Montana Public Radio

Helena Montana

Wildland Fire In York Burns Unoccupied House

By & Yellowstone Public Radio • Jun 2, 2021
Montana Wildfire News


A volunteer fire department northeast of Helena continues to respond to a six- to eight-acre wildland fire that burned a house, outbuildings and dry grass Friday.

Missoula County Lifts Some COVID Restrictions, Modifies Mask Mandate

By • Apr 15, 2021
Restaurant window in Missoula, MT with a sign saying 'open for distant dining or delivery.'
William Marcus / Montana Public Radio

Missoula County’s Board of Health converted many of its COVID-19 rules for bars, restaurants and gyms to recommendations Thursday. The county’s mask mandate will remain in effect, but with some changes.

Veterans Affairs Opens New Health Care Clinic In Helena

By Kayla Desroches • Apr 8, 2021

The Montana Veterans Affairs Health Care System opened a new primary care clinic in Helena Tuesday.

The new clinic at Fort Harrison VA Medical Center will serve about 5,000 veterans living in the Helena area, according to a VA press release. The release said the facility came with a $12 million price tag and the roughly 20,000 square feet clinic will provide primary care, mental health treatment and virtual appointments.

Helena Businesses Say Lawmakers Are Flouting COVID Restrictions

By • Feb 9, 2021
At a House Judiciary Committee meeting at the Montana Capitol January 5, 2021 lawmakers wearing masks and those with bare faces sat next to each other. Some committee chairs are requiring participants to adhere to public health guidance, others aren't.
Shaylee Ragar / Montana Public Radio

Some Helena businesses are raising concerns about state legislators flouting public health guidance amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lewis and Clark County health officer says she's received reports concerning lawmakers who are in town for the current legislative session.

Helena's School Resource Officer Program To Continue

By Kay Erickson • Jul 29, 2020

The Helena School District’s School Resource Officer (SRO) program will continue after a vote on July 27 by the Helena City Commission.

Commissioners voted unanimously to back a proposal by Commissioner Emily Dean to continue the contract that provides uniformed Helena Police Department officers in the city’s public schools through June 2021.

End Of An Era: Great Falls Tribune Shuts Down Printing Press

By Associated Press & Traci Rosenbaum • Jul 14, 2020
Printing press
iStock

It’s a paper older than Great Falls. Older than Montana, even. Folks around here got their first news from the weekly Tribune in 1885, when about 200 residents lived in the middle of the prairie. That included the Trib’s first employee, whose family lived in a tent near what’s now Broadwater Bay.

Two copies of its first issue were printed on satin and auctioned for $100 each. Less than 2 months after the Tribune came into existence, there were rumors it would leave Great Falls.

Outside Groups Try To Influence Montana U.S. Senate Race

By • Jun 26, 2020
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D)

An outside group is running ads trying to influence voters in Montana's U.S. Senate race — a battle between Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock that could be key in determining which party holds the majority in the U.S. Senate.

Power Lines Pinpointed As Cause Of Lump Gulch Fire

By • Jun 19, 2020
Smoke from the Lump Gulch Fire burning south of Helena, MT, June 13, 2020.
Inciweb

Fire officials say they now know how a wildfire started last weekend roughly 13 miles south of Helena.

Paratransit Running Again In Great Falls

By • Jun 18, 2020
A man in a wheelchair is helped into an accesible vehicle.
iStock

Great Falls’ Paratransit, a transportation service for people with disabilities, recently shut down for two months. It was the only city of its size in Montana to take that step after the arrival of the novel coronavirus.

Now, Paratransit is now back up and running.

Helena Protest Draws Crowd, Confrontation

By • Jun 16, 2020

An estimated 1,000 people gathered outside the Montana State Capitol June 14 to protest the death of George Floyd in police custody and police treatment of people of color. The protest was mostly nonviolent, though a riot control team stepped in at one point to separate attendees and counter-protestors.

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