A few million people will start work this year with a bit of a raise. The minimum wage in 18 states is ticking up, giving workers increases of between 5 cents and $1 per hour. In half of those states, the minimums will be rising automatically, to keep up with inflation. The other half, including Read More…
In less than two weeks, Montana candidates will start filing for office in a political landscape that’s bound to shift as 2018 unfolds – and a key player may be someone’s who not on the ballot. That someone is President Donald Trump, who Montana by 20 points in the 2016 election, but whose approval rating Read More…
Alabamians retained some levity during a bruising special U.S. Senate election that pitted an underdog Democrat against a Republican facing accusations of sexual misconduct with teenagers. For example, Jesus got two votes in Cherokee County in northeast Alabama from voters who chose to write-in their vote instead of picking one of the listed options, Democrat Read More…
Chief Justice John Roberts has ordered a “careful evaluation” of the judiciary’s standards of conduct and policies, saying the federal courts are not immune to the nationwide focus of sexual misconduct in the workplace. The remarks came in Roberts’ annual year-end report Sunday on the third branch of government, which he heads as chief justice. Read More…
President Donald Trump is predicting that Democrats and Republicans will “eventually come together “on a new health care plan for the country. Sending a Twitter post early Tuesday from his Florida resort, Trump said “the very unfair and unpopular Individual Mandate has been terminated as part of our Tax Cut Bill, which essentially Repeals (over Read More…
Amazon has been quietly experimenting with various advertising products across its portfolio and off its website, according to interviews with half a dozen ad buyers and technology partners. And it’s getting ready to make waves in 2018. Most of the conversations are focusing on new ad opportunities on Amazon’s e-commerce search and video products, sources Read More…
GRAND FORKS — North Dakota legislators “scramble” to avoid university system Chancellor Mark Hagerott, Sen. Ray Holmberg, R-Grand Forks, said Tuesday, Nov. 28. Holmberg was speaking to allegations made more than a week earlier by Lisa Feldner, a former vice chancellor of the university system fired by Hagerott earlier this fall. Feldner, who also served Read More…
Attorneys representing several members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have filed a new complaint challenging North Dakota’s latest voter ID law. The amended complaint, filed Dec. 13, asks a federal judge to declare House Bill 1369 unconstitutional and prevent it from being implemented, arguing that it violates the national Voting Rights Act. The Read More…
By Ernest Scheyder HOUSTON, Dec 21 (Reuters) – Oasis Petroleum Inc, the last major oil producer operating exclusively in North Dakota’s Bakken shale formation, is heading south to the nation’s largest oilfield, pursuing a pricey expansion as investors worry about maturing shale fields. Oasis shares have tumbled 21 percent following last week’s disclosure, pointing to Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – More than a dozen oil companies failed to meet North Dakota’s natural gas flaring goals three months ago. Operators burned off over 300 million cubic feet (8.5 million cubic meters) of natural gas per day in September, a level the state hasn’t seen since the summer of 2015, reported the Bismarck Tribune Read More…
Thirty four people died on the job in Wyoming in 2016, the same as the year before. The workers were a cross section of the most well-known careers in the Cowboy State, from truck drivers and coal miners to agricultural workers and oilmen, according to a workplace fatalities report released Thursday by the Wyoming Department Read More…
His poll numbers are terrible, he just went through a corruption trial that ended in a hung jury and there might be a retrial in the middle of his reelection campaign. But it’s difficult to find a New Jersey Republican willing to challenge Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez next year — a testament to the toxicity Read More…
HELENA – The vast majority of Montanans will pay less in federal income tax after the new Republican tax reform bill takes effect in January, according to new analysis from the state Department of Revenue. The agency analysis says more than three-quarters of the roughly 461,000 Montana households that file federal tax returns will receive Read More…
BILLINGS — The Office of Public Assistance will close 19 locations in Montana because officials say the Legislature’s recent budget reductions forced them to cut back. The Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services, which oversees Public Assistance, had to reduce its budget by $49 million, so it’s closing half of its 38 OPA Read More…
CODY, Wyo. – West Park Hospital is adding a new name, to reflect it’s network in Northwest Wyoming. The hospital and its clinics will not be called Cody Regional Health. CEO Doug McMillan said expansion over the past 15 years has made West Park more than a hospital. He said the organization now includes Spirit Read More…
The fires that charred large swaths of Montana over the summer discouraged hundreds of thousands of tourists from visiting the state, resulting in a $240 million loss in visitor spending, according to a new report. Preliminary data released by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research estimates that tourists in Montana spent Read More…
HELENA – Gov. Steve Bullock reports that Montana’s unemployment rate has remained steady for most of 2017, saying workers and families are heading into the holidays with a strong economy driving growth in local communities across the state. Gov. Bullock’s office says the unemployment rate was 4.0% for the month of November while the U.S. Read More…
Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte push a bill to honor the life of renowned Montana conservationist, Alex Diekmann, by naming an unnamed peak in his memory. The previously unnamed 9,765-foot peak will be named “Alex Diekmann Peak.” READ THE FULL STORY.
