use a smartphone camera to scan the official registration code.

Create a Profile: Enter a name and phone number to begin receiving alerts.

Add Locations: Users can monitor multiple locations that matter to them, such as their home, workplace, or other properties within the service area.

The platform also includes a central dashboard where users can view a history of past notifications in one place.

Nathan Chasing Horse, the former "Dances with Wolves" actor accused of sexual abuse, was temporarily thrown out of court Monday after he disrupted proceedings with demands he be allowed to fire his defense attorney a week before trial.

Judge Jessica Peterson in Las Vegas ordered his jury trial to proceed next week as planned.

Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges, including allegations that he sexually assaulted women and girls and that he filmed himself sexually abusing a girl younger than 14. Prosecutors allege he used his reputation as a spiritual leader and healer to take advantage of Native American women and girls over two decades.

Peterson ordered him removed from court Monday for trying to speak over her. He argued that his attorney, Craig Mueller, did not come to visit him and did not file timely. He asked that a public defender who previously represented him be his attorney.

Mueller, a private defense attorney, told the court his client was ready and privately told the judge that one of his investigators had visited with Chasing Horse. He declined to comment to The Associated Press.

Best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 movie "Dances with Wolves," Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

Tribal authorities on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation (in Poplar, Montana, home to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes) banished Chasing Horse in 2015. Tribal leaders voted to bar him from the reservation amid allegations that included human trafficking, spiritual abuse, intimidation of tribal members, and other concerns about his conduct.

After his Nevada arrest and the accumulation of more evidence, the Fort Peck Tribal Court issued a warrant charging him with aggravated sexual assault tied to alleged incidents on the reservation from around 2005.

Tribal investigators said they could pursue the case once victims came forward following his Nevada arrest. However, Chasing Horse remains in custody in Nevada, and because he is banned from the reservation, he is unlikely to ever be taken into tribal custody on Fort Peck soil unless he is removed there from jail.

After starring in the Oscar-winning film, according to prosecutors, Chasing Horse began propping himself up as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies. When he was arrested in 2023, he was living in a North Las Vegas house with his five wives, according to prosecutors.

The case sent shock waves across Indian Country. The original indictment was dismissed in 2024 after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled prosecutors abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without any expert testimony. However, the court left open the possibility of charges being refiled, and a new indictment was brought later that year.

Prosecutors claim Chasing Horse led a cult called The Circle, and his followers believed he could speak with spirits. His victims went to him for medical help, according to a transcript from a grand jury hearing.

Prosecutors expect the trial to last three weeks. It is scheduled to begin next Monday.

With the start of the new year, Montanans on the lowest end of the pay scale will get a small boost as the state’s mandatory minimum wage increase goes into effect.

As of Jan. 1, Montana’s minimum wage increased from $10.55 to $10.85.

Stemming from a 2006 law, Montana’s minimum wage is subject to a cost-of-living adjustment, based on the national increase in the consumer price index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to state law, Montana businesses not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act are those whose gross annual sales are $110,000 or less may pay $4 per hour.

Montana is one of 30 states — plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands — that have a minimum wage higher than the federal rate of $7.25.

Twelve states, plus D.C. adjust their wages annually based on set formulas.

Montana has one of the lowest minimum wages that exceeds federal levels, with only West Virginia coming in lower among states at $8.75. The highest minimum wage is in D.C., at $17.25.

From National Weather Service Office in Glasgow:

2025 was a notable weather year for Glasgow. Overall, 2025 was the 19th warmest year with an average temperature of 44.8 degrees.

It’s important to note this average is using data since 1948.

Two locally notable storms affected Glasgow this year: a severe thunderstorm on June 15th and a blizzard on December 17th. Both events inflicted damages in town as well as other locations across northeast Montana.

Total precipitation for 2025 was 13.45" which is 0.01" above average. Total snowfall for 2025 was 41.0" which is 0.3" above normal. Of the 41.0" of 2025 snow, 15.1" fell from January through March whereas 25.9" fell from November through December.

Every day, millions of Americans across the country rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to send all sorts of important things like time-sensitive documents, bill payments, applications, or even tax filings or payments. But some changes are coming.

This year, the USPS is making a pretty significant change that will impact anyone sending a time-sensitive document through the mail.

USPS Changing Postmark Process
For many time-sensitive documents, the postmark date is more important than the date that the document actually physically arrives.

The official postmark is a mark that shows where and when mail was accepted by the United States Postal Service. It has been used in law as proof that an individual met a deadline, such as submitting a ballot by Election Day, tax returns, or bill payments.

In the past, a USPS postmark would indicate the date when mail was dropped in a mailbox or submitted at the post office counter. However, that is now changing, USA Today has warned, and it could lead to late fees or problems for those unaware of the change.

