Aaron Bolton
Aaron is Montana Public Radio's Flathead reporter.
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The number of seniors who are homeless has increased dramatically. This "gray wave" is being driven by inflation and a lack of affordable housing, especially for older people with disabilities.
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A Supreme Court ruling eliminated the requirement of sheltering homeless people in some states. Advocates worry the ruling also motivates cities hostile to shelters to get rid of them altogether.
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New research indicates the uptick in requests for sterilization following the Dobbs decision on abortion was not a temporary trend. Nationally, numbers of tubal ligations and vasectomies are up.
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The U.S. and tribal governments make progress against contaminated coal mine runoff from British Columbia, which has been polluting Montana and Idaho for years.
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Montana inmates with severe mental illness can languish for months in jail. They are too ill to stand trial, and there's only one state hospital that can treat them.
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As the climate changes, places where home air conditioning used to be rare are now seeing a need for artificial cooling. In places like the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest, lives are at stake.
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New ideas like "safe storage maps" show gun owners where to put their firearms in safekeeping if a mental health crisis happens. The idea has support, but obstacles are in the way in some states. -
Gun owners in psychiatric crisis can lower their risk of suicide by temporarily storing their guns at a gun store or with family or friends. But "safe storage" is easier in theory than practice.
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States can once again begin removing people from their Medicaid rolls. It's estimated that about 15 million people could lose their coverage in the coming months, including many who remain eligible.
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Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, medical providers are encountering more legal and political battles — and escalating threats from the anti-abortion movement.
