GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Spectrum is expanding its fiber broadband network in Cascade County, bringing service to more than 1,200 additional homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas, including Ulm and Vaughn. Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Spectrum this week to mark the expansion, which is part of the company’s broader rural broadband Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Applications are open for Wyoming residents seeking a seat on the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board, a volunteer panel that helps guide efforts to strengthen downtowns and support local businesses across the state. The seven-member board works alongside Wyoming Business Council staff on the services and priorities of the Wyoming Main Street Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has vacated an injunction that would have placed a proposed data center initiative on Butte-Silver Bow County’s November ballot, saying it would not have granted the order had it known ballots had already been printed, mailed and, in some cases, returned. The court issued the new order Sept. 24, two days Read More…
WASHINGTON — Legislation updating the Crow Tribe’s water-rights settlement has cleared Congress and is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Daines and backed in the House by Rep. Troy Downing, passed the Senate after clearing the House last week. The Read More…
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks finished a volatile week higher, with renewed enthusiasm around artificial intelligence helping offset concerns over rising Treasury yields, elevated oil prices and the prospect of additional Federal Reserve interest-rate increases. The S&P 500 gained 1.2% for the week, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 2%, including record-high closes earlier in Read More…
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump proclaimed Sunday, Sept. 27, as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, calling on Americans to honor the families of service members who died while serving the country. In a proclamation issued Friday, Trump said the nation owes a continuing obligation to the spouses, parents, children and other relatives of fallen members of Read More…
The University of Montana enrolled 11,319 students this fall, marking the highest student headcount for the flagship campus since 2017. The significantly larger first-year class that arrived on campus this fall drove the growth. More than 1,500 first-time entering freshmen enrolled at UM this fall semester. This is the largest first-year class enrolled at UM in a Read More…
Delayne Lindeen, a junior studying business finance, transferred to Montana State University this past spring. Lindeen, who’d been attending college in Billings, said she wanted the experience of living a little farther from her hometown of Huntley. Coming from a graduating high school class of 50, she said it was a bit intimidating to enter Read More…
The Montana Historical Society is now accepting submissions for the Montana Headwaters Book Prize, a new annual award recognizing the best historical nonfiction books on Montana history. Submissions are open through Jan. 31, 2027, to authors and publishers of books published during the 2026 calendar year. The prize is funded annually by Larry Len and Read More…
In about 12 minutes, an artificial intelligence program running on UND’s new high-performance computing cluster, Medora, identified business challenges in 500 sets of notes from meetings with North Dakota business owners. The test was an early step in a project that could help small business advisors recognize recurring problems and better anticipate what their clients Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said a new state Supreme Court ruling provides clearer direction on the Legislature’s constitutional obligations for public-school funding while preserving lawmakers’ authority over how the state meets those requirements. The Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower-court ruling in a long-running dispute over education funding. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin employee has filed a class action lawsuit against the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 7 and Olympic Companies claiming the company and union continue to deduct dues from her paychecks even after she provided written notice of the termination of her union membership. Caryn Johnson Read More…
Leadership in Action, a political action committee whose honorary chairman is Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, has launched a new advertisement targeting Democratic congressional candidate Sam Forstag over his previous lobbying work in Helena. The ad, titled “The Other Resume,” argues that Forstag’s campaign emphasis on his background as a smokejumper and wildland firefighter leaves Read More…
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion Wednesday concluding that federal law barring licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults ages 18 to 20 cannot be enforced consistent with the Second Amendment. The opinion, dated Sept. 17, 2026, addresses 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1), which generally prohibit federally licensed Read More…
Shares have fallen more than 20% from their 52-week high as Costco prepares to report fiscal fourth-quarter results Sept. 24 Costco Wholesale Corp. shares head into Thursday’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report trading well off their highs, with investors watching to see whether the warehouse retailer can arrest a monthslong slide ahead of one of its Read More…
A new educational resource, Money for Montanans, answers common questions about the state’s registered agent industry and its role in funding public infrastructure. Montana’s vast land mass requires significant annual investment to maintain its roads, but only about 11.5% of that funding currently comes from state-generated sources, with the remainder coming through federal funds. The Read More…
(The Center Square) — Democratic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm elections are heavily dependent on retaining an open seat in Michigan. The race features a charismatic and energetic though controversial liberal Democrat — and also the first Muslim nominated by a major party for the post — against Read More…
