Montana News Roundup: Inflation Still High at Mid-Year Mark

While it may seem inflation has eased somewhat this summer, Montana and the West Region as a whole continue to outpace the inflation rate of many of the major metropolitan areas across the country.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the Consumer Price Index for the West Region jumped another 0.2% of a percent in July. And the year-over-year increase in the CPI was at 3% compared to the mid-point of last summer.

     💰The "core" inflation rate, which doesn't include energy and food items, was even higher, up 3.9% from last July.

That's already outpacing the 2.8% estimate the Legislature used to calculate the mill levies for Fiscal Year '25.

Nationally, WalletHub reports the year-over-year inflation rate at 2.7%, with factors like the Ukrainian War, labor shortage, and tariffs having an impact. If Montana were a city, that 3-percent inflation rate would tie for 9th among the 23 cities in the report, with price increases higher than Seattle.

Fires are popping across Montana in more hot weather

Fire crews in Southeast and Southwest Montana have been scrambling to catch up with a rash of new fire starts from Wednesday's hot, dry, and windy weather.

Montana DNRC reports there were more than 2-dozen new fire starts through yesterday evening, most of them moving fast through open country.

Highway 87 in southern Madison County has been closed off and on, and residents around Cameron are on a pre-evacuation notice from the Horn Fire, burning between the highway and Cliff Lake.

The Pony Creek Fire near Colstrip was the largest at more than 1000 acres. The Mission Butte Fire near St. Xavier was already over 500 acres.

Dramatic air rescue in Glacier

A woman climbing solo in Glacier National Park has a story to tell after she had to be rescued by a helicopter after becoming stranded on Mount Reynolds.

Two Bear Air Rescue shared a video of the operation to help the woman, who had "cliffed out" on the rocky mountainside.

     They were able to drop a Rescue Specialist on the ledge, who then guided her down to where she could be airlifted unharmed.

Pressure for criminal charges for an ATV running down the Blackfoot

A coalition of conservation groups is pressing for citations against the contractor who drove a large all-terrain vehicle down miles of the Blackfoot River last week.

Fishermen caught footage of the Sherp making its way down the riverbed. It was only later that Montana FWP said the operators, reportedly doing weed control work for Powell County, didn't have a permit to enter the river.

Now, the Missoula Current reports conservation groups and individuals have sent letters to FWP Director Christy Clark and the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service asking for criminal charges to be filed.

      The case is charged by the current "hoot owl" fishing restrictions on the river, aimed at trying to protect fish stocks during this summer's low water and extreme drought on the Blackfoot.

Get your tax rebate requests ready

Tomorrow marks the first day Montanans can begin applying for the state's latest round of property tax exemptions, with rebates up to $400 for 2024 taxes, as approved by the Legislature, as part of a tax reform package this past session.