The State of Montana has purchase of 650,000 COVID-19 rapid tests to be distributed to county public health departments. Because of provisions in the American Rescue Plan, the state has access to testing supplies and funding opportunities to purchase these supplies so Montanans can receive tests for free. Starting on Jan. 19, Americans can order a COVID test online at COVIDTests.gov. Tests will

Contract negotiations involving the Wolf Point Education Association and the Wolf Point School board are scheduled to start at the end of this month. Patricia Toavs, president of the WPEA, asked trustees at the start of the school board meeting on Monday, Jan. 10, if they received her letter of intent regarding the start of negotiations. Board chair Linda A. Hansen answered that a meeting will

Twenty-eight Yellowstone bison were transferred to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation Jan. 13. The transfer was part of a program to divert more disease-free bison away from slaughter. Thursday’s group of Yellowstone bison transferred to the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Fort Peck was the sixth transfer of its kind since the Bison Conservation Transfer Program launched in 2019. Bison reproduce

The Montana Wildlife Habitat Improvement Program advisory council will meet Thursday, Jan. 20, at 9 a.m. People can attend via Zoom or in person at the FWP-Annex Building – South Conference Room, located at 1625 11th Ave. in Helena. WHIP was established during the 2017 Legislature to set aside up to $2 million of federal Pittman-Robertson funding for the purpose of wildlife habitat restoration

Shooting clubs, private organizations, local governments and school districts have until Feb. 1 to apply for a shooting range improvement grant. The Montana Shooting Range Grant Program provides partial funding to establish or improve shooting ranges throughout Montana. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks has administered this grant program since 1989 with funds generated from the sale of state

The national effort to vaccinate children has stalled even as the omicron variant upends schooling for millions of children and their families amid staffing shortages, shutdowns and heated battles over how to safely operate. Vaccination rates vary substantially across the country, a KHN analysis of the federal data shows. Nearly half of Vermont’s 5- to 11-year-olds are fully vaccinated, while

As Montana heads deeper into winter, state officials want folks to know financial support is available for those facing housing insecurity during the colder months. The Montana Emergency Rental Assistance Program has distributed more than $32 million to more than 4,800 Montanans since the program launched last April. Cheryl Cohen, housing division administrator for the Montana Department

Montana State University Extension will offer a free weekly webinar series on estate and legacy planning beginning in February. Fabulous Fridays will run from Feb. 4 through March 25, with webinars from 10 to 11 a.m. The series is in partnership with the Montana 4-H Foundation and MSU 4-H Center for Youth Development. Topics for the eight-part series include how to write a letter of last instruction;