Aaron Bolton
Aaron is Montana Public Radio's Flathead reporter.
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The Red Cross has, for the first time, declared a national blood donation crisis. Some hospitals say they're rationing blood products. And blood banks are scrambling to encourage donations.
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Some states are aggressively promoting the new COVID-19 vaccination shots for kids ages 5 to 11. But Montana is not among them. The state also didn't promote vaccinations for 12 to 18 year olds.
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A surge in COVID hospitalizations in Montana just won't end. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte is being criticized for his response.
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Smoke from wildfires is driving people indoors in places where COVID-19 vaccination rates are low, potentially heightening the risk of more infections.
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To keep emergency services afloat in rural areas, communities will have to go beyond volunteer-based programs to get people to distant hospitals, experts say. Meanwhile, some 911 calls go unanswered.
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When the tribe closed some the roads to Glacier National Park, businesses worried for their future. But it worked, and with one of the nation's highest COVID-19 vaccination rates, they've reopened.
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Montana has one of the country's lowest coronavirus infection rates, and is reopening to tourists. But the Blackfeet Nation, whose reservation borders Glacier National Park, is moving more cautiously.
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Members of a synagogue added armed guards to services following harassment by a neo-Nazi website. They also coordinated harassment responses with police, and say more towns should do the same.
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Submarine hobbyists are helping scientists in Montana do environmental research on the state's lakes. Researchers couldn't otherwise afford to rent subs, and it gives the hobbyists a sense of purpose.
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Alaska fishermen who took advantage of new regulations allowing them to fish with a previously banned piece of gear are happy they saved their catch from hungry whales.