Kayla Desroches

Billings, Kodiak

Reporter at Yellowstone Public Radio (Billings, MT)

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Articles

Tribal Nation, state agency organize career fair in north-central Montana

1 week ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

The Montana Department of Labor and Industry Tuesday announced it’s partnering with the Fort Belknap Indian Community for the first career fair it’s held in collaboration with a Tribal Nation. The Aaniiih Nakoda Workforce Expo is aimed at students interested in pursuing the trades and other alternatives to college according to Nancy Boushie with the Fort Belknap Tribal Employment Rights Office.
Bat biologists seek citizen scientists

1 week ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks researchers are trying to better understand the spread of white-nose syndrome, a fatal fungal disease driving declines of bat species across North America. FWP Biologist Amanda Hall in Miles City says bats can be pretty hard to keep tabs on in a state as large and rural as Montana.
A food bank serving eastern Montana's Tribal communities braces for cuts

1 week ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

Montana food banks are trying to adjust after the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut $500 million dollars from a nationwide emergency food assistance program. One of the organizations hit is a food bank that serves the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Tribes. The Center Pole founder and executive director Peggy White Wellknown Buffalo and her team set up in a gas station parking lot off Interstate 90 one late weekday morning in Crow Agency.
City of Billings transitioning some downtown streets back to two-way

2 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

The City of Billings and local project partners with Downtown Billings are retrofitting eight streets from one way to two-way downtown with an eye on increasing safety, accessibility, and walkability. Billings originally switched streets from two-way to one-way in the 1970s. Mehmet Casey with Downtown Billings says that was a time when Billings and other cities nationwide were adapting to the rise of vehicle transportation in a growing urban and suburban sprawl.
Conservation artist wins migratory bird art contest with tundra swans

2 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

A Florida artist swept the Montana Migratory Bird Stamp competition yet again in the program’s second year building awareness around state wetland habitats and their conservation. Wildlife artist John Nelson Harris says he spends his retirement bird hunting, fishing - and competing in state stamp contests like this one as a hobby. “It’s a great feeling when your stuff is appreciated and it can help the environment and conservation efforts in local areas,” said Harris.
Indigenous crafters, business owners worry about tariff impacts

2 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

This is the second year the Billings Chamber of Commerce has hosted the Native American Business Summit on the campus of Montana State University Billings. It’s aimed at providing guidance, networking and a platform for aspiring and current entrepreneurs and business owners. Set up around the event space Thursday were tables displaying different Native-owned businesses, many of which sell traditional crafts and beaded jewelry.
Proposed law would call for schools to submit vaccination data to the state

3 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

Measles outbreaks in other states highlight public health officials’ lack of access to Montana’s school vaccination data, which the state stopped collecting through a 2021 law. Lawmakers Tuesday heard a bill that would restart the state public health department's collection of student immunization and exemption numbers as anonymous data. Sponsor Democratic Representative Melody Cunningham of Missoula spoke to in front of members of the Senate Education and Cultural Resources Committee.
Billings refugee resettlement agency loses staff, funding

3 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

Executive action by the Trump administration in January and February cut federal funding for refugee resettlement nationwide and forced Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains to suddenly lay off 3 out of its 5 staff in Billings. That includes two case workers and an employment specialist who served more-than a dozen families from Venezuela, Afghanistan and Iraq. Refugee & Asylee Programs Director LaChelle Amos said the loss is a big deal for their organization.
Feathers and ruffles: Artist brings fancy birds to the Billings Public Library

4 weeks ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

A row of ink and watercolor paintings hangs in the Billings Public Library, where Louis Habeck is exhibiting his portraits of different bird species in business casual blazers, suits and blouses. “A lot of the outfits, I tried to specifically choose to mimic what the rest of the birds’ feathers look like,” said Habeck. He painted these bird portraits to be exhibited at his Billings Public Library show, which runs through March and April.
Montana lawmakers consider regulations for artificial intelligence

1 month ago | ypradio.org | Kayla Desroches

Lawmakers in Montana are considering a handful of bills, including one that establishes the Right to Compute Act, a policy framework for companies to use artificial intelligence to crunch numbers or operate data centers, but with safety nets in place. Republican Senator Daniel Zolnikov of Billings is sponsoring Senate Bill 212 and spoke about it in front of House Business and Labor on Wednesday, March 19.