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Montana Highlights – July 15, 2025
Billing’s attorney Emily Jones’s has been appointed to the Judicial Standards Commission. Jones is a University of Montana graduate as well as an appointee to the Montana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. An 180-room hotel, event center, public plaza and riverfront trail has been announced by Missoula city officials and representatives…
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Newly Licensed Business – June 2025
Friends & Company 406 Events, 2103 Hillner Ln, (406) 698-8570, Reynolds, Angela, Service, Billings 59101 Big Bred Customs, 311 Alderson Ave, (850) 387-8014, Parker, Michael, Service, Billings, 59101 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, 3477 Mountain Pass Rd, (406) 245-4946, Ortiz, Shantel, Service, Billings, 59102, PO Box 12487, Ogden UT, 84412 Fit4mom-Billings, 266 Nantucket CT, (406) 534-9224,…
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The Dream of Shoeboxes
By Evelyn Pyburn Some noted figure recently said that the only way to end the housing crisis is to build more houses. Totally true. And, Bozeman, where the crisis could hardly have been more acute, is proving that. Rents are dropping like stones in Bozeman, where 3,042 rentals have been built since 2021. Rents that…
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Human Trafficking – a Hidden Crime; and a Big Problem for Billings
By Evelyn Pyburn Human trafficking is a bigger problem in Billings than most people know – in large part because it is a hidden problem. It happens behind the scenes. Its victims are most often silent. Its evidence isn’t recognized and there is little to almost no support for the victims. Britney Higgs is determined…
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County Faces a “Big Ask”
“It’s a big ask.” Persistent overcrowding at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility (YCDF), the county’s jail, has brought forth a proposal from consultants to expand the jail by 512 beds with support systems at a cost of $225 million. The expansion and updating of current facilities would carry the county to meeting needs through to…
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Billings Animal Family Hospital Builds New Facility
Having served the pets of the citizens of Billings for the past 30 years, Dr. Edie Best, DVM, DABVP, CVMA came to a fork in the road – to retire or go for the dream? She is going for the dream, the ground breaking was held on July 3 at 1616 1st Avenue North. “Why…
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If you can keep it.
By Evelyn Pyburn “If you can keep it…” Can we? Those were the words of founder Benjamin Franklin as he emerged from the signing of the new Constitution of the new United States, when asked by Elizabeth Willing Powel “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” Benjamin Franklin’s response was, “A republic, if you…
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MSU TechLink Assures Federal Programs
Montana State University TechLink assures that federal programs for research and development are not at risk of federal cost cutting. In a recent statement they stated, “we want to reassure our clients that the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are not only operational but continue to thrive.” Federal…
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DEA Report Finds Fentanyl Purity Falling, but No Less Dangerous
By Brett Rowland The Center Square The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration released its latest report on drug threats, highlighting progress in the fight against fentanyl, a powerful opioid responsible for most overdose deaths. Even so, fentanyl remains at the top of the DEA threat assessment. “Mexican cartels’ production, trafficking, and distribution of powerful illicit synthetic…
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CMS to Crack Down on Medicaid Dollars Spent on Noncitizens
By Casey Harper The Center Square The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is cracking down on states’ use of taxpayer dollars allotted to Medicaid to pay for unauthorized treatments for noncitizens. The federal government allocates billions of dollars each year to states to help pay for Medicaid, healthcare for lower income Americans, one of…