Lodging in Missouri River Country was slightly down to begin 2025, according to figures from the Montana Department of Commerce. The region of Missouri River Country includes the counties of Daniels, Garfield, Mc-Cone, Roosevelt, Richland, Phillips, Sheridan and Valley. Gross lodging revenue for the first quarter was $96,217, which was slightly below the 2024 first quarter figure of $100,285 and $165,916

Gov. Greg Gianforte has announced he is seeking nominations for the 2025 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation. “Montana’s veterans represent the very best of our state,” Gianforte said. “Their courage, service, and lasting impact on our communities deserve our recognition and our gratitude. I encourage Montanans to nominate a veteran who continues to make a difference in their community.”

Average gasoline prices in Montana are unchanged in the last week, averaging $3.23/g on Sunday, Sept. 14, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 615 stations in Montana. Prices in Montana are 1.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 9.1 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has decreased 2.6 cents compared to a week ago and stands at $3.658 per gallon.

The Fort Peck Tribal Executive Board held their regular full board meeting July 14 in Poplar. The board approved the Branch of Corrections’ request to approved a bid from Communication Resources for a Verkada Access Control System, $66,676; infrastructure, $28,687; and labor, $123,345; for a total cost of $218,708. Funeral leave with pay was approved for all temporary and seasonal workers

The Montana Pulse Crop Committee will meet Tuesday, June 10, beginning at 8 a.m. to review financials, RFP funding decisions and address general updates. Meetings will take place in-person at the Eastern Agricultural Research Center in Sidney. The option to join remotely via Zoom is available. To request information to join the meeting virtually, email Dani Jones at danielle. jones@mt.gov.

Gallatin and Flathead were the fastest growing counties in Montana between 2023 and 2024, while the city of Kalispell has grown nearly 25 percent since 2020, adding more residents than any Montana city, according to the latest population growth data from the U.S. Census. The federal government last week released the latest population counts for the nation’s more than 3,000 counties, as well as all

Gov. Greg Gianforte signed two laws geared at making travel safer for both motorists and pedestrians at crossings earlier this month. Senate Bill 471 seeks to make pedestrian crossings safer, while Senate Bill 428 makes it easier for counties to change speed limits. Senate Democrats brought both bills, which passed through the House and Senate by comfortable margins. Sen. Dave Fern brought

Montana State University’s 2025 agricultural field day series will kick off Wednesday, June 18, and continue throughout the summer. Hosted by the College of Agriculture and Montana Agricultural Experiment Station, the series will include events at all seven of the university’s research centers, plus two at campus farms in Bozeman. The Montana Agricultural Experiment Station comprises the