Gallatin County, MT – The Montana Clean Indoor Air Act was passed in 2005, and this year Montana has taken another important step to protect community health with the passage of Senate Bill 390 (SB 390). SB 390 expands the Montana Clean Indoor Air Act to include e-cigarettes and other vaping devices. This legislation closes a critical gap in the 20-year-old law, ensuring that residents and workers across the state are safeguarded from harmful exposure to e-cigarette aerosol in indoor public spaces and workplaces.

Signed by Governor Greg Gianforte on May 8, 2025, SB 390 took effect immediately. The bill amends Title 50, Chapter 40, Section 103 of the Montana Code Annotated by
revising the definition of “smoking” to explicitly include the use of an “electronic
smoking device.” The law defines electronic smoking devices to include e-cigarettes,
vape pens, and dab rigs that deliver nicotine or other substances for human
consumption.

E-cigarette aerosol is not harmless water vapor; it contains ultrafine particles, volatile organic compounds, flavorants, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and nicotine.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE) has concluded that e-cigarettes emit harmful chemicals into the air and
should be regulated in the same manner as conventional tobacco smoking.

“This expansion of the Clean Indoor Air Act ensures that everyone in Gallatin County— and across Montana—has the right to breathe clean air at work, in restaurants, and in other public spaces,” says Cherie Murbach, Tobacco Education Specialist at the Gallatin City-County Health Department. “It also helps protect our youth. By reducing the visibility and social acceptance of vaping in public places, we can counteract the troubling rise of e-cigarette use among teens and young adults.”

According to the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Report, in 2023, 20% of Gallatin
County high school students and 9% of Gallatin County middle school students reported the use of an electronic vaping product, or e-cigarette. Studies show that
comprehensive smokefree laws, including those covering e-cigarettes, can significantly reduce youth initiation and use. Between 2017 and 2019, youth e-cigarette use decreased in states with inclusive smokefree policies, while increasing in states without such protection.

The Clean Indoor Air Act now prohibits smoking or vaping nicotine, marijuana, or any other substance in workplaces or enclosed public spaces throughout Montana. The Act affirms the fundamental right of all Montanans to breathe clean air, establishing that public health takes precedence over the desire to smoke or vape.

The law also requires the posting of clear signage in all enclosed public places. Signs
must be displayed prominently at every public entrance, stating that smoking and
vaping are prohibited inside.

To report a possible violation of the Clean Indoor Air Act or to obtain free signage, visit tobaccofree.mt.gov or call the Gallatin City-County Health Department at (406) 582-3100.

HELENA -- Montana is famous around the world for its rivers and lakes, and it turns out that angling in the Big Sky state has a sizable economic impact.

Gloria Zimmer with Bozeman’s Mayor Terry Cunningham

BOZEMAN – Bozeman’s Mayor Terry Cunningham is posthumously recognizing local resident Ralph Zimmer with the City’s highest honor, a key to the city. Zimmer served the city, county, and state in citizen leadership roles in the area of bike and pedestrian safety.

“Ralph was a tireless advocate for safety throughout his more than 40 years of service,” says Mayor Cunningham. “He embodied the concepts of citizen service, gracious leadership, public engagement and practical problem-solving throughout his volunteer service to the City of Bozeman. I will never forget his contributions and how he pushed the City towards improving safety for all.”

Zimmer grew up in Colorado and earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Traffic Engineering from Purdue University. He worked at the Federal Highway Administration and Montana State University before retiring early due to an eye disease that caused him to go blind in 1999.

His disability did not stop his passion for safety. Zimmer chaired the Bozeman Area Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee, a group created by interlocal agreement between the Bozeman School District, Gallatin County and the City of Bozeman in 1976. Zimmer was an early joiner, starting his service in 1977. He continued on the board until it was consolidated into the Transportation Board in 2021.

Zimmer also spent time on the Galla10 Alliance for Pathways, a group that advocates for multimodal facilities throughout the Gallatin Valley. He was also a member of the Bozeman Transportation Coordinator Committee for over four decades and was a member of the Triangle Planning Coordinating Committee.