Pershing Square Inc. reported higher fee-related earnings and a sharp increase in assets under management during its second quarter, its first reporting period as a publicly traded company following its April initial public offering. The alternative asset manager, led by Bill Ackman, reported second-quarter fee-related earnings of $56.1 million, up 24% from $45.1 million a Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte recently joined officials from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service to visit the Blacktail Powerline Project near Lakeside on the Flathead National Forest, the first initiative announced under Montana’s Shared Stewardship Agreement. “Through our Shared Stewardship Agreement with the Forest Service, management partners are working Read More…
A Phoenix-area woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in fraudulently billing Arizona’s Medicaid agency more than $69 million in less than a year for addiction treatment therapy, the Justice Department announced. Many of the patients used to fuel the scheme were Native Americans covered by Arizona Medicaid under a specific Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.2% in August, remaining below the national rate and placing the state among the 15 lowest unemployment rates in the country. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in August, according to federal labor data. Total employment in Montana, including payroll, agricultural and self-employed workers, increased by 482 Read More…
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, is leaning into an unconventional, deeply historical and highly effective tool for mitigating fire risk: goats. The installation is releasing herds of grazing animals in a targeted effort to reduce dry brush and invasive grasses, a nature-based solution to protect military infrastructure and the neighboring civilian communities. The Operation Read More…
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the release of 24 people held by federal immigration authorities in Cascade County, concluding that the government failed to follow required procedures governing warrantless immigration arrests and detention. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the order Friday as part of an ongoing class-action Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the state will receive a $104,976.64 settlement with Credit Acceptance Corporation to provide cash and debt relief to consumers in connection with their car loans. South Dakotans affected by the settlement will be eligible for individual debt relief. The state’s share of the settlement will go to the Read More…
The Federal Communications Commission has approved Paramount Skydance’s request to allow substantial foreign investment in its proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, clearing another regulatory hurdle for one of the largest media deals in recent years. The FCC’s Media Bureau approved indirect, non-voting ownership stakes for investors tied to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Read More…
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated BitBank, a digital assets venture controlled by OFAC-designated Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, as part of Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump administration’s economic campaign against Iran and its enablers. The designations also include BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three Zanjani associates: Hossein Ali Zaker Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy’s Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act advanced out of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The bill, co-led by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., is intended to give air traffic controllers additional tools and training to keep American airspace safe. It now heads to the full Senate for consideration. “America has Read More…
Bloom Energy Corp. is scheduled to join the S&P 500 before Monday’s market open as part of the index’s quarterly rebalance, a shift that could trigger substantial buying from the passive funds that track the benchmark. Inclusion in the S&P 500 typically forces index funds and exchange-traded funds that mirror the benchmark to purchase shares Read More…
North Dakota is entering the final stages of procurement for the state’s Drone Replacement Program, an initiative designed to transition state agencies to National Defense Authorization Act-compliant unmanned aircraft systems. Made possible through support from the North Dakota Legislature, the program was created in response to changing federal requirements surrounding UAS technology. Transitioning agencies to Read More…
U.S. stocks ended a turbulent week on a mixed note as investors digested the Federal Reserve’s first interest-rate increase in three years, a surge in oil prices and renewed pressure from rising Treasury yields. The S&P 500 finished the week down less than 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.7%. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Read More…
Gov. Larry Rhoden and the South Dakota Arts Council announced the opening of the Governor’s Student Art Competition. “Arts are an important part of a well-rounded education,” Rhoden said. “They give students a chance to develop their talents, think creatively, and build confidence. This competition is a great way to recognize the hard work and Read More…
Prescription drug prices posted their sharpest annual decline in more than 60 years in 2026, according to federal data, as the Trump administration extended its Most Favored Nation pricing policy to every state Medicaid program in the country. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the steepest drop in prescription drug prices since 1963, with prices Read More…
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, the latest step in the transition at the top of the $1 trillion conglomerate he led for more than six decades. Buffett, 96, will become chairman emeritus effective immediately, the company said Friday. His oldest son, Howard Buffett, will become Berkshire Hathaway’s new chairman as Read More…
LONDON — Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman announced the initial findings of an independent review into the 2023 failure of Silicon Valley Bank, delivering the results in remarks at a luncheon hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London at Mansion House. Bowman said she called for an independent review Read More…
On September 15, 2026, Sheila Callahan & Friends, Inc., licensee of radio stations KMSO, Missoula, MT FAC# 60052 and KHDV, Darby, MT FAC# 166088, filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) for the assignment of the KMSO and KHDV broadcast licenses to Big Sky Broadcasting LLC. Members of the public wishing to view 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…
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…
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 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…