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Saturday, Dec. 6th, 2025

Muzzleloader Heritage Season opens soon

HELENA – Muzzleloader heritage season opens on Saturday, Dec. 13, and runs through Sunday, Dec. 21. This season is for heritage muzzleloaders only; no other means of taking game, such as archery, is allowed. Note that some areas have elk shoulder seasons through Feb. 15, where firearms and archery equipment may be allowed. 

Hunters should also note that many of Montana’s Block Management Areas (BMAs), even though they are open for upland bird or waterfowl through Jan. 1, do not allow deer or elk hunting during the muzzleloader heritage season. Make sure to check BMA rules before you hunt.  

In addition, although some Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) are open year-round, many other WMAs are closed through May 15. If you are planning to hunt on a WMA, see a list of WMAs and their seasonal closure dates here. 

Hunters should check the hunting regulations to make sure they are compliant with all rules and regulations for this season. Hunters should also be aware that trapping seasons are open in several districts. 

To watch a video about the rules of muzzleloader heritage season, click here. 

Keep vigilant with grizzly bear awareness  

Bears are still active in certain areas. All bears are potentially dangerous. Hunters should be prepared to encounter a bear. Here are some tips to keep in mind:  

  • Stay alert and look for bear activity, especially where visibility or hearing is limited (woods, bushy areas, streams).  
  • Travel in a group and keep members together (especially kids).  
  • Make noise whenever possible to avoid surprising a bear, especially where visibility or hearing is limited.  
  • Carry bear spray close at hand and know how to use it.  
  • Avoid traveling at night, dawn or dusk.  
  • Avoid carcass sites and scavenger concentrations.  

For more information on hunting in Montana, visit fwp.mt.gov/hunt.  

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Friday, Dec. 5th, 2025

Game wardens seek information on bull elk killed west of Toston

TOSTON – Game wardens with Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are looking for tips from the public about two bull elk that were killed in Hunting District 380 west of Toston. 

Specifically, game wardens are looking for information about a hunting party who harvested and removed a bull elk on Sunday, Nov. 30, which was the last day of the general season. In the same area, wardens found an untouched carcass of a second bull elk. FWP game wardens believe the hunting party that harvested and removed the elk on Nov. 30 may have information related to the unclaimed elk.  

This area is between two county roads that access the hunting district—Johnny’s Gulch Road and North Fork of Lone Mountain Road. The elk was found in an area adjacent to large Bonneville Power Administration transmission lines near the Bureau of Land Management access road referred to as Dandy Road.  

FWP wardens are interested in visiting with anyone who may have been in that area on the morning of Nov. 30, specifically the hunting party associated with harvesting a bull elk there. Anyone with information is asked to contact game warden Jacie Vonada at 406-502-8581 or visit tipmont.mt.gov.

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Expansive prescribed fire research project brings Montana scientists together

BOZEMAN – Wildfire smoke has become a perennial concern for people in Montana and across the American West. As living with and managing smoke has evolved into a standard part of life no longer limited to the summer months, it made sense for scientists, engineers and community educators to tackle the problems posed by smoke and seek solutions to help Montanans and Montana communities.

So, when Montana State University professors Rob Walker and Joe Shaw conceived the idea for the SMART FIRES project in 2020, they immediately knew where to turn. Shaw’s extensive experience in optics and photonics and Walker’s statewide leadership on prior scientific initiatives would blend perfectly with fire research and community engagement being done by faculty at the University of Montana.

The project – short for Sensors, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Real-Time Fire Science – is now in its third year and includes over 120 faculty, graduate students and undergraduates from nine Montana institutions including MSU, UM, Dawson Community College, Flathead Valley Community College, Fort Peck Community College, Little Big Horn College, Montana Tech, MSU Billings and Salish Kootenai College. SMART FIRES is led by MSU’s Walker, head of the Department Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Letters and Science, with Shaw and UM Professors Lu Hu and Libby Metcalf.

