The Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission has voted to implement emergency fishing restrictions on three southwest Montana rivers. The restrictions on the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Ruby rivers come as the agency records declining trout populations. The restrictions generally address closures for spawning season, limiting some fish to catch-and-release, and implementing some gear restriction changes for fish hooks.

The EPA has released its proposed plan for cleaning up the Columbia Falls Aluminum Co. Superfund site. The main thrust is to contain the worst dumps by fully surrounding them with a slurry wall to stop contaminated groundwater from leaching out. The wells at the former wet scrubber sludge pond and the west landfill have the worst contamination. Test wells near them show very high concentrations of fluoride and cyanide. A public meeting will be held on June 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Columbia Falls Town Hall, City Council Chambers, 130 Sixth St. W., Columbia Falls, to describe the proposed plan and solicit comments.

Three generations of bike and adventure lovers have contributed to Montana E-Bikes and More. Josh Houser, whose parents owned a bike shop, has joined forces with his son Matthew Houser to provide unforgettable trips and a high-end e-bike shop. In addition to rentals, the shop also sells e-bikes and provides full service. The father-son duo will also rent e-bikes during the winter months. Montana E-bikes and More is the only shop to provide this service in the valley.

Mayor Jordan Hess of Missoula unveiled Missoula’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan. Equity, housing and engagement all figured prominently in the guide for Missoula’s next three years. The plan looks at city operations through three lenses: climate resilience, equity and housing. Some of the priorities outlined in the plan include program ideas, partnerships and internal operations.

A modular home manufacturer from San Diego held a ceremonial groundbreaking at Butte’s business park recently to showcase a foundry the size of six football fields that could employ hundreds. Dvele (pronounced deh-VELL) hopes to get infrastructure hook-ups and other prep work done this year and begin construction on the factory next spring. The goal is to begin initial operations by January 2025. The Dvele facility will make modular homes that can be built in months. According to the company they can be built at 30% to 40% less cost than traditional houses.

Benefis Helena Specialty Center leadership reports that the 60,000-square-foot clinic will be built on 3.25 acres of the site that runs parallel to Prospect Avenue at a total cost estimated to be $50 million. Benefis Health System broke ground on the site March 10, 2022, and is expected to open in spring 2024. 

Businesses looking for guidance about resources to improve their operations can attend one of the upcoming Assistance for Business Clinics sponsored by the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, local chambers of commerce, economic development groups and Job Service Centers. The Glendive Assistance for Business Clinic will be held Wednesday, June 21 at Dawson Community College.

The Stockman Bank location in Whitefish opened recently, The new facility on U.S. 93 is equipped with a drive-up, ATM and night depository. The public is invited to attend grand opening celebrations featuring refreshments, prize drawings, and tours of the building. On June 13, at 4 p.m. a grand opening celebration begins with music from local singer Halladay Quist, refreshments, and door prizes,

Logan Health officials say plans to integrate with Billings Clinic continue, but some employees are questioning the advantages of creating a new health care organization amid a “significant staffing shortage. Members of the Service Employees International Union, or SEIU, 1199NW are skeptical that integrating is the right move for Logan Health employees and patients.

Citizens Alliance Bank has completed its acquisition of Granite Mountain Bank and its branches in Butte, Drummond and Philipsburg. Citizens, an independent community bank headquartered in Clara City, Minnesota, says the acquisition was completed June 2. Existing Granite Mountain Bank customers may continue to use their existing debit cards and check stock until Aug.5. Starting Aug. 5, customers will be transitioned onto Citizens Alliance Bank’s core system computer platform.

A local Glendive hotel that has gone through a series of rebrandings in recent years has rebranded once again. This time with a full renovation as it joins a national corporation. The establishment has joined the Best Western family of hotels and rebranded itself as the SureStay. The building was bought in 2021 by Alex Allgood and Stan Wang, investors based in Texas, who have been continued the renovation. They will continue to own the business as it operates under the Best Western umbrella.

In Montana, there are 8,549,170 acres of farmland. The county with the most acerage in production is Rosebud. It has 766 farms with 2, 342, 527 acres.

Dvele modular home manufacturing plant in Butte has opened with projections  to create nearly 500 good-paying Montana jobs. Representing an $80 million investment by Dvele, the new facility will support the production of affordable workforce housing in Montana. Founded in 2018, Dvele has designed, manufactured, and built over 270 modular homes throughout the U.S. and Canada. The homes are built and shipped out for placement in a shorter timeline than traditional housing construction, costing about 30% to 40% less.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced it has awarded $400,000 to the state of Montana in Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program funding. The funds will pay for a study of the Whitefish Rail Corridor Crossing Study. It will study three at-grade crossings and one viaduct along a three-mile corridor of BNSF’s Kootenai River Subdivision. Possible upgrades would alleviate blocked crossings that might cause safety concerns and disrupt freight movements to and from BNSF’s Whitefish Yard. The City of Whitefish and BNSF railway are contributing funds totaling a 20 percent non-Federal match.

Two Montana Supreme Court Justices Mike McGrath and Justice Dirk Sandefur have announced that they will not run for re-election in 2024. McGrath will be concluding his second eight-year term; and Sandefur is in his first.

Felco Industries in Missoula expanded to a new 20,000 square foot manufacturing facility. Founded in 1983, Felco Industries manufactures excavator products for utility, infrastructure, and energy sector installation and replacement projects. According to Association of Equipment Manufacturers, the equipment manufacturing industry supports more than 850 jobs in Montana and contributes $79 million to the state’s economy annually.

Montana-Dakota Utilities, a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group, Inc. received approval from the North Dakota Public Service Commission on an electric service agreement (ESA) to provide power for Applied Digital Corporation’s data center near Ellendale, ND. At full capacity, the data center will require 180 megawatts of electricity, which is the equivalent of about 28% of Montana-Dakota’s generation portfolio. The Applied Digital load will be purchased from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) market and will not impact Montana-Dakota customers’ power supply. The project provides an array of benefits to the Ellendale area, the transmission grid, Montana-Dakota customers and MDU stockholders.