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12/29/2025
Helena sure has kept me busy in 2025, and my coverage ranged from school closures and budgets to a hotly contested city election this fall.
I’ve monitored city commission proceedings, sat through school board meetings and spoken with numerous sources, all in the hope of staying in the know about what was happening in Helena.
I’ve learned the importance of covering local elections and meeting with candidates. I even got to co-host a mayoral debate for the first time in my career.
All of which has fueled the Helena local beat, as well as my understanding of what it means to report about the community that I’m now rooted in.
Here are some of the stories I covered during the year that seemed to resonate the most with readers:
Despite pleas from parents and teachers, Helena school board votes to close Hawthorne Elementary
Helena approves historic school bonds by fewer than 400 votes
Myrna Loy loses federal funding
Helena nonprofits fear budget cuts will harm most vulnerable.
’Underdog’ Dean overcomes primary result, will be Helena’s next mayor
Helena’s next city manager is Alana Lake
Heading into next year, I’ll continue monitoring the local impacts of federal funding changes and how community organizations address those challenges. I’m also ready (and eager) to watch and report on the progress of the rebuilding of Helena High School and Kessler Elementary and the renovations to Capital High.
Above all, I look forward to expanding the depth of my coverage and making a lasting impact with the stories I cover.
Until next year, Queen City.
Public Notice
The city will hold a swearing-in ceremony on Monday, Dec. 29, to begin the terms of new Mayor Emily Dean and Commissioners Melinda Reed and Ben Rigby. The ceremony begins at 6:30 p.m. at the City-County Building in the commission chambers.
Programming Note
MTFP staff members are taking a break for the holidays. The next edition of Helena This Week will be published on Jan. 12.