Gov. Steve Bullock's office says more tourists visited and spent money in Montana last year than ever before.

The governor's office cited data Tuesday from the University of Montana's Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research.

About 11 million people visited the state in 2013, spending more than $3.6 billion.

That is compared to 10.8 million visitors who spent $3.27 billion in 2012. That also was a record year for tourism in the state.

The governor's office says the tourism industry directly employs 44,000 people in Montana.

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In about 40 years, the Yellowstone grizzly population has gone from less than 200, to more than 700. "Don't feed the bears" signs have been replaced by bear-proof garbage cans and the grizzly bears have adapted.

"Diets over time as things change in the ecosystem," said Frank Van Manen, IGBC Study Team Member. "A good example of that is once anthropogenic foods were not really available to bears anymore, after the dump closures, after all the work agencies put in to preventing bears getting access to anthropogenic foods, you see that reflected."
Individual bear's diets adapted. Those near lake, eating fish - those up higher, White Bark Pine. Flowers and grasses and ants remain fairly constant. Researchers also point to new cubs being born to show that Yellowstone's grizzlies are finding things to eat.

"Not really many single cub litters, which we typically see after a good food year," said Mark Haroldson, another IGBC STudy Team Member. "We get a lot of twins a lot of triplets and we had evidence of three 4-cub litters last year."
Right now the U-S Fish and Wildlife service is looking at that success, and considering delisting the yellowstone grizzly as a threatened or endangered species.

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Angela Jamison is a native Montanan and she grew up in beautiful Bozeman. I'm the mother of two girls and write a blog about our life here and taking in the simple pleasures of family and food.

The days are getting longer and warmer. I find myself extra chipper, maybe even annoyingly so. Eyes closed, face up to the sky with a silly smile while feeling the sun kiss my cheeks. I can’t pinpoint what my favorite part of spring is, there is so much about it that makes me happy. To name a few…

 The Return of Color

After the white of snow begins to melt away we are met with grays and browns. Slowly, as spring continues, color begins to pop up. When I see the first tulips making their appearance I know the end of winter is in sight. It only grows from there, first flowers and then the grass starts to green and finally the trees show their first buds. A gradual process, giving hope of a colorful summer. Everything slowly waking up after a long hibernation. I even love when dandelions show up in yards. Thought of by most as a weed, I see a sign of spring and summer. And how can you not love a bouquet of dandelions given to you by a child?

 Longer Days

No longer are we eating dinner in the dark and staying tucked inside after. In spring after dinner trips to the park become the norm. Meals are eaten outside and in my opinion food simply tastes better when you are sitting in the fresh air. In the morning, rather than waking to an alarm in a dark house, I hear birds chirping and sunlight peaking through the windows long before it is time to get up. Early morning runs bring opportunity to watch the sun rise above the Bridgers and welcome the day.

 The Beginning of Garden Season

I have always been told you never plant anything in Montana until after Memorial Day. We follow this, but that only gives three short months for growing. Because of this, each year my husband begins some seeds inside in hopes of getting beautiful tomatoes by August. It wasn’t until I had my own children that I cleaned up our eating. Took more time to think about what we were feeding them. I thought eating fresh, local produce would be difficult. It turns out between farmer’s markets and CSA’s, Bozeman is a fantastic place for this. When garden plans get started I start dreaming of salads all made from garden spinach, kids eating tomatoes like an apple straight off the vine and coming up with new ways to eat the dozens of zucchinis popping up each week. And it’s not only vegetables. Our strawberries and raspberries always come early and with them the first taste of summer.

 Happy Folks

All it takes is a day that creeps into the 60’s and the entire town cheers up. Smiles are bigger and I find that I’m not alone in my annoyingly chipper attitude. It must be the mix of the fresh air and warm temperatures after living under a blanket of snow. Spring brings that rare time when everyone is happy about the weather. The time between complaining about the bitter cold and then the heat.

