A state lawmaker from Missoula has become the first Democrat to announce a run for Montana state auditor in 2020. State Rep. Shane Morigeau, an attorney who has served two terms in the Montana House, made the announcement Sunday morning. He said he is seeking the auditor’s job to work for affordable health care, which Read More…
Montana gas prices have fallen 1.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.79/g today, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations. Gas prices in Montana are 9.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, yet stand 12.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, Read More…
HELENA – Montana’s lieutenant governor is expected to launch a campaign for higher office next week. Mike Cooney, a Democrat, has reportedly set a “special announcement” for Wednesday, July 3, at Butte’s Stodden Park. Cooney is widely expected to announce that he will run for governor in 2020. He has previously said he is considering Read More…
WASHINGTON— Amazon.com Inc. AMZN +1.38% Chief Executive Jeff Bezos tries never to schedule a meeting before 10 a.m. “I go to bed early, I get up early, I like to putter in the morning” reading the newspaper, drinking a cup of coffee and eating breakfast with his children, he said. Mr. Bezos schedules “high IQ” meetings before lunch, and tries Read More…
UPDATED with total viewership numbers: Most of the contenders pulling in big poll numbers take the stage in Miami later today for Night 2 of the Democratic debates on NBC, but Night 1 has set a pretty high bar for Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris and the rest to reach. That bar, however, is well below Read More…
South Dakota may only be half way through 2019, but the state’s public university system is looking two years into the future. Universities and schools under the South Dakota Board of Regents asked for almost $91.2 million to complete what they deemed as “high-priority projects” in 2021 at Wednesday’s board meeting through informal budget hearings. The Read More…
FARGO — An online story published by Forbes on Wednesday asserts that Gary Tharaldson, known as the wealthiest person in North Dakota, has become the state’s first and only billionaire. When Forbes contacted Tharaldson to ask him about Forbes’ estimate of his wealth at $1 billion, Tharaldson is quoted as stating: “Obviously we wouldn’t sell Read More…
CHEYENNE – The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported Tuesday that the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 3.6% in April to 3.5% in May. Wyoming’s unemployment rate was lower than its year-ago level of 4% and slightly lower than the current U.S. unemployment rate of 3.6%. READ FULL STORY
HELENA – Big Sky businessman Troy Downing, a Republican who ran for U.S. Senate last year, announced Wednesday that he’s running for state auditor in 2020. Downing’s announcement echoed many of the themes from his 2018 Senate campaign, calling himself an “outsider” and a businessman who will bring conservative leadership to state government. We need Read More…
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A third Republican has filed to run for Montana’s U.S. House seat left open by Rep. Greg Gianforte’s decision to run governor. Lewis and Clark County Republican chairman Joe Dooling filed his paperwork Monday with the Federal Election Commission. He joins State Auditor Matt Rosendale and Secretary of State Corey Stapleton Read More…
The tourism industry in Montana is booming and it’s easy to understand why. Montana is the best place to explore over a million acres of wilderness filled with glacier-carved terrain, crystal clear rivers, and 400-foot waterfalls all in between breathtaking mountain ranges. The sightseeing alone draws millions to the state every year. During the winter, Read More…
Montana judge James A. Manley had previously ruled that the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) had violated the rights of developer MTSUN by cutting both the rates paid for electricity and contract lengths under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), for the express purpose of undercutting the viability of solar power. This was in Read More…
BISMARCK — A panel charged with selecting members of North Dakota’s new state government ethics commission identified two dozen candidates for further consideration during a meeting at the state Capitol Friday, June 21. Members of the selection committee, composed of Gov. Doug Burgum and the Senate’s majority and minority leaders, each brought their own list Read More…
A statewide education group introduced a program Thursday that will help adult students in Wyoming learn skills that lead to secure employment. The program will be called Wyoming Works, the Wyoming Education Attainment Council Executive Committee announced. “We are not only advancing our post-secondary attainment goals, but also ensuring Wyoming citizens have high-quality credentials to Read More…
Former Wyoming Rep. Cynthia Lummis (R) on Thursday officially filed to run for outgoing Sen. Mike Enzi’s (R-Wyo.) seat in 2020. Lummis, a former member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, previously represented the Equality State as the state’s lone House representative, but opted not to seek reelection in 2016. Enzi, 75, in May announced his plans to retire from Read More…
While California may have a population nearly forty times greater than Montana, utility consumers are still subject to the same vulnerabilities. With current technology, the best way to protect utility customers from an energy shortage is through an increase in available, reliable, baseload power. Out-of-state and foreign interests are applying increased pressure on lawmakers, Read More…
GTUIT, LLC, Billings, MT was awarded the EcoStar Pollution Prevention Award for 2019. The award was presented at a reception hosted by Governor Bullock at the State Capitol Rotunda in Helena. The award recognizes GTUIT for taking environmentally responsible steps to reduce air emissions in oil producing regions, maximize upstream oil and gas operation efficiencies, conserve Read More…
Montana’s Lt. Governor Mike Cooney met with radio and television executives at the Montana Broadcasters Association convention at Big Sky on Sunday morning. Cooney provided a preview of the discussion with KGVO News on Saturday night. “We’re going to talk about the importance of the census to all the people of Montana, and we’re going Read More…
The US may have withheld a physical military response to Iran shooting down a drone, but it might not have shown similar restraint with a digital campaign. Washington Post sources say the President greenlit a long-in-the-making cyberattack that took down Iranian missile control computers on the night of June 20th. The exact impact of the Cyber Command operation Read More…
New investigative documents released by a state agency have given fresh life to lingering questions about the marital history of Rep. Ilhan Omar and whether she once married a man — possibly her own brother — to skirt immigration laws. Omar has denied the allegations in the past, dismissing them as “baseless rumors” first raised Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court, approaching the end of its current term, is due to issue rulings in the coming days in major cases including the Trump administration’s bid to add a contentious citizenship question to the 2020 census and efforts by voters to curb the partisan manipulation of electoral district boundaries. The court, which has Read More…