“SMART FIRES is driven by two mandates: building capacity and broadening participation,” said Walker. “This project brings together some of the most accomplished scientists and engineers in the world with educators and community leaders to understand better how prescribed fire affects air quality and influences public sentiment. We are developing a multi-institutional and multidisciplinary network of Montana researchers, educators and partners to advance science and technology used to characterize prescribed fire dynamics and build wildfire-resilient communities and woodlands.”

The project, supported by a $20 million grant through the National Science Foundation’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, began as an ambitious effort to bring together ethicists, computer scientists, optical and machine learning experts, smoke and fire scientists, educators, economists and more to take a comprehensive look at how fire and smoke affect communities. The project is paying major scientific dividends, said Shaw, which were highlighted when the full team came together at MSU for its annual meeting this fall.

“I love the fact that this project is bringing Montanans together,” said MSU President Brock Tessman in remarks during the group’s September meeting. “It is truly a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. I'm so happy to think about the impact that this research is going to have on the next generation of teachers, of scholars, of citizens across the state of Montana. It just could not be more relevant work.”

The project is structured in four categories: Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; Fire and Smoke Science; Social Psychology, Economics and Ethics; and Smart Optical Sensors. Each thrust allows a team of experts to coalesce and overlap with the other focus areas, approaching fire and smoke research from countless angles.

Shaw leads the Smart Optical Sensors group, which leverages advanced optics tools and facilities at MSU to collect atmospheric data around the clock, creating a comprehensive database of air quality trends and using computer models to make predictions to better understand how fires both in and outside the state affect the atmosphere.

“Anybody who's spent more than two summers in Montana knows that we get a lot of smoke. And it's not all ours, right? That's the starting point,” said Shaw, a professor in MSU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Optical Technology Center. “What we really want to do here is go beyond that academic curiosity. What can we do to be helpful?”

The Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning group, led by MSU professor John Sheppard in the Gianforte School of Computing, dovetails with the Smart Optical Sensors work to layer risk assessment tools and smart models onto new data. From learning how fires spread and the composition of emitted smoke to quantifying how smoke travels, various facets of exploration are allowing the team to evaluate and improve constantly evolving machine learning tools.

They will work to better understand the key differences between wildfires and managed prescribed burns in terms of environmental impact with the aim of developing information that managers can use to better protect people, habitats and communities.

On-the-ground insights from those habitats come from the Fire and Smoke Science group, led by UM’s Hu and Carl Seielstad. Scientists conduct, manage and observe prescribed burns at Lubrecht Experimental Forest near Missoula with a variety of tools, including a custom mobile sampling lab – known affectionately to the team as the “smoke van.” The sampling lab measures smoke composition continuously and can do so immediately adjacent to an active fire. More importantly, it can measure changes in smoke throughout the night, when fires begin to smolder and imaging-based instruments are less effective.

With those findings, the Fire and Smoke Science team can feed real-time observations to both fellow researchers and professional fire managers to enhance their knowledge and inform their recommendations.

“We’re a well-oiled machine in terms of making measurements in the field that are very, very difficult to make, and our capacity is unique in the United States,” said Seielstad, who is associate dean of UM’s W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. “SMART FIRES is the biggest capacity building endeavor I think I have seen since I've been at the university.”
While fire and smoke are deeply interesting to the project’s scientists, they are also popular topics for the people of the West. For that reason, SMART FIRES’ fourth focus is on the community.

A cross-institution team is surveying the social impact of wildfires and prescribed burns, gathering insight into how the public perceives fires and their management as well as exploring how to best communicate with people who may be impacted. Data, trends and modeling are complex, so the goal is to create user-friendly and accessible resources that provide reliable information to the people who need it most.

“People are looking for information. People are familiar with smoke, they're familiar with wildfire,” said Katrina Mullan, a UM economics professor and part of the Social Psychology, Economics and Ethics group. “We're interested in what people are experiencing, how they’re behaving and what kind of decisions they are making. What are the actions they take to protect themselves?”

