Montana

Banned From National Forest, For-Profit Mushroom Pickers Go Underground

12:03pm August 31, 2016

by Nicky Ouellet

Last year's forest fires have produced a bumper crop of coveted morel mushrooms in Montana's northwestern forests. But the Forest Service isn't issuing commercial licenses in some prime picking spots.

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"Some days I wake up and go, 'Am I wasting time, when I could be on chemotherapy or getting a surgery?' " asks Tony Lapinski, a Montana veteran who worries about what is causing his back pain.

Despite $10B 'Fix,' Veterans Are Waiting Even Longer To See Doctors

12:52pm May 16, 2016

A $10 billion program to eliminate long wait times and other problems for veterans' health care hasn't worked out as planned. More veterans wait even longer for care now than they did a year ago.

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Theresa Mondale, a broker with United Country Real Estate in western Montana, says her sales of off-grid, "survivalist" properties have risen by 50 percent over the last several years.

National

In The Rural Northwest, A Growing Market For Survivalist Homes

4:29pm April 28, 2016

by Kirk Siegler

A Montana couple is looking to meet a growing demand in the real estate business, at least in the rural Northwest: off-grid properties that include bunkers and secret rooms.

Signups Exceed Expectations For Montana's Medicaid Expansion

11:00am March 23, 2016

by Eric Whitney

Almost twice as many people as expected have signed up for Medicaid, and it has saved Montana $3 million so far, according to a progress report. But the program still has critics.

Former Montana Clinic Owner Sues Ministry Group Over Vandalism

7:00am March 05, 2016

by Corin Cates-Carney

Two years after the only health clinic that provided abortions in Northwest Montana's Flathead Valley was destroyed, its former owner is suing a local ministry group and others for damages.

Amy Thomson holds 2-month-old Isla in Seattle Children's Hospital in early 2014. When the Thomson family learned Isla's heart was failing, they took an air ambulance from Butte, Mont., to Seattle to get medical care.

Lifesaving Flights Can Come With Life-Changing Bills

10:34pm January 18, 2016

by Corin Cates-Carney

People in big, sparsely populated states like Montana rely on air ambulances to get to medical specialists they need. But the lifesaving flights can be hugely expensive and not covered by insurance.

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A bison herd with calves travels through Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park. The park has proposed a cull of 1,000 bison, primarily cows and calves, this winter.

Yellowstone Park Proposes Cull Of 1,000 Bison This Winter

4:34pm November 19, 2015

by Camila Domonoske

The park proposes killing mostly cows and calves in this year's annual cull. The park's bison population neared 5,000 this summer; a 15-year-old agreement with Montana calls for a population of 3,000.

Bull trout are running out of time in Montana as their traditional waters heat up, biologists say. By moving more than 100 fish to higher elevations, fisheries scientists hope to save the species by seeding a new population in waters that will stay cooler

Scientists Try Radical Move To Save Bull Trout From A Warming Climate

7:46pm October 08, 2015

by Christopher Joyce

Bull trout are dwindling in Montana as their home waters warm and invasive fish devour them. Scooping up threatened fish and moving them higher up the mountain could backfire. Is the risk worth it?

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Kevin Murphy says he is proud of what he and the other workers do at the Rosebud mine, including digging the coal and reclaiming the land afterward.

New EPA Rules Motivate Montana To Look Beyond Coal

8:10pm September 10, 2015

by Amy Martin

Montana has one of the heaviest lifts of any state to comply with the EPA's plan to reduce carbon emissions. But the state is also rich in renewable energy, and the regulations may be a boon to some.

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Susan Cahill, owner of All Families Healthcare, stands in front of the first building in Kalispell, Mont., where she offered abortion services. After vandalism closed her last clinic down, Missoula became the nearest place for women in the Flathead Valley

How Vandalism And Fear Ended Abortion In Northwest Montana

9:28am July 22, 2015

by Corin Cates-Carney

When Zachary Klundt broke into All Families Healthcare he destroyed the only clinic providing abortions in the Flathead Valley of Montana. More than a year later, the clinic remains closed.

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