Jess Sheldahl

Health care facilities in rural areas, including Montana and Wyoming, are more often the target of cyberattacks than in the past. YPR news’ Jess Sheldahl spoke with Ryan Levi, producer for the national health policy podcast Tradeoffs, about ransomware attacks aimed at the healthcare industry.

As demand for COVID-19 vaccinations in Yellowstone County slows, the county health department is partnering with local churches and businesses for walk-in clinics. YPR News’ Jess Sheldahl went to a clinic at an evangelical church, where congregants and community members got the shot.

The Paycheck Protection Program that’s given aid to businesses during the pandemic has run out of funding, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration. The SBA will continue to fund already approved PPP applications.

COVID-19 was the third leading cause of death in Montana in 2020, according to state data. Many of those who lost loved ones haven’t been able to grieve together. With the weather warming up and health guidelines easing, people are finding ways to mourn in public.

The Montana Department of Corrections announced last week six new coronavirus cases among inmates at Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge.

Community health centers in Montana will receive over $24 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act to use for COVID-19 vaccinations, testing and treatment.

The death penalty, while legal in Montana, hasn’t been used in over a decade. A bill in the legislature would expand the definition of drugs that could be used in executions and make it possible to move forward with the executions of the two men sentenced to death in Montana.

The Montana Department of Corrections announced Monday it’s upgrading technology at its facilities using funds from its annual budget and COVID relief money.

A new grant fund to provide aid to Indigenous families conducting searches for missing loved ones launched Wednesday. The Montana Community Foundation established the first of its kind program.

A therapeutic youth home in Sheridan, Wyoming is closing its doors this spring after multiple states have dropped contracts with its parent company nationwide due to reports of violence, abuse and a death at another facility. When Normative Services Inc. Academy closes in March, nearly 50 kids from Montana will need to be transferred elsewhere.

The pandemic has made keeping in touch with loved ones difficult for everyone. COVID-19 precautions have halted in person visitation at Montana’s prisons, straining communication between inmates and their families.

The Montana National Guard on Nov. 18 withdrew from Montana State Prison after assisting the facility, strained by an outbreak of COVID-19 among inmates and staff. Eleven soldiers tested positive for the virus prior to and during the roughly three week mission.