In addition to his board service, he spent decades testifying at City Commission, County Commission, State Transportation Commission, and State Legislature Committees, advocating for bike and pedestrian safety.

Zimmer was well-known in traffic safety circles and earned recognition throughout his life. He was the first ever recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Transportation Safety Information Professionals. He also received the James L. Pline Award from the Intermountain Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers. He was recognized by MSU’s College of Engineering with a Distinguished Faculty Award in 2019.

“The Key to the City is the highest award the City of Bozeman can bestow upon a citizen. We are grateful for Ralph Zimmer’s passionate advocacy for safer streets, sidewalks, and pathways,” says Cunningham.

Starting Oct. 1, the fee to record a document with the Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder will increase to $20 for the first page and $10 for each additional page. This change is part of Montana House Bill 192, signed into law earlier this year. The current $8-per-page fee remains in effect until Sept. 30 at 5 PM.

The additional non-standard charge for recording a document that does not meet the standards for recorded documents in MCA 7-4-2636 will remain at $10 per document.

Fees for filed documents such as liens, right to liens, UCC’s, plats and surveys, etc. will also not be changing.

For questions, contact the Clerk & Recorder’s Office at 406-582-3050 or clerkandrecorder@gallatin.mt.gov.

BOZEMAN — Nellie Whiteman tended to sit in the back of the classroom in Montana State University’s Visual Communications Building.

The film student worried that because she felt different from her classmates, having come from the Northern Cheyenne Reservation, they wouldn’t get along. Whiteman, who is Northern Cheyenne and Oglala Lakota, was the first in her family to attend a four-year university, and she experienced culture shock when she moved to college from Lame Deer, where she was surrounded by family and people who looked like her.

But she took the leap to direct her first film at MSU during her junior year, then another, titled “Cheyenne Creation Story,” in her senior production class. She believed the stories were important to tell, which propelled her to pitch them and lead student crews despite her insecurities.

“I need to do this,” said Whiteman, who graduated in May with a degree in film and a minor in Native American studies. “If I don’t, who else will?”

“Cheyenne Creation Story,” which is about six minutes long and documents the oral history of how the Cheyenne people came to be according to their traditional beliefs, will be screened at the Red Nation International Film Festival in Los Angeles, held Nov. 10-16. The 30-year-old event is one of the largest Indigenous film festivals in the nation and includes an awards ceremony broadcast live on Red Nation Television Network.

The cast and crew of the "Cheyenne Creation Story" film, from left, include Jonathan Gibson, Phillip Whiteman Jr., Nellie Whiteman, Maddison Whitaker-Barnett, Simon Gatte, Carter Hudson and Anna Bouressa. The film was produced at Montana State University as part of a senior production class. Submitted photo.

Entering “Cheynne Creation Story” in at least five festivals was a requirement for Whiteman’s senior production class, taught by instructor Alexa Alberda and assistant professor Ben Leonberg in the School of Film and Photography. Students spent the spring semester crowdfunding, planning, filming and editing in a condensed version of real-world film production, Alberda said. They used resources including MSU’s editing bays and industry-standard cameras to create the films.

“I like to tell the students that we make art to be seen, not to hide it in our closets,” Alberda said. “When they’ve put months and months of work into something, we really want to push them to put it out in the world, even if it’s scary.”

As a director, Whiteman was involved in everything from initial storyboarding with her producer to reviewing captions with her editor. Her team of fellow seniors included photography director Anna Bouressa, sound designer Simon Gatte, behind-the-scenes manager Jonathan Gibson, editor Carter Hudson and producer Maddison Whitaker-Barnett.

The film is told in Cheyenne by Northern Cheyenne Chief Phillip Whiteman Jr., who sat in the drum room in MSU’s American Indian Hall and described how the Creator sent four spirits to find a beautiful place to create humans. The interview-like setup is meant to feel as though an elder is having a conversation with the viewer, Nellie Whiteman said. Phillip Whiteman is also Nellie Whiteman’s father and a former cultural adviser for the film “Hostiles,” a drama starring Christian Bale.

