Daily News Roundup
February 28, 2024
Strong Foothills Winds through Thursday Night; Heavy Mountain Snow
By Denise Rivette This afternoon, the Billings office of the National Weather Service highlighted a couple of periods of impactful weather expected in the remainder of the week. KEY POINTS Strong southwest winds at Livingston and along the Beartooth foothills through Thursday night.
Montana Attorney General Knudsen Demanding Answers From Google About 'Woke' AI Product
By Denise Rivette Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen wrote a letter today demanding answers from Google executives regarding the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) system “Gemini”. The system may violate Montana law by providing inaccurate information biased towards the Google's political preferences without disclosing that fact to consumers.
UPDATE: DEAL MADE-SHUT DOWN AVERTED FOR ONE WEEK With Partial Government Shutdown Days Away, No Agreement Yet on Federal Funding
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution is immediately in sight.
UPDATED: McConnell to Step Down as U.S. Senate GOP Leader
By Ariana Figueroa and Jacob Fischler for States Newsroom WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November, he said on the Senate floor Wednesday, announcing the end of a run as party leader that broke records for its length and shaped American politics over nearly two decades.
Say That Again: Using Hearing Aids Can Be Frustrating for Older Adults, but Necessary
By Judith Graham for KFF Health News It was an every-other-day routine, full of frustration. Every time my husband called his father, who was 94 when he died in 2022, he’d wait for his dad to find his hearing aids and put them in before they started talking.
PODCAST: Wait, Is Insulin Cheaper Now?
By Dan Weissmann Pharmaceutical companies that manufacture insulin made headlines last year when they voluntarily agreed to provide discount cards that lower the monthly cost of insulin for many people to $35. But getting your hands on this card — and persuading a pharmacist to accept it — can be a hassle.
Five things to know about Montana’s school funding formulas
by Eric Dietrich and Alex Sakariassen 02.27.2024 Montana’s K-12 school system plays an essential role in this state — as essential as any of the many public institutions covered by Montana Free Press. It’s also an expensive endeavor, with districts across the state spending, according to data from the state Office of Public Instruction, about $2.5 billion last year.
Montana Expands Medicaid Coverage for Housing Assistance and Transition From Prison
by Mara Silvers 02.27.2024 The federal agency that oversees Montana’s Medicaid program has approved requests from Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration to cover more services for Montanans with mental illnesses and substance use disorders, part of a multiyear effort to leverage state and federal funds to fill gaps in Montana’s health care system.
Montana Nurses Association: Support nurses in union contract, at legislature
By: Keila Szpaller for the Daily Montanan Some 650 nurses at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula are entering mediation on a union contract a labor leader said will shape the hospital’s ability to care for patients going forward. “This contract negotiation is really going to be telling on the future of St. Pat’s as we know it,” said Cassidy Dillon, a registered nurse and bargaining team member for the Montana Nurses Association Local 17, in a phone call Tuesday.