Great Falls Public Schools will resume classes Tuesday, January 18 after moving to remove learning last week when it did not have enough teachers to instruct students in-person.

Six hundred fifty thousand rapid COVID-19 tests will arrive in Montana later this month. Until then, the state health department says a national shortage on the tests has prevented orders from getting filled.

Great Falls Public Schools was the largest school system in Montana this week to announce the plan to close its doors when it didn’t have enough staff to cover classes. MTPR's Edward O'Brien spoke with a parent and a teacher from Great Falls about the challenges of remote learning.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to shortages of everything from toilet paper to cars. Now the American Red Cross and Montana hospitals say they are experiencing a major shortage of blood donations.

Montana’s union for public employees and several private business owners say the Attorney General and Secretary of State didn’t properly vet a proposed constitutional initiative. The initiative would cap how much the state can tax property.

Two former politicians and a college student are suing to stop the Secretary of State from using the established boundaries for the PSC districts. The districts haven’t been redrawn since 2003, and the suit alleges they are now unequal in population.

The Smith Valley School in Kalispell is shifting to remote learning. The school doesn’t have enough teachers because many are out sick with COVID-19. One of the state’s largest districts, Great Falls Public Schools, also shifted to remote learning due to staffing shortages this week.

Nick Ehli reported for Kaiser Health News that Billings Clinic has hired two dozen nurses from other countries to fill the staffing void. MTPR's Freddy Monares spoke with Ehli about his reporting.

Fluctuating temperatures caused ice jams and flooding near Ennis, Three Forks and Logan earlier this month.

The district's more than 10,100 students will move to remote learning beginning Tuesday