Montana Hasn’t Seen This in “Many Moons”

The arrival of cold, crisp weather, with warm afternoons, is perfect for you "fall fans" in Montana. But it also means clear skies to observe the first of three "super moons" that will fall one after another as we close out 2025.

Monday was the full "Harvest Moon", the first of the super moons, which means the moon can appear larger because it's closer to Earth. The Beaver Moon will repeat the show on November 5th, with the trifecta completed with the aptly named "Cold Moon", which will be a full super moon on December 4th.

Fire smoke on purpose in Missoula Wednesday

Missoula residents will lose some of their blue sky on Wednesday, as teams set off a prescribed burn west of the city.

Montana Forest Consultants, in coordination with Whitehorse Forestry and local fire agencies, are planning to ignite the burn in the vicinity of Big Flat Road and Saddleback Lane. It is expected to produce smoke visible all across the valley.

This burn will cover 70 acres, and is part of a larger 250-acre section included in the Big Flat Forest Restoration project, a multi-year project which is funded by Montana DNRC.

Turning Point comes to Bozeman in aftermath of leader's murder

Upwards of three thousand people, and perhaps more, will be gathering on the Montana State University campus for this evening's "Turning Point USA" rally.

The event, scheduled for the Brick Breedan Fieldhouse, was to have featured Charlie Kirk before his fatal shooting at a similar event in Utah last month.

     Governor Gianforte will be one of the keynote speakers.

Another driver dies on Montana roads without a seat belt

A 31-year-old St. Regis resident was killed Monday afternoon on when of the curves on the twisty section of Highway 135 just upstream from Paradise.

Montana Highway Patrol says the driver lost control going around a curve, overcorrected with the Toyota crossing both lanes, and then overturned in the ditch. The victim died later at Clark Fork Valley Hospital.

Do you really like bison, or not?

So just how do we feel about bison here in Montana? A University of Utah professor wants to hear what you think.

Dr. Stefani Crabtree wants to find out how we feel about bison, especially with their increasing numbers, and whether we tolerate them as those populations grow. Specifically, he wants to compare those surveys with findings from a study into wild Eastern European bison, where populations have also been making a comeback.

      Here's a link to the survey.

Grizzlies mine "copper and gold" for '95 nostalgia

The Montana Grizzlies aren't about to let the 30th anniversary of the team's first football championship go unnoticed this fall.

UM announced this past week that the theme for homecoming will be "Party Like 1995", with word circulating that the classic copper and gold uniforms would be back, a point that was confirmed Monday. The helmets will also feature the "snarling Griz" logo from that championship year.

RELATED: UM's Copper and Gold Move Breaks the Internet

Sweeping downtown changes to be discussed Wednesday

Missoula leaders are ready to show the public what they've developed so far with a massive plan to rework downtown so it's safer and more efficient for drivers, pedestrians, and people using bikes and other alternative transportation.

The city will hold a workshop on Wednesday for the SAM Project, which stands for Downtown Safety, Access and Mobility, giving people a chance to review the ideas so far between 4 and 7 pm at the Missoula Public Library.

Senior Project Manager Megan McMeekin says the objective is to not only improve intersections and overall safety, but also improve features such as better ADA access to popular downtown areas.

"We're trying to get this to work for the next 50 plus years. Which is really hard to predict the future and things change so much over that time period. But it's definitely not something that, you know, a $25-million investment comes to our city all that often. So we're trying to really make this right and do as much as we can." -Senior Project Manager Megan McMeekin

      The plan is only 30% complete now, with many more months of work ahead. So McMeekin says there's plenty of time for people to offer their suggestions.

Montana teen vaping rates are higher than you might think

A new report, based on information from the American Lung Association, says 26% of Montana high school students reported vaping at least once in the last month, a figure big enough to place our state fourth in the country for teen vaping rates.

      Less than 2% of those teens are still smoking traditional cigarettes.