Montana doubles percentage of fully accredited public schools
Austin Amestoy | Montana Public Radio
Montana’s public schools improved their overall accreditation status over the last year. That’s according to the state Office of Public Instruction.
The agency released new data showing 77% of public schools were fully accredited during the academic year — up from 51% the year before.
Regular accreditation status means schools met all legal requirements for teacher licensure and student performance, among other qualifications.
The state also reported the fewest schools marked “deficient” in the last six years. A deficient status means a school has had negative marks for at least two years without fixing them, such as low student performance or employing unlicensed teachers.
Nearly a third of schools were marked deficient during the 2023 academic year as districts grappled with learning loss and staffing issues prompted by the pandemic.
One dead and 12 left ill from an E.coli outbreak in the Flathead Valley
Aaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio
One person is dead and 12 others became ill from an E.coli outbreak, according to Flathead City-County Health Department.
Most who became sick experienced moderate to severe symptoms. Health officials suspect the outbreak came from contaminated beef sold to restaurants in the area.
The county did not identify the suspected beef distributor or any restaurants that served its products. Beef from grocery stores is not affected.
Officials say all products tied to the outbreak have been removed from restaurants, and the last date those products are thought to have been served is July 14.
Symptoms of E.coli include severe stomach cramps, bloody stools, vomiting, fever and chills. Symptoms can appear within four to 10 days after exposure.
Anyone who thinks they are experiencing E.coli symptoms are encouraged to contact their health care provider.
An end to the western Montana heatwave is finally in sight
Aaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio
The heatwave baking much of western Montana is expected to come to an end later this week. These scorching temps have broken at least one record.
The heat dome that settled over western Montana in early July has sent temperatures above 90 degrees for over two weeks in many places.
Kalispell set a record for the most consecutive days over 90 degrees at 17 days, according to the National Weather Service. That’s four more days than the former record-setting heatwave in 1960.
Missoula came close to breaking that same record at 18 days. But it will fall short of the 22 days of 90-plus-degree heat locals experienced three years ago.
No daily high temperature records were broken in western Montana. But persistent heatwaves like this one are still dangerous as people are less able to get a reprieve during warmer nights.
The National Weather Service is forecasting more seasonable temperatures in the high 70s and low 80s through the middle of next week.
