Thirty-two new candidate filings were submitted to the Montana Secretary of State’s Office lasat week, bringing the total candidate filing number to 283 ahead of the filing deadline on Monday. Twenty-six legislative candidates filed for the Montana House and Montana Senate this week — 24 and two, respectively — including one incumbent, bringing the total number of legislative incumbents

Montana State Fund, the state’s largest workers’ compensation insurance company, has announced a 3 percent average rate reduction for its policyholders. The decision came at the March 11 meeting of the MSF board of directors and is effective for new and renewal policies on or after July 1. This reduction marks the 16th consecutive year MSF rates have remained flat or been reduced. With

By Bill Vander Weele The Great Northern Development Corporation is offering more educational trainings than ever before as a method to assist small businesses in the area. “It’s a lot more than in the past,” Tori Matejovsky, executive director for GNDC, said. “We’re here for small businesses and want to support them.” CARES Act funds is helping to pay for consultants to make

Kathleen Williams, the new State Director for USDA Rural Development in Montana, was on the road last week to meet with rural communities and discuss USDA Rural Development’s new Equity Project. According to a press release, the meetings were essentially listening sessions with community stakeholders. “These meetings help USDA Rural Development gain a broader understanding of how loan

Roosevelt County had nine active COVID cases as of Monday, March 14. There have been 71 COVID-related deaths in the county. There are no current hospitalizations. County health officials encourage all residents aged 5 and up to be vaccinated and those over 16 should consider getting booster doses. Immunizations are by appointment only. For questions or to schedule an appointment, call 406-653-6223.

At its Feb. 4 meeting, the Fish and Wildlife Commission identified a new season structure for mountain lions and asked Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks to solicit public comment on specifics of the proposal. The proposal is out for comment through March 18. This season structure under consideration would allocate harvest between unlimited licenses that will end when a quota is reached and special

Average gasoline prices in Montana are unchanged in the last week, averaging $4.01/g on Monday, March 14, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 615 stations in Montana. Prices in Montana are 60.2 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.37/g higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana was priced at $3.73/g on Sunday while the most expensive