Action For Eastern Montana has a new Senior Companion Program to help seniors remain int their homes. A senior companion is a volunteer who provides limited help to other at-risk seniors to help keep them independent. There is no charge to the client for receiving these services from a senior companion. Examples of services provided include: •Read/write letters, fill out forms or

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development in Montana State director Kathleen Williams has announced that USDA is investing more than $16 million with three local business development corporations to create new and better markets for agricultural producers and food businesses in rural Montana. The recipients include Great Northern Development Corp. in Wolf Point. Great Northern Development

Gov. Greg Gianforte announced last week that Montana’s unemployment rate remained at an all-time low of 2.3 percent in May, bucking national trends as the country’s unemployment rate rose from 3.4 to 3.7 percent. In 2022, average annual wages in Montana grew at the fifth fastest rate in the nation, according to recently released data from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.

U.S. Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester, with the support of the Montana delegation and Gov. Greg Gianforte, last week introduced a historic bill to finalize the Fort Belknap Indian Community Water Settlement in the U.S. Senate. “After years of effort and good faith negotiation, it’s time to pass our bipartisan bill to resolve Montana’s final Indian water rights settlement,” Daines said.