Government
POLSON – Following months of discussions, Lake County commissioners Dave Stipe, Bill Barron and Gale Decker unanimously decided on Wednesday, Sept. 11, to move forward with a proposed ballot question this fall that will ask the voters to decide whether additional jail and courtroom space is worth a property tax increase. Ballots could go out in the mail around the middle of November and be counted by the middle of December. The measure comes after years of criticism that the county jail’s existing poor conditions and inefficiencies have caused safety concerns for the public, inmates and deputies. The county lockup was built for 46 people in 1938, and in recent years, the aver...
News from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service DENVER – Since 1908, when the National Bison Range in western Montana was established by President Theodore Roosevelt, this 18,800-acre national wildlife refuge has continued to play an important role in the conservation and recovery of American bison. Seve...
POLSON – All four members of the commission who attended the regular meeting voted to approve the budget for the next fiscal year. The budget estimates the city will bring in $12.5 million and spend $13.5 million in fiscal year 2020. According to the document, the city will make up the differe...
News from the office of Governor Bullock MONTANA – On Wednesday, Sept. 4, Governor Bullock will join providers and patients to announce funding to support a statewide health information exchange. The health information exchange will provide patient data in real time to improve care, and redu...
POLSON – Lake County Commissioners are considering the development of a resolution to allow voters to decide whether a new jail should be built. “We have gotten to a point where we have to do something, in my opinion,” said Commissioner Bill Barron. “We have reached a point ...
News from Governor Steve Bullock MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock released the following statement to welcome Montana students and educators back to school. “As Lisa and I send our three kids back to school, I know that Montanans all across the state share the same excitement for th...
MONTANA – The Montana Department of Justice’s Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force held its second meeting in Great Falls on Saturday, Aug. 10, and Montana Free Press founder John S. Adams interviewed task force members Deputy Attorney General Melissa Schlichting and Ellie Bundy McLeod of the Co...
News from the Office of Community Service HELENA — The Governor’s Office of Community Service announced today they are accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Governor and First Lady Youth Leadership Council. The council will consist of 7th-12th grade students from across the state who are ...
POLSON – The city commission approved two staff-recommended changes to the Polson Development Code and denied another during the last meeting. A state-mandated change to subdivision regulations related to agricultural use was the first update. They also passed a city-staff recommended addition to...
MONTANA — Responding to concerns from county clerks that rushing to replace Montana’s voter registration system with new software before the 2020 presidential election could put the integrity of the state’s elections at risk. Montana’s top election administrator acknowledged in a July...
