Republican Jerry O’Neil has served the people of the Flathead well in the legislature, and I know that given the opportunity again this year he will again. I had the pleasure of serving with Jerry for a couple of sessions and can tell you that he’s a top notch legislator who is dedicated to his Read More…
Helena – The Commissioner of Political Practices ruled earlier this year that a political committee run by the wife of political prosecutor Gene Jarussi violated campaign finance regulations during the 2016 campaign. As part of a settlement agreement, Mrs. Jarussi admitted to multiple violations and has been fined by the Commissioner. Neighbors for Responsible Legislators Read More…
The city of Kalispell has resumed its search for a new police chief. The city suspended its search in June after it didn’t interview any of the candidates who submitted applications. On Tuesday City Manager Doug Russell said the city wants to have a new chief in place as soon as possible, but said interviews Read More…
How do you marry two businesses? The process of passing a business from one generation to the next is a perplexing one. The experts say it takes planning. But what if the plans don’t work out? It’s almost like not having a plan at all. But, there’s this thing called serendipity and if you are Read More…
BILLINGS- Two new restaurants are setting up shop on the Rimrock Mall property, but mall officials are hoping for more. Blaze Pizza is opening this week at 316 24th St. on mall property in front of the main property. Next door will be Five on Black, a Missoula-based Brazilian grill chain, currently under construction and set to open Read More…
Vice President Mike Pence bragged to a big crowd in Bozeman Tuesday afternoon about what he and President Donald Trump have done in the last two years — tax cuts, killing regulations, a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. And, he said, the key to keeping that going is running up the Republican majority Read More…
The Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Helena will be hosting an installation of over 100 human silhouettes this week. The human figures aren’t just an art project though, they are there to tell many tragic but true stories of domestic violence and death in Montana. Natalie Adorno with the Montana Law Enforcement Academy explains why Read More…
Eagle Jet Solutions has found a new nest in the Electric City. Construction has just begun for the new private hangar at the Great Falls International Airport and will be the largest private hangar in the state of Montana. The new aircraft hangar will have the ability to hold two 737 airplanes. A 737 aircraft Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – Governor Steve Bullock visited Billings Monday afternoon to discuss his thoughts on Initiative 185. He spoke at Billings Clinic with the main focus on improved healthcare. I-185 would increase taxes on all tobacco products including e-cigarettes and vaping products. That revenue would be used to fund the expansion of Medicaid. Bullock said, Read More…
Marilyn Bartlett took a deep breath, drew herself up to her full 5 feet and a smidge, and told the handful of Montana officials that she had a radical strategy to bail out the state’s foundering benefit plan for its 30,000 employees and their families. The officials were listening. Their health plan was going broke, Read More…
BUTTE – Montana Attorney General Tim Fox presented the 2018 Matt Dale Outstanding Advocate of the Year Award to a Butte police officer in a ceremony Friday morning. Butte-Silver Bow Officer Dan Murphy was nominated by his colleagues and honored at the event held at the courthouse rotunda on Friday. Officer Murphy was nominated for Read More…
By Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland.com atobias@cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — Although the 2018 election isn’t yet over, a potential 2020 Democratic contender nonetheless made a political pilgrimage to Ohio on Thursday. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock traveled to Cleveland to lend his support to Richard Cordray, the Democratic Ohio governor candidate. Bullock and former Rep. Betty Sutton, Read More…
MISSOULA – Beer enthusiasts of all kinds gathered for the 10th annual Montana Brewers Fall Rendezvous over the weekend in Missoula as several dozen local craft brewers from large and small companies presented their finest. Judges from the local homebrewers association tasted and judged the best beers, and also hosted classes to show how different beers Read More…
Public officials in Missoula County, located in the U.S. state of Montana, have decided to look into new regulations around cryptocurrency mining rather than seek to ban the activity entirely. As previously reported, miners have been drawn to the region thanks to access to cheap electricity, but local concerns about power rate spikes and noise Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – For the first time since 2006, Montana’s general election ballot will have no contested races for seats on the Montana Supreme Court. Instead, voters will have a yes-or-no vote on whether two incumbent justices should retain their seats. No challengers filed to run against Justices Beth Baker and Ingrid Gustafson, so they Read More…
For the 11th year in a row, Montana State University has set a new enrollment record, with 16,902 students attending this fall. The Bozeman campus gained 199 students over last year’s enrollment of 16,703, an increase of 1.2 percent. That was slightly below the university’s prediction that it would gain 240 students. Total headcount increased Read More…
The University of Montana continues the effort to align its budget with the current and future enrollment as officials plan for the next three years. Provost Jon Harbor said the university has been going through a planning process for the past three years. “The goal is to match resources with the needs that we have, Read More…
Kalispell Regional Healthcare has reached a much-anticipated settlement with the Department of Justice in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging its physicians received illegal compensation in exchange for patient referrals to in-house services, according to a federal court order filed Wednesday. The order, submitted by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, dismisses the case with prejudice — meaning Read More…
The office of Montana state auditor Matt Rosendale, who’s running for the Senate in November, dismissed fines and dropped sanctions against a donor to his political campaigns, according to a report from the Montana Free Press. Rosendale’s office dropped the fines and dismissed two of three allegations against Friedell LLC, a bail bond company, a day after the Senate Read More…
Montana is moving ahead with the idea of creating a reinsurance program for the state’s health insurance market. The program may reduce premiums between 10 and 20 percent, said Governor Steve Bullock and Department of Administration Director John Lewis. A bipartisan workgroup will evaluate new ways to address high insurance prices for Montana residents. The Read More…