 Wardrobe Change

Nothing thrills me more than trading the snow boots for flip flops. By April I am sick of layers and scarves and ready for the simplicity of shorts and tees. No more bundling my daughters up in full snow gear before school or stuffing it in their backpacks. Spring time dressing is easy. We do of course, make sure the snow gear isn’t tucked too far into the closet…you just never know around here.

 Spring is a re-birth and you can see it all around you. As much as I dislike the winter months, I love how they make us truly appreciate the spring. Not all places get this. Even the occasional spring snow can’t bring you down once you’ve had a taste of what is to come.

A foundation ranks Montana as the top state for entrepreneurs.

The number of start-ups in Montana increased in 2013. The Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity reports Montana leads the nation in new business creation with 610 entrepreneurs for every 100,000 adults. Black Knight Security based in Missoula is opening a new store in the Magic City.

"Billings is still growing business-wise and there's a lot of opportunity for us," said Wade Herbert, Black Knight Security owner. "The Bakken is part of that, but I think Billings itself is just getting more business in it. They can spread out. There's a diverse community so we just felt like we needed to be part of that."

Other businesses already established in Billings say they continue to grow. Paula's Edibles owner Karen Kennedy-Senn said they have created new product lines and started partnerships with some hotel chains. With their new website, Kennedy-Senn says they are getting orders from locals and out-of-staters too.

"The western-themed, made in Montana, made local, people actually search them out and that's what they're looking for," Kennedy-Senn said. "So I think it says that there is room for growth. I think it says that we have quality."

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Bill Muhlenfeld is owner and publisher of Distinctly Montana magazine and other publications. He lives in Bozeman with his partner, Anthea, and always finds time to enjoy the great outdoors, when he is not writing about it....

Well I, for one, had no idea that Al Feldstein was living just "over the hill" from here, retired in Livingston.  If I had known, I would have made a trip to visit the funny-bone guru of my adolescent and teenage years, the editor of MAD Magazine for 28 years.  Really, the humor was brilliant--witty, sardonic and sometimes downright shameful.  I loved it (!) and rushed to get every issue as soon as it hit the newsstand (nope, no technology in those days!). 

If you are of a generation not familiar with MAD, do yourself and search for one of the earliest copies--from the '50s through the 70's.  Feldstein set the tone and pace for what was to come in terms of irreverent humor and a healthy disregard for "toeing the line" of the"acceptable" and politically correct.

Thanks, Al, for all those great years.

Al Feldstein, whose 28 years at the helm of Mad magazine transformed the satirical publication into a pop culture institution, has died. He was 88.

 Feldstein died Tuesday at his home in Livingston, according to the Franzen-Davis Funeral Home and Crematory. No cause of death was released.

 In 1956, publisher William M. Gaines put Feldstein in charge of the magazine, which gleefully parodied politicians and mocked traditional morality.

 Feldstein and Gaines assembled a pool of artists and writers who turned out such enduring features as "Spy vs. Spy," ''The Lighter Side of..." and "Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions."

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In the HBO comedy “Silicon Valley,” one of the characters refers to the famed tech hub as “the cradle of innovation.” To be sure, Silicon Valley has given us the home computer, the iPhone and many other tech innovations.

Yet even some small college towns in the U.S. can lay claim to being cradles of innovation, although on a much smaller scale than Silicon Valley. Without a doubt, the built-in brainpower and resources of a university can be a catalyst for tech startups in small college towns. Not every college town graduates to the level of a mini-Silicon Valley, though.

“College towns are no longer just sleepy hamlets where learning, sports, conversation and partying prevail,” social and economic theorist Richard Florida wrote in 2011 on The Atlantic Cities website. “The rise of the idea-driven, human capital-powered knowledge economy has transformed many of them into economic powerhouses.”

So, which small college towns in the U.S. make the grade as standout tech hubs?

How We Produced This List
Before we answer that question, let’s look at how we compiled the list. We relied primarily on rankings of tech hubs in a 2013 report by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a Kansas City, MO-based nonprofit that promotes entrepreneurship. We also considered rankings of tech hubs by Techie.com, along with other economic accolades, population trends and livability factors.

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