Resources coming from the Social Psychology, Economics and Ethics group include interactive maps that allow users to see air quality trends specific to their community or county. As surveys and data collection continue, the hope is to identify which community groups are most at risk and develop specific programming to help them protect their health.

SMART FIRES is also teaching young people how to effectively engage with science and foster curiosity. Staff in MSU’s Department of Education and UM’s spectrUM Discovery Area, along with the dozens of undergraduate and graduate students participating in the project, are translating ongoing research to make it accessible and engaging for students of all ages. With added capacity and programming from MSU’s Empower Program and UM’s Indigenous Research and STEM Education program, the SMART FIRES team has built and fostered connections with all seven of Montana’s tribal colleges.

Through outreach at libraries, museums and community events, along with professional development for Montana teachers, the latest in smoke and fire science is reaching all corners of the state. MSU education students can take science kits with them to student teaching experiences, and teachers can gain access to tools and equipment for their classrooms to conduct experiments in real time.

Bringing together such a diverse and comprehensive team allows for the science to meet community members right where they are, said Suzi Taylor, director of MSU’s Science Math Resource Center and a leader of SMART FIRES’ outreach and education efforts. Educators interested in learning about resources and curriculum made possible by the project can explore the Science Math Resource Center’s website and sign up to be notified when new tools become available.

“We take a very broad view of people who are teachers to include not just those in schools, but also educators in informal environments. Teachers want to know what the researchers are doing,” Taylor said. “It really is one of the best teams I've ever been on because education and outreach are baked into the fabric of the project. Bringing it all together is really cool.”

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Montana State’s Christina Anderson wins national educator award

BOZEMAN — Magic happens in the quiet of Montana State University’s darkroom, said photography professor Christina Z. Anderson. And she is the magician.  

Under her watchful eye, colors emerge in a photograph’s white spaces where there were none before. Chemical solutions eat away at an image’s gelatin coating, creating delicate black lines that drape over the photograph like a veil. These alternative photographic processes, which are handmade techniques developed as early as the 1800s, have been the focus of Anderson’s classes and research since she began teaching in MSU’s School of Film and Photography in 2000.  

For her impact on students and the field of photography, Anderson received the Society of Photographic Education’s Honored Educator Award in November. SPE, a national nonprofit founded in 1962, will present Anderson with the award in March at its annual conference in Atlanta. She is the sole recipient of the award this year, nominated for sharing her wealth of information with students, celebrating their victories and advocating for new learning opportunities, according to the award announcement.  
“When I’m gone, if I’m known as a teacher and not an artist, that is fine by me,” said Anderson, an MSU alumna with degrees in photography and painting. “I love to do my artwork and photography, but my mentoring is much more important to me.” 

This fall, she is mentoring students in experimental black-and-white darkroom photography, senior production photography, and image and text design. Anderson said she is not a “sage on the stage” — instead, she views teaching as peer mentorship, where she learns from students just as much as they learn from her.  

She often names innovative processes after the students who discover them. In 2009, her darkroom class was experimenting outdoors with mordançage, a technique using an acidified copper solution to bleach a black-and-white image and lift its silver gelatin coating, so students can shape the resulting shadows to create unique forms. The temperature outside was too cold for hydrogen peroxide solutions to oxidize and properly dissolve the gelatin, so a student created a warm water bath for a photograph between dipping it in solutions, a process henceforth named the “Jace Becker technique,” Anderson said. 

In her darkroom labs located in MSU’s Visual Communications Building, students are engaged in a way that doesn’t translate to digital editing. Although they can create an effect with the push of a button in Photoshop, they gain a deeper understanding of the art form when doing it by hand, particularly in MSU’s “top-notch” facilities, Anderson said. Students can develop photographs in several individual and group darkrooms and dim labs equipped with UV lights, film processors and print dryers.  

Jon Lau, a junior studying integrated lens-based media, said most images made in the labs are one of one: No two images are ever the same, and they can never be reproduced. As part of his final project in Anderson’s class, he will travel to nearby ghost towns and apply a warm, vintage tone to his photographs using a process called lith.  