It was important, Nellie Whiteman said, to have the story told in the Cheyenne language and captioned with English subtitles to preserve how it was traditionally passed down through generations: orally and in the Native tongue. She said Native Cheyenne speakers have been dwindling for a multitude of reasons, including the toll of COVID-19 on the tribe’s older generations and the reluctance of elders to share cultural knowledge after attending Native boarding schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. The schools forcibly assimilated Native youth to American culture and taught them to suppress their traditional practices.

“I felt like I was able to make something I was proud of and that is for my community and where I come from,” said Nellie Whiteman, who hopes to share the film online in the future. “And it didn't just help me, it’s helping them in the long run.”

Bouressa, who graduated from MSU in May with a degree in integrated lens-based media, said her favorite scene was the film’s opening shot of Nellie Whiteman’s father at Drinking Horse Mountain, a trail northeast of downtown Bozeman. As his headdress feathers fluttered in the wind, Bouressa angled her camera to make him appear as though he towered above her, but her tripod wouldn’t collapse as low as she wanted.

“Our producer, Madison, was like, ‘Here, use me.’ She laid down on the ground, and I propped the camera up on her back,” Bouressa said, laughing.

Bouressa came to MSU from Eugene, Oregon, planning to study business. Photography had always been one of her passions, but she couldn’t imagine it as a legitimate career. She said that perception changed once she decided to switch majors and discovered her professors’ success in the industry.

“For the first time in my life, I was in school and actually learning about something that was interesting to me and that I was already engaged in,” she said.

After graduation, Bouressa became a photographer for Outside Bozeman magazine, then a photo assistant in Oregon, working on projects for organizations like the Oregon Department of Human Services.

Nellie Whiteman’s post-graduate plans included completing a fellowship at the Lone Peak Film Festival in Big Sky, receiving mentorship from directors of the documentary “Bring Them Home.” The fellowship was the first step toward her dream of becoming a director.

“Entering [my team’s] film into festivals and actually getting responses definitely boosted my confidence,” she said. “Like, OK, maybe I can actually be a director.”

BOZEMAN – The City of Bozeman recently retained Economic Planning Systems (EPS) to look at the Water Adequacy for Residential Development (WARD) initiative’s requirement that a residential development of three or more units seeking to meet its water demand using the City’s cash-in-lieu of water rights provide 33% of the homes at affordable rates. EPS’ analysis includes what the 33% requirement would do to a project attempting to be built in the current market.

The study’s results are in, finding that across single-family home developments and multi-family apartments, no developments would be feasible under WARD’s affordability requirement.

“These results confirm what housing industry professionals have long known: in today’s market, land, materials, labor, and lending are the driving forces behind the cost of housing and profit margins are slim,” says City Manager Chuck Winn. “The reason why affordable housing is hard to come by is that these units simply do not make a profit, and significant subsidies are needed to make these developments work. The math shows this.”

According to the study, a 30-unit single-family home market-rate development without affordability requirements could make a 10% profit in today’s market. With WARD in effect, that same development may lose $25,000 per home, for a total loss of 4%. The model also looked at a 90-unit apartment complex. According to the report, such developments are not currently feasible in today’s market without affordability requirements, and WARD increases the funding needed to make a profit by $2.6 million.

“People are seeing lots of apartments being built right now, and they should be aware that these apartments began years ago under different market conditions,” Winn stated.

The Water Adequacy for Residential Development (WARD) is a local ballot initiative that was created by a group of citizens, not the City of Bozeman. The ballot issue seeks to change code language to require developers of three or more residential units to pay cash-in-lieu of water rights to the city only if the development designates 33% or more of the units as affordable.

If the developer does not include 33% affordable units, they are responsible for securing water rights, which could take five to eight years with no guarantee of a water right at the end of that process. The WARD initiative also removes the ability for developers to meet the water demand of their development through off-site water efficiency or conservation measures. 

“If developers can’t make a reasonable profit building in Bozeman, they will go elsewhere,” Winn explained. “That could have negative impacts on our community. You might see developers move to the county and other communities, which could increase sprawl, increase commuting, and negatively impact the environment. If less housing is built in Bozeman and the demand to live here continues, we would expect the cost of housing to increase even further.”

