GREAT FALLS — Glacier National Park has temporarily closed access to the Granite Park area due to unusual grizzly bear activity, according to press release from park officials. The Highline, Loop, and Swiftcurrent Trail (from Swiftcurrent Pass to Granite Park Chalet) are all closed as of Sunday evening, meaning that access to the Granite Park Read More…
Workers for the general contractor toil eight days straight, in 10-hour shifts, before hiking the 6-plus miles out for six days off. They’re replaced during that time by another crew from Dick Anderson Construction of Great Falls. That rotation means the ongoing work in Glacier National Park to rebuild the historic Sperry Chalet dormitory, perched Read More…
Idaho officials are focusing their attention on the state’s growing opioids and substance abuse problems. The Opioid and Substance Use Disorder Advisory Group met for the first time Thursday, with Gov. Brad Little (R) calling it a “very comprehensive and complex problem.” “I’ve looked, observed, talked about, observed from a distance, and sometimes, I’ve observed Read More…
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon said in a Tuesday news release that the state is “doing everything we can to launch the hemp industry.” The Wyoming Legislature earlier this year passed House Bill 171, authorizing the launching of a state hemp program. The action followed the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill in Congress, which formally removed hemp Read More…
CHEYENNE – An effort to change the state’s trespass laws to punish violators even if they were unaware they were on private property failed to make it out of committee Thursday. The Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Judiciary Interim Committee voted 8-6 against supporting the proposed legislation, which would have removed language that trespass laws only apply Read More…
The collapse of an irrigation tunnel near Fort Laramie could cost Wyoming and Nebraska roughly $89 million in economic losses if affected crops are a total loss, according to a new report by researchers from the two states’ universities. “If farmers are unable to sell these commodities, there will be a negative impact not only Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — A judge has sentenced a Montana man to 80 years in prison without the possibility of parole for a stabbing outside a bar. The Helena Independent Republic reports the attack happened outside Jesters Bar in 2017. Andrew Pierce Lake stabbed the victim seven times before going home, getting rid of the knife and Read More…
Montana – -(AmmoLand.com)- Despite intense pressure from the media and the D.C. Establishment, he’s not budging in his opposition to proposed “red flag” gun grabs and expanded background checks. “These horrible tragedies should not be politicized to advance a political agenda,” he says. “Knee-jerk reactions and more gun laws are not the solution. I stand strongly Read More…
For lawmakers and political candidates, 2019 could be the year of not giving a f— about cursing. Profanity — once considered a major no-no among those seeking public office — is no longer an earth-shattering political snafu. And according to new research, this year could be on track to see members of Congress swearing up a storm more than Read More…
With 21 major candidates in the race, the Democratic 2020 presidential field is set to be one of the largest, most competitive, and most unpredictable in modern history. To help make sense of where all these candidates stand, INSIDER has been conducting a recurring SurveyMonkey Audience national poll. You can download every poll here, down to Read More…
Nearly 30 people from 20 countries raised their right hand on Thursday and swore allegiance to the United States before waving the Stars and Stripes to celebrate their achievement as the nation’s newest citizens. In a ceremony that marked many firsts, and with a diverse crowd looking on, the 28 new Americans took their “obligation Read More…
Under the Big Sky, the Emmy Award-Winning storytelling series from the Montana Television Network, has received a $40,000 grant from the Greater Montana Foundation to continue to bring stories about life in Montana to audiences. The series premiered in February 2017 and recently finished production on its seventh episode. The quarterly program combines cinematic visuals Read More…
With school starting up soon, school districts in Williams County are still trying to solve overcrowding issues. Monday afternoon, school officials, and other city and county officials met with the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, and the State’s Superintendent. Two school districts in Williams County have been unsuccessful at convincing voters to support tax increases to Read More…
JAMESTOWN, N.D. — Gov. Doug Burgum’s third annual Summit on Innovative Education had a clear message this week: Behavior is a major issue in the state and old models of discipline aren’t working. “We have to unlearn the things from the past,” Burgum told The Forum. “The new approaches are more effective and cost less. Read More…
Police in Wyoming are recommending sex abuse charges against two unnamed Catholic leaders in the state, a move that comes roughly a year after police reopened a case involving accusations of sex abuse by a local bishop who is now retired. “An investigation into sex abuse taking place in Cheyenne by members of the Catholic Read More…
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney and Sen. John Barasso met with local officials Thursday morning in Casper to discuss leveraging a federal tax incentive program designed to spur development in select zones in the area. The meeting served as a venue for leaders from Casper, Mills and Natrona County to pitch a variety of development projects Read More…
1. DUBBED “Big Sky Country,” Montana is the third-least densely populated state in the United States. Forty-six of its 56 counties are considered “frontier counties,” and average just 6.86 people per square mile of land. 2. What it lacks in human population numbers, it makes up for in cattle. Montana has more than double the number of cows Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana is ranked the fourth most dangerous state for kids online. The reason, according to a Century Link study, is because of “one law simply defining what bullying is, nothing else.” The study adds there is a “relatively low” victim rate of 8.21 per 100,000 residents. Century Link says more than one out of every Read More…
(Missoula, Mont.)—Moore Information Group, formerly Moore Information, has not only launched a new name and logo, but a new web presence as well. The national public opinion research and strategic analysis firm — with offices in Portland, OR, Missoula, MT, Denver CO and Washington, DC — is known for its strong track record of accurate Read More…
Olive Garden’s Never Ending Pasta Pass is back for a sixth year, and this time they’ve got an upgrade available: a $500 Lifetime Pasta Pass that will be available to 50 fans. The Never Ending Pasta Pass, which costs $100 plus tax, offers guests nine weeks of unlimited pastas and sauces from Olive Garden’s Never Read More…
