Morning Billings! We've got the scoop on the latest happenings in town. Read on to get looped in. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness and 10 more events.
Today's riddle: Why did the cookie go to the hospital? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. Enrollment rates hold steady and retention rates rise at MSUB (easternprogress.com) — Montana State University Billings is reporting record-high freshman retention and steady overall enrollment, signaling stability for students and local employers who rely on its graduates. With more new students arriving and many returning, both the main campus and City College remain key education and workforce hubs for Billings residents.
2. Billings City Council and grieving mother get safer school zone plans in motion (ktvq.com) — Billings City Council is fast-tracking a new school zone at Will James Middle School, targeting the busy Grand Avenue and Rehberg Lane intersection and reviewing other secondary schools for similar protections. City engineers are coordinating with the state transportation department and considering stricter rules like no right-on-red in school zones, following the death of 13-year-old student Chase Lantz.
3. Montana Stockgrowers convention set for December 3-5 in Billings (tsln.com) — Billings will host the Montana Stockgrowers Association's 142nd Annual Convention and Trade Show December 3–5, bringing ranchers and ag leaders from across the state into town. Attendees can register now for policy meetings, a water symposium, educational sessions, and social events, all focused on the future of Montana's cattle industry and offering a significant economic boost for local hotels and businesses.
4. New downtown mural brings Montana cowboy portrait to First Avenue North (billingsgazette.com) — A new cowboy-themed mural now wraps the west wall of the former Angry Hank's Microbrewery building at 2405 First Avenue North in downtown Billings, brightening a key corner. Funded partly by a Space2Place grant, the artwork honors stuntman Robert Majerus and showcases local talent, including Billings hat maker D. James Hats, while supporting the Downtown Billings BID Street Team's home base.
5. South Billings hotels' rebrand as Midland Road sees wave of new development (ktvq.com) — South Billings' Midland Road corridor is seeing a major refresh, with two former Motel 6 properties under new ownership, one reopening as Signature Inn and another planned as a Cambria Hotel. Nearby businesses like High Tide Casino and the former Billings Convention Center site are watching closely as new retail and hospitality investment promises to change the feel and safety of the area.
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Ok Billings! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: "Why did the cookie go to the hospital?" — Because he felt crummy. (Thank you Sanda J. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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