“It’s forcing me to loosen my grip on what I want out of my photography,” said Lau, who is from Las Vegas, Nevada. “I usually like to know exactly how it’s going to look. This class allows you to let go and relax and have more fun with it, which is helpful to learn as you get into your later production classes when sometimes you’re too focused on making something good.”  

He said Anderson is invested in making sure students create images they like and in providing the resources — paper, chemicals and time — to do so.  

Anderson said she wants to give students a “cookbook” of knowledge they can use to make great art, hoping to one day be considered the Julia Child of alternative processes. She has published six books on individual processes, which have been sold in more than 40 countries. Although she is considered one of the top experts in her field, she is loath to be a gatekeeper of technical secrets. 

“I absolutely love to research. I love to dive in depth into whatever it is I'm doing, read every book on it, write about it, etc., etc.,” Anderson said. “But if I were to just stuff that in my mind and not share it — what a waste. There's no purpose to research unless you share it.” 

She shares more than 50 processes with students in her labs. Her students produce professional-level work, many examples of which are included in her published books and kept on file as inspiration for current students. Fostering success for younger generations of photographers is simply who Anderson is, said Jim Zimpel, interim director of the School of Film and Photography and associate dean of the College of Arts and Architecture.  

“It’s really what makes land-grant universities beautiful: We’re all experts in different things, and we bring those passions to students so they can learn from people who are experts in a field,” he said.  

Each year without fail, Anderson said, she tears up when her students walk across the stage at MSU’s commencement ceremony. Many go on to become professional artists, graphic designers, wedding photographers, filmmakers, studio owners and educators. Much like her own professor expressed when she was a graduate student at Clemson University, she hopes students don’t leave thinking they know everything — they will never get to a point where they have “arrived” and finished all they’ve set out to do.  

“There's always a goal that's not quite attainable, and that's what keeps it interesting,” Anderson said. “It has not gotten old for me yet.”

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Thursday, Dec. 4th, 2025

Tool developed at Montana State aims to help farmers implement new technologies

BOZEMAN – In the constantly changing environment of precision agriculture, it can be difficult to winnow through the array of available tools and technologies becoming available for use by farmers and ranchers. To help guide those decisions, two faculty members in the Montana State University College of Agriculture have developed a tool for estimating the return on investment associated with one of the most high-impact precision ag resources.

Ricardo Pinto, an assistant professor at MSU’s Northern Agricultural Research Center in Havre, heard from producers that herbicide resistance in weeds was becoming an increasingly intractable problem. New technology such as precision smart sprayers can detect individual weeds in a field and selectively spray them, as well as enable producers to apply specific herbicide blends that are more likely to kill herbicide-resistant plants. But tools like smart sprayers can be expensive, totaling up to $150,000 in some cases.

“Depending on your operation, it makes sense,” said Pinto. “You can have your payback period in one, maybe two years depending on the acres in your weed infestation. We had an opportunity to develop a platform where producers can say, ‘Does this precise spray technology work in my situation or not?’”

To make those questions easier to answer, Pinto and Kelsey Larson developed the Smart Spray Annual ROI Calculator, a free and easy-to-use digital tool where producers can plug in numbers relevant to their own operations and determine how much time it would take for them to save enough money to justify the cost of new tools. Users plug in values such as their current herbicide application rate and frequency, the estimated weed coverage in their field, the price of a smart spray system and their field acreage. The tool then calculates savings in both dollars and reduced chemical application.

For Pinto and Larson, who both conduct outreach through MSU Extension in addition to their research, the opportunity to develop resources that producers can use on their farms was motivating.

“Many of these environmental or precision agriculture practices are going to make sense on some operations for some people, but they're not going to make sense everywhere. There are no cut-and-paste solutions,” said Larson, who grew up in Bozeman and received her doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the faculty in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Economics in January. “It was exciting to have a concrete way to help Montana producers to figure out what makes sense for them.”

