Category: Good Work Wednesday

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!

By Sage Sutcliffe

Top Montana News Stories

1. Podcast: Rationing Recreation Access with Dr. Will Rice (Micah Drew / Flathead Beacon)

The Flathead Beacon’s podcast is a great, quick way to learn about the publication’s weekly roundup of stories, plus one top story more in-depth. This week’s 21-minute episode is hosted by Micah Drew, who interviews UM researcher Dr. Will Rice about a story written by his co-worker and J-School grad Tristan Scott (’13). Teamwork at its finest!

2. What’s the story with recycling in Montana? (Austin Amestoy and Nick Mott / Montana Public Radio)

Speaking of teamwork, J-School grad Austin Amestoy (’22) and Nick Mott teamed up for the latest episode of ‘The Big Why’ from Montana Public Radio, tackling the topic of recycling in Montana. They research where Montanan’s recycling ends up and why Montana’s recycling rates lag behind the national average.

3. Edward Abbey’s Day Job (Micah Drew / Flathead Beacon)

Another quick read from Drew is a short profile (from the archives) of Edward Abbey, an environmental writer who worked as a seasonal fire lookout in national parks, including Glacier.

4. Photos: Transgender Day of Visibility Rally in Missoula (Tom Bauer / Missoulian)

(Note: some pictures in this album contain racist, homophobic and transphobic content.)

This week, hundreds of Montanans showed up at the Missoula County Courthouse for the Transgender Day of Visibility. Photographer Tom Bauer captured some of the faces, signs and sentiments of the demonstration. Counter-protestors also showed, bearing racist, homophobic and transphobic rhetoric. Several of Bauer’s photos capture the conflict between the demonstrators and the counter-protestors.

Top Environment and Science News Stories

1. I Am Haunted by What I Have Seen at Great Salt Lake (Terry Tempest Williams / New York Times)

In one of her first grafs, Terry Tempest Williams writes, “Maps and newspapers call her the Great Salt Lake, but to me, she’s Great Salt Lake.” Williams is a Westerner at heart, whose creative and opinionated writing explores many environmental, cultural and other intersectional genres. Williams’ latest opinion piece is much more than her own thoughts; she details the GSL’s history, ecology and transformation over the time she’s been around and well before. It’s an ode to what the GSL once was and a warning about what it is becoming. Hauntingly beautiful aerial photographs of the lake accompany the story.

2. What bacteria and fungi lurk in your city? Bees may have the answer. (Annie Roth / National Geographic)

“Save the bees” is a pretty common plea from folks who understand how important honeybees are for humans. Roth’s story gives “save the bees” even more standing: “DNA found in honeybee hives show that each city has a unique microbiome—and that could have big implications for human health.”

Top Student/Alumni Story

1. Hellgate Elementary makes strides for inclusion through movement (Skylar Rispens / Missoulian)

J-School grad Skylar Rispens (’19) is the education reporter for the Missoulian. Rispen’s lede gets the positive news story moving from the get-go: “Students at Hellgate Elementary are running in place, lapping around the playground and shaking their pedometers in the name of inclusion (and the possibility of another recess or a pizza party).” (Sounds like a good encouragement for college students, too.)

Kids don’t often appear as sources in educational news stories, even when the stories revolve around young people. Fortunately, Rispens interviewed a few kids for this story, getting the students’ inside scoop.

By Sage Sutcliffe

Top Montana News Stories

1. Fresh Produce Is an Increasingly Popular Prescription for Chronically Ill Patients (Carly Graf / Kaiser Health News)

Reporting from Missoula, reporter Carly Graf shares a northwestern Montana story with a nationwide audience. The story is a good one: health care providers in Montana have the ability to prescribe healthy foods rather than medication for some illnesses. Graf’s main character is Mackenzie Sachs, a registered dietician who helps patients on the Blackfeet Reservation enroll in a produce prescription program that makes the prescribed foods become more affordable.

2. Henry’s Story (Story by Mike Kordenbrock, Pictures by Hunter D’Antuono / Flathead Beacon)

This story was published a few weeks ago, but it’s still worth the read! Mike Kordenbrock tells the story of 11-year-old Henry, a Kalispell kid who battled lymphoma and won. Meanwhile, Hunter D’Antuono shows the story with several photos from last year and last month.

3. The Session Week 12: GOP controls the budget and lawmakers collaborate on elk management (Nadya Faulx, Ellis Juhlin, Arren Kimbel-Sannit, Eric Dietrich / Montana Free Press)

We do a lot of reading as journalists to stay informed, but listening to the news is just as good. In partnership with Montana Free Press, Yellowstone Public Radio and Montana Public Radio, the latest episode of ‘the Session’ touches on the latest Montana Legislative news. The four reporters go back-and-forth, discussing the most important details in under 10 minutes.

4. Wildlife advocates concerned about public relations tactics related to hunting, trapping amendment (Darrell Ehrlick / Daily Montanan)

Ehrlick’s story is concise and provides all the necessary updates on a wildlife management measure supported by an out-of-state advocacy group, HOWL for Wildlife. Ehrlick writes: “HB 372 is a constitutional proposal that would classify hunting, trapping and fishing as the primary preferred method of wildlife management in Montana.”

Top Environment and Science News Stories

1. Listening To The Big Ice Of Antarctica (Bruno Giussani / Noema Magazine)

Reporter Bruno Giussani traveled to Antarctica with a group of explorers and brought a few questions with him: “What are we doing to the planet that gives us life, and how will we protect it? Or: How are we going to live together in the future in a way that’s peaceful and just?” This piece attempts to answer these questions through an icy, Antarctic lens.

2. Women are less likely to buy electric vehicles than men. Here’s what’s holding them back. (Jessica Kutz / The 19th)

Electric vehicle sales are on the rise, but for some more than others. “As the United States rolls out a plan to invest in charging infrastructure in all 50 states, it is becoming more important to understand how and why women aren’t making the transition to electric cars as quickly as men,” writes Kutz.

Top Student/Alumni Stories

1. The Montana Legislature v. local climate action (Amanda Eggert / Montana Free Press)

J-School grad (’09) Amanda Eggert reports for the Montana Free Press on the environment, public land use and wildfires. Especially during the Legislative session, Eggert’s hot-topic stories often include a political angle. Eggert’s recent story brings attention to three bills that are advancing in the Montana Legislature, which “restrict cities’ ability to steer their communities toward renewable technology.”