So much to talk about this week in Farmer Finishers.

The Chinese balloon story just keeps getting better and better. After clueless Joe said we didn't know what it was, we now know they were aware of it. We now know that they even were trying to shoot it down over the Beartooths, according to the Billings Gazette, with two F-22 raptors but since it was at 65,000 feet, too high, they aborted the mission. They did shoot down three others including a hobbyist balloon club's 12-footer over Illinois, as Fox News reported. Thank God.

Also a big story this week about hunting licenses for Montana residents with a bill to lower the number of tags available to out-of-state hunters. More on that coming up on One Line Monday. By the way, we may have to hold you to one or two lines since they want us to talk less now.

Credit: Johnny Vincent, Townsquare Media
Credit: Johnny Vincent, Townsquare Media
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Also, another big story was reported by the Billings Gazette this week about the initial process to get another NEW high school in Billings. School officials said they are currently overcrowded. Current enrollment in 2023 is 1,806 students.

They placed in the bottom 50% for overall test scores, bottom 50% in math, with only 25% proficient in math, and bottom 50% in reading proficiency according to Public School Review. The current teacher-student ratio is 19 to 1, higher than the state level of 12 to 1. That's why we are overcrowded they want 1 teacher per 12 students. By the way, the graduation rate is only 78%.

Credit: Google Maps
Credit: Google Maps
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But like the old superintendent, Terry Bauch said, if we can only get bigger and newer schools we will see an improvement in test scores. We're still waiting...

See ya Monday at 5 a.m.

See How School Cafeteria Meals Have Changed Over the Past 100 Years

Using government and news reports, Stacker has traced the history of cafeteria meals from their inception to the present day, with data from news and government reports. Read on to see how various legal acts, food trends, and budget cuts have changed what kids are getting on their trays.

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