Good morning, Missoula.

Atomic Tacos has opened in the former James Bar building, offering new Mexican food and preserving a historic Hunter S.

Thompson quote (carved on the stone). The restaurant operates Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Missoula was featured on Jeopardy! in the 'Inside Missoula' category — a five-question round testing local landmarks, history and UM — on Oct.

20. Fans shared their excitement on social media as they celebrated the local twist on the popular quiz show.

Montana lost 1% of its workforce, equaling 5,300 jobs, in September according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report.

Other states saw modest losses while South Carolina posted job gains in construction, health care, and leisure + hospitality.

University of Montana’s CyberMontana will host a ribbon-cutting for its student-run Security Operations Center (9:00-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Oct.

27) at Missoula College Room 023, offering free cybersecurity training and hands-on services to local communities.

Montana State Auditor James Brown and the Land Board approved $927,166 in new revenue to support state schools, with $391,803 from timber sales + $535,363 from easements at their October meeting.

The decision benefits schools and trust beneficiaries statewide.

Today, seven freshmen students start classes at Clark Fork Prep downtown; the new secular private school offers independent (place-based) education to spark curiosity.

The DEQ (Department of Environmental Quality) is reviewing a U.S. Critical Materials application received on Oct.

7 to drill rock core samples near Sheep Creek by the headwaters of the West Fork Bitterroot River. Public comment is open.

NOAA's new U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook warns that drought may develop or worsen in western Montana (Oct.

15 through Jan. 31) due to El Niño, while eastern Montana is expected to fare better. The forecast also points to warmer-than-average winters in the region.

Montana childcare providers can now apply for three grants from the Montana Early Childhood Account, which offers $8.5 million for staff support+training and for expanding infant care facilities.

The application window closes Monday, Oct. 26.

Seventeen local groups are suing the Public Service Commission in Missoula County District Court for not considering climate change in its decisions.

They argue the agency must honor Montana’s constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment — a right upheld in a 2024 state Supreme Court ruling.

Montanans on Medicare face fewer private plan options as Blue Cross Blue Shield stops its Medicare Advantage plans & some seniors in nine counties must choose traditional coverage, which may have higher prescription costs; enrollment runs until the end of December.

Affordable housing development broke ground yesterday when Kind Home Cooperative began constructing four income-restricted two-bedroom condos on land provided by Front Step CLT + aided by local Redevelopment Agency TIF funding, with completion expected next year.