Stan Ozark

Gianforte Announces Homeowners Can Apply for 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate

Governor Greg Gianforte Thursday announced that Montana homeowners can now apply for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate, delivering on his commitment to provide permanent and meaningful property tax relief for Montanans.

“Recognizing the burden of rising property taxes, we worked with the Legislature to deliver permanent and meaningful property tax relief,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Thanks to our reforms, 80% of Montana homeowners saw lower property taxes last year. While those who claimed a property tax rebate are already enrolled for the lower rate this year, homeowners can verify their status or claim the lower rate by visiting Homestead.MT.gov.”

Largely a function of local jurisdictions, property taxes fund local government services, with approximately 80 percent of property tax revenue from residential homeowners going directly to local jurisdictions and the remaining 20 percent going to the State of Montana which returns the amount in full to help fund K-12 public schools throughout the state.

Beginning December 1, 2025, Montana homeowners became eligible to apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate for the 2026 tax year. To qualify, applicants must attest that they will own and live in their Montana home as their principal residence for at least seven months during 2026. When applying, homeowners will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, and the names and Social Security numbers of the property owners.

House Bill 231, carried by Representative Llew Jones, R-Conrad, established the Homestead Rate, which takes effect this year. The Homestead Rate is a new, lower property tax rate for long-term rentals and primary residences, the places Montanans call home.

Properties that qualified for and received the 2025 property tax rebate will automatically qualify for the 2026 Homestead Reduced Rate if ownership has not changed and the property continues to be used as the primary residence. Additionally, the application period for the Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate is now open. To qualify, properties must be rented to tenants as their residence for periods of 28 days or longer for at least seven months of the year. Applicants will need to provide the property’s physical address, geocode, owner information, and details on rental income and expenses.

In November, Gov. Gianforte announced that nearly 80% of homes will see a tax cut from the reforms, with about 10% seeing property taxes remain flat. The average savings for homeowners who saw a tax cut was more than $500, not including the up to $400 property tax rebate available to eligible homeowners.

Senate Bill 542, carried by Senator Wylie Galt, R-Martinsdale, establishes new, tiered tax rates to deliver property tax relief for Montanans for their homes, small businesses, farms, and ranches in 2025 and provided a property tax rebate for Montanans for their primary residence. Eligible Montana homeowners could claim a rebate up to $400 last year for property taxes paid in 2024.

Last year, more than 235,000 Montana homeowners claimed and received a property tax rebate. Montana homeowners who claimed and received a property tax rebate in 2025 may be automatically enrolled in the Homestead Rate for 2026, provided the homeowner did not move or change ownership in 2025.

Montanans can verify enrollment or apply for the Homestead Reduced Rate and Long-Term Rental Reduced Rate by visiting homestead.mt.gov.

Stan Ozark Jan 9, 2026

In 2025, U.S. retail gasoline prices decreased for third consecutive year

From Energy Information Administration:

The U.S. retail price for regular grade gasoline averaged $3.10 per gallon (gal) in 2025, $0.21/gal less than in 2024. This year marks the third consecutive year of declining nominal retail gasoline prices, according to data from our Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update.

Crude oil prices are the largest component of U.S. gasoline prices. U.S. gasoline prices fell in 2025 because of lower crude oil prices, which were driven by oversupply concerns and a weaker global economic outlook in the first half of the year that dampened demand.

U.S. retail gasoline prices have fallen every year since 2022, when prices spiked to their highest since 2014 when adjusted for inflation after petroleum product prices increased sharply following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The retail gasoline price was highest in 2025 in early April when it reached $3.24/gal, still less than 2024’s high price of $3.67/gal, also reached in April. Similar to 2024, the 2025 high price preceded the summer driving season, which is when gasoline use peaks in the United States and often sets the highest prices of the year. Summer prices were relatively lower for gasoline and other petroleum products because of lower crude oil prices through the second half of the year. Retail gasoline prices decreased to an annual low of $2.81/gal in late December, as low crude oil prices combined with declining crack spreads at the end of November.

U.S. gasoline consumption in 2025 decreased on an annual average basis by less than 1% from 2024. Despite slightly lower consumption, a small increase in net exports in 2025 contributed to similar inventory levels as 2024. In 2025, Memorial Day gasoline prices, which signal the start of the summer driving season, were their lowest since 2020, when adjusted for inflation.

