The MT Lowdown is a weekly digest that showcases a more personal side of Montana Free Press’ high-quality reporting while keeping you up to speed on the biggest news impacting Montanans. Want to see the MT Lowdown in your inbox every Friday? Sign up here.I’m thrilled to share some exciting news that marks a pivotal moment for Montana Free Press and for public-interest journalism across Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.This week, MTFP acquired Mountain Journal, a renowned nonprofit newsroom dedicated to exploring the critical intersection of people and nature in one of the world’s most iconic wild landscapes.Montana’s future depends in part on rigorous, fact-based reporting that illuminates the complex challenges facing our region, among them how wildlife and natural resource management intersect with our way of life. For years, MTFP has delivered in-depth environmental coverage across a range of important issues. Now, by combining resources with Mountain Journal, we’re taking that commitment to the next level.Joining forces will let us unite MoJo’s expertise in conservation journalism with MTFP’s award-winning reporting and robust operational support. This will allow us to reach more readers who care about Montana’s future and deliver deeper and more consistent coverage of the policy and environmental issues that shape our state and region. It’s also an important step toward our vision of ensuring free and independent journalism can thrive in the Northern Rockies for generations to come.While Mountain Journal will maintain its own distinct website and editorial focus, the collaboration between our teams will mean richer stories, broader perspectives and greater impact. And as part of this merger, Mountain Journal’s managing editor, Joe O’Connor, will join MTFP’s staff to lead MoJo’s newsroom, while Sarah DeOpsomer will join the business team. I’m deeply excited about what Joe and Sarah will bring to MTFP’s existing team and about what MTFP’s team will be able to do to help MoJo’s journalism thrive. Together, we’re poised to illuminate the stories that matter to you, our readers and to the future of our region.Thank you for your continued support of MTFP as we embark on this bold new chapter.—John S. AdamsBy the Numbers 🔢Two-year salary increase for first-year teachers negotiated this week by the Kalispell Public Schools and the Kalispell Education Association. The increase will be staggered in two phases, a 13% increase this school year and an additional 10% increase in 2025-26. In combination, that will bring the base salary for new teachers in the Flathead Valley up from $38,385 to $47,713.In their latest two-year contract ratified Nov. 19, district officials and union representatives also agreed to an average 4.6% salary increase for educators across all experience levels. But getting there took time — nearly 280 days, according to a press release issued by the district and the union this week. Joint statements from both sides acknowledged the growing difficulties for Kalispell educators, whose salaries have for years ranked second lowest among Montana’s eight large AA districts even as the Flathead Valley’s median housing price has climbed to the second highest in the state. However, the release also indicated the district faces ongoing financial challenges that may lead to staff reductions even as it raises salaries and appealed to state leaders to consider meaningful funding increases for Montana’s public schools.—Alex SakariassenThe Viz 📈​​I learned a fair bit mapping voting results from all 727 of Montana’s election precincts this month. For starters, one of those precincts doesn’t actually have any voters in it.Flathead County’s Precinct 56, which spans the uninhabited Bob Marshall Wilderness, recorded exactly zero votes in this year’s election and does not have a polling location. It’s a quirky reminder of Montana’s vast and varied geography, which is one thing that makes each of the results from each of those precincts worth examining in detail. The results of the 726 precincts that do have voters reveal much about their communities — whether they represent a densely packed urban center dominated by Democrats, a rural Republican stronghold or even an evenly split precinct where the margins in a given race can come down to a handful of votes. In some cases, they tell stories about a community’s shared political identity, like the voters in Custer County’s Ismay Church precinct, where Republicans swept every race on the ballot except for the U.S. Senate race, where two votes — of 28 — broke from the pack of support for U.S. Senate candidate Tim Sheehy.Montana’s political map may look overwhelmingly red, but the details show a richer, more complex picture. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, despite losing statewide, captured overwhelming majorities in urban cores like Missoula, Bozeman and Helena and won several precincts on or near American Indian reservations. Meanwhile, sparsely populated precincts in places like Garfield and Fergus counties delivered overwhelming margins to Republicans.Building this map gave us new insights into how Montana votes — insights we hope you’ll find valuable as well. Our interactive tool allows you to zoom in with neighborhood-level detail and explore results from all 727 precincts, letting you see how your community and others across the state cast their ballots in the biggest races of the year.EXPLORE HERE: 2024 Elections: How Montanans voted, precinct by precinct.