Montana’s state parks hosted 3.4 million visitors in 2021, a 1.3 percent decrease from record highs set in 2020, according to a recently released report from the state’s Fish Wildlife and Parks Department. According to the report released on Feb. 11, state parks were on track to lapse the 2020 numbers through July but fell off due to smoke, drought conditions and colder temperatures. Still,

Dear Editor: It has come to my attention throughout this year’s basketball season that we may have made a grave error in electing this year’s varsity boys’ basketball coach. I’m sure that there will be a lot of gums a flappin’ about this, but I feel this needs to be addressed. As everyone knows, there is no “I” in team. Yet there seems to be favored individuals which then turns

The American Farm Bureau Federation has sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking the Department of Justice to provide an update on its investigation into the meatpacking industry. The Department of Justice began an investigation after excessive volatility in the live and fed cattle markets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “With over 80 percent of the fed cattle market

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the Montana Department of Livestock announced that an animal from a Gallatin County ranch within Montana’s Designated Surveillance Area was confirmed infected with brucellosis. The infected animal had a negative test in 2021 but tested as a “reactor” during a voluntary herd test in January. Pathologists at the Montana Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory collected tissues

Property owners have several decisions to make when it comes to estate planning, and one of those is whether to give property to heirs before or after death. Montana State University Extension has released a new MontGuide that gives information on how to approach that choice. According to university educators across Montana, it is important to consider the income tax consequences of the timing

Montana gas prices have risen 2.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.43/g on Monday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations in Montana. Gas prices in Montana are 6.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand $1.04/g higher than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the cheapest station in Montana is priced at $3.23/g while the most expensive is $3.69/g,

The MonDak Ag Days and Trade Show are scheduled for March 3-4, at the Richland County Event Center in Sidney. This year’s banquet will feature Laura and the Soo Valley Boys. The banquet starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at the Sidney Area Chamber of Commerce office or at the door. Ag Days’ presentations on Thursday, March 3, will include Tyler Tjelde discussing soybean production

Last week, U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., led a letter to President Biden signed by 63 of his House colleagues, offering support for the protesting truck drivers subject to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates on essential travel between the U.S. and Canada and urging the Biden Administration to work with the Canadian government to lift the mandates. “In 2020, trucks carried more than 70.9 percent

During last week’s U.S. Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee hearing, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., pressed Biden nominee Laura Daniel-Davis on the Biden administration’s failure to restart oil and gas leasing in Montana after a federal judge ruled last year that the Biden administration acted illegally. Daniel-Davis refused to commit to holding a lease sale this quarter. “It’s