Western Montana is known for trout fishing. But trout need cold water to thrive — and the scorching temperatures across the Western U.S. are warming blue-ribbon waters to the point where some anglers are rethinking their approach to the sport.

NPR’s Nathan Rott reports.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

MISSOULA — The Montana Department of Corrections this week said it’s working on plans to move inmates out of county jails to the state prison and is looking for long-term solutions to overcrowding and capacity issues.

Missoula County this month launched a disputewith the state agency, saying that it’s using local jails to house its own inmates and not funding the full cost of doing so. It also claims that state inmates aren’t getting treated for addiction or mental health issues while held in county jails.

Carolynn Stocker, the communications director for the Department of Corrections, said the agency is doing what it can to address those concerns, which are held by a number of counties.

“We’re trying to move people out of those jails as quickly as we possibly can,” Stocker said. “Every single facility we have is overcrowded right now.”

As of Thursday, the Department of Corrections listed 473 jail holds, including 41 in the Missoula County Detention Facility. Of those, 178 are currently pending transport to prison.

However, the Montana State Prison’s current population stands at 1,588 while its operational capacity is 1,526. The Montana Women’s Prison listed its population at 247 while its operational capacity is 240.

“We have nowhere to put the people,” Stocker said.

Missoula County sent notice to the statethat it plans to revoke its consent to hold state offenders at the local jail without prior permission unless the Department of Corrections pays the full cost of housing that inmate.

According to the county, the running cost of housing a single inmate for one day at the local jail stands at $125. But the Department of Corrections reimburses the county just $82 for holding one of its inmates.

County officials said that leaves local taxpayers to cover the remainder of the cost.

“They’re not paying the actual cost currently set by the county at $125, therefore shifting that difference to Missoula County taxpayers for individuals we’re not responsible for,” said jail commander Sheryl Ziegler. “We’re trying to avoid that continued financial burden we’re placing on county taxpayers.”

The payment issue has lingered for years, but Stocker said it’s one the Department of Corrections can’t control.

“Those rates are set by the Legislature,” she said. “We are where we are for now.”

The county also accused the state of failing to address capacity issues and mental health. Among other things, it said state inmates held at the county jail “stay with us until they reach eligibility for parole and they’re released and never get treatment.”

Stocker said the Department of Corrections would need specific examples before commenting on the issue.

“I would need specific examples of people put in jail. There is generally treatment programming requirements from the judge,” she said. “But we know that local detention centers aren’t set up for that type of programming.”

This week, the state’s Select Committee on Corrections Facility Capacity and System Development moved closer to finalizing a reporton how to expand Montana’s prison capacity.

Among other things, it considers adding more beds to the Montana State Prison and building a new women’s prison, nearly doubling the capacity there to 500 beds.

It may also consider moving Montana inmates to contracted prisons in other states like it did recently when it shipped 120 inmates to Arizona. The proposal also looks to “fund additional contracted capacity in lieu of facility construction.”

In all, according to the committee’s draft report, Montana’s offender population has grown by nearly 65% over the last 24 years – more than twice the rate of the state’s resident population.

“At some point, we have to recommend something,” said Rep. John Fitzpatrick. “We’ve studied this thing about five times in the last 20 years and haven’t done anything. The first step in doing something is to have someone recommend you do it.”

A number of college athletes in Montana have been offered money in exchange for endorsement videos for Democratic Senator Jon Tester as he runs for re-election in 2024, according to emails.

According to University of Montana athletic director Kent Haslam, a group called ‘Montana Together’ recently sourced student-athletes at the university offering payments in exchange for the endorsement of Tester. The group’s initial contact with the athletes came in July through a representative of Opendorse.com, a platform used by student-athletes to land Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals.

According to emails obtained by Fox News, ‘Montana Together’ was offering student-athletes $400 for two scripted videos, $800 for two unscripted videos, and $2,400 for four unscripted videos endorsing Tester.

“We have an NIL opportunity for Montana student-athletes, and I could use your help getting the information below to any individuals who you recommend applying for this campaign. Montana Together is using Opendorse to source athletes for an NIL deal,” the email reads. “Who are they looking for?: Athletes who attend college in Montana and are interested in spreading the word about Senator Jon Tester and causes you care about.”

Fox News was told by Tester’s campaign that they had no knowledge of the actions and are not in communication with ‘Montana Together.’

Based on the emails, Sen. Tester and his campaign come across as incredibly desperate. Given his stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports – something voters in the historically red state of Montana are likely very passionate about – his desperation makes sense.

Sen. Tester was one of 51 Democrats who voted against a Republican-led amendment to prevent biological men from competing in women’s sports.

Lily Meskers, a track athlete at the University of Montana who first made the offer to athletes public, remembered the senator’s stance on that specific matter.

“When I first received the NIL deal offer, I immediately felt frustration. I had to ask myself, ‘Why would someone seek my endorsement when their values directly negatively impact me?’ Tester’s vote against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is against everything I’ve worked toward as a female athlete,” Meskers explained.

“This vote is a gateway to biological men taking away scholarships, medals and roster spots from female athletes. Many female athletes on my team shared this frustration.”

Tester was first elected to the United States Senate in 2006 and has won re-election in each of the last two cycles. He is running against Republican Tim Sheehy, a former Navy Seal Officer, this election cycle.