Montana News

Montana lawmakers got a financial checkup on state pensions Tuesday. After the pension system was reformed in 2013, officials with Montana Public Employees’ Retirement Board say most pension plans are improving.

There's a new effort underway in the state to better connect hospitals, doctors' offices and other health care providers. Like, through the internet. That's not really happening much now, and it's frustrating to doctors like Michael Vlases with Bozeman Health:

The City of Whitefish issued a proclamation announcing its support of a diverse and unified community Monday night. It comes on the heels of intense media coverage of a part-time Whitefish resident who is a leader in the so-called "alt-right" movement, which espouses white nationalism.

Governor Steve Bullock’s nearly $10 billion budget proposal could mean Montanans will end up paying a little more for wine and cigarettes. Medical marijuana, too.

Last week, migrating snow geese made an ill-fated decision to take a break at the toxic Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana. The numbers of dead birds are now predicted to be in the thousands. Nora Saks talks to David McCumber, the editor of the Montana Standard to find out the details surrounding the mass die-off.

Medical marijuana advocates won a victory in court today. A Helena judge gave dispensaries the OK to start serving more than three patients immediately, in recognition of a ballot initiative that passed November 8.

Western Montana’s major suicide prevention collaborative re-launched under a new name today. Project Tomorrow Montana is the successor of the Western Montana Suicide Prevention Initiative which was founded in 2014. It operates under the auspices of United Way. The group of nonprofits, businesses, educational and public-sector leaders wanted to reduce Montana’s high suicide rate. Two years later, it’s still high — double the national average — and shows little sign of subsiding.

A lot of the major players in health care in Montana got together today to work on sharing patient data digitally. At a meeting convened by the Montana Medical Association, a health information technology expert from Oklahoma talked about how his state created a system to easily share patient data. That isn't happening much in Montana because privacy laws forbid simply emailing health records, among many other reasons.

State elections officials today officially certified the passage of a constitutional amendment giving more rights to crime victims known as "Marsy’s law," but it’s still unclear when the law will take effect. A petition filed Friday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana and county attorneys aims to hold the constitutional change off until July. Advocates for the law say it should be implemented immediately.

With the first big winter storm of the season headed to western Montana, Marty Whitmore, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula joins Michael Marsolek to talk weather. Whitmore previews the incoming storm, explains what those weather zones (pictured above) mean , and talks about why western Montana is one of the most challenging places to forecast in the country.