–– Jacob OlnessFollowing the Law ⚖️Even before Montana courts begin to interpret the constitutional abortion right approved by voters earlier this month via Constitutional Initiative 128, the state’s judicial system has produced a large body of case law constraining efforts by anti-abortion advocates and lawmakers.In a ruling late last week, for example, state district court judge Chris Abbott of Helena temporarily blocked a 2023 law and set of licensure rules that would add additional regulatory requirements to health care clinics that provide abortions. Abortion providers had argued those regulations, which wouldn’t apply to private physician offices that offer other reproductive and pregnancy-related services, would saddle them with red tape. The ruling, a preliminary injunction, will remain in place while litigation continues between All Families Healthcare, Blue Mountain Clinic and the state of Montana.Abbott’s decision is the latest in a slew of rulings striking down or blocking abortion restrictions since Republicans took control of the governor’s office in 2021, depriving Democrats of the power to veto anti-abortion bills that passed the Republican-controlled Legislature and forcing abortion rights advocates to instead challenge anti-abortion measures in court. As he parsed the facts of the licensure case, Abbott observed just how many recent court rulings there are on the subject:“There are so many decisions in the last four years captioned Planned Parenthood of Montana v. State that it can be difficult to coherently cite them,” Abbott wrote in one of the opinion’s footnotes. “Rather than use a numbering system, the Court will attempt to describe them by the statutes challenged.”Among the rulings Abbott pointed to was the unanimous 2024 decision by the Montana Supreme Court finding that pregnant minors do not need parental consent to receive abortions. The court ruled that the law at the heart of that case violated Montana’s constitutional right to equal protection by creating two classes of pregnant minors treated differently under the law: minor patients who decide to remain pregnant and are not burdened by obtaining parental consent, and those who choose to end their pregnancies and are restricted by the law.That case, which Abbott labeled “PPMT-Consent,” and other abortion rulings that identified equal protection violations, will likely factor into the licensure case. The 2023 legislation does not apply rules to similarly situated medical clinics where practitioners manage miscarriages or dispense similar medications, Abbott wrote. Rather, providers are regulated differently only if they offer abortion.Abbott also pointed to other abortion cases that he said pertain to the licensure case. The safety of abortion procedures for pregnant patients? Addressed in Weems v. State. The level of legal scrutiny the state must clear? Addressed in PPMT-Consent and PPMT-Medicaid. And all of those cases are built on the foundation of Armstrong v. State, the 1999 ruling that originally found abortion to be protected through the Montana Constitution.“Whatever one’s views may be, the law in Montana is well-established. Women have a state constitutional right of access to previability abortions from a qualified medical provider of their choice,” Abbott wrote. “The holdings of Armstrong and its progeny are binding on this Court, and this Court is dutybound to faithfully apply them.”Abbott cautioned that the court’s stance in the current case could change after all the facts are presented and the litigation concludes. He wrote that the state does have the power to license health care providers and regulate the practice of medicine, as long as those laws don’t improperly infringe on constitutional rights.But with more time comes the possibility of more rulings in other abortion cases. In November, the Montana Supreme Court notified plaintiffs and the state that a panel of judges is preparing to decide the fate of three restrictive abortion laws from 2021. That ruling will likely be finalized long before the licensure case concludes, adding new barriers or paving potential pathways for abortion opponents.—Mara SilversVerbatim 💬“We had some unfortunate events that have all come together to kind of have this taste and odor problem be worse than it typically is for the year.”— Helena Public Works Director Ryan Leland while updating city commissioners on the status of the city’s drinking water quality, which produced public concern after a seasonal shift in the city’s drinking water supply this month. Commissioner Sean Logan asked for the status report after members of the public raised questions and complaints about the water quality. Logan said that some Helenans have complained about water odor and taste since the city shifted its drinking water supply sources earlier this month. Leland told the commission during a Monday meeting that the city had previously been combining water from the Missouri River with water from Ten Mile Creek and other sources. Because of a year-long delay in maintenance work, the Ten Mile plant is now undergoing upgrades, which means the city has to rely solely on the Missouri River plant, which gets its water from