Montana

In the small resort community of Big Sky, Montana, 78 percent of workers commute from outside the area, according to U.S. Census Data. For KHOL and Rocky Mountain Community Radio, Will Walkey reports on a new program that’s trying to reverse that trend by paying property owners to rent to locals.

Sofia Stuart-Rasi joins KSJD News from Missoula, MT, where she looked at one environmental issue that’s similarly affecting lakes and rivers right here in the Four Corners. Climate change is making it easier for invasive trout species to drive native trout to extinction. In this story, Stuart-Rasi reports on the situation in Flathead Lake, MT, and how tribal and non-tribal agencies are working together to keep the lake how it has been for centuries.

Montana now has six mobile crisis response teams — up from one in 2019 — with more in the works. Each team has a different makeup, but all use mental health support to diffuse tricky situations.

Montana now prohibits anyone who receives a monetary benefit from collecting sealed absentee ballots. Advocates worry that could affect Native Americans and residents of assisted living centers.

The highest rates of vaccine hesitancy are concentrated in Western states.