Helena Montana

This week, Montanans celebrated the 50th anniversary of the state’s constitution in Helena. The two-day celebration came with a warning: the document’s legacy is not guaranteed.

The Montana Constitution turned 50-years-old this June. The people who wrote it, have studied it and created policy based on it are celebrating in Helena this week.

In Montana, there’s a new state requirement to test all K-12 schools for lead in water fixtures. Outdated and deteriorating plumbing infrastructure is a primary source of lead exposure, and young children under six years of age are particularly vulnerable.

Forest officials are asking people to avoid the Rodney Ridge trail during the burn, and be cautious around fire personnel and engines.

Shodair Children’s Hospital recently broke ground near its current campus on a new 25,000-square-foot building that will house a psychiatric outpatient clinic and medical genetics department.

The COVID-19 Omicron variant is forcing changes to contract tracing in the state. It's also amplifying staff shortages at hospitals.

Helena’s Jewish community has been without a local synagogue for decades. Fundraising is underway to buy back a synagogue that’s been owned by the Catholic Diocese since the 1980s.

Montana’s Attorney General is facing a probe into his behavior after the Montana State News Bureau reported he and two other public officials allegedly harassed hospital officials in Helena. MTPR's Freddy Monares spoke with the Montana State News Bureau’s Holly Michels about the story.

Recent rainfall and early conservation efforts have replenished water supplies in several Montana cities, leading officials to repeal restrictions on water use.

Lewis and Clark County Public Health is reporting an 1,100 percent increase over the last week in the amount of COVID-19 detected in the city of Helena’s wastewater.County health officials say the results of the wastewater testing conducted last Thursday indicate that Helena is seeing widespread community transmission of the virus.