Unemployment Down / Fires and Weather

Missoulian: US economy adds 96K jobs, rate falls to 8.1 pct.

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- AUGUST 2012

“Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August, and the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in food services and drinking places, in professional and technical services, and in health care.”

Missoulian: Winds die down, aiding fire crews in westernMontana

Montana Fire Information

FIRE UPDATE

“With the wind lighter than expected in the fire area, minimal activity was observed. Crews on the southern edge worked their way more interior of the fire, locating and putting out hot spots. The structure protection group mopped-up hot spots near structures and assisted other resources on the fire. The Deep Creek drainage showed a few smokes with the northeast wind, but no helicopter drops were needed. On the northwest edge of the fire, crews continued mopping-up hot spots.”

Fire Weather Outlooks

Fire and Drought Disasters

Missoulian:  Fedsdeclare drought, fire disasters in 4 Montana counties

USDA: Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Extends Emergency Grazing to Assist Ranchers Impacted by Drought  

“The Secretary today also designated 147 additional counties in 14 states as natural disaster areas-128 counties in 10 states due to drought. In the past seven weeks, USDA has designated 1,892 unduplicated counties in 38 states as disaster areas-1,820 due to drought-while USDA officials have fanned out to more than a dozen drought-affected states as part of a total U.S. government effort to offer support and assistance to those in need.”

MT 13259-01 Disaster Assistance Available for Montana Small Businesses  

“Small, nonfarm businesses in 23 Montana counties and neighboring counties in Idaho and Wyoming are now eligible to apply for low interest federal disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA).”

Montana Fire Conditions 

Montana Fire Information 

Fires / Space Walk

Missoulian: New Montana wildfires caused by humans 

Montana Fire Information

“Wedge Creek Fire Wildfire
Fire behavior was reduced yesterday from recent activity as unburned islands within the interior burned out over the last couple of burn periods. Multiple spots were detected on lower slope positions in the Hayden creek, falls creek, and wedge creek drainage. Primarily surface fire behavior with the occasional single to group tree torching occurred throughout the burn period.”

Missoulian: Spacewalking team takes another shot at stiff bolt 

Williams, Hoshide Outside to Complete MBSU Installation

“Flight Engineers Suni Williams and Aki Hoshide began their second spacewalk in less than a week at 7:06 a.m. EDT today. They are working to complete the installation of a Main Bus Switching Unit (MBSU) that was hampered last week by a possible misalignment and damaged bolt threads.”

Elk / Voyager/ Fires

Missoulian: Visitors warned to stay away from YellowstonePark wildlife

Yellowstone Elk 

“Elk (Cervus elaphus) are the most abundant large mammal found in Yellowstone; paleontological evidence confirms their continuous presence for at least 1,000 years.”

Missoulian: 35 years later, Voyager 1 is heading for the stars

Voyager 

“Thirty-five years ago today, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, the first Voyager spacecraft to launch, departed on a journey that would make it the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune and the longest-operating NASA spacecraft ever. Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, that launched 16 days later on Sept. 5, 1977, are still going strong, hurtling away from our sun. Mission managers are eagerly anticipating the day when they break on through to the other side – the space between stars.”

Missoulian: Crews start to get handle on wildfire outsideFrenchtown 

Montana Fire Information