Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified Tuesday before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance on the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis, outlining jurisdictional challenges that hamper coordination among tribal, federal and local law enforcement in addressing the issue. During the hearing, titled “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Strengthening Public Read More…
Democrat Sam Forstag’s effort to emphasize his working-class background is drawing fresh scrutiny from Republican Aaron Flint’s campaign, which is highlighting Forstag’s years of lobbying and LGBTQ advocacy work in Helena. Forstag recently released an advertisement claiming that he earned $16 an hour as a smokejumper. Flint’s campaign responded by releasing lobbying records it says Read More…
Big Sky Broadcasting has filed to acquire two Missoula-area radio stations in a transaction that would expand the company’s media portfolio into broadcast radio. The company is acquiring KMSO (102.5 FM) and KHDV (107.9 FM) from Sheila Callahan & Friends, Inc. Both stations are currently off the air. According to the transaction filing, the deal Read More…
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced. “Our veterans answered the call to serve our country, and many continue that service long after taking off the uniform,” Gianforte said. “The Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation gives me the honor and opportunity to recognize these outstanding men and women, Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified Tuesday before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance on the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis, outlining jurisdictional challenges that hamper coordination among tribal, federal and local law enforcement in addressing the issue. During the hearing, titled “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Strengthening Public Read More…
For the second year in a row, the University of North Dakota has been named one of the region’s 50 Best Places to Work by Prairie Business magazine. The annual list recognizes organizations across the region based on nominations from the people who know those workplaces best. This year, Prairie Business received nearly 1,400 nominations Read More…
Minnesota officials on Thursday dropped their lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott to force the extradition of Christian Castro, a day after arresting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. The dismissal capped a Minnesota-Texas fight that landed in court last month regarding the handover of Castro, who is accused of injuring a Venezuelan Read More…
(The Center Square) – The federal government spent an estimated $6.7 billion in 2025 paying employees to stay home under its deferred resignation buyouts, and the agency that ran the program cannot say exactly what it cost. The Government Accountability Office found in a report released this week that federal agencies spent about $9.5 billion Read More…
Democrat Sam Forstag’s effort to emphasize his working-class background is drawing fresh scrutiny from Republican Aaron Flint’s campaign, which is highlighting Forstag’s years of lobbying and LGBTQ advocacy work in Helena. Forstag recently released an advertisement claiming that he earned $16 an hour as a smokejumper. Flint’s campaign responded by releasing lobbying records it says Read More…
(Legal Newsline) – The Idaho Supreme Court has agreed with a pro-choice group that the ballot summary of an abortion measure set for a November vote is worded poorly and has ordered the State to find another way to describe its terms. The ruling last week concerns Proposition One, also known as the Reproductive Freedom Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong has signed legislation banning synthetic kratom products while restricting the sale of natural kratom to people 21 and older, replacing a temporary statewide prohibition imposed earlier this summer. House Bill 1628 cleared the Legislature during a three-day special session and creates a new regulatory framework for kratom products sold in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Rep. Ryan Zinke announced the introduction of the A River Runs Through It Act, a locally developed public lands package bringing together more than two decades of work by communities throughout the Blackfoot and Clearwater valleys. Zinke unveiled the legislation at Smoke Elzer Barn in Missoula alongside local elected officials, members of Read More…
Financial fraud has become a lucrative criminal enterprise. According to the FBI, cyber-enabled crimes defrauded Americans of $21 billion in 2025 alone. Tragically, that figure includes more than $53 million stolen from Montanans. Scammers exploit our trusting, friendly nature to drain the accounts of unsuspecting victims. As state auditor, I’m responsible for protecting Treasure State Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Federal Reserve is widely expected to raise interest rates this week. Markets now put the odds of a quarter-point hike at roughly 85%. I think the Fed should hold. Inflation is still too high. But the most important question is not whether inflation went up. It is why. Consumer prices Read More…
Last week made the economy look a little less fragile. It did not necessarily make it stronger. Employers added 162,000 jobs in August, unemployment held at 4.1%, and June and July were revised higher by a combined 55,000 jobs. After several weak months, the labor market may have found a floor. But a bottom is Read More…
Ask most folks what built the Powder River Basin, and they’ll tell you it was hard work and good coal. Both are true, but the trigger was federal policy. When President Nixon signed the Clean Air Act of 1970 and created the EPA, the new sulfur limits sent power companies hunting for low-sulfur coal —Northeastern Read More…
Big Sky Broadcasting has filed to acquire two Missoula-area radio stations in a transaction that would expand the company’s media portfolio into broadcast radio. The company is acquiring KMSO (102.5 FM) and KHDV (107.9 FM) from Sheila Callahan & Friends, Inc. Both stations are currently off the air. According to the transaction filing, the deal Read More…
S&P 500 rises 0.86%; crude oil retreats after sharp weekly surge; VIX falls more than 11% U.S. stocks rallied Friday, with all three major indexes posting solid gains to close out the week even as they remain below levels reached a month ago. The S&P 500 rose 0.86% Friday to close at 7,656.98, though the Read More…
When President Trump singled out Brad Gerstner during his State of the Union address in February, the venture capitalist rose to a standing ovation. Trump called him “a very tremendous guy” who was “behind it right from the beginning” — a reference to Trump Accounts, the federal child savings program that launched in July and Read More…
U.S. stocks showed improving short-term breadth in the latest session, with more issues advancing than declining on both the Nasdaq and New York Stock Exchange, even as longer-term measures continued to point to a market that remains uneven beneath the surface. On the Nasdaq, 1,623 stocks advanced compared with 1,395 decliners, while 116 were unchanged. Read More…