The Montana Supreme Court ruled this week the Southwest Montana Building Industry Association must return $200,000 to the city left over from an old lawsuit settlement around impact fees. The March 27 ruling upholds an order made in Gallatin County District Court. “We’re disappointed,” said SWMBIA attorney Art Wittich. “That money was supposed to be Read More…
A rumbling fleet of snowplows and excavators began the daunting task of clearing Glacier National Park’s roads last week, forging through a winter’s worth of snow and heralding springtime in Northwest Montana as the park prepares its iconic Going-to-the-Sun Road for the summer frenzy. On the east side, crews are plowing the Two Medicine Road Read More…
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) are echoing the same talking points when it comes to veterans health care. As President Trump announced his pick to serve as the next Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Nancy Pelosi immediately went on the attack, criticizing the pick for a supposed “lack of VA leadership Read More…
Montana Senator Al Olszewski serves on the Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee and says the Governor and leadership of the State Department of Public Health and Human Services have had severe communication problems with the legislative branch. “The agency was just going to do a straight across the board cut of 5.4 Read More…
Since 2017, the Montana Veterans Meat Locker has distributed over 8,000 pounds of meat to over 600 veterans and their families. This is a non-employed, all-volunteer organization so our only cost is the processing fees,” said Chris Grudzinski, founder of Veterans Meat Locker. “We have great ranchers and farmers and hunters who have donated these Read More…
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket streaked away from California early Friday, boosting the fifth set of 10 Iridium NEXT relay stations into orbit, the latest step in the satellite telephone provider’s push to complete a globe-spanning constellation of next-generation spacecraft. Perched atop pad 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base northwest of Los Angeles, the Falcon Read More…
(HELENA) The State-Tribal Relations Committee brainstormed ideas on Friday for improving the response to cases of missing children and human trafficking in the state. Bryan Lockerby, Division Administrator with the Division of Criminal Investigation, said law enforcement is the main agency that handles missing persons reports. From there, the Criminal Justice Information Network – known Read More…
Denise Juneau is one of three finalists to be the next superintendent of schools in Seattle. There are some 53,000 students in the Seattle schools, and this number includes Huchoosedah, the school district’s Indian education program, designed to close opportunity gaps and deliver excellence to every student. Juneau, a citizen of the Mandan Hidatsa Arikara Read More…
The sale of Avista Corp. to a Canadian utility passed a major milestone Tuesday when the parties outlined conditions in a proposed agreement with Washington regulators. After the $5.3 billion sale, Avista would operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hydro One Ltd. of Toronto. Hydro One has agreed to keep Avista’s headquarters in Spokane, retain Read More…
U.S. Senate candidate Troy Downing wants a Gallatin County judge to throw out several charges alleging he was not a Montana resident when he bought resident hunting licenses, claiming past accountants made errors in his tax filings. Christopher Williams, Downing’s attorney, filed a pretrial motion in Gallatin County Justice Court and said the residency status Read More…
HELENA – A Lewis & Clark County District Court Judge says author Jon Krakauer should be given access to university documents concerning a high-profile rape case on the University of Montana campus five years ago. However, the judge ruled that Krakauer will only receive a redacted version of those documents, protecting the identity of the Read More…
Gordon’s platform highlights three priorities for the state. The first is reducing the size of the state government so that it will “live within its means.” The second priority is to reduce government regulations to attract new businesses to the state and the third is ensuring the state has a strong education system. Reducing the Read More…
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne-Laramie County Joint Powers Board agreed Tuesday to fund half of a $250,000 grant meant to lure a mystery Denver manufacturer to the Swan Ranch rail park. The grant, split with economic development nonprofit Cheyenne LEADS, will be used to offset some of the company’s costs moving into LEADS’ “spec” building south Read More…
CHEYENNE – Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow made her re-election campaign announcement Tuesday in her hometown of Gillette. Balow was elected in 2014 in her first bid for public office, overcoming Democrat Mike Ceballos by more than 37,000 votes. This followed the tumultuous tenure of former Republican State Superintendent Cindy Hill, who became Read More…
DOUGLAS — Even after the Wyoming Legislature agreed to make major changes to the Wyoming State Fair and basically restore its funding levels, the 2018 fair this August has been cut down to four days to save money. Citing a reduced current budget (which ends in June) and having to make decisions based on the Read More…
The Florida-based operator of supermarket chains Winn-Dixie and Bi-Lo announced Tuesday that it’s the latest grocery chain to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, after a New York-based chain, Tops Friendly Markets, filed earlier this month. While rumors of the filings have been swirling for months, the chains didn’t start officially filing in court until the Read More…
VAN NUYS (CBSLA) — An online prankster is targeting In-N-Out Burger and now the chain is taking legal action. When a man in a dark suit walked into an In-N-Out in Van Nuys and claimed to be their CEO, some believed him, but the manager wasn’t convinced. “Who are you?” the exchange started. “I’m actually Read More…
Government officials ratcheted up pressure Monday on Facebook Inc. over its handling of user data, with federal regulators saying they are investigating the social-media giant’s privacy policies and 37 state attorneys general demanding explanations for its practices. The Federal Trade Commission, in a statement, signaled that its probe of Facebook is broad. Tom Pahl, a Read More…
Workers in Idaho are leading the nation in earnings growth, thanks in part to a buoyant job market and pockets of labor shortages that are putting upward pressure on wages. In 2017, Idaho workers boasted a 5.3% increase in earnings—mostly comprised of annual wages and salaries—compared with the 2016 calendar year, according to the Commerce Read More…
Just more than a week after tiny Los Alamitos voted to defy California’s law protecting immigrants in the country illegally, Orange County is poised to become a counterpoint against the state’s resistance to the Trump administration’s policies. On Tuesday, Orange County supervisors may consider whether to take up a resolution to condemn and possibly take Read More…
Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said in an op-ed Tuesday that the Second Amendment should be repealed, citing the protests in response to the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, as an impetus for the change. Stevens, who retired from the high court in 2010 as one of the longest-serving justices in history, Read More…
Whitefish Mountain Resort broke its record for skier visits in a single season on Sunday, nearly two weeks before the season ends. Resort officials estimate skier visits so far this year will eclipse 350,000 before this weekend. The previous record of 346,859 total skier visits was set last season. Resort spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said these Read More…
On Monday, Montana Attorney General Tim Fox joined a coalition of 37 state Attorneys General, demanding answers from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the company’s business practices and privacy protections. “In the news recently, Facebook has had a practice of either voluntarily sharing private and personal information of its Facebook users, or more recently where Read More…
he Washington Post has tabbed Montana Governor Steve Bullock as the 15th most likely Democrat in the country to be elected President of the United States. According to the Post: ‘If Democrats want pragmatism over anything else, they would struggle to do better than Bullock. A two-term governor of red Montana, he won reelection by Read More…
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana Democratic Party chairman appears to be laying the groundwork for a possible challenge to the secretary of state’s certification of the Green Party for the ballot in this year’s state elections. Jim Larson filed a public records request with Secretary of State Corey Stapleton’s office and election officials Read More…
GREAT FALLS – A federal judge has put the brakes on coal expansion in the Powder River Basin, ruling that the federal government must find an alternative to a plan that could have opened 15 million acres for development. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls ruled Friday that the Bureau of Land Management Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Former New York Giants linebacker and Montana State star Corey Widmer has declined his nomination to the Montana Football Hall of Fame, saying the sport “destroyed my life.” Widmer said after numerous concussions he fears he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease. He has depression and memory problems, suffers Read More…
Helena Public Schools leaders called Wednesday a day to remember, as they kicked off the district’s biggest building project in decades. They held groundbreaking ceremonies for three new school buildings, at Bryant, Central and Jim Darcy Elementary. The new construction was made possible by a $63 million bond, approved by district voters last year. “This Read More…
U.S. House candidate Jared Pettinato is asking incumbent Congressman Greg Gianforte and other candidates to sign a petition ensuring everyone runs “the cleanest campaign.” Pettinato is vying for the Democratic nomination to challenge Gianforte for the U.S. House seat. The Bozeman attorney and former U.S. Department of Justice attorney said ethics is the first step Read More…
HELENA – A Libertarian candidate booted from the election for not filing all his paperwork on time said he asked the state to reconsider, but a state official said the decision stands. Ron Vandevender, 59, a Cascade resident who filed to run for House District 80, was among the seven candidates disqualified for not filing Read More…
The March 12 filing deadline has come and gone, and the 2018 races for county, state and federal offices have taken shape. The primary election takes place June 5, and will be the determining election for several races in Flathead County in which only Republicans have filed for the jobs. READ THE FULL STORY.
Nearly a year before Attorney General Jeff Sessions fired senior FBI official Andrew McCabe for what Sessions called a “lack of candor,” McCabe oversaw a federal criminal investigation into whether Sessions lacked candor when testifying before Congress about contacts with Russian operatives, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly accused Read More…
While not definitively saying yes, Mark Zuckerberg says he’s “open” to testifying before members of Congress regarding Facebook’s recent privacy scandal involving Cambridge Analytica. The data firm, which worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign before the 2016 election, is now embroiled in an ongoing controversy about how it collected user data from the social networking Read More…
HELENA – Montana’s campaign regulators have disqualified seven legislative candidates from the ballot for failing to file required paperwork. Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan announced Monday that those candidates had not filed an official statement of candidacy or business disclosure statement. By state law, candidates who miss the deadline for submitting those forms cannot Read More…
Pondera County Sheriff Carl Suta has agreed to resign from his position, following months of legal battles. Two misdemeanor charges against Suta were resolved without trial recently. On Friday, March 16, Suta pleaded no contest to one charge of partner/family member assault, and also agreed to a deferred prosecution on a charge of official misconduct. Read More…
MISSOULA–University of Montana president Seth Bodnar says he’s restructuring the university’s administration to put a greater emphasis on enrollment and student success. Bodnar said Monday he plans to combine the communications, admissions and financial aid offices. Communications director Paul Short will oversee the combined office until a vice president of communications, outreach and enrollment is Read More…
Governor Steve Bullock (D-MT) is getting called out by Politifact for using false statistics when it comes to the gun control debate. Bullock, desperate to be named as a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, was recently in Milwaukee, Wisconsin raising money for Wisconsin Democrats. Politifact analyzed a line by Bullock where he argued that Read More…
Landowners east of Cheyenne say a major oil and gas firm is developing a monopoly in their county, and they have asked state regulators to put a stop to it by denying thousands of permits to drill proposed by Anadarko Petroleum. Anadarko tried to have the protests dismissed by the Wyoming Oil and Gas Conservation Read More…
A select bipartisan, bicameral committee has been asked to examine more than $1.2 million in state employee settlements since the beginning of 2017. The committee, consisting of six Republicans and four Democrats was appointed by Senate President Scott Sales and Speaker of the House Austin Knudsen. Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas explained the genesis of Read More…
The longtime spokeswoman for Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke was physically assaulted by a Democratic operative on Capitol Hill Thursday. Politico, The Daily Caller, and other outlets are now reporting that a man who works for the liberal group known as American Bridge was arrested following the incident. Here’s a compilation of coverage from various outlets Read More…