Smart spray technologies use sensors that can identify a single weed among crop plants, turning nozzles on and off automatically to apply herbicides and pesticides only where they are necessary. When properly implemented, they can save time and money, vastly decreasing the amount of input necessary to manage weeds.

Because farmers can plug in the specific values for their operation, the new calculator can provide tailored information based on the variations across Montana’s ecosystems and geography. Less herbicide and pesticide application positively impacts soil health and saves water as well as costly herbicides.

An example calculation in the online tool estimates that for a 1,000-acre farm applying 10 gallons of herbicide per acre three times per year, savings could total nearly $60,000 per year. Those savings could cover the cost of a $75,000 smart spray system in less than a year and a half.

There is also potential, Pinto said, for increased yield when herbicides are applied more sparingly, because plants don’t have to metabolize chemicals that are broadcast over an entire field. Exploring that question is part of his future research plan.

“In pulse crops, for example, we have a really important disease called root rot that is associated with the level of stress of the plant,” Pinto said. “If the plant is more stressed because of herbicide application, it would be more susceptible to that disease. This is one thing that we are advancing, to better understand the impact of those products in terms of yield and plant fitness in general.”

The calculator, Larson said, is designed to be “a living tool.” More metrics will be added over time to further tailor the information producers can get from it, and both she and Pinto welcome feedback from MSU Extension agents and farmers who have made use of it. The two wrote a guide on how to use the tool, and since the its unveiling in May, the calculator has had users in not only several U.S. states, but also in Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and China.
Pinto himself is originally from Brazil and did part of his graduate studies at MSU. Returning to Montana and doing work that can tangibly help growers is extremely rewarding, he said.
“I always had Montana in my heart, so when the position opened in Havre, it was a perfect opportunity for me to continue my effort to help producers understand how they can take advantage of different technologies that we have in the market and most importantly, how we can optimize the use of our inputs,” he said.

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Wednesday, Dec. 3rd, 2025

Gallatin College MSU student earns international scholarship for photonics


BOZEMAN — A career change led Amanda Andrews to trade her flute for lasers at Gallatin College Montana State University.  

The second-year photonics and laser technology student returned to school in 2024, more than 10 years after earning her bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s in music education at Illinois Wesleyan University and Northeastern Illinois University, respectively. Andrews said she wanted a forward-thinking career that could support her family, which was difficult when she taught K-12 music education and had to compete for limited positions and worry about job security during budget cuts. 

“I'm pushing myself to do something that's really outside my comfort zone, both in terms of the subject matter and where I'm at in my life in coming back to school,” said Andrews, who is originally from Chicago but moved to Bozeman from Seattle in 2021. “I feel like it makes me a great role model to my daughter to show her more female faces in STEM and by having good payoff at the end of the program with a strong career.” 

Her decision to enter a new field, sparked by a retired photonics industry member she met on the ski slopes, is already paying off. Andrews was one of four recipients in North America to receive the Eichenholz-SPIE Photonics Technician Scholarship, which awarded $2,500 to students pursuing careers in photonics and optics this fall.  

Photonics technicians control light to enhance sensing and imaging in electronic products, with applications ranging from self-driving cars to light mapping in wildfire detection. Southwest Montana has one of the highest  concentrations  of optics and photonics companies per capita in the nation, which foster careers in defense, manufacturing, communications and information technology.  

Andrews is one of many Gallatin College MSU students supported by financial aid. Last year, the college awarded about $109,000 in scholarships to 103 students through Cat Scholarships, which allow students to submit one application and be considered for dozens of scholarships, said Assistant Dean Nicole Berg. Like Andrews, students can receive help submitting applications and essays from MSU’s career coaches.  

“It just gives that extra piece of help to say, ‘I can finish this, I can do this and this is going to boost my confidence to be able to finish what I started,’” said Berg, adding that Gallatin College MSU also pulls from unused scholarship funds to assist students in tough situations, such as a lack of child care or money for gas. 