Beginning in 2026, the USPS has instituted a new rule that the postmark will now reflect the date an envelope is first processed by an automated USPS sorting machine. This would mean that the postmark could come days after it was dropped off, rather than on the actual drop-off date.

How Does This Impact You
For years, it's been widely assumed that a letter would be postmarked the day that it arrives at the post office. Now, thanks to a recent modernization push, that will no longer be the case, and it could impact you.

Anything that relies on postmark dates for deadlines can be impacted by later postmarks and risk late fees, penalties, or delinquency. This includes tax filings, payments, charitable contributions, legal filings, ballots, rent payments, and other kinds of bills.

As a result of this change, time-sensitive mail should be mailed several days before the deadline. Alternatively, people can still go inside their local post office and ask for a hand-stamped "manual postmark" on the date, or use certified mail.

But simply dropping a letter in the mailbox and expecting it to be postmarked that day will no longer work.

The City of Glasgow is searching for a new Public Works Director and Chief of Police in 2026.

Glasgow Public Works Director Paul Skubinna announced on Monday that he will resign his position January 17th. The Glasgow City Council Personnel Committee will meet on Thursday to begin the process on replacing Skubinna.

Glasgow Police Chief Robert Weber has also announced he will be retiring this year. The Glasgow City Council has already started the process in finding a replacement for Weber.

The long-awaited Farmer Bridge Assistance rates are out! Rice and cotton will receive the highest per-acre rates, in keeping with earlier predictions.

On the last day of 2025, USDA announced the Farmer Bridge Assistance program rates for row crop and oil seed farmers hit hard in 2025 by the ongoing trade wars.

“Farmers who qualify for the FBA program can expect payments in their bank accounts by Feb. 28, 2026,” says Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in the announcement.

The following per-acre rates apply:

Corn: $44.36
Soybeans: $30.88
Wheat: $39.35
Cotton: $117.35
Rice: $132.89
Peanuts: $55.65
Sorghum: $48.11
Barley: $20.51
Canola: $23.57
Sunflower: $17.32
Lentils: $23.98
Peas: $19.60
Oats: $81.75
Mustard: $23.21
Safflower: $24.86
Flax: $8.05
Chickpeas: $26.46 (large), $33.36 (small)
Sesame: $13.68

Oil seeds rapeseed and crambe — which were included in the original list of commodities to receive payments according to USDA’s Dec. 8 announcement of the bridge payments — were not included in the Dec. 31 rate list.

The payments, which amount to $11 billion, are intended to bridge the gap between current economic straits of farmers dealing with “unfair market disruptions” and the stepped-up farmer support programs from the previously titled “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which will take effect in October 2026.

In addition to the $11 billion for row crops, $1 billion was set aside for specialty crops and sugar. The Dec. 31 rate announcement, like the Dec. 8 initial announcement of the bridge payments, notes “timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development.”

The bridge payments are funded under the Commodity Credit Corporation and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency based on 2025 acreage reports. Payments will be released to eligible producers by Feb. 28 with a limit of $155,000 per entity or individual.

— With the 2026 filing season quickly approaching, the Internal Revenue Service is urging taxpayers to take a few simple steps now to prepare for filing their 2025 federal income tax returns. Visit Get Ready on IRS.gov for checklists, updates and no-cost filing options.

One of the most important steps taxpayers can take is to access their IRS Individual Online Account. IRS Individual Online Accounts are available 24/7, to view account information, make payments, manage communication preferences and protect tax information.

Use direct deposit
Due to the presidential executive order, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks. The IRS encourages taxpayers who do not have a bank account to open one so they can receive refunds by direct deposit.

Review new 2025 tax law changes
Recent legislation, such as the provisions in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, includes several new deductions and credits that may reduce tax bills or increase refunds. Beginning in 2025, to be eligible to claim certain credits for other dependents, the taxpayer and their spouse, if filing jointly, must have valid Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers issued on or before the due date of their returns (including extensions).

New Trump Accounts for eligible children
Parents, guardians and other authorized individuals will be able to open Trump Accounts, a new retirement savings vehicle for children under the age of 18 with a valid SSN. A pilot program contribution of $1,000 will be available for children who are U.S. citizens and born from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2028. Visit trumpaccounts.gov for details.

Income from payment apps and online sales
All income from part-time work, gig activities or sales of goods and services is taxable. Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, will be issued by payment card companies for any amount and by payment apps and online marketplaces when payments exceed $20,000 and more than 200 transactions occur for the year.

Digital assets reporting requirements
Taxpayers who bought, sold or received digital assets, including cryptocurrency, stablecoins or NFT, must report those transactions. Some taxpayers may receive Form 1099-DA from brokers. Regardless, all taxpayers must answer the digital asset question on Form 1040 and report any related income, gains, or losses. Visit Digital Assets for more information.

Get ready now
Take a few steps today, reviewing tax law changes, gathering documents and using online tools, to help ensure a smoother less stressful experience when filing taxes in 2026.