After the 2025 summer season, tightness in the global refining sector caused gasoline prices to increase just above their 2024 levels for September—the first month in which that happened this year. This relative tightness persisted through October and November, as higher refining margins led to gasoline prices that were about equal to 2024 prices going into Thanksgiving.

U.S. gasoline prices vary regionally, reflecting local supply and demand conditions and differences in state fuel specifications and taxes. The annual average retail price for regular grade gasoline in 2025 ranged from a low of $2.39/gal on the Gulf Coast to a high of $4.32/gal on the West Coast.

Stan Ozark Jan 9, 2026

Valley County Unemployment Rate 2.9%

Governor Greg Gianforte Wednesday announced Montana’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3 percent in November, continuing the record of over four consecutive years of unemployment at or below 3.4 percent.

Montana’s unemployment rate was 1.3 percent lower than the national unemployment rate, which was 4.6 percent in November. Montana remained in the top ten states in the nation with the lowest unemployment rates.

Montana’s labor force added approximately 2,200 workers over the last two months ending in November, while total employment (which includes payroll, agricultural, and self-employed workers) increased by nearly 800, generating an increase in the unemployment rate. Payroll jobs grew over the last two months, with gains in administrative services and transportation offsetting declines in government and healthcare employment. October 2025 unemployment data are unavailable due to the 2025 lapse in federal appropriations.

The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis over the two months from September to November 2025. Over the last twelve months, the all items index increased 2.7 percent before seasonal adjustment. Core inflation, or the index for all items less food and energy, rose 2.6 percent over the last 12-months. The energy index increased 4.2 percent for the 12 months ending November. The food index increased 2.6 percent over the last year.

The unemployment rate in Valley County was 2.9% which is higher than one year ago when it was 2.2%. The labor force in Valley County is 3539 which is down 34 from last year at this time.

Stan Ozark Jan 9, 2026

City of Glasgow Launches Mass Notification System

The City of Glasgow has announced the launch of a new mass notification system designed to keep residents informed about critical utility services, service disruptions and city emergencies. Powered by Daupler Notify, the platform allows the city to communicate directly with citizens.

The system is part of a broader effort to provide “more of what matters” to the local community by ensuring transparency during maintenance and emergencies.

Real-Time Updates for Residents.

By registering for the service, residents can receive instant alerts regarding:

Service Interruptions: Immediate notification of water or wastewater outages and other local disruptions.

Repair Progress: Real-time updates on how repairs are proceeding.

Restoration Estimates: Accurate information on when services are expected to be fully restored.

City Emergencies such as in the event of inclement weather.

One of the key features of the new system is user customization. Residents can choose their preferred contact method, including text messages, emails, or voice calls.

How to Register.

The city has made the sign-up process straightforward for all mobile users. To get started, residents can:

Visit the City of Glasgow website, http://www.cityofglasgowmt.com and click on “Glasgow Notification System Signup Information QR Code Setup or Daupler Notification Website – No QR Code.

If you are using the QR code, use a smartphone camera to scan the official registration code.

Create a Profile: Enter a name and phone number to begin receiving alerts.

Add Locations: Users can monitor multiple locations that matter to them, such as their home, workplace, or other properties within the service area.

The platform also includes a central dashboard where users can view a history of past notifications in one place.

Stan Ozark Jan 8, 2026

Man Banned From Fort Peck Indian Reservation Facing Sexual Abuse Charges In Nevada

Nathan Chasing Horse, the former “Dances with Wolves” actor accused of sexual abuse, was temporarily thrown out of court Monday after he disrupted proceedings with demands he be allowed to fire his defense attorney a week before trial.

Judge Jessica Peterson in Las Vegas ordered his jury trial to proceed next week as planned.

Chasing Horse has pleaded not guilty to 21 charges, including allegations that he sexually assaulted women and girls and that he filmed himself sexually abusing a girl younger than 14. Prosecutors allege he used his reputation as a spiritual leader and healer to take advantage of Native American women and girls over two decades.

Peterson ordered him removed from court Monday for trying to speak over her. He argued that his attorney, Craig Mueller, did not come to visit him and did not file timely. He asked that a public defender who previously represented him be his attorney.