J.C. Penney Co. Inc. stock plummeted 12.1% in Friday trading after the department store retailer announced that it received a letter from the New York Stock Exchange on August 6 alerting it that it is no longer in compliance with listing criteria. The criteria requires listed companies to maintain an average closing share price of Read More…
As the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 Max enters its sixth month, airlines are turning to older jets to help meet growing demand, prompting a surge in rental rates. “Used 800s are like a gold dust at the moment,” said Phil Seymour, CEO of London-based aerospace consulting firm IBA, referring to Boeing 737-800s, an older model Read More…
In a wealthy 2020 Democratic presidential field, Pete Buttigieg lags behind the pack. The South Bend, Indiana, mayor makes a comfortable living. He and his husband, Chasten, earned $152,643 last year, according to tax returns. Even so, Buttigieg made the least in 2018 out of the 13 Democratic presidential candidates who have released their tax Read More…
A sizable group of community banks are in various stages of consolidation, highlighting how the industry-wide merger and acquisition (M&A) trend is extending down market, as community and regional banks pursue greater scale and cost efficiencies. M&A fever has already gripped the nation’s super-regionals and top banks. BB&T announced in February that it was acquiring SunTrust for Read More…
The last time reporters and photographers scrambled after the Washington power lawyer Greg Craig as he entered the federal courthouse blocks from the Capitol, he was shepherding a high-profile defendant — Gen. James “Hoss” Cartwright — to face charges of lying in a leak investigation. On Monday, the press scrum will again descend on the Read More…
GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming officials have approved a $2 million state loan to help renovate an events center. The Wyoming State Loan and Investment Board on Thursday unanimously approved the loan for remodeling parts of the Cam-Plex in Gillette. The Gillette News-Record reports the work began in July and will take about a year. The Read More…
Just before the close of the 2019 legislative session in Cheyenne, Rep. Landon Brown — then a 32-year-old staffer in the state’s Department of Environmental Quality — was contemplating resignation. The Legislature was approaching concurrence on a bill to raise its $109 per diem rates for some lawmakers that, thanks to a late amendment Read More…
The Montana Renewable Energy Association hosted the 9th Annual Montana Clean Energy Fair at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds on Saturday. The event brought hundreds from around the region to participate in workshops and demonstrations on topics including renewable energy policy, solar electricity and solar heating, batteries and energy storage, and more. “This is our big Read More…
Montana State University President Waded Cruzado always sounds upbeat, but she talks about the outlook for the upcoming school year as especially exciting. “We are very, very happy because we have many things to celebrate this coming year,” Cruzado said. Cruzado, 59, MSU’s first female president, spoke in an interview this week in the Montana Read More…
“We’re not going to be doing business with Huawei,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, according to Bloomberg. Trump’s announcement will prohibit US agencies and companies from buying Huawei telecoms products, unless the US and China can come to an agreement over trade. Trump said “China wants to do something, but I’m not doing Read More…
HELENA — Helena non-profit Executives and Directors met Monday afternoon at the Power Block building with Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte. The roundtable meeting was held with intent to discuss concerns by each non-profit from Helena Food Share to Habitat for Humanity. Congressman Gianforte listened intently as they went around the table highlight this year’s achievements Read More…
As Montana Gov. Steve Bullock stood on the debate stage last week and listened to his 2020 rivals bicker and criticize one another, visions of a second term for President Donald Trump kept flashing through his mind. “I saw his reelection becoming more likely with each passing minute,” Bullock said Wednesday at the National Press Read More…
HELENA — Montana State Fund presented the Montana Building Industry Association (MBIA) with a $539,902 check Thursday morning for their efforts to improve workplace safety. MBIA instituted a Group Retention Insurance Program, or GRIP, which help foster safe workplaces for construction sites. “Montana State Fund applauds the efforts and determination of the Montana Building Industry Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock delivered a stern warning Wednesday that his fellow Democratic presidential candidates are putting the party at risk of losing to President Donald Trump in 2020. “We are well on our way to losing this election long before it ever even has really started,” he said in a speech at the National Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Second Lieutenant Jenna Schaack recently graduated from the United States Armor School in Fort Benning, Georgia, and is now the first female Armor Officer in the history of the Montana Army National Guard. After graduating in June, Schaack was assigned as a Platoon Leader with C Company, 1-163rd Combined Arms Battalion in Read More…
DEER LODGE – An official U.S. senate hearing on Montana’s national parks was held Thursday in a barn. Senator Steve Daines, who chairs the Senate’s subcommittee on national parks, held the hearing at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch in Deer Lodge to get feedback from those in the state’s tourism industry. The hearing focused on bringing more Read More…
The day the Bidens took over Paradigm Global Advisors was a memorable one. In the late summer of 2006 Joe Biden’s son Hunter and Joe’s younger brother, James, purchased the firm. On their first day on the job, they showed up with Joe’s other son, Beau, and two large men and ordered the hedge fund’s Read More…
The Supreme Court could for the first time take a case that strikes at the heart of the American opioid epidemic, thanks to an unusual lawsuit brought by the state of Arizona against members of the Sackler family and their pharmaceutical business Purdue Pharma. In a petition filed with the justices this week, Arizona Attorney General Mark Read More…
BISMARCK — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson postponed a trip to North Dakota planned for Tuesday, Aug. 6, Sen. John Hoeven said Monday. Hoeven’s office announced the visit Monday afternoon but said just hours later that Carson’s schedule had changed. The Republican senator’s office said they were working to reschedule. Carson Read More…
FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota’s law banning Sunday shopping from midnight to noon is now history. Whatever it is you’re in the market for, you can now shop for it on Sunday mornings in North Dakota. That’s because the state’s Blue Laws have been lifted. “Well you’ve never been able to come until after lunch, Read More…