Montana Town Battles Mental Health Facility

A proposed forensic mental health facility on 114 acres near Laurel, Montana, is sparking fierce local opposition. State officials, including Board of Investments head Dan Villa, attended a public hearing in Billings, but community distrust runs high—so much so that it led to a petition to recall the mayor, who resigned before a vote. Critics, including Laurel school superintendent Matt Torix, accuse the state of lacking transparency, especially given the facility’s proximity to a K-2 school. While the state pushes forward with zoning and annexation efforts, the Laurel City Council has temporarily frozen annexations, and a local opposition group has hired a lawyer to seek a court injunction. The draft environmental assessment is publicly available, but tensions remain as residents fight to halt construction. Support the show:Get a discount at https://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/6ba0de60663f7d02