Those interested in learning more about water, housing, and WARD in Bozeman can visit engage.bozeman.net/ward.

BOZEMAN — Approximately 80 university, industry and community partners gathered last week at EngineWorks on Montana State University’s Innovation Campus to celebrate the building’s opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Speakers at the Sept. 18 event included Mark Sharpe, executor director of the MSU Innovation Campus; Alison Harmon, MSU vice president of research and economic development; Bozeman Mayor Terry Cunningham; Brit Fontenot, director of economic development with the city of Bozeman; Julia Mortier, community manager of EngineWorks; and Adam Friedman, head of business development and leasing with Charter Realty.

“You will not find another building like this anywhere in the state of Montana,” Sharpe said. “As executor director of the MSU Innovation Campus, I am honored to be part of this great work.”
The 87,000-square-foot EngineWorks building was designed to offer dynamic community and office spaces where innovation, collaboration and growth can come together. It features 61,000 square feet of customizable workspaces for long-term tenants and 26,000 square feet of common spaces, such as conference and huddle rooms, kitchens, event space, outdoor gathering areas and more.

Fontenot praised those involved in the building.

“What makes a building special is the people who populate it and who brought it to fruition,” he said. “This project is proof of what the right partners can do together. I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished together.”

Tenants in the EngineWorks building on the MSU Innovation Campus include QCORE, an interdisciplinary MSU research facility dedicated to the study of quantum computing; Resilient Computing, an MSU spinout company that develops radiation-tolerant computer technology for use in space; Reveal, which builds defense technology products that accelerate human decisions through artificial intelligence; Montana Photonics & Quantum Alliance, a nonprofit serving as a hub for Montana’s optics, photonics and quantum companies; and a Defense Innovation Unit OnRamp Hub, which works with companies and universities to rapidly field technologies for national defense.

Project partners include Charter Realty and Development, Martel Construction, A&E: Architecture and Design, SterlingCMG and MT Contracting.

Cunningham recognized that it has been “a long glide path for this Innovation Campus to take hold” and thanked everyone involved for their contributions.

“They’re the reason we’re now taking flight,” he said.

The MSU Innovation Campus aims to create opportunities for companies to collaborate with MSU research, faculty and students, while helping those companies grow and raising Montana’s profile as national leader in entrepreneurship and innovation.

Harmon said she was thrilled to be celebrating the opening.

“This is an exciting night,” she said. “I have been to many events already in this space, which to me says our vision for connecting research and industry and student opportunities is taking hold. … We’re hungry for spaces like this. And as we cut the ribbon tonight ... I just want to say this is one of the most exciting things happening at MSU. This is just the beginning.”

Bozeman, MT — Streamline is asking residents to help shape the future of local transit by providing feedback on proposed new and expanded bus routes. These routes are being considered as part of the agency’s efforts to improve access, reliability, and connections for people across Gallatin Valley.

The proposed routes are designed to strengthen connections to key destinations such as schools, medical facilities, shopping areas, and employment centers, while also making it easier for seniors, students, and workers to get where they need to go.

“Transit in a small town is about more than just getting from point A to point B—it’s about making sure everyone has the freedom to participate fully in community life,” said Sunshine Ross, Director. “We want to hear from residents so that the routes we choose reflect the needs and priorities of the people who will use them.”

Public engagement is a cornerstone of the planning process. Residents, riders, businesses, and community partners are encouraged to share their input on how transit can best serve the Gallatin Valley’s growing population and changing travel needs.

“This plan isn’t just about buses and routes—it’s about making sure our transit system continues to connect people to jobs, schools, healthcare, recreation and opportunities,” said Sunshine Ross, Director. “We need to hear directly from the community to ensure the system reflects local priorities.”

Ways to Participate:

Community feedback will directly influence which routes move forward and how services are designed for the next 5–10 years, helping ensure services remain accessible, reliable, and responsive to community needs.

For more details on the proposed routes, to review maps, and to provide input, please visit SteeringStreamlineBus.com.