Small-town Choteau, Montana, is working to find answers to the question that is plaguing 23 of the state’s counties.
Can rural towns stem the trend of population decline?
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
‘Atmospheric rivers’ aid the West — and imperil it
Improved storm forecasts could help reservoir managers store more water while avoiding floods.
Posted inFebruary 5, 2018: Caught Between Crises
More prime sage grouse habitat is open for drilling
The Trump administration will allow oil and gas leasing in key sagebrush lands.
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
Chronic wasting disease hits Montana deer, elk
State scrambles to respond to discovery of deadly neurological disease
Posted inArticles
A majority of Montana counties face primary care shortages
The gap in health care access is particularly acute in rural areas.
Posted inArticles
Fly fishing conversations with a New York real estate developer
In 1972, a guide tries to help a pompous client hook a steelhead.
Posted inEnewsletter
Indian Country News
Help make sense of the biggest stories across Indian Country with our monthly newsletter.
Posted inArticles
The ‘scenery economy’ reinvigorates a Montana town
Tourism has given Philipsburg new life — but it’s brought few permanent families.
Posted inArticles
There aren’t enough affordable homes for rural Montanans
In the second story of the series, the town of Boulder’s aging population is likely to put more pressure on housing.
Posted inArticles
Nonprofits make rural home ownership more plausible
In the final part of a series on Boulder, Montana, a pathway for solutions for affordable housing woes.
Posted inArticles
How to turn a struggling small town around
In the first part of a series on Boulder, Montana, a well-rounded economic development effort.
Posted inArticles
What Abbey’s ‘Desert Solitaire’ means in these trying times
The book turns 50 this year, and is more relevant now than ever.
Posted inArticles
The future of small-town Montana rides on public lands
From Dupuyer to Columbia Falls, a look at the growing recreation economy.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
Why some young professionals settle in small-town Montana
As rural areas struggle to hold onto youth, a look at a few young professionals who returned.
Posted inArticles
The Endangered Species Act itself could go extinct
Congress and the Trump administration threaten an act vital to wildlife and habitat.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
Idaho protects the rights of faith healers. Should it?
A debate rages over the extent of religious freedom in the face of preventable deaths.
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
Cliven Bundy walks for involvement in 2014 standoff
Judge dismisses case for ‘flagrant misconduct’ after prosecutors and FBI withheld evidence.
Posted inJanuary 22, 2018: A Separatist State of Mind
Latest: Idaho gets nation’s first International Dark Sky Reserve
Designation recognizes decades of work to reduce light pollution.
Posted inArticles
Alaska is open for drilling
The GOP tax bill opens the Arctic to energy development, setting the stage for divisive battles to come.
Posted inArticles
Interior revokes climate change and mitigation policies
Many regulations were axed because they are ‘burdens’ to energy development.