Edward O'Brien

Missoula’s school board of trustees voted to maintain public school mask mandates, at least for now. The board is also thinking about the metrics that will be used to eventually lift the rule.

The Missoula School Board is scheduled to vote Tuesday evening on whether or not to change its mandatory face covering guidelines.

According to the state health department, 191 people died in September of COVID-related complications, topping January’s death count. The pandemic shows no sign of slowing in Montana.

The $31 million can help registered and licensed childcare providers pay for rent, mortgage and utility costs, cover payroll and benefits, or be used to purchase cleaning or childcare supplies. Mental health support for children and providers can also be requested.

Daytime highs across Montana next week will likely top out in the upper 40s with overnight lows possibly dipping into the lower 20s.

Just because it’s October doesn’t mean fire season is over. Elevated fire danger either is, or will soon be, in effect for a wide swath of Montana.

The bear was discovered last Thursday afternoon two miles east of Rising Sun. An initial investigation by the National Park Service found it sustained unsurvivable traumatic injuries after being hit by a car.

It’s the enrollment report the University of Montana has wanted to release for the past decade. For the first time since 2011, more students are enrolling at UM — and they’re sticking around.

Montana hospitals and clinics are tightening their visitation policies to protect patients and staff as cases of the delta variant continue to mount. Officials at a Helena hospital say frustrated visitors are leading to unprecedented levels of hostility directed at staff.

A Forest Service spokesperson describes the Haystack Fire as a late fourth-quarter push at a time when fire season is usually winding down. She says exhausted firefighters are now frequently responding to reports of abandoned campfires.