Local briefs: COVID rent, mortgage assistance deadline is Nov. 10
Montanans who have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be eligible for rent and mortgage payment assistance. All applications must be received by Tuesday, Nov. 10.
For more information and to apply visit covidrelief.mt.gov. For assistance with the application, contact NeighborWorks Montana at covidrelief@nwmt.org or call (406) 604-4500.
Montana Housing will provide payments directly to landlords or mortgage service providers equal to the difference between 25 percent of the household’s reduced net monthly income and the monthly cost, up to $2,000 a month. Household income limits range from $75,000 to $125,000. Montanans who receive other forms of housing assistance are not eligible. However, homeowners participating in a forbearance program are eligible to apply.
If you previously applied and were denied assistance because your monthly income was equal to or exceeded your monthly housing costs, but have since experienced a decrease in your household income (i.e. due to end of $600/week federal unemployment insurance at end of July), contact the Dept. of Commerce to re-assess your application by calling 406-841-2840 or email housing@mt.gov. They can retrieve your prior application and open it for editing so you can provide current income information and documentation.
Help spiff up downtown Ronan
There will be a clean-up event for downtown Ronan downtown on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Join with Access MT and the community to clean up downtown from 1 to 5 p.m. Ronan High School will join at 3:45 p.m.
Gloves and bags will be available and the city will pick up what is collected. Anyone who would like to participate can join the efforts downtown any time during those hours. For more information, call Whitney Cantlon at 833-0570.
SKC student lands major scholarship
Christa Cooper of Ronan, a business student at Salish Kootenai College, has been awarded a $20,000 scholarship. Cooper is among 20 members of the inaugural class of Spectrum Scholars, a two-year educational and mentorship initiative for underrepresented students founded by Connecticut-based Charter Communications.
Recipients have a variety of majors including business, finance, engineering and communications, and were required to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher in order to be eligible. Recipients were introduced to the program Oct. 1 via a virtual professional development series.
Each student will receive a $20,000 scholarship, a Charter professional mentor and the opportunity to explore an internship with the company.
Small business grants available
Small businesses in rural areas may be eligible to apply for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation-Lowe’s Rural Relief Small Business Grants program. The first round in the application period is now open. To apply in the current round, submit your application by Nov. 2. Three more rounds will be open in November, December and January. See the LISC website for more information and the grant application.
St. Luke honored with state cardiac award
St. Luke Community Hospital in Ronan was recognized with the Cardiac Recognition Award at the Montana Hospital Association’s annual virtual meeting in early October. The award, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Health Program within the state health department, singles out critical access hospitals that demonstrate they have the infrastructure and commitment to provide high-quality care for patients with acute coronary syndrome, which includes heart attack.
This is the 10th year that the Cardiac Recognition Award was presented, and St. Luke Community Hospital is one of 21 critical access hospitals to qualify for the award.
Statewide online math competition set for Nov. 12
Middle school students across Montana are invited to register for a free online mathematics contest set for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.
The American Mathematics Competition 8 contest is part of the American Mathematics Competition series developed by the Mathematical Association of America.
The contest, hosted each year by Montana State University’s Science Math Resource Center in the College of Education, Health and Human Development, typically takes place on the MSU campus but will be held virtually this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The material on the 25-question, 40-minute test includes topics from a typical middle school mathematics curriculum. Students up through eighth grade and under 14.5 years old on the day of the competition are eligible to participate. Registration is free and open until spots are filled. The Science Math Resource Center will award a $100 gift card to the best score and $75 to second place. Similar events for older students will be held in the spring.To help students prepare for the contest, the Science Math Resource Center will provide an optional online workshop from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 31.
The deadline to register for the contest is Saturday, Nov. 7. For more information or to register, visit montana.edu/smrc/documents/American_Mathematics_Contest.html.