For Andrews, balancing several responsibilities with her photonics coursework is often challenging. She helps her 7-year-old get ready for school, attends class, finishes homework, walks her two dogs, cooks meals for her husband and daughter, and occasionally performs with her band, Celtic Collective. However, she said she felt much more prepared to be a successful student the second time around. She had a firmer grasp on time management and found that professors were willing to accommodate students by pushing back class times or staying behind to answer questions.  

“Amanda embodies what our students represent,” said Mark Craig, program director of photonics and laser technology. “A lot of our students are motivated to learn something new, particularly in high-tech industries. She’s focused on what she wants to get out of the program, and her work ethic is admirable.” 

Andrews said Gallatin College MSU builds a foundation of theory first and application second. When she studied resistors, which limit the flow of electric currents, she put the knowledge to use by building different types of circuits with resistors, observing how they behave when they are aligned in different formations. By the third semester of her electronics coursework, students are building and programming a robotic vehicle. 

This semester, Andrews and her peers are building lasers in an optics lab on MSU’s campus, with guidance from an instructor who has years of industry experience. It’s a more powerful laser than the class has used in previous years, and students must don protective eyewear and use detector cards — which convert infrared light into visible light — to adjust the laser beam, which is invisible to the naked eye.  

“That’s the nature of technician work that people who graduate from this program will do,” Andrews said. “We’ll be given a box of components and a schematic sheet, and told, ‘Build the thing on here, test it, make sure everything's aligned, document your data and get your higher-up engineer to sign off on it.’”  

Andrews has observed the day-to-day work of local technicians on seven industry tours so far. She said it is exciting to see how each company occupies its own niche in the field, viewing other companies as collaborators rather than competitors. She plans to find a local internship in the spring. Upon graduating from Gallatin College MSU, photonics and laser technology students often earn starting salaries up to about $65,000. 

“I'm not even done with the program, but I send resumes, and I'm getting emails or phone calls saying, ‘Can we interview you?’ And we're having recruiters who come into my classrooms and say, ‘Hey, think about us for a summer internship or when you graduate,’” Andrews said. “And that feels really powerful.” 

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Belgrade City Council Appoints Matthew McGee to Fill Ward 1 Council Vacancy

BELGRADE - The Belgrade City Council has appointed Matthew McGee, 34, to fill a vacant Ward 1 seat following a competitive application and interview process. McGee will serve on the council through the next general municipal election in November 2027. If he chooses to run at that time and is elected, he would complete the original term ending in 2029.

McGee replaces Council Member Mike Meis, who was elected mayor in November and will begin his mayoral term in January. Because Mayor Russ Nelson is retiring at the end of this year, he granted Meis the authority to oversee the appointment process and make a recommendation to the City Council.

Two candidates applied for the vacancy. Meis interviewed both applicants and recommended McGee for appointment, a recommendation the City Council unanimously supported.

“I was impressed with his knowledge of Belgrade and the challenges we face,” Meis said. “I think he'd be an excellent addition to the team.”

A Butte native, McGee has lived in Belgrade since 2015. He serves as vice president of the Belgrade Kiwanis, frequently volunteers with Belgrade Chamber of Commerce events, and works for Pierce Flooring in Bozeman. He previously managed Gallatin Subaru.

In his application, McGee wrote, “Our community is stronger if we can work together and strive for a common goal. And if I plan to stay in Belgrade for the next 20 years at least, I'd like to be a part of that change and growth.”

McGee also noted that his interest in public service was heavily influenced by his father’s example. “Being a voice in your local government and being able to help influence and guide what the town is going to do next is a really big not only opportunity but responsibility,” he said. “I appreciate the opportunity and look forward to serving the City of Belgrade.”

McGee will be sworn in on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. in the Belgrade Library Community Room.

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Monday, Dec. 1st, 2025

Public Advised of Possible Measles Exposure in Gallatin County

The Gallatin City-County Health Department (GCCHD) is advising the public of several potential exposure sites in Gallatin County from a recently confirmed measles case. A list of potential exposure sites – and recommendations for those exposed – is available on the GCCHD website and will be updated as new information becomes available. The times listed on the website include when the potential exposure occurred and two hours after.

