News

Madison County is currently seeing an uptick in Covid-19 cases. Madison County Public Health Department Director Emilie Sayler said she’s seen a number of new confirmed cases in the area, most coming in the last days of July.

According to a July 27 press release from NorthWestern Energy harmful algae blooms have been identified on Hebgen Reservoir in the northeast portion, in the Grayling Arm area, of the reservoir. Routine monitoring of Hebgen has confirmed the presence of toxins, anatoxin-a and microcystin, that pose a risk to people, pets and livestock.

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte recently announced the launch of a statewide fire dashboard created to keep residents and visitors up to date on the ever-changing wildfires across the state.

Harrison area rancher and angus cow breeder Bob Sitz hadn’t bought hay since his father passed away in 1989. Typically, his 40,000-acre operation produces enough hay to feed 1,400 cows with enough excess to sell about 3,000 tons of it each year.

Following suit with other agencies, Madison County Commissioners approved a Stage 2 burn ban for the county, effective as of July 27, 2021.

The ban includes most the items listed below, as well as a ban on tiki torches, and a ban from 1 p.m. to 1 a.m. on construction site activities, not including utility and emergency construction.

The November municipal general elections may seem far off, but preparations are underway and the candidates slated for the official ballots have been announced. Here’s a breakdown of which Madison County communities will be included in the Nov. 2 election.

Ennis

The grizzly attack-related deaths of a woman in Ovando this month and a man in West Yellowstone earlier this summer have brought the unfortunate reality of the increasingly common encounter between human and grizzly into the news as of recent.

Something seemed weird. The Western Meadowlark perched atop a small aspen outside the window for a long time, looking around and clucking. Most Meadowlarks are skittish, keeping their distance from people and dogs. This one wasn’t. And the clucking noise sounded odd.