Megan Myscofski

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.

The number of refugees being resettled in the U.S. dropped by a third last year. Montana saw a smaller percentage decline, and the number being resettled here remains low.

A wild horse and burro adoption event in Hamilton this weekend was postponed following the deaths of two horses.

One horse died, and another was euthanized Thursday after showing signs of severe colic and endotoxemia.

Montana ranks low among U.S. states in children’s health, but is about average in overall child well-being, says a new report.

Though Montana ranks 22nd in the country for overall child well-being, it places 44th for children’s health. That is according to the new KIDS COUNT Data Book the Annie E. Casey Foundation released Monday. It offers data on health, education and other indicators of the state of the nation’s children.

A second deer in Libby is suspected of carrying Chronic Wasting Disease.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced Friday that it was notified of a sample collected from a white-tailed buck and sent to a lab to be tested.