35 Montana Tech students toured production facilities in the Bakken oilfield of eastern Montana and North Dakota to learn about energy production. The tour included stops at rigs, a shop, and a pumpjack. Continental Resources, Kraken Resources, and Liberty Energy gave tours of their operations.

January’s Economy at a Glance shows a 16.8% increase in airplane enplanements, and a 46.8% increase in sales tax distribution for Williston when compared to January of last year.

The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation has announced a $15 million grant to support construction of the Butte CommUNITY Hub. The grant will be awarded over three years, with another potential $2.5 million in matching funds.

Montana State University has announced a gift of $4.8 million from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation. The gift allows MSU to reach its goal of raising the $22.5 million in private donations needed to move ahead with constructing an on-campus facility for the Gallatin College MSU.

A new Amazon distribution warehouse in south Kalispell has begun construction. The one-story building will be approximately 28,000 square feet. It is located on United Drive near Fred’s Appliance. The project is valued at $15.5 million. The contractor is Dick Anderson Construction.

Flathead Childcare has expanded into new child care facilities in Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Mishael Jelley owns Flathead Childcare alongside her brother, Mark Vogel. The mission of Flathead Childcare is to create a warm, engaging environment where kids can learn through hands on play, experiences and meaningful connections. The new Columbia Falls location is in the basement of the Columbia Falls United Methodist Church in a space that was formally a different child care facility. The new Whitefish location is at Bright Minds.   

Ben Gould is the new group sales manager at Discover Kalispell. Gould plans to lead efforts by Discover Kalispell to bring in conferences, reunions, tour groups, sports events and more. He expects to work closely with business and industry partners to promote Kalispell as a travel destination.  

Improvements to the viaduct in Whitefish over the BNSF Railway tracks have long been identified as a way to improve the link between the north side of Whitefish and downtown. The project had been budgeted at $700,000 in the city’s street fund. The roughly $250,000 overage comes from engineering costs and city-provided streetlights. The project includes improving the bike and pedestrian lanes on either side of the viaduct, installation of decorative streetlights and landscaping components. 

Italy, France and Spain are among the top five exporters of wine to the United States. Trump made his threat to Europe’s alcohol industry after the European Union announced a 50% tax on American whiskey expected to take effect on April 1. France’s industry, whose wine and spirits exports to the U.S. are worth 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion) annually. President Trump has threatened a 200% tariff.

The City of Red Lodge is updating it’s Growth Policy and is opening a 30-day public comment period prior to the Planning Board and Zoning Commission Public Hearing on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. The City Planning Board and Zoning Commission is inviting the public to provide written comment up to the hearing date, as well as have the option to attend the hearing on April 9th to provide verbal comment. The Growth Policy is an important planning document for purposes of providing a blueprint for managing future growth that preserves the City’s heritage while accommodating new growth.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument will undergo temporary operational changes in 2025 as the park begins its updating key infrastructure. The ongoing Visitor Center construction and the roadway improvement projects are currently under way. The park plans to be closed Monday through Thursday, starting April 28 through fall of 2025. It will  remain open Friday through Sunday, and for the Battle of the Little Bighorn anniversary June 25-26. Visitors should check www.nps.gov/libi for the latest updates.

Heelstone Renewable Energy, LLC, a wind development company has announced plans to erect 50 to 70 wind turbines in the county over the next few years. This project would add to the 42 wind turbines already planned by NextEra Energy, LLC. Heelstone’s Dawson Wind Farm is to cover parts west of Glendive north of Interstate 94. North Carolina-based Heelstone currently operates more than 80 solar energy projects nationwide.

The city of Choteau won the “Best Tasting Water” award at the Montana Rural Water Systems Conference March 12-14 in Great Falls. Choteau’s potable water is sourced from groundwater. The city’s water system serves 721 households and businesses.

The Lewistown City Commission has declined to issue a retroactive emergency declaration for January’s snowstorm, opting not to mill roughly $17,000 in taxes on city residents. The decision came after the commission learned that a retroactive declaration would not provide the city with the ability to recoup any funding from the state. Montana Disaster and Emergency Services office has informed that the city would have had to show that it both did not anticipate expending the funds it would request and that it did not have an appropriation of funding up to the level of that expenditure in order to receive state disaster assistance.

Judith Landing State Park officially belongs to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, after the title was transferred in February. The State Parks and Recreation Board approved new rules related to hunting and trapping on the property. The 109-acre park was donated by the American Prairie non-profit. FWP’s is getting the property ready for public use.

The Flathead Conservation District and Friends of Montana Rivers and Streams have filed an appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of a home built on private land along the banks of McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park. Once the home was largely built, the Flathead Conservation District, ordered it removed. The decision was made due to private complaints about the structure.

Montana’s unemployment rate fell to 2.8% in January, the lowest since September 2023, continuing the record of 43 consecutive months of unemployment at or below 3.4%. Montana’s unemployment rate was 1.2% lower than the national unemployment rate, which is 4%. Newly revised estimates released each year in March show Montana’s unemployment rate averaged 3% in 2024. Annual employment estimates show that Montana added 3,000 jobs in 2024 for a growth rate of 0.5%. The labor force reached a record high of 579,000 in 2024, growing 0.8% over the year.

Developers are proposing to build a hotel in downtown Bozeman on a vacant lot near Bozeman Creek and several popular businesses. The hotel is proposed for 240 East Mendenhall Street, between north Bozeman and Rouse avenues. The lot is currently used for parking, and is directly behind the restaurant Open Range. Developers are proposing a six-story building, with a rooftop bar and landscaping and patio space adjacent to Bozeman Creek.

Conflux Brewery and Taphouse in downtown Missoula has been listed for sale for $5.75 million. The restaurant and brewery was built in 2018. The property includes an all-beverage license with catering, in addition to furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

Coal from the Spring Creek Mine is shipped by rail to power plants in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington, as well as internationally to Japan and South Korea.

The Glendive KXGN-TV Channel 5 broadcasting station prepares for both the building and the station’s eventual sale to new ownership, station employees have begun selling  memorabilia dating back to 1957.