The top Medicaid official in Montana’s state health department has submitted his resignation and will be taking a job in the private sector, an agency spokesperson said Thursday afternoon. Mike Randol will leave the role of state Medicaid director almost two years after taking the position under the prior head of Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Department of Public Health and Human Services, Adam Meier. Department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said Randol’s resignation was accepted April 23 and his last day will be on May 10. “Mike has made lasting contributions to Montana’s Medicaid program during his tenure ..read more

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized rules to reduce pollution associated with the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity. The new rules are anticipated to have major implications for Montana coal mines and the power plants they supply, including the state’s largest electricity generator located in Colstrip. The EPA’s adopted rules will “protect all communities from pollution and improve public health without disrupting the delivery of reliable electricity,” according to a statement the EPA released Thursday. “EPA is proud to make good on the Biden-Harris Administration ..read more

Growing populations and tourism in western Montana are straining aging roads, leaving state and local governments to fix problems or make improvements with limited funding, according to transportation officials.  While development-driven infrastructure upgrades are nothing new, the Montana Department of Transportation is trying to keep afloat amid “explosive” growth around Missoula and Kalispell, said Joel Boucher, a state engineer for a nine-county district that includes Missoula, Flathead and Ravalli counties.  “There are so many needs throughout the district that far outpace fund ..read more

Recent months have seen a rash of headlines across Montana regarding multimillion-dollar budget shortfalls in many of the state’s largest public school districts. The specter of cuts to staff and resources for students looms large, and local officials are leveraging the harsh financial outlook in their appeals for additional taxpayer support as voters begin casting ballots in the May 7 school elections. That outlook paints a distressing picture for educators and community members alike. In Missoula, staff reductions in the face of an $8 million shortfall have triggered outcries of public frus ..read more

The United Way of the Lewis and Clark Area has received a $500,000 anonymous donation for the nonprofit’s Helena Inn housing project. The nonprofit on Wednesday announced the donation toward the purchase and renovation of the Helena Inn, 2300 N. Oakes St., to create permanent supportive housing units.  Jeff Buscher, the United Way’s community impact director, said the massive donation had uplifted the project’s hefty fundraising goals. “It gives us some momentum,” Buscher said. “And it gives us the ability to offer matching funds for example; it gives us some credibility with grantors. I ..read more

Montanans are increasingly reporting that their quality of life is declining, according to a recent University of Montana poll. Sixty-two percent of Montanans contacted by pollsters say their quality of life has gotten worse over the past five years. That’s a seven-point increase compared to 2022 when the Crown of the Continent and Greater Yellowstone Initiative last put that question to likely Montana voters. “It’s quite clear that residents all over the state — even out on the prairie — are struggling with growing pains, and our quality of life is down this year, according to the resul ..read more

Lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials from the Montana Department of Corrections following a recent legislative audit that identified a myriad of shortcomings in the department’s educational and work training programs at state prisons.  The audit, conducted through surveys at four facilities between 2020 and 2022, identified low participation in education and training programs despite inmates’ high interest, a gulf between the training offered and workforce needs, gaps in data collection and spotty enforcement of the state’s agreements with private prisons to provide reentry programming ..read more

KALISPELL — On a cold February morning at the Flathead Warming Center, Tashya Evans waited for help with her Medicaid application as others at the shelter got ready for the day. This story also appeared in KFF Health News Evans said she lost Medicaid coverage in September because she hadn’t received paperwork after moving from Great Falls. She has had to forgo the blood pressure medication she can no longer pay for since losing coverage. She has also had to put off needed dental work. “The teeth broke off. My gums hurt. There’s some times where I’m not feeling good, I don’t want to eat,” she ..read more

This story is adapted from the MT Lowdown, a weekly newsletter digest containing original reporting and analysis published every Friday. The federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has indicated it will reject a law the 2023 Montana Legislature passed to loosen water quality laws that govern coal mining. In a letter dated March 28, Jeffrey W. Fleischman with the agency’s Casper area office, flagged components of House Bill 576 as “inconsistent with” and “less effective than” federal laws such as the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Because federal law prevents ..read more

Mexican restaurants — or at least restaurants with some Mexican dishes on the menu — are all over Big Sky Country. Much like Americanized versions of Italian classics such as pizza and pasta have found their way onto our dinner tables, so too have tacos, burritos, nachos and enchiladas come to dominate many American diets.  Over time, these dishes have morphed into meals that are a big departure from the original versions. This happens for a variety of reasons, including convenience, lack of access to particular ingredients, and a lack of cultural and historical understanding of the cuis ..read more