HELENA – A Hill County man pleaded guilty Monday in Hill County District Court to one count of incest and one count of sexual abuse of children, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today. William Ramirez, 41, admitted to law enforcement in December 2021 that he was sending sexually explicit messages and photos of himself to Read More…
As the Glacier Range Riders gear up for their third season in the Pioneer Baseball League, they find themselves entangled in a trademark dispute with the U.S. Department of the Interior. The source of contention lies in the Range Riders’ arrowhead-shaped logo, featuring a “RR,” which bears resemblance to the National Park Service’s emblem, as Read More…
BOZEMAN – The Air Force ROTC at Montana State University bestowed 20 awards upon selected cadets on April 17. The name of the award, the recipient(s), major, anticipated graduation date, and hometown follow: Dwight Smith Sword Award Cadet Dustin Edgerton, Computer Science, May 2024, Wasilla, Alaska. Cadet Dawson Grier, Business Finance, May 2025, Garden Grove, Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 24 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Biden Administration’s unlawful electric vehicle (EV) mandate that threatens the economy, puts jobs at risk, and undermines the reliability of the electric grid. This is the 42nd lawsuit Attorney General Knudsen has filed against the Biden Read More…
(The Center Square) – Several U.S. House Republicans introduced multiple pieces of legislation to defund National Public Radio following new allegations of “leftist propaganda” from the taxpayer-funded news source. House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., introduced similar legislation to prohibit federal funding for NPR, including barring local Read More…
Recent polling data from J.L. Partners, obtained by several Montana news outlets, sheds light on the closely contested U.S. Senate race in Montana. The race pits incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Tester against Republican newcomer Tim Sheehy, with results showing a tight competition. According to the poll, Sheehy currently holds a slight lead over Tester, with Read More…
Benjamin Franklin’s timeless assertion from 1789 about the certainties of life—death and taxes—might require a modern update if he were alive today. In our contemporary landscape, alongside these age-old certainties, we witness another phenomenon: the ever-escalating compensation of chief executive officers (CEOs). According to a recent study by Equilar, median pay for America’s top CEOs Read More…
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is gearing up for a significant advertising push, allocating a staggering $79 million to secure the party’s majority in the upcoming November elections. This initiative is part of a broader strategy alongside spending from the Senate Majority super PAC and individual candidates. The DSCC’s plan encompasses TV, radio, and Read More…
Montana State University’s Brick Breeden Fieldhouse will welcome classic rock hitmakers REO Speedwagon and Rick Springfield in concert on Saturday, Oct. 26. Tickets start at $36.50 plus fees and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, April 26. Since forming in 1967, REO Speedwagon has released nine platinum albums, with hit songs including “Keep on Read More…
(The Center Square) – A group called the New Economic Frontier is asking the North Dakota Secretary of State to approve a petition that could put the legalization of recreational marijuana on the November ballot. The potential measure is spearheaded by Burleigh County Commissioner and former Bismarck Mayor Steve Bakken and 27 others. The measure Read More…
BOZEMAN — A 3-foot tall robot with blinking LED eyes delivered a shovel to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte on Wednesday afternoon at the groundbreaking for Gianforte Hall at Montana State University, a new three-story building which will house computer science and related fields of study. The Gianforte Family Foundation donated $50 million to help fund Read More…
BOZEMAN – Over 100 law enforcement officials, criminal prosecutors, advocacy groups, public health officials, and private industry leaders joined Attorney General Austin Knudsen today in Bozeman to discuss efforts and effective strategies to combat human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation in Montana. Today’s event was the fourth anti-human trafficking symposium Attorney General Knudsen has hosted Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced the following appointments: Board of Veterans’ Affairs Chauncey Parker, Box Elder: A veteran of the Montana Army National Guard and a Carroll College graduate, Parker serves as the Executive Director of the Great Plains Veterans Services Center and is the Post Commander for American Legion Post 67. His term will Read More…
(The Center Square) – Requiring publicly traded companies to make climate-related disclosures has voluntarily been put on hold by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC’s move came before a decision was reached by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. John Rady, counsel for the SEC in the case, notified the court in a Read More…
MISSOULA – Between performing in front of crowds exceeding 26,000 and committing to a lengthy season that spans July through April, the University of Montana Dance Team knows how to face a challenge together. The team is about to take on a new and historic challenge: dancing on behalf of the University and the entire Read More…
(The Center Square) – A veteran advocacy group has called on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for better outcomes on a range of metrics as the agency seeks a bigger budget. VA is charged with providing medical care, benefits and other services for those who have served in the military. It’s one of the Read More…
MISSOULA – Haley Omeasoo was already studying forensic science at the University of Montana when she saw the poster that redefined her life. The 2017 poster announced that her former high school classmate, Ashley Loring HeavyRunner, had gone missing on the Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana. Just 20 at the time, HeavyRunner has never been Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with ten other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration’s unconstitutional student loan forgiveness scheme. The lawsuit is the 40th that Attorney General Knudsen has filed against the Biden administration. Department of Education is wrongfully interpreting the Higher Education Act and bypassing Congress by Read More…
(The Center Square) – Oglala Sioux Tribe President Frank Star Comes Out said Gov. Kristi Noem should examine how she is handling tribal relations after the governor called Mexican drug cartel presence in Indian country “a problem across the nation.” In a statement sent to The Center Square, Star Comes Out said Noem’s current approach Read More…
