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…
There is no denying that homelessness is a complex issue. There are compounding factors that can lead to a person finding themselves on the streets – making it difficult for them to get back on their feet. Because of this complexity, there is no single solution for homelessness. Still, there are many ways our communities Read More…
What would you most like to see Mississippi’s elected lawmakers do during the current legislative session? Action to eliminate the reams of red tape holding our state back, maybe? Further tax cuts, perhaps? With so many other southern states moving ahead with school choice, you might wish that our lawmakers would do something similar. I Read More…
(The Center Square) – Attorneys general from multiple states have petitioned the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene in a lawsuit over a Department of Homeland Security asylum policy. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas created the policy through a federal rule, the “Circumvention of Lawful Pathways,” which codifies aspects of the Los Angeles Declaration of Read More…
A citizen-initiated ballot measure to establish an age limit for congressional members is on the ballot in North Dakota’s primary election on June 11, 2024. The campaign, Retire Congress North Dakota, submitted 42,107 signatures for the initiative on Feb. 9. At least 31,164 signatures needed to be valid to qualify for the ballot. On March Read More…
BOZEMAN – Morgan Radtke thought she wanted to be a doctor who treated humans, but the COVID-19 pandemic reduced the number of spaces for clinical shadowing in hospitals, leading her instead to intern in a veterinary clinic. The experience changed her life, reorienting her career ambitions, and now Radtke is a first-year student in the Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice sued smartphone maker Apple on Thursday alleging the company maintained an illegal monopoly over the U.S. market. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, alleges that Apple illegally keeps a monopoly over smartphones by selectively imposing contractual restrictions on Read More…
BOZEMAN — Registration is now open for Montana State University’s STEAM Day on Saturday, April 13. The daylong program offers girls in grades 6-8 creative, hands-on workshops to explore science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. MSU faculty and community members will teach workshops on topics such as astronomy, geology, robotics, health, engineering and microbiology. Read More…
A recent federal lawsuit challenges a Montana law aimed at promoting gender and racial diversity on state boards and commissions. The lawsuit, filed by the national organization Do No Harm, focuses on the Montana Board of Medical Examiners. This board oversees the licensing and regulation of healthcare professionals in the state. According to the complaint, Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday released a bleak outlook for the federal government with new projections that show debt levels will reach their highest levels ever in five years. “Debt held by the public, boosted by the large deficits, reaches its highest level ever in 2029 (measured as a percentage Read More…
(The Center Square) – Wyoming’s U.S. senators, John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, are not happy with the Environmental Protection Agency’s new vehicle emissions standards. The EPA says the new standards, which will be phased in from 2027 through 2032, are necessary to combat climate change and air pollution, cutting carbon emissions by 7 billion tons. The Read More…
Florida Republicans are raising alarms about the escalating crisis in Haiti, prompting them to reach out urgently to the Biden administration for assistance. In a move reminiscent of “Save Our Shores” (SOS), Republican Representatives Matt Gaetz, Gus Biliarakis, Anna Paulina Luna, and Daniel Webster of Florida penned a letter to President Joe Biden, invoking a Read More…
BOZEMAN — A chef with Montana State University’s Culinary Services Division will participate in a regional challenge on Monday that recognizes expertise and skill among collegiate dining professionals. The National Association of College and University Food Services’ Culinary Challenge will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. March 25 at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center Read More…
The Supreme Court is currently deliberating a case that pits the Biden administration against Republican-led states, focusing on the government’s role in addressing controversial social media content related to topics such as COVID-19 and election security. The dispute centers on whether the federal government has the authority to influence social media platforms to moderate or Read More…
The Center Square) – A majority of Americans overall and 60% among true independents disapprove of the job President Joe Biden is doing, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voter’s Voice poll released Wednesday asked voters, “When it comes to President Joe Biden, do you approve or disapprove of how he’s handling his Read More…
MISSOULA – Neel Kashkari, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, will visit the University of Montana on Monday, April 8, to conduct a public townhall meeting. Kashkari, one of the nation’s leading monetary policymakers, oversees all operations of the bank and leads numerous initiatives that aim to improve the economic Read More…
BOZEMAN – Dr. Bruce Beutler, winner of a 2011 Nobel Prize, highlighted the importance of curiosity and access to research opportunities as he visited Montana State University this week to give a public talk and meet with students and faculty. Beutler won the Nobel in the physiology or medicine category for his research on innate Read More…
(The Center Square) – Mexican cartels for decades have devised creative ways to smuggle narcotics and other contraband across the southern U.S., including using produce, law enforcement officials say. This month, in one week, thousands of pounds of meth were seized hidden in shipments of peppers, tomatillos and carrots. At the Otay Mesa, California, cargo Read More…