Megan Myscofski

Montana has sent over $1 billion in unemployment benefits to residents since the start of the pandemic. The state passed that milestone in October. As unemployment payments climbed during the pandemic, so did fraud.

It’s almost that time of year when businesses staff up for the holidays and winter season. But with the pandemic and recession, seasonal hiring will look different in Montana.

Two backpackers reported shooting an adult female grizzly bear in self-defense in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness south of Troy on Friday. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are currently investigating the incident. 

Montana is one of 18 states that fall short in cancer prevention, says a new report from the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).

Nearly 6,000 Montanans will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 2,000 will die from the disease this year, according to ACS CAN. About half of U.S. cancer deaths could be prevented with knowledge we already have.

A nine-year-old girl was injured by a bison Monday in Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone officials say about 50 people were within 10 feet of the bison near Observation Point Trail in the Old Faithful Geyser area for at least 20 minutes before it charged the group. 

North-central and southwest Montana are facing elevated fire danger this week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

After a fairly cool, wet summer, the area is beginning to see the dry, warm weather that could lead to fires. 

Montana small businesses received about half a billion dollars in 2018 through federal contracts. The federal government says it exceeded its small business federal contracting goal nationwide for the sixth year in a row in 2018.  

Montana businesses received about $729 million dollars last year, and about 60% of that went to small businesses. That’s according to a U.S. Small Business Administration press release on Wednesday.