The GCCHD confirmed an additional case of measles in Gallatin County on December 1, 2025. This follows a previous case confirmed on November 28, 2025. The latest confirmed case is believed to have been exposed at one of the previously identified public exposure sites. These sites, which date back to early November, were recently shared with the public as part of our ongoing eƯorts to notify those who may have been at risk, and to limit further spread of the virus.

Please note: If you were at any of the locations listed on November 28, please verify that you are immune to measles immediately. If you determine you do not have immunity to measles or are unsure, please call your primary care provider or the Gallatin City-County Health Department as soon as possible at 406-582-3100 and ask to speak to a Communicable Disease Specialist. You may be eligible for Post Exposure Prophylaxis in the form of the MMR vaccine if administered today, Monday December 1st, 2025 (within 3 days following exposure).

Measles can spread before symptoms appear—even before a rash is visible. The virus is highly contagious and can remain in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area. This makes early exposure diƯicult to detect and increases the risk of transmission.

"With holiday activities and gatherings this month, it is especially important to know your vaccination status," said Lori Christenson, Gallatin City-County Health OƯicer. "We encourage everyone to take proactive steps by speaking with their health care provider about the MMR vaccine, which oƯers strong protection against measles. Informed decisions about vaccination are key to keeping our families and communities safe and healthy."

Vaccination is the best way to help prevent the spread of measles. Please contact your health care provider for more information. The MMR vaccine is 97% eƯective against preventing the spread of measles. Individuals without prior immunity to measles have a 90% chance of contracting the disease if exposed. If you are unsure of your immunity status, consult with a health care provider. Maintaining high vaccination rates within the community protects those who cannot be vaccinated.

Measles is a highly infectious airborne disease with initial symptoms including fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and white spots in the mouth, followed by a red rash that typically starts on the face and spreads downward. Measles infection can also result in serious complications, including pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death. It poses significant risks to infants, who are generally not eligible for vaccination until 12 months of age.

The GCCHD offers MMR vaccinations and encourages residents in need of the vaccine to contact their health care provider. We believe in working together to help you make the best choice for your health. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit our website or call 406-582-3100.

All additional updates for measles information will be made available on our website unless the risk to public health changes.

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How to Watch: Bobcats host Yale in FCS second round

BOZEMAN – After a bye this weekend, the Montana State Bobcat football team is back in action on Saturday, Dec. 6, hosting its first playoff game of the season against Yale in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision postseason.

Kickoff is set for noon in Bobcat Stadium. With their No. 2 national seed, the Bobcats earned home-field advantage for the duration of the playoffs. The winner of Saturday’s game will advance to the national quarterfinals, where they will play the winner of the second-round game between Stephen F. Austin and Abilene Christian. The FCS bracket can be found on the NCAA website.

The Yale Bulldogs, this year's Ivy League champions, upset No. 15 Youngstown State last weekend in dramatic fashion to lock in their second-round game against MSU. Yale rallied from a 35-7 first-half deficit to win in the game's final moments by a score of 43-42. They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to lock in the victory.

With MSU's win over rival Montana on Nov. 22, the Bobcats earned the Big Sky Conference title and the conference’s only automatic bid to the playoffs. It is the third time in the past four seasons that MSU has ended the regular season as conference champion. Fans have several options to attend the game, stream it or listen live.

Tickets
Fans interested in purchasing tickets can find the latest information and availability online at montanastate.evenue.net or by calling the Bobcat Ticket Office at 406-994-2287.

Live coverage
The game will stream live on ESPN+, which requires a subscription.

Live updates
Fans can listen live via Bobcat Radio Network online or on radio stations across Montana. Specific station information can be found on the Bobcat Radio and Television webpage. On social media, updates will be shared via Instagram @montanastatebobcats and on Facebook @Montana State Football.

