Articles written by Johnathan Hettinger
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Whitebark pine proposed as 'threatened'
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed Tuesday that the whitebark pine tree, which faces threats from invasive species, climate change and wildfires, be protected with a "threatened" designation under the Endangered Species Act. The whitebark...
Phase None: Bullock says the state can't afford a return to stay-at-home restrictions as COVID-19 spreads uncontrolled
At Billings Clinic, the emergency room is turning away ambulances. In Bozeman, health care workers who are supposed to be quarantined because of exposure to COVID-19 are having to work. Ravalli County emergency room doctors say the community is "on...
As COVID surges, health officials try to balance public buy-in with stricter measures
Montana has set multiple new records for COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the past week, and now ranks among the top states in the nation in daily new cases per capita. Hospitals in some of Mont...
Construction site in Big Sky generates more than 100 COVID-19 cases
The construction site of a $400 million luxury resort in Big Sky has led to at least 116 COVID-19 cases in July, public health officials confirmed to Montana Free Press. The outbreak is one of the largest in the state. It is also unique in that the...
The peak that wasn't: How Montana avoided the worst of COVID-19, and how that success could be undone
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Montana has been the safest state in the Lower 48. Despite early projections of hundreds of deaths and a shortage of ICU beds, the state's initial outbreak peaked with a daily caseload of 23 on April 1....
Montana to enter phase two of reopening
Montana will lift its 14-day quarantine for out-of-state travelers as the state transitions to phase two of the Reopening the Big Sky plan on June 1, Gov. Steve Bullock announced Tuesday. Lifting the...
With beef backlogged and the market in flux, Montana cattle ranchers face tough choices
The beef supply chain in the United States typically starts on a ranch like Marty Malone's, in Paradise Valley, with the birth of calves. After a summer of grazing, a cow reaches about 500 to 700 poun...