Canyon Ferry Lake. Leland said the water that the Missouri River plant often pulls in moss and other organic material, which can affect the water’s taste. Although the treated water may smell and taste bad, Leland assured the commission that it is not harmful to drink. —JoVonne WagnerHappenings 🗓️A new two-day music festival featuring more than 20 performing artists is coming to the Missoula County Fairgrounds July 4 and 5. The lineup for what organizers are calling the Zootown Music Festival includes Hozier, Kacey Musgraves, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Mt. Joy, Lake Street Dive, Modest Mouse, Julien Baker and Torres. The event is being produced by Always On, Knitting Factory Presents and Shore Sound Entertainment in partnership with Destination Missoula and the University of Montana’s Entertainment Management program, organizers said in a release. The release says organizing a major music festival in Missoula has been a longtime dream of Always On founder Scott Osburn, a UM alum. Last year, Osburn proposed a large music festival for Missoula’s Playfair Park but backed off after concerns from neighbors, the Missoulian reported at the time. Concert tickets, accommodations and activity packages were available for sale starting at 10 a.m. Friday at zootownfestival.com. Local pre-sale tickets for those with a Missoula zip code sold out within an hour Thursday morning, according to the event’s Facebook page. —Katie FairbanksHighlights ☀️In other news this week —Higher property tax bills could be coming to Montana homeowners again next year. Eric Dietrich reports that, barring action by next year’s Legislature, the state revenue department expects rising home values to continue to increase the tax burden on residential properties.Bozeman voters approved a ban on single-use plastic bags last month. As Isabel Hicks reports, it’s slated to take effect in May — but could face a court challenge.This year’s election produced long lines, voter confusion and overworked election staff in Cascade County. Matt Hudson reports that was partly because ongoing county government tumult over the operation of the county election office contributed to lower staffing levels than the office has had for previous elections.Thanks to be had 🦃A programming note: Lowdown will be off next Friday as the MTFP staff takes a breather through the Thanksgiving weekend. We thought we’d take a moment this week to reflect on some of the things that are keeping our hearts warm this holiday.Amanda — I feel unaccountably lucky to have been born in Montana amidst the gobs of natural splendor. I am also grateful that my parents made outside time in places like Woodbine Campground, Red Lodge Mountain and Big Horn Canyon a defining feature of my childhood — especially now that my sons are getting old enough to express a similar appreciation for outdoor excursions.Alex — I write a lot of news stories at MTFP featuring Montanans with wildly differing beliefs and world views, and it’s become increasingly important to me to include such diversity in my social life. Our fundamental differences make those connections challenging at times, but I’m endlessly thankful for the friends who broaden my understanding of humanity — and my work — every day.JoVonne — After just passing my one-year work anniversary with MTFP as the local reporter covering Helena, I’ve come to be thankful for the new friendships and connections I’ve made in our community. From covering city and school meetings to hanging out at local restaurants and watching movie screenings at the Myrna Loy, folks have welcomed me with positivity and encouragement in covering the Queen City of the Rockies. I’m starting to feel more and more like a real Helenan these days. Matt — Perhaps one local government office here in Great Falls is feeling the Thanksgiving season spirit. After nearly three months, I’m starting to receive portions of a public information request I filed in August.Katie — Moving to Missoula a year and a half ago has brought me closer to my parents, which I am grateful for, but much further from my sister. While she might not always feel the same way, I appreciate that her commute through Seattle traffic gives us plenty of time to catch up at the end of every weekday. Jacob —  While I have a lot of things to be grateful for, many of them more important than this one, fresh in my mind is the battery backup for my home server here in Billings. We lost power on Wednesday, which would have risked corrupting four years of my digital life without that backup earning its keep.Mara — Both my parents live in Helena, but our schedules have been mismatched for much of the last year as they deployed for weeks-long childcare shifts for their new grandchild over in Missoula. Fortunately, a daycare slot opened up a few months ago, allowing me and my dad to start a semi-regular coffee meet-up on Friday mornings near the MTFP office. I’ve been very grateful for the simple sweetness of that time together.Eric — With the adoption of a spunky puppy last month, I’m now living in a multi-pet household that also includes a not-especially-patient cat. The experience is giving me renewed gratitude for quiet moments of domestic harmony.*Some stories may require a subscription. Subscribe!The post Joining forces with Mountain Journal appeared first on Montana Free Press.