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For Crow Nation, many other tribes, clean water is scarce

Strife

Editor’s Note: This story is part of “Sacred Water,” an ongoing investigation by Environmental Health News into Native American struggles—and successes—to protect culturally significant water sources on and off the reservation. CROW RESERVATION—Cutting south through the western border of the Crow Nation’s vast reservation, the history is as dense as the land is sparse. There are no billboards, stoplights, gas stations or cell service. “But there’s a lot out there,” says Emery Three Irons, a Crow tribal member, driving through an early-spring snow. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Yellowstone Park weighing options in light of fish kill

River

CODY, WYO. — Park authorities have no plans so far to close waters in Yellowstone National Park to anglers and others following a move Friday by Montana wildlife officials to close a vast stretch of the Yellowstone River. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks announced the immediate and indefinite closure of more than 150 miles of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries to fishing, boating and all other recreational activities. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Rights panel to look into ‘border town discrimination’

A series of panel discussions looking at “border town discrimination” against Native Americans will take place in Billings on Monday, Aug. 29. The daylong event is being put on by the Montana Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and will be held in the Shrine Auditorium, 1125 Broadwater Ave. (more…) Continue Reading →

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At Riverfront Park, hands-on training for an oil spill

Oil spill

A couple of visitors to Riverfront Park paused on the trail overlooking the Yellowstone River near South Bridge Thursday afternoon, looks of confusion on their faces. Fortunately, Al Nash was nearby and he explained that the sight of 11 people in haz-mat gear was nothing to worry about. (more…) Continue Reading →

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For existing businesses, huge project brings big changes

Marylee

Some of the business owners who stand to be displaced by the huge development project planned for downtown Billings are worrying about what they will do next, but not Gary Temple and Marylee Moreland. The married couple own Meadowlark Gallery at 118 N. 29th St. and they live above the art gallery. If the One Big Sky Center comes off as planned, a 25-story building, the tallest in Montana, will rise up from the site of their gallery. (more…) Continue Reading →

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City Council gives first nod to downtown project

Center

The public and private partners working on a huge development in downtown Billings got their first nod of approval Monday night from the City Council. By general assent—since no actual votes are taken at council work sessions like the one held Monday—developers of the One Big Sky Center got the green light to present the council with a predevelopment agreement at the council’s Sept. 12 meeting. (more…) Continue Reading →

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More details released on major downtown project

Plans

This story has been updated. Developers of a $120 million-plus project in downtown Billings—including a skyscraper that would be the tallest building in Montana—unveiled their plans Monday afternoon. At a press conference in Meadowlark Gallery, 118 N. 29th St., attended by nearly 80 people, the developers and local people who’ve been working with them outlined plans to build the One Big Sky Center, which would take up two-thirds of a two-block-square area on the 2900 and 3000 blocks of First Avenue North. (more…) Continue Reading →

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Authors talk over era of Montana basketball legends

The rollout of two new books about high school basketball in Montana turned into an appreciation of basketball legend Larry Pretty Weasel here on Wednesday. Pretty Weasel is widely considered the best Indian high school basketball player in Montana history, and some people call him Montana’s greatest high school basketball player, period. He also is a key character in a new book by a Hardin teammate, Steven E. Dyche, author of “Integrated Basketball at the Little Big Horn: A 1957 Success Story.” (more…) Continue Reading →

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State economy doing well, but troubles seen ahead

Barkey

Economic times are good for Montana—but not that good. In a presentation in Billings on Tuesday, speakers from the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana gave a generally upbeat overview of the Montana economy, but they warned that 2016 is unlikely to be as good a year as 2015 was. (more…) Continue Reading →

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