Governor-elect Greg Gianforte has announced his 21-member COVID-19 Task Force, comprised of healthcare experts, business leaders, school administrators, law enforcement, and local and tribal leaders. This task force will work with state and local health officials to provide recommendations to the Governor-elect on how to best manage the COVID-19 crisis. The Governor-elect released the following […]
Archives for November 10, 2020
Montana among states with biggest improvement in uninsured rates
While Medicaid’s future is up in the air, the health insurance of 93,400 low-income residents in Montana are at risk for those enrolled in the ACA’s expansion since 2010. If overturned by the court, these individuals could lose their federal entitlement to coverage and states will not be able to claim 90 percent federal matching dollars […]
MSU nursing student helps fight COVID-19 as member of Montana Army National Guard
By Anne Cantrell, MSU News Service Montana State University bachelor’s nursing student Connor Meron is combining his nursing education with his service as a member of the Montana Army National Guard to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Meron, who is a student at the MSU College of Nursing’s Billings campus, volunteered this fall to spend two […]
MSU to lead study examining COVID-19’s effect on U.S. nursing workforce
MSU News Service Montana State University has been selected to lead a two-year study about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses, the largest group of U.S. health care workers, focusing on changes in employment, earnings and the supply of nurses. The study is being funded by grants totaling $430,000 from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The […]
Montana COVID-19 testing results 11-10-20 – 1101 new cases
Note: Over the weekend, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) upgraded its statewide communicable disease reporting system that is used by local County and Tribal health officials to report COVID-19 cases. Due to this essential upgrade, new cases were not able to be reported into the system until late in the day […]
Stevensville mayor survives recall, two council members resign
Stevensville Mayor Brandon Dewey survived the recent recall election against him with a vote of 584 (52%) in favor of keeping him in office and 535 (48%) voting to oust him. The recall petition accused the mayor of violating the law and his oath of office by hiring an IT company without council approval. Following […]
Bench at Skalkaho Bend Park dedicated to Wayne Hedman
Wayne Hedman, who passed away last December, will be remembered by a whole lot of people for the many things he did for them and for this community over the years. He built a pharmacy business based on genuine compassion and consideration for his customers, every one of whom he saw as a potential friend. […]
COVID-19 cases still going up, three more deaths
On Saturday, November 7, Ravalli County Public Health officials announced the deaths of three Ravalli County residents due to complications of COVID-19. This makes a total of eight deaths in the county so far related to COVID-19. The newest deaths included a female in her 80’s, a male in his 80’s and a male in […]
Republicans sweep local, state elections
Ravalli County Election Results Voter turnout was heavy in this election. Statewide, out of 752,551 registered voters, 608,934 or 80.92% cast ballots in the 2020 general election. In Ravalli County, with 33,739 registered voters, 28,828 cast votes in the 2020 general election for an even higher voter turnout of 85.44% Ravalli County voters voted overwhelmingly […]
American Legion seeking information for Stevensville veterans monument
The Stevensville American Legion post, Fort Owen Post #94, is in the process of erecting a new Veterans Monument in the Veterans Park at the intersection of Main Street and Eastside Highway. This monument is intended to honor those Stevensville area citizens who have given their lives while on active military duty. The individual inscriptions […]
Noteworthy artifacts found in Fort Owen survey
The initial archeological survey of the grounds that will be covered over by a proposed parking lot at the entrance to historical Fort Owen State Park in Stevensville has already yielded one small artifact that lead archeologist at the site, Dan Hall of Western Cultural, Inc., called “significant.” The item has been identified as a […]
Hamilton considers Skalkaho Bend Park revegetation project
Last week Hamilton residents got a chance to weigh in on a large revegetation project planned for installation along the river in Skalkaho Bend Park. Although the project only recently came before the City of Hamilton for review by the Committee of the Whole it has been in the development stage for quite some time, […]