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LATEST NEWS
Again? NorthWestern Energy Seeks Approval For New Rate Hike
Remember this year when your power bills went through the roof?. In October 2023 the Public Service Commission approved a rate hit for RESIDENTIAL customers at 28 percent. That means if your bill WAS $91.27 it will now be $116.78. That's over $20 a month from the average Montana household. That can add up really fast in extra money for the utility. Example: There are over 400,000 households in Montana. That adds up to over 8 MILLION dollars a month MORE revenue for NorthWestern Energy.
Montanans Voice Anger Over Possible Planned Outages.
Montana is currently in the middle of a heatwave. Folks from all over the state are doing their best to stay cool, especially those without air conditioning. While many folks are rushing out to buy portable ACs, fans, and other devices that might help them take on the heat, recent news from NorthWestern Energy raised more than one eyebrow when the company said they're preparing for the possibility of planned outages.
Judge sides with FWP in elk management lawsuit
A state district court judge on Monday sided with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks and a coalition of hunting groups in key aspects of a lawsuit where property owners had sought to compel the state to aggressively reduce elk populations. In a trio of rulings, Judge Gregory Todd found that...
Red Cross Has Opened 13 Shelters so far This Wildfire Season. How You Can Prepare Before Disaster Strikes.
Oregon wildfires has burned more than 945,000 acres. [Portland, ORE, July 25, 2024] — Residents of Oregon and SW Washington are in the middle of a busy wildfire season as the climate crisis threatens to upend more communities. The American Red Cross Cascades Region opened our first shelter in La Pine on June 25th due to the Darlene 3 Fire and we have not stopped since. We are currently operating in 4 different locations in our region plus we are helping support or neighboring Red Cross regions in Washington, Idaho and Montana.
Aggressive Thunderstorms Meet Aggressive Response
ZELEZNY FIRE (1 mi. E of Rollins) Reported approximately 4am Thursday (July 25)1 mile east of Rollins between Hwy 93 and Flathead Lake . Resources responded from multiple agencies including DNRC, Chief Cliff VFD, Rollins VFD and Polson Rural Fire. Fire fighters have a line around the 2.5-acre fire, and are continuing to work controlling areas of heat.
Temperatures remain high across Montana, cooler conditions on their way
Throughout much of the day Thursday, we are going to be under a weather alert, especially from central and eastern Montana areas. We're still talking triple digit heat for many areas. Cooler conditions are expected out of northwestern Montana as we drop down into 79 degrees out of Kalispell as...
Puget Sound Energy building two massive wind energy projects in Montana
RAPELJE — As Montana citizens and groups pressure the state’s largest public utility, NorthWestern Energy, to add more renewable energy to its portfolio while the company continues pushing a series of natural-gas power plants, a Washington-based utility is building an expansive wind farm that will send power to the Seattle area. Puget Sound Energy is also […]
Local Actors Needed for Short Film Being Shot in Montana
Shooting TV shows for Hollywood has been happening in Montana for a while now. If you haven't been aware of the success of Yellowstone, I am not sure where you have been hiding. The last season of Yellowstone is currently being filmed in Western Montana. They have been shooting this month in and around downtown Missoula. They have also been casting for extras in Western Montana for the show.
Montana to receive $50M in federal grants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Montana is set to receive $50 million in grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that will go toward a forestry and agricultural project that would reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 15 million metric tons through 2050. The EPA and state announced Monday the Montana Forest, Community and Working Landscapes […]
Missoula, western Montanans, clean up after windstorm, 109 mph gusts on Mount Sentinel
Missoulians were cleaning up debris and negotiating power outages Thursday after a storm and high winds the night before split trees to the ground and uprooted them, dropped power lines and damaged homes and gardens. Jan Oliver, who owns a home in the middle of Missoula, was clearing branches Thursday afternoon with one tenant, Bryan […]
Thursday’s Market Day In The Big Sky
No wonder it's HOT, it's Thirsty Thursday, & it's also "Market Day" in our Golden Triangle. Shelby Market & Music's this afternoon over in Shelby City Park, from 4 until 6. Chester's hosting their Summer Market today from 5 to 7, in Chester City Park. You can get your kicks at 6, tonight in Choteau City Park. Forget the old Chicago favorite, "Saturday in the Park"...this is "THURSDAY in the Park," during Summer '24, under our Montana Big Sky.
Colstrip power plant offline during heat wave
A large source of energy generation for Montana’s biggest utility has gone offline while much of the state experiences extreme heat. The coal-fired power plant in Colstrip went offline Tuesday afternoon. NorthWestern Energy spokesperson Jo Dee Black confirmed the shutdown but did not give details on the cause. Black told MTPR NorthWestern hopes to have the facility up and running in the next few days. This loss of Montana-based energy means the utility company will have to purchase energy from the open market to meet demands.
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