In a year of anti-refugee sentiment in many corners of the world (and especially in the U.S.), one former refugee and first-time candidate ran for office — and won. Twenty-three years before Wilmot Collins became the mayor-elect of Helena, Mont., he was a refugee from Liberia. He stood in a long line at the port Read More…
Montana tends to draw the inventive and the entrepreneurial, fostering a can-do spirit within a sense of community, a place where knowing your neighbors also usually means knowing the local bank manager or any myriad types of small business owner. Harnessing this community spirit is a key aspect for Montana West Economic Development, and during Read More…
HELENA, Mont.- There are some shocking numbers out of the office of public instruction, last year, about 10 percent of Montana high school students attempted suicide. Now Superintendent Elsie Arntzen announcing her plan to help save Montana student’s lives. Arntzen selected 16 educators, parents, and experts to serve on the Suicide Prevention and Response Negotiated Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from Montana Department of Justice: Attorney General Tim Fox announced today a $13.5 million settlement with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI). This settlement is in regard to BIPI’s alleged off-label marketing and deceptive and misleading representations made in its promotion of four of its prescription drugs: Read More…
The Stimson Lumber Company owns forestland across the Pacific Northwest, but it sees challenges in Northwest Montana’s growing population. Barry Dexter, the firm’s director of resources, says that developing areas’ lands “come out of timber production and go into mini-ranches or home sites for folks, and so that’s a little challenging for a fire management Read More…
A reward has been offered for information about the murder of Matthew Grant. Grant’s body was found in Browning last December. The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the reward of up to $10,000 during a press conference in Great Falls on Thursday. Grant had recently arrived in Montana from Canada and was reported missing on Read More…
Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter, who overcame the odds to build his home-delivery pizza chain into a national powerhouse against entrenched rivals, is stepping down. Schnatter, who founded the pizza chain in 1984, will remain as chairman of the board. No immediate reason was given for his decision, which takes effect Jan. 1. He is Read More…
A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a pair of lawsuits claiming that President Donald Trump’s failure to divest himself of his real estate empire and other business holdings violated the Constitution’s provision banning receipt of foreign “emoluments” while in public office. U.S. District Court Judge George Daniels ruled that the two suits were fatally flawed Read More…
BOZEMAN – With the big winter season in Montana you would think hockey would be a popular sport. But in it has found itself struggling to catch on with the community. However, the Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association is changing that. This winter they are hosting five youth hockey tournaments at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds for Read More…
U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte (R-MT) has introduced legislation to ban mining on public land in the Paradise Valley. According to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle, Gianforte introduced two bills to the U.S. House of Representatives: the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act and the East Rosebud Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The latter would “conserve a portion of Read More…
Alex Kozinski, the powerful judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit who was facing a judicial investigation over allegations that he subjected 15 women to inappropriate sexual behavior, announced Monday that he would retire effective immediately. In a statement provided by his lawyer, Kozinski apologized, saying that he “had a broad Read More…
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A mystery super PAC backing Democrat Doug Jones in Alabama is controlled by a pair of groups closely aligned with the national Democratic Party, even as the candidate strives to dissociate himself from Washington interests. Highway 31, which dropped more than $4.1 million in support of Jones and against Roy Moore ahead Read More…
BILLINGS — A pair of films shot in Montana will make their world premieres in 2018 on the big screens at the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute recently made the announcement that the two films – “Wildlife” and “Dark Money” – will premiere in January. “Wildlife” is based on the 1990 novel by Richard Read More…
Brooke Lynn Crews has pleaded guilty to the murder of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind. Crews pleaded guilty in Cass County court Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and providing false information to police. Crews is one of two defendants accused of killing 22-year-old LaFontaine-Greywind and abducting her newborn daughter in August. Read More…
Bozeman City Commissioners will consider investigating raising the body’s wages at their meeting tonight. If they approve the increase, it would go into effect for a future body and would be the commission’s first pay adjustment since 2013. Currently, a city ordinance adopted Dec. 2, 2013, fixes the salaries of the Bozeman City Commissioners at Read More…
MISSOULA,Mont. – Stockman Bank is asking the Missoula City Council to approve a new bank on the corner of Brooks Street and Dore Lane. The request comes from Mike Tuss, a principal at CTA Architects, on behalf of William Coffee, the CEO of Stockman Bank, as the bank looks to construct a nearly 49,000-square-foot building. Read More…
HELENA – The Legislative Finance Committee on Monday expressed interest in working with the Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee on reviewing the state’s tax structure, however members balked at waiting until 2019 to do a formal study, saying they want to put it on a faster track. Revenue and Transportation Interim Committee members sent a Read More…
The State Department says President Donald Trump’s travel ban on citizens of six mainly Muslim countries, North Korea and Venezuela is now fully operational. The announcement follows the Supreme Court’s decision earlier this week to allow enforcement of the ban as it is challenged in lower courts. The department said it began fully implementing the Read More…
Whitefish Ford VW and Kalispell Ford of Evergreen have united and relocated to a brand new 54,000-square-foot facility in North Kalispell that officially opens today. The Kalispell Ford dealership has a larger capacity than both the old ones combined and features 26 service bays, said Milt Aus, who was the general manager at Kalispell Ford Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from the Montana National Guard: Fifty-four Montana wildland firefighters and 16 wildland engines are headed to California to assist in firefighting efforts. The state of Montana received a request from the California Office of Emergency Services Tuesday afternoon to provide critically needed firefighting resources to support Read More…
It’s hard to miss Wheat Montana’s giant silos outside Three Forks, but now with their partnership with Walmart, you’re going to see their sign a whole lot more. The Montana-based company was chosen by the superstore to be part of a tour that has committed Walmart to purchase an additional $250 billion in American-made products. Read More…
A federal investigation launched in 2016 into possible bank fraud by Jane Sanders, wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, is still underway — with “a potential” grand jury review possible. The probe could thwart Sanders’ 2020 presidential ambitions — as well as the Vermont political plans of Jane Sanders’ daughter, Carina Driscoll. Individuals questioned by Read More…