When public schools face deep budget cuts, art and music programs are often the first to be slashed. A new nonprofit in Missoula is hitting the road with a mobile pottery studio to help fill the gaps.

The federal government says food assistance payments won’t be sent in November, due to the government shutdown. Some states are stepping in to cover the tab. Montana is not likely to do so.

Low-income Montanans receiving federal housing assistance are having better luck finding rentals. A state study led to an increase in the amount of funding families receive.

A Montana tribal lender is facing uncertainty and financial strain as the government shutdown continues. Native-certified community development financial institutions work in underserved areas and Indian Country.

Some of Montana’s largest counties are rejecting more ballots than usual this election. A new requirement is tripping up voters. State law now requires mail-in voters to write their birth year in addition to their signature.

For decades, Libby residents have lived with the deadly aftermath of asbestos exposure from a closed vermiculite mine. It contaminated the local baseball fields where kids played, it was in gardens, and it insulated homes. Hundreds have died from asbestos-related diseases. Two families were awarded damages from BNSF Railway in 2024. Now the railway is appealing that decision, saying it's not liable for those deaths.

Montana’s top education official this month sent a letter to schools telling them to “stay compliant” with state and federal laws. The letter from Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen references concerns schools are teaching diversity, equity and inclusion and gender identity. But it stops short of explaining what prompted those concerns. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy spoke with the Superintendent to learn more.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday that it’s partially reopening local offices that help farmers get federal financial support. That’s happening as Montana’s farmers say they’re on the brink of disaster.

Seniors are one of the fastest growing homeless populations, but most homeless shelters aren’t equipped to help with specialized needs. MTPR's Aaron Bolton visited a shelter for seniors in Utah to see if their model could work in Montana.

This week on The Big Why, we’re exploring Montana’s 56 counties. A listener from Billings wants to know how they got their shapes. Finding the answer led MTPR's Austin Amestoy down a rabbit hole where he found a saga of boom and bust, backroom dealing and an unlikely folk hero.