Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

As COVID cases continue to climb, the city of Bozeman is launching an incentive program this week to encourage more residents to get vaccinated. Gallatin County has been in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s high transmission category for COVID cases since early August.

As COVID-19 cases in Montana increase, some school districts are putting in place mask mandates days before classes are set to begin.

Montana Universities will begin fall classes later this month. Campus Presidents at University of Montana and Montana State University are requesting that masks be worn in indoor spaces, but have decided not to implement campus-wide mask mandates.

Under 50 percent of eligible Montana residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and health officials are encouraging Montanans to continue taking protective measures in response to increasing case numbers.

About one-third of Montana counties fall under the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for fully vaccinated people to wear masks in public indoor places because of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19.

As case totals rise around the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that vaccinated and unvaccinated people alike wear face masks in public, indoor spaces in regions where the coronavirus is surging. The guidance is receiving mixed response in Montana.

The Blackfeet Indian Reservation is opening up for the tourism season as droves of visitors head to Glacier National Park. The reservation was closed to tourists for more than a year, and that’s a big deal because many residents rely on tourist spending. Local residents are more than ready to start greeting visitors again.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fort Peck Tribes finalized plans for a new Wellness Center. They hope to close the health care disparity between non Natives and tribal members.

The Gianforte administration is ordering half of state employees in Montana to return to their physical job sites starting June 14. Many have been working from home since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Montana’s superintendent of public instruction “strongly recommends” school districts rescind any mask requirements for the upcoming school year,...