HELENA –Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today the appointment of Kurt Sager as colonel, and head, of the Montana Highway Patrol. Prior to his appointment, Sager served as lieutenant colonel with 21 years of service to the agency and people of Montana. “Over the last two decades with the Patrol, Kurt has proven to be Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. House Republicans are demanding answers from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as to why more than 200,000 deportation cases were dismissed. A new report published by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University found that 200,000 deportation cases were dismissed because DHS employees or Border Patrol Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State University will break ground on a new building later this month that will house the Gianforte School of Computing and provide space for computing-related fields, including cybersecurity, film, photography and music technologies. The groundbreaking will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, adjacent to Norm Asbjornson Hall and Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen today led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in support of states attempting to stop the Biden administration’s collusion with activists. Biden’s actions would leave the southern border wide open and communities across the country vulnerable to dangerous drugs and crime. The brief, Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Montana National Guard is deploying to Texas to help secure the southern border. Governor Greg Gianforte made the declaration on Tuesday, saying that President Joe Biden “has left our southern border completely exposed and overrun by drug cartels.” The governor went on to say that these cartels are also responsible for bringing deadly crime and Read More…
HELENA — After several weeks of legal wrangling, the Montana Supreme Court has sidestepped several statutes and procedural rules to allow a pro-abortion ballot measure to move forward. Supporters of the measure believe they’re close to starting their signature-gathering efforts. Throughout the process the measure has been informally known as “Ballot Issue 14,” but Montana Read More…
(The Center Square) – A judge sentenced FTX founder Samuel Bankman-Fried to 25 years in prison on Thursday, marking the long fall of the onetime cryptocurrency star. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan also sentenced Samuel Bankman-Fried, known as SBF, to three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay $11 billion for orchestrating a massive fraud. Bankman-Fried, Read More…
MISSOULA – The escalation of extreme wildfires globally has prompted a critical examination of wildfire management strategies. A new study from the University of Montana reveals how fire suppression ensures that wildfires will burn under extreme conditions at high severity, exacerbating the impacts of climate change and fuel accumulation. The study used computer simulations to Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte spoke to FFA members from across the state to help kick off the 94th Annual Montana FFA State Convention in Billings. “Serving as the cornerstone to rural communities, our farmers and ranchers produce the best products, and work hard to feed the world,” Gov. Gianforte said. “FFA is producing Read More…
HELENA – Sixty-one new officers who will serve in 36 agencies across the state graduated today from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA) within the Montana Department of Justice. MLEA provides basic and advanced training for state, county, city, and tribal law enforcement officers throughout the state. Attorney General Austin Knudsen was in attendance to Read More…
(The Center Square) – A proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that would monitor indirect wastewater discharges from slaughterhouses is unlawful and would be costly to businesses, 27 attorneys general said in a letter to the agencies. The EPA monitors wastewater discharge from 171 of the 5,055 meat and poultry product facilities in the United States, Read More…
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump appealed a judge’s decision to allow Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case after she had a romantic relationship with the lead prosecutor in the case. “While the trial court factually found DA Willis’s out-of-court statements were improper and Defendants proved an apparent Read More…
(The Center Square) – A federal judge handed a win to oil and natural gas companies operating in western states by upholding the first lease sales of the Biden administration on federal land in western states. After the Bureau of Land Management conducted an extensive environmental assessment, it authorized lease sales on federal land in Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden’s persistent push for billions of dollars in taxpayer funding toward progressive ideology on gender and race at home and abroad is under fire. Since Biden took office, the federal government has doled out huge sums to prop up Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and LGBTQ projects in the U.S. Read More…
(The Center Square) – Hearings are scheduled for a carbon dioxide pipeline initially rejected by North Dakota regulators, keeping the multi-state project alive. North Dakota regulators rejected Summit Carbon Solutions’ application for the CO2 pipeline. The company was allowed to re-submit the project. North Dakota is an essential state for the project. Summit has partnered Read More…
BOZEMAN – Montana State University has been named the No. 2 military friendly school in the nation in the annual listing published by the website MilitaryFriendly.com. MSU is the highest-ranked public university in its category, and this Top Ten ranking is the highest honor MSU has ever received from the organization. The Military Friendly Schools Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. – As part of his celebration of Montana Agriculture Week, Governor Greg Gianforte visited Hi-Country Snacks in Lincoln to learn more about how the company supports agricultural producers. “Hi-Country Snacks is embracing the future of value-added agriculture with new technologies and processes,” Gov. Gianforte said. “Value-added agriculture allows our producers to capture Read More…
(The Center Square) – Republicans may be gaining ground on national education issues during a presidential election year, responses from voters in a new nationwide poll reveal. The results also show that most voters want schools to fairly present controversial issues in school. The Center Square Voter’s Voice Poll, conducted by Noble Predictive Insights, found Read More…
BOZEMAN — Four undergraduate students from Montana State University have been awarded prestigious scholarships given by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The MSU recipients of the 2024 Goldwater Scholarships are Heath Caldwell, a junior from Clancy majoring in paleontology and organismal biology; Tyler Delridge, a junior from Missoula majoring in chemical Read More…
BOZEMAN — Nearly 900 middle and high school students from 80 teams across Montana will compete at the Montana Science Olympiad State Tournament, set for Friday, April 19, at Montana State University. The event features competitions in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, disciplines. Teams from Belgrade, Billings, Bozeman, Chinook, Choteau, Clancy, Conrad, Corvallis, Darby, Read More…
HAMILTON – Enrollment is again rising at Bitterroot College UM. Bitterroot College UM has 145 students enrolled this spring semester, which is 39% increase compared to last spring. For the past two years, the institution located in Hamilton has experienced steady student enrollment growth, and this trend continues into the current semester. “We are thrilled Read More…