Senate hawk Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on Sunday said Iran is ”steadily marching up” the “escalation ladder” in its provocative acts against the United States. In an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Cotton said there needs to boundaries set by the United States for Tehran. Iran is “steadily marching up the the chain, attacking vessels at sea, unmanned American Read More…
DARBY — Republican Sen. Steve Daines heard from Trapper Creek Job Corps employees about the president keeping the program open in Darby on Friday. “I was just a kid growing up in Montana like many of you have done and are doing,” Daines said at the event. “And it was an honor for me to Read More…
HELENA — John Mues, who survived a Canyon Ferry Lake diving accident that left another man dead during the filming of a political ad for Mues’ possible U.S. Senate run in 2020, issued a statement Thursday. Mues, from Loma, called the accident on Monday “tragic” and said he and his wife extended “our deepest condolences” Read More…
RED LODGE – Beartooth Pass is now completely open, according to a press release Sunday afternoon. It is completely open on both the Montana and Wyoming sides. The status of the pass can change quickly due to adverse weather and rock/snow slides, however. Drivers are asked to use caution. READ FULL STORY
The possibility of a nurse’s union forming at Kalispell Regional Healthcare is coming to a tipping point as employees gear up to cast their votes on the matter during a two-day union election slated for July 11-12— a fast-approaching resolution hospital officials say could signal an end to the hospital’s independence, should they vote in Read More…
CHARLESTON, S.C. — There was a time not so long ago when leading Democrats warned that Elizabeth Warren’s “fantasy-based blue-state populism” risked leading the party to ruin. But in a revealing tell of how far her campaign has come since its early February launch, some unlikely voices in the center of the party are growing Read More…
A man was arrested after attempting to rush through the security checkpoint and attack Transportation Security Administration officers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to a statement from the TSA. At about 9:45 a.m., multiple TSA officers were attacked inside Terminal 4 when a man, later identified as Tyrese Garner, 19, attempted to rush Read More…
CASPER — With a rate of uninsured children that’s double the national average, Wyoming has been ranked second to last in the United States for children’s health in a national study for the second consecutive year. Overall, the Equality State ranked 21st for children’s well-being on the Kids Count report, which is released in June Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR)- April’s oil production numbers are in, and they remained almost flat from March. Natural gas production reached an all time high with 2.8 billion cubic feet produced per day. 81% was captured statewide,which is below the goal of 88%. Mineral and Gas Division director Lynn Helms gave examples of how some companies are Read More…
BISMARCK — North Dakota state officials are dusting off plans to construct a new “financial services center” after budget woes delayed the building project. Four years ago, state lawmakers authorized the use of $17 million in assets from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota for the project, which would house the Department of Commerce, Read More…
Acadia Montana, the troubled residential psychiatric treatment facility for children that has operated in Butte under several different names and owners over the past 31 years, announced Tuesday it will close. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be lost, though Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer said the number could be more Read More…
In a media release issued Tuesday night, Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin delivered the following message to anyone seeking the Forrest Fenn Treasure in the area of Yellowstone National Park: “In the last couple years, two people have died, two have been rescued near death, several have had run-ins with local and federal law enforcement, Read More…
Montana State Auditor Matt Rosendale (R), who narrowly lost a Senate race last year, announced on Monday he will run for the state’s at-large House seat in 2020. Rosendale is seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), who recently announced his bid for governor. Rosendale narrowly lost against Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) during the 2018 election cycle. “I’m Read More…
Forty-four Montanans Complete Premier Leadership Development Program, 19 Complete new Masters Class BOZEMAN – Leadership Montana announced the graduation of 44 community, business, education, healthcare, nonprofit and government leaders from across the state for the Class of 2019 of its flagship leadership program. Leadership Montana presents an annual seven session program of leadership development, education about Read More…
Montana’s congressional delegation made a successful bipartisan push Wednesday to advance legislation that would, for the first time, federally recognize the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. According to a press release sent to MTN News, Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester have stapled their tribal recognition bill as an amendment to must-pass defense spending Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – On Flag Day, senators Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., and Steve Daines, D-Mont., introduced a constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to prohibit the desecration of the American flag. In a press release Friday, Cramer said “A flag worth dying for is a flag worth protecting. While we should always be mindful of First Amendment rights, Read More…
HELENA – Congressman Greg Gianforte, Montana’s lone U.S. House member, has officially launched his 2020 campaign for governor. Gianforte, a Republican, made the announcement during a speech at the Montana Republican Party’s state convention in Helena. He told the group that he had heard from people around the state, asking him to consider running for governor. “They’ve Read More…
Former Speaker of the House and current Roosevelt County Attorney Austin Knudsen is seeking the Republican nomination for Attorney General now that Tim Fox has termed out and entered the gubernatorial race. Knudsen appeared on KGVO’s Talk Back show and spoke critically of the present Attorney General’s leadership especially in the area of crime control. Read More…
Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg reached out to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in recent weeks to discuss how his company handles viral misinformation, but she has not called him back or personally replied, according to two people familiar with the exchanges. Pelosi’s decision not to engage with Zuckerberg, one of the most powerful technology Read More…