Mueller, a private defense attorney, told the court his client was ready and privately told the judge that one of his investigators had visited with Chasing Horse. He declined to comment to The Associated Press.

Best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 movie “Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.

Tribal authorities on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation (in Poplar, Montana, home to the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes) banished Chasing Horse in 2015. Tribal leaders voted to bar him from the reservation amid allegations that included human trafficking, spiritual abuse, intimidation of tribal members, and other concerns about his conduct.

After his Nevada arrest and the accumulation of more evidence, the Fort Peck Tribal Court issued a warrant charging him with aggravated sexual assault tied to alleged incidents on the reservation from around 2005.

Tribal investigators said they could pursue the case once victims came forward following his Nevada arrest. However, Chasing Horse remains in custody in Nevada, and because he is banned from the reservation, he is unlikely to ever be taken into tribal custody on Fort Peck soil unless he is removed there from jail.

After starring in the Oscar-winning film, according to prosecutors, Chasing Horse began propping himself up as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies. When he was arrested in 2023, he was living in a North Las Vegas house with his five wives, according to prosecutors.

The case sent shock waves across Indian Country. The original indictment was dismissed in 2024 after the Nevada Supreme Court ruled prosecutors abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence without any expert testimony. However, the court left open the possibility of charges being refiled, and a new indictment was brought later that year.

Prosecutors claim Chasing Horse led a cult called The Circle, and his followers believed he could speak with spirits. His victims went to him for medical help, according to a transcript from a grand jury hearing.

Prosecutors expect the trial to last three weeks. It is scheduled to begin next Monday.

Stan Ozark Jan 7, 2026

Montana Minimum Wage Increases To $10.85 Per Hour

With the start of the new year, Montanans on the lowest end of the pay scale will get a small boost as the state’s mandatory minimum wage increase goes into effect.

As of Jan. 1, Montana’s minimum wage increased from $10.55 to $10.85.

Stemming from a 2006 law, Montana’s minimum wage is subject to a cost-of-living adjustment, based on the national increase in the consumer price index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to state law, Montana businesses not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act are those whose gross annual sales are $110,000 or less may pay $4 per hour.

Montana is one of 30 states — plus Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands — that have a minimum wage higher than the federal rate of $7.25.

Twelve states, plus D.C. adjust their wages annually based on set formulas.

Montana has one of the lowest minimum wages that exceeds federal levels, with only West Virginia coming in lower among states at $8.75. The highest minimum wage is in D.C., at $17.25.

Stan Ozark Jan 7, 2026

Postal Service Changes Regarding Postmarked Date

Every day, millions of Americans across the country rely on the United States Postal Service (USPS) to send all sorts of important things like time-sensitive documents, bill payments, applications, or even tax filings or payments. But some changes are coming.

This year, the USPS is making a pretty significant change that will impact anyone sending a time-sensitive document through the mail.

USPS Changing Postmark Process
For many time-sensitive documents, the postmark date is more important than the date that the document actually physically arrives.

The official postmark is a mark that shows where and when mail was accepted by the United States Postal Service. It has been used in law as proof that an individual met a deadline, such as submitting a ballot by Election Day, tax returns, or bill payments.

In the past, a USPS postmark would indicate the date when mail was dropped in a mailbox or submitted at the post office counter. However, that is now changing, USA Today has warned, and it could lead to late fees or problems for those unaware of the change.

Beginning in 2026, the USPS has instituted a new rule that the postmark will now reflect the date an envelope is first processed by an automated USPS sorting machine. This would mean that the postmark could come days after it was dropped off, rather than on the actual drop-off date.

How Does This Impact You
For years, it’s been widely assumed that a letter would be postmarked the day that it arrives at the post office. Now, thanks to a recent modernization push, that will no longer be the case, and it could impact you.

Anything that relies on postmark dates for deadlines can be impacted by later postmarks and risk late fees, penalties, or delinquency. This includes tax filings, payments, charitable contributions, legal filings, ballots, rent payments, and other kinds of bills.

As a result of this change, time-sensitive mail should be mailed several days before the deadline. Alternatively, people can still go inside their local post office and ask for a hand-stamped “manual postmark” on the date, or use certified mail.

But simply dropping a letter in the mailbox and expecting it to be postmarked that day will no longer work.

Stan Ozark Jan 7, 2026