Montana News
Briefs: Flathead power outages; Young Montanans worry about housing costs
With Montana News, I'm Eleanor Smith. Two planned power outages will impact Montanans living in the Marion, Happy's Inn, and Ashley Creek areas, west of Kalispell, the mornings of September 30th and October 8th. The outages will take place at 5 a.m. and last about five minutes. Around 2,900 members of the Flathead Electric Cooperative will be impacted. The co-op encourages residents living in Kailah and Batavia to reference maps of the planned outages as only parts of those communities will be impacted. Members with questions can reach the Flathead Electric Cooperative at 406-751-4483. Housing affordability is a top concern for young Montanans heading into the 2024 election. That's according to a poll commissioned by Forward Montana. MTPR's John Hooks reports. In the poll, nearly six out of 10 adults under 35 said housing affordability is the most concerning issue heading into November. The survey was conducted by California-based firm Change Research on behalf of Youth Political Advocacy Group, Forward Montana. It sampled more than 1,400 likely voters in Montana. Adult respondents under 35 said housing affordability and inflation are the top issues they face. 40 percent said they were considering leaving the state, citing the price of housing and the lack of economic opportunity. In Butte, I'm John Hooks. Montana PBS will hold a debate between Montana's U.S. Senate candidate front-runners Monday, September 30th. Republican challenger Tim Sheehee is running against Democratic incumbent John Tester. Journalists, John Twigs, and Anna Rao will host the debate. Montanans can watch live at 7 p.m. on Montana PBS, the Montana PBS Facebook page, or listen on Montana Public Radio and Yellowstone Public Radio.