By Sage Sutcliffe
Top Montana News Stories
1. Photo Gallery: Whitefish Pond Skim 2023 (Hunter D’Antuono / Flathead Beacon)
Winter’s not over quite yet! J-School grad Hunter D’Antuono (’14) captured dozens of funny, striking, action-packed shots from Whitefish Mountain Resort’s pond skim this week. “Costumed skiers and snowboarders skipped across a pool of water at the bottom of the hill in competition for prizes and bragging rights as part of the resort’s closing weekend festivities,” writes D’Antuono.
Photos by Hunter D’Antuono / Shared with permission
2. High snowpack in southwest Montana sparks flood concerns (Isabel Hicks / Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
Montana’s especially wet winter was great news for stream flows, topsoil moisture and fighting against drought. But Hicks reports that above-average snowpack also leads to increased flooding and avalanche potential. Hicks’ story is easy to follow and well-sourced with scientists and water-supply specialists.
3. Podcast: Montana’s Constitution and the 68th Legislature — Observations with Lee Banville (Micah Drew / Flathead Beacon)
Oh hey—it’s our very own director of the J-School, Lee Banville, on the latest Flathead Beacon Podcast! Inspired by a story about the increased number of constitutional amendments that have been proposed in Montana Legislature this session, reporter Micah Drew interviewed Banville for his thoughts on the phenomenon.
4. Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority Hopeful as FRA’s Long-Distance Study Advances (Martin Kidston / Missoula Current)
Could passenger trains someday frequent new and old Montana railroad routes, expanding passenger rail travel across the U.S.? Kidston reports on the Federal Railroad Administration’s recent stakeholder meetings “that will help inform the outcome of a pending study on long distance passenger rail service and the role it could play in the nation’s transportation system.”
Top Environment and Science News Stories
1. National Park Visits Are Surging, and One Firm Is Making Unexpected Millions (Allison Pohle / The Wall Street Journal)
Pohle reports on the controversial reservation system that many U.S. National Parks like Glacier now use to manage visitation. The system itself has sparked anger, as well as the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. that profits off of Recreation.gov. Pohle’s piece explains the rest.
2. This Dime-Sized Battery Is a Step Toward an EV With a 1,000-Mile Range (Dan Gearino / National Geographic)
“Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology have created a solid-state battery that could be used to vastly expand the range of EVs, and it could unlock the ability to use batteries on short-haul aircraft and heavy trucks. But for now it’s a lab-scale battery cell, about the size of a dime,” writes Gearino in his lede on the newest piece of technology propelling us into the future.
3. See the flamboyant grandeur of the common betta fish (Story by Jason Bittel, Photos by Visarute Angkatavanich / National Geographic)
Here’s another one for the photographers! National Geographic captured stunning photos of the unique betta fish.
Top Student/Alumni Story
1. Homegrown & Handcrafted (Intermediate Photojournalism Students / Montana PBS)
The J-School students taking professor Jeremy Lurgio’s Intermediate Photojournalism course this spring produced a film for Montana PBS. Airing several times within the week, the film highlighted five Montana businesses that exercise skill and creativity in their production of homegrown and handcrafted items. Way to go!
