93 Bypass
Road No Longer a Mirage
Then, in March, we published a story on how, even with federal stimulus funds being thrown around (seemingly everywhere), the bypass was still a long way off because the Montana Department of Transportation had secured right-of-way designations for just 155 (or 57 percent) of the 273 parcels needed for the road.
Guest Commentary: Ellen Simpson
Biomass Power Key to Future of Energy
Democrats Politcal Party Director
Montana Democratic Party Gets New Director
David Benson, a veteran of political campaigns in South Dakota and Minnesota, took over the job in mid-October. He replaces Art Noonan, who resigned last summer.
Economy
Jobless Rate Tops 10 Percent for First Time Since 1983
Nearly 16 million people can't find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. Many economists worry that persistently high unemployment could undermine the recovery by restraining consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy.
Health Care Overhaul
House Dems Push for Votes on Health Bill
Voting is set for Saturday on the 10-year, $1.2 trillion legislation that embraces Obama's goals of extending health coverage to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and putting tough new restrictions on insurance companies.
Climate Bill
Senate Democrats Advance Climate Bill Without GOP
Other committees still must weigh-in on the measure, but the partisan antics early on threatened to cast a pall over the bill — one of President Barack Obama's top priorities — as it makes its way to the Senate floor and as nations prepare to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, next month to hammer out a new international treaty to slow climate change.
State Budget
Montana State Tax Collections Less Than Predicted
Terry Johnson of the Legislative Fiscal Division said taking into account potential revenue shortfalls from individual and corporate income taxes and potential higher oil and gas production taxes, the state's general fund revenues for the fiscal year could be anywhere from $51 million to $129 million less than lawmakers forecast.
Health care reform shines a light on hospice care
Giving Comfort When There is No Cure
Aaron Jordan, right, watches as case manager and registered nurse Donna Nelson, left, physically assesses hospice patient Cheryl Swan during a home visit. Nelson works with Frontier Home Health and Hospice, which provides hospice care throughout the valley. - Lido Vizzutti/Flathead
Jordan stepped into the bathtub to help her into the water, getting his socks and pant legs wet. It didn’t bother him.