City and County State of Emergency Declared
by Evelyn Pyburn The fallout from public concerns about the COVID-19 virus has prompted declarations of emergency by state and local officials and has resulted in health departments issuing demands that bars and restaurants be closed in several major counties.
Senator Daines Doubles Down on Push For REAL ID Extension During Coronavirus Outbreak
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today introduced a bipartisan bill that directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to delay enforcement of REAL ID for at least one year in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Daines has been proactively working with the Trump administration on a delay of REAL ID for Montana. “Montanans need to […]
State of Emergency Declared by local officials to collect reimbursements
UPDATE: City/County Director John Felton has announced that in a few hours, they will issue an order demanding of closure of all bars and restaurants. Local governments are declaring a state of emergency, today, not so much because of any heightened threat from COVID-19, but to assure that cities and counties will be able to […]
Custer School Lands $321,438 Grant
The Custer School District became the only school district in Yellowstone County to be awarded grant money from the Montana Department of Commerce.
Local politics weighted with heavy financing
Even though the City of Billings city council elections are supposed to be local and non-partisan, it seems that increasingly external groups or political action committees (PACs) are weighing-in, aligned with candidates based on party politics.
New TIF being proposed for Billings
A group of property owners in the west end of downtown Billings want to create a new tax improvement district. The proposed boundaries of the new district would be Division Street, 1st Avenue North and North 31st
MFPE Union pay raise contract finalized with Yellowstone County
A contract has been reached between the Montana Federation of Public Employees (MFPE) and Yellowstone County. According to Human Resources Director Dwight Vigness the union has agreed to a three-year contract, the primary focus of which is to raise worker wages at lower levels to the mid-point range of the pay scale. The agreement comes […]
Compliance checks to be conducted for new tobacco age limit
No better time than now for tobacco users under the age of 21 to just call it quits. As of December 20, cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and vaping products are off limits to them.
Sugar beets yield devastating losses
In light of the massive weather-induced damage to sugar beet crops across Montana, Governor Bullock has sent a request to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting federal aid for Montana sugar beet farmers, including here in Yellowstone County.
Billings schools support relocating Daylis Stadium
The superintendent of School District 2, Greg Upham, was in attendance at this month’s Metra Park Advisory Board meeting to make a most emphatic point that he and the school district’s board of trustees are very interested in developing some kind of sports / stadium complex that can take the place of Daylis Stadium for […]