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Blue Lock Rivals Codes – Complete Guide to Unlocks, Rewards, and Boosts

Introduction to Blue Lock Rivals and Its Codes
Blue Lock Rivals has quickly captured the attention of sports and simulation gamers with its high-octane soccer mechanics and character-driven progression system. Inspired by the popular manga and anime series, the game challenges players to train, scout, and compete with a roster of unique characters to become the ultimate striker. One of the most popular features among players is the Blue Lock Rivals codes, which provide bonuses such as currency, rare player unlocks, skill boosts, and cosmetic rewards. These codes allow players to accelerate progress, try advanced strategies, and enjoy the game without excessive grinding.

What Blue Lock Rivals Codes Can Unlock
The codes in Blue Lock Rivals offer a wide variety of rewards:

● In-game currency for training and upgrading characters
● Exclusive or rare striker cards that improve team potential
● Temporary skill boosts for tournaments or PvP matches
● Special outfits or cosmetic accessories
● Event-specific rewards tied to seasonal challenges

By providing these bonuses, codes give both newcomers and experienced players opportunities to experiment with different team compositions, maximize character performance, and explore advanced gameplay mechanics without waiting through long grind sessions.

How to Redeem Blue Lock Rivals Codes
Redeeming codes is simple and straightforward:

1. Open the game and go to the main menu.
2. Navigate to the “Settings” or “Extras” tab.
3. Select the “Redeem Code” option.
4. Enter the code exactly as provided — capitalization and symbols are important.
5. Confirm to receive rewards, which will appear in your inventory or directly in the character roster.

Some codes are time-limited, especially those tied to events, livestream announcements, or seasonal campaigns. If a code doesn’t work, it may have expired or be restricted to specific regions or platforms.

Why Codes Matter for Progression
Although Blue Lock Rivals can be enjoyed casually, progression depends heavily on character development, skill leveling, and tournament performance. Codes help players:

● Unlock advanced strikers faster
● Boost training efficiency to improve stats quickly
● Access cosmetic items to customize the team
● Experiment with new strategies without spending excessive time on repetitive matches

For competitive players, codes are especially useful for PvP events and ranking challenges, where every small advantage can determine victory. They let players test optimal striker combinations, timing, and special moves in high-pressure matches.

Staying Updated on Codes
Because codes are frequently added and can expire quickly, staying informed is key. Many players rely on centralized platforms to track active codes. bo3.gg is one of the most reliable sources, providing a regularly updated list of Blue Lock Rivals codes. It includes both newly released and still-active codes, covering event-specific rewards, seasonal bonuses, and developer drops. Using such a resource ensures that players do not miss valuable bonuses and always have access to fresh content.

Tips for Using Codes Effectively
While codes provide a boost, skill and strategy still determine success in Blue Lock Rivals. Here are some tips to maximize the impact of codes:

● Focus on unlocking or upgrading strikers that fit your preferred playstyle
● Time skill boosts for critical matches or tournaments
● Combine currency rewards with training sessions to maximize stat gains
● Use rare player unlocks strategically to complete team formations
● Regularly check bo3.gg for new and active codes to stay ahead of events

By combining codes with smart gameplay, players can climb the ranks more efficiently while still enjoying the full challenge of the game.

Event-Specific and Seasonal Codes
Blue Lock Rivals frequently releases codes tied to limited-time events, such as seasonal tournaments, collaborations, or special challenges. These codes often include unique strikers or event-only cosmetic items, making them highly desirable.
Participating in these events and redeeming codes promptly is crucial, as many rewards expire after the event ends. Being proactive in tracking codes ensures that players can access these exclusive items without missing out.

Conclusion
Blue Lock Rivals codes are a valuable resource for both new and experienced players, offering rewards that enhance gameplay, accelerate progression, and provide access to rare characters and exclusive items. By redeeming codes and staying updated through reliable platforms like bo3.gg, players can ensure they are maximizing every advantage in both casual and competitive play. Whether you are aiming to improve your team, unlock rare strikers, or explore advanced strategies, codes remain a central part of the Blue Lock Rivals experience.

 

 

 

 

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