The Treasury Department announced new actions Wednesday directed at Chinese and Russian companies that the department said have facilitated illicit shipments on behalf of North Korea. The department announced designations against one individual and three companies. Those businesses include a Chinese logistics company and its affiliate in Singapore, as well as Russia-based Profinet and its Read More…
President Donald Trump has withdrawn ex-CIA Director John Brennan’s security clearance, in a move hitting one of the administration’s most vocal critics. The action, announced Wednesday by press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, appears to be more of a political than practical move. Brennan and most other prominent former White House officials do not use their Read More…
In-home health care providers in Montana will likely see a pay increase in the next year after preliminary revenue projections are giving the state the green light to dole out money for the raises. A piece of legislation that called for the pay increase passed during the 2017 Legislature, but another bill, known as the Read More…
HELENA – In an attempt to get its candidates back on the Montana ballot this fall, the Montana Green Party has sued the state in federal court, seeking to void part of Montana’s requirements for political parties to qualify for the ballot. The lawsuit, filed late Monday, says Montana’s ballot-qualification requirements are among the most Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Green Party is challenging a state law that governs minor party ballot access. In a complaint filed in federal court Monday, the party is challenging the March 15 submission deadline and the requirement that a minimum number of signatures be gathered in 34 of 100 legislative districts. The party is Read More…
Would it surprise you to find out that each of the five members of the Montana Public Service Commission makes more than the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State and the State Auditor? These are the current salaries of Montana elected officials. Governor— $111,570 Lieutenant Governor—$86,362 Attorney General—$123,499 Secretary of State— $95,695 Superintendent of Public Read More…
A Forbes report alleging Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross “grifted” more than $120 million from former business partners has been widely slammed for relying heavily on anonymous sources and being laced with “petty” accusations, raising questions of whether the magazine’s Chinese owners were ultimately bashing Ross for his tough pro-American stance in trade talks with Beijing. Read More…
Fifty percent of likely U.S. voters approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance, the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows. Another 49 percent disapprove of Trump’s performance, according to Rasmussen. READ THE FULL STORY.
The six Republican candidates for governor found more agreement than disagreement at a forum at Gillette on Monday night as they echoed stances on many issues. Other times, they used humor that drew laughter from the large crowd at the forum sponsored by Campbell County Republican Party. Candidates Bill Dahlin, Foster Friess, Sam Galeotos, Mark Read More…
Kara Landolfi said she felt “super excited” as she helped greet hundreds of hungry people at Monday’s opening of Rendezvous, Montana State University’s newest and largest $18.2 million dining hall. “I think it’s going to be one of the greatest gathering spots on campus,” said Landolfi. She is farm-to-campus coordinator for MSU, bringing Montana-grown beef Read More…
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) on Sunday denied allegations posted on social media accounts linked to the family of his former girlfriend that he had behaved abusively towards her. Ellison, who is battling four challengers for his party’s nomination in the race for Minnesota attorney general, spoke out through his campaign after a Facebook post alleging Read More…
FLATHEAD LAKE — On the 60th anniversary of their organization’s founding, the Flathead Lakers presented their prestigious 2018 Stewardship Award to the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station at their annual meeting. The Stewardship Award was given in recognition of the Bio Station’s sustained and outstanding contributions to the protection of Flathead Lake and Read More…
HELENA — Montana Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale says he’s finalized next year’s rates for companies that sell health insurance policies through the Affordable Care Act’s federal exchange. The rates approved Friday include premium rate hikes for two of the three companies. Rosendale’s office said in a statement the rate proposals contained no deficiencies. The commissioner Read More…
GREAT FALLS- Roberto Salaman Garcia, initially charged with two misdemeanor counts of sexual assault, has now also been charged with two felony counts of sexual assault. Garcia is a Thomas Carnival worker who has been accused of sexually assaulting four females while he was on the job as a ride operator at the Montana State Read More…
One by one, the founders of six startups will walk onto the Center Theater stage Thursday afternoon and pitch their businesses to a panel of judges and a general audience. Each entrepreneur — in one case a duo — will take a few follow-up questions from the judges and then yield the stage to the Read More…
A two-week trial is slated to get under way in Gallatin County District Court this week in a dispute between a prominent Bozeman developer and a local construction supply company over a downtown hotel. Jury selection begins Monday for the civil trial between Andy Holloran and Kenyon Noble and its co-owner Rick Ogle. The trial Read More…
LAKE MCDONALD — The Howe Ridge Fire started Sunday as a small fire smoldering on a hillside overlooking Lake McDonald. By nightfall it had become a massive inferno spewing smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air and forcing the evacuation of a section of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park officials are still Read More…
WinCo Foods is making progress on an 84,000-square-foot grocery store in Helena. Construction crews started building the employee-owned chain this summer, but a spokesperson said an opening date still is to be determined. In addition to Helena, WinCo is building a store in Billings. The two locations will be the first WinCo stores in Montana. Read More…
WikiLeaks is claiming that the Senate Intelligence Committee has asked its founder, Julian Assange, to testify as part of the panel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. The organization posted a letter on its Twitter account dated Aug. 1 that purports to come from committee leaders Sens. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Mark Read More…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Making West Virginia political history, the House Judiciary Committee has voted in favor of impeachment articles for all four remaining members of the state Supreme Court. Only former Justice Menis Ketchum was spared because he announced his resignation the day before impeachment proceedings were set to begin. READ THE FULL STORY.