WESTERN MONTANA — Here’s a look at Western Montana’s top news stories for Thursday.

Nearly 10,000 people gathered on Wednesday for Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Fighting Oligarchy Tour. With crowds filling the Adams Center to capacity , Sanders and AOC also spoke to the overflow crowd before heading inside — emphasizing the “urgent choice” Americans face between addressing wealth inequality or witnessing the “erosion of democracy.” They encouraged attendees to take action by contacting their representatives, participating in rallies and supporting strikes. (Read the full story)

Flathead National Forest is holding a community meeting tonight in Condon about the potential sale of Holland Lake Lodge. The meeting, taking place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Swan Valley Elementary School, will discuss a special use authorization application for potential buyers. If approved, the permit would be valid for 20 years and initiate a 30-day public comment period and environmental analysis. (Read the full story)

Ranking third in the country, Corvallis’ Hunter Loesch has made a remarkable start to Montana’s high school track and field season, achieving a javelin throw of 204 feet, 4 inches — a state record since 2019. As a senior, Loesch aims for an individual title and to help his team secure a third consecutive championship. (Read the full story)

If you’re one of those lucky Montanans who own your home, or bought before the market decided to go crazy, congratulations.

Seriously, I mean that.

For the rest of us that are looking to buy and don’t make a bazillion dollars a year, well, at least we’re not alone.

While home prices in Montana have decreased over the last several months, the high interest rates don’t allow for much relief, and if you’re like me and you refuse to pay half a million dollars for a townhome with no yard in Bozeman, then what I’m about to say probably won’t help much.

However, if you’re a homeowner, listen up.

There are a few improvements that you can make on your home that will bring you a very high ROI (Return on Investment), so if you do decide to one day sell, you can make sure that your overpriced home has the best chance of making you the most money.

Before we reveal these home improvements, let’s look at the best places in Montana to call home.

How do I make my Montana home more valuable?

What are some things that add value to your home? An additional bedroom? An extra bath? Outside kitchen? Fire Pit? All of those sound great, but some of those improvements can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

According to the folks over at Roofing Craftsmen, there are a few things you can do to help with your return on investment and increase the value of your home.  Here are few of those improvements below:

• Vinyl Siding
• Window Replacement
• Composite Deck
• Concrete Patio Replacement

Of course, that is just a few items to help you make back the money you spend, but if you’re looking for a big return on investment, there’s something simple you can do that will give you a nice wow factor.

The number one item with the highest return on investment is…a new garage door. Yep, something that simple can not only make your home stand out, but it has over a 100 percent return on investment.

A few other items you might want to consider, a screened-in porch, wood floors, a metal roof, and new kitchen appliances.

A man shot and killed a mama grizzly bear in Montana after state wildlife officials said she charged at him.

The man was “shed hunting,” or looking for antlers shed by deer, elk and other animals, when he saw the bear on a “brushy hillside,” according to a news release issued Monday by the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

“As he was leaving the area, the bear charged him at close range,” the agency said. “He shot and killed the bear. Fortunately, the man was uninjured.”

Officials said the incident happened on Friday in north-central Montana near Dupuyer, about 70 miles south of the Canadian border.

Wildlife officials said it was an adult female bear that had “no history of conflict.” Officials also said the bear was estimated to be about 13 years old and about 250 pounds. They said a yearling cub was found unharmed at the site of the incident and that it was left alone.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a yearling is a young bear, older than a year old.

The Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s question Tuesday about whether the mama bear may have been defending her cub.

Officials say encounters with bears more likely

The agency said that grizzly bear populations have become denser and more widespread across the state, increasing the “likelihood that residents and recreationists will encounter them in more places each year.”

Although the number of grizzly bears has increased, they are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says there are about 1,900 grizzly bears in the continental United States.

Other bear attacks and what to do

Back in July 2024, a 72-year-old man shot and killed another grizzly bear and was left seriously injured. Wildlife officials said the man was picking huckleberries alone on Flathead National Forest lands, when an adult female grizzly bear charged at him and attacked.

The National Park Service recommends keeping the following things in mind when exploring the backcountry:

• Be alert and aware of your surroundings and pay attention to signs.
• Make noise, especially in areas with limited visibility or when sound is muffled (e.g., near streams or when it is windy).
• Carry bear spray and know how to use it.
• Hike in big groups of three or more; avoid venturing into the wilderness alone.
• If you encounter a bear, do not run. Instead back away slowly.
• Immediately alert authorities if you see a bear.
• If you see cubs, be extra cautious. Mother bears are very protective of their young. Do not approach, touch or interact with cubs.

Contributing: Saman Shafiq, USA TODAY

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.