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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

Glasgow NWS Northeast Montana 2025 Recap

From the National Weather Service Office in Glasgow:

2025 was a notable weather year for Glasgow. Overall, 2025 was the 19th warmest year with an average temperature of 44.8 degrees.

It’s important to note this average is using data since 1948.

Two locally notable storms affected Glasgow this year: a severe thunderstorm on June 15th and a blizzard on December 17th. Both events inflicted damages in town as well as other locations across northeast Montana.

Total precipitation for 2025 was 13.45″ which is 0.01″ above average. Total snowfall for 2025 was 41.0″ which is 0.3″ above normal. Of the 41.0″ of 2025 snow, 15.1″ fell from January through March whereas 25.9″ fell from November through December.

Tim Phillips 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

City of Glasgow Looking for Public Works Director and Chief of Police

The City of Glasgow is searching for a new Public Works Director and Chief of Police in 2026.

Glasgow Public Works Director Paul Skubinna announced on Monday that he will resign his position January 17th. The Glasgow City Council Personnel Committee will meet on Thursday to begin the process on replacing Skubinna.

Glasgow Police Chief Robert Weber has also announced he will be retiring this year. The Glasgow City Council has already started the process in finding a replacement for Weber.

Stan Ozark Jan 6, 2026

Farmer Bridge Assistance Program Rates Announced

The long-awaited Farmer Bridge Assistance rates are out! Rice and cotton will receive the highest per-acre rates, in keeping with earlier predictions.

On the last day of 2025, USDA announced the Farmer Bridge Assistance program rates for row crop and oil seed farmers hit hard in 2025 by the ongoing trade wars.

“Farmers who qualify for the FBA program can expect payments in their bank accounts by Feb. 28, 2026,” says Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins in the announcement.

The following per-acre rates apply:

Corn: $44.36 Soybeans: $30.88 Wheat: $39.35 Cotton: $117.35 Rice: $132.89 Peanuts: $55.65 Sorghum: $48.11 Barley: $20.51 Canola: $23.57 Sunflower: $17.32 Lentils: $23.98 Peas: $19.60 Oats: $81.75 Mustard: $23.21 Safflower: $24.86 Flax: $8.05 Chickpeas: $26.46 (large), $33.36 (small) Sesame: $13.68

Oil seeds rapeseed and crambe — which were included in the original list of commodities to receive payments according to USDA’s Dec. 8 announcement of the bridge payments — were not included in the Dec. 31 rate list.

The payments, which amount to $11 billion, are intended to bridge the gap between current economic straits of farmers dealing with “unfair market disruptions” and the stepped-up farmer support programs from the previously titled “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which will take effect in October 2026.

In addition to the $11 billion for row crops, $1 billion was set aside for specialty crops and sugar. The Dec. 31 rate announcement, like the Dec. 8 initial announcement of the bridge payments, notes “timelines for payments to producers of these crops are still under development.”

The bridge payments are funded under the Commodity Credit Corporation and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency based on 2025 acreage reports. Payments will be released to eligible producers by Feb. 28 with a limit of $155,000 per entity or individual.

Stan Ozark Jan 6, 2026

IRS Urging Taxpayers to Prepare For Tax Season

With the 2026 filing season quickly approaching, the Internal Revenue Service is urging taxpayers to take a few simple steps now to prepare for filing their 2025 federal income tax returns. Visit Get Ready on IRS.gov for checklists, updates and no-cost filing options.

One of the most important steps taxpayers can take is to access their IRS Individual Online Account. IRS Individual Online Accounts are available 24/7, to view account information, make payments, manage communication preferences and protect tax information.

Use direct deposit
Due to the presidential executive order, Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account the IRS is phasing out paper tax refund checks. The IRS encourages taxpayers who do not have a bank account to open one so they can receive refunds by direct deposit.

Review new 2025 tax law changes
Recent legislation, such as the provisions in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, includes several new deductions and credits that may reduce tax bills or increase refunds. Beginning in 2025, to be eligible to claim certain credits for other dependents, the taxpayer and their spouse, if filing jointly, must have valid Social Security numbers or Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers issued on or before the due date of their returns (including extensions).

New Trump Accounts for eligible children
Parents, guardians and other authorized individuals will be able to open Trump Accounts, a new retirement savings vehicle for children under the age of 18 with a valid SSN. A pilot program contribution of $1,000 will be available for children who are U.S. citizens and born from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2028. Visit trumpaccounts.gov for details.

Income from payment apps and online sales
All income from part-time work, gig activities or sales of goods and services is taxable. Form 1099-K, Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, will be issued by payment card companies for any amount and by payment apps and online marketplaces when payments exceed $20,000 and more than 200 transactions occur for the year.

Digital assets reporting requirements
Taxpayers who bought, sold or received digital assets, including cryptocurrency, stablecoins or NFT, must report those transactions. Some taxpayers may receive Form 1099-DA from brokers. Regardless, all taxpayers must answer the digital asset question on Form 1040 and report any related income, gains, or losses. Visit Digital Assets for more information.

Get ready now
Take a few steps today, reviewing tax law changes, gathering documents and using online tools, to help ensure a smoother less stressful experience when filing taxes in 2026.

Stan Ozark Jan 6, 2026

2025 Weather Review

The Glasgow National Weather Service has compiled the statistics from 2025 in Glasgow.

2025 was the 19th warmest year on record, going back to 1948. The average temperature for the year was 44.8 degrees.

The high temperature of the year was 101 degrees, 12 degrees off the record from 1900. The lowest temperature recorded was -31, which was 18 degrees warmer than the record of -59 in 1936.

Two notable storms affected Glasgow this past year: a severe thunderstorm on June 15th and a blizzard on December 17th.

That severe thunderstorm on June 15th produced a wind gust of 71mph and half dollar sized hail. That wind gust broke the record for the highest gust recorded in June.

The blizzard on December 17th produced a wind gust of 78mph, which broke the record for the highest December wind gust.

Total precipitation for 2025 was 13.45, one hundredth ahead of the average. Total snowfall for the year was right at 41 inches, .3 above normal. 25.9 inches of that snow fell in November and December. The annual precipitation record is 22.96 inches, set in 2011. The snowfall record is also from that year: 93.4 inches.

Other records of note: – March was the 6th warmest March on record – April was the driest since 1984 (.01) – June 22nd was unusually cold: the high was only 55, the coldest June high since 2009.

Spring was the 7th warmest on record, and the driest since 2017

Summer was the coolest and wettest summer since 2019. July and August only had one day each with triple digit temperatures.

Fall was the fifth warmest on record.

December 2025 was the wettest December on record, with 1.72″ of precipitation. December 11th was the wettest December day on record, with .94″ of precipitation, and 7.5 inches of snow.

Tim Phillips Jan 5, 2026