DEER LODGE – Some members of Congress believe the country’s forest management just isn’t cutting it. “I’m of the firm belief if we don’t start managing our forests we’re going to continue to see these catastrophic wildfires,” said U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Mont. Gianforte invited his Republican colleague from Arkansas, Rep. Bruce Westerman, to tour Read More…
HELENA – Montana officials have decided to decommission all but one of the state’s old airway beacons that pilots used to rely on to find their way at night. More than 1,500 airway beacons used to dot the landscape nationwide but modern navigation equipment made them obsolete. Federal officials began decommissioning the beacons in the Read More…
Puerto Rico’s power authority is working to cancel a controversial contract it awarded to a small Montana-based utility company. Ricardo Ramos, the CEO of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said he is “asking for a resolution” that would allow for the cancellation of the contract with Whitefish Energy. The $300 million deal with the two-year-old Read More…
MISSOULA – A Missoula man who won a 14-year fight to erase a rape conviction was freed from jail last week and will spend another 200-plus days under state supervision, for a probation violation – but then he’ll be an entirely free man. A state judge last Thursday placed Cody Marble on conditional release for Read More…
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company has reimbursed the federal government for some of the costs of investigating its former Columbia Falls plant. The aluminum mill was permanently closed in 2015 and declared a Superfund site last year. The company is currently investigating the site under the Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight and direction. In its Agreement on Read More…
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s congressional campaign committee bought an RV from his wife then sold it to a friend a year later at a steep discount, a watchdog group said in a Federal Election Commission complaint that alleges an illegal scheme to convert political donations into personal cash. The June RV sale is one of Read More…
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into President Donald Trump’s campaign and Russian interference in the election has dramatically escalated, with authorities indicting former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and campaign official Rick Gates with money laundering, making false statements and other charges. It was also revealed on Monday morning that George Papadopoulos, a former foreign policy Read More…
The University of Providence continues with President Tony Aretz’s big, bold and fast mission to reinvent itself with three new construction projects. Thanks to a $25 million investment from the school’s partner Providence St. Joseph Health, work on a new University Center, wrestling facility and updates to the Student Union could begin as early as November. Read More…
WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday gave a significant boost to President Donald Trump’s promise to cut taxes, narrowly passing a GOP budget that shelves longstanding concerns over federal deficits in favor of a rewrite of the tax code that Republicans promise will jump-start the economy. The 216-212 vote permits Republicans to begin work on Read More…
Both President and Mrs. Trump both spoke on Thursday about the epidemic of opiod drugs in the U.S,, however Montana Attorney General Tim Fox also emphasized the challenge of both alcohol and methamphetamine. “Attorney General Fox appreciated the president’s announcement of a state of emergency over the opiod epidemic,” said. spokesman Eric Sell. “It’s important Read More…
On Thursday afternoon, Kathleen Williams announced that she will be running as a Democrat for Montana’s lone House seat. Williams is the fifth Democrat to enter the race. She is a former state legislator and said she believes her experience in Helena will help her in Washington, D.C. Dorothy Bradley, another former state legislator, and Read More…
According to the Legislative Fiscal Division, the 2017 wildfire season is expected to cost the state $74.2 million as wildfires burned nearly 1.3 million acres. During the 2017 Legislative session, lawmakers budgeted $32.3 million to fight fires for the fiscal years 2018 and 2019. This year’s fire burned through that entire amount as well as Read More…
A shadowy Bermudan company that has funneled tens of millions of dollars to anti-fracking environmentalist groups in the United States is run by executives with deep ties to Russian oil interests and offshore money laundering schemes involving members of President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle. One of those executives, Nicholas Hoskins, is a director at a Read More…
The last Montana legislative session was a tough one with a trim budget, but there is speculation the money is already running out. Ever since the session ended, there has been talk of either the legislature or governor Steve Bullock calling a special session. Montana House Finance chair Nancy Ballance believes the governor might announce Read More…
CHEYENNE – Wyoming’s latest revenue forecast is better than it’s been in the last two years, but there’s still a long way to go before the state returns to levels preceding the latest economic downturn. The Consensus Revenue Estimating Group, or CREG, puts out reports in October and January each year so Wyoming policymakers have Read More…
Majorities in many ethnic, identity and racial groups in America believe that discrimination exists against their own group, across many areas of people’s daily lives, according to a poll from NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The poll asked a wide range of questions about where Read More…
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has directed millions of dollars in political contributions since 2014 to a network of Washington operatives that prominent conservatives have accused of profiting by misleading donors. Beneficiaries of Zinke’s largesse include groups linked to Washington-area political operative Scott B. Mackenzie, organizer of a Virgin Islands GOP political action committee that hosted Read More…
Montana marijuana providers appear to be moving a little slower than normal when it comes to following the law. According to Mary Anne Dunwell from the Montana Department of Revenue, taxes for the months since July were due on October 15th and so far, some payments are quite high. “It’s about $7.5 million in provider Read More…
Some of the biggest names in technology have been lavishing millions on Congress during the third quarter, according to government documents — at a time when they’re under increasing regulatory scrutiny from Washington. The disclosures, required by the Lobbying Disclosure Act, revealed Google spent $4.17 million lobbying Congress this most recent quarter. Facebook spent $2.85 Read More…
An initiative launched by all five living former presidents has raised $31 million for hurricane relief from 80,000 donors. The One America Appeal initiative, launched Sept. 7 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Florida, has distributed nearly $13 million to the Florida Disaster Fund, Rebuild Texas Fund, the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, Juntos y Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate voted Thursday to pass a budget resolution for next year that is mostly significant because it could make it easier for Republicans to pass major tax cuts, a top GOP priority. The 51-to-49 vote was split mostly on party lines. Only GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted no. To Read More…
Washington (CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on CNN’s “State of the Union” Sunday that President Donald Trump is “getting a lot more done” than his criticism of the slow-moving Senate would suggest. “I think he’s getting a lot more done than he’s giving everybody credit for,” McConnell said. “I think his appointments, as I’ve Read More…
LAS VEGAS — The Democratic National Committee is reeling, facing a turnaround that’s proving a much bigger lift than anyone expected as it struggles to raise enough money to cover its basic promises. Many donors are refusing to write checks. And on-the-ground operatives worry they won’t have the resources to build the infrastructure they need Read More…
Filings for unemployment benefits plunged last week to the lowest level since 1973 as workers affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma continued to return to their jobs, Labor Department figures showed Thursday. Highlights of Jobless Claims (Week ended Oct. 14) Jobless claims decreased by 22k to 222k (est. 240k), the lowest since March 1973 Period Read More…
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is receiving significant criticism nationwide as many actresses have stepped forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, harassment, and a cover-up of these stories by the press. As a high-profile political contributor, Weinstein’s donations have even been re-donated to charities by major politicians, including New York’s Andrew Cuomo. Interestingly, according to Read More…
The Democratic Party this week plans to name 75 people including lobbyists and political operatives to leadership posts that come with superdelegate votes at its next presidential convention, potentially aggravating old intraparty tensions as it struggles to confront President Donald Trump. The new members-at-large of the Democratic National Committee will vote on party rules and Read More…
Steve Bannon, the failed presidential adviser and alt-right sympathizer, has declared war on incumbent Republicans, particularly Sen. Mitch McConnell. From his perch at Breitbart, Mr. Bannon is vowing to defeat officeholders who back Mr. McConnell as majority leader or who won’t sign onto Mr. Bannon’s populist agenda. So what kind of challengers is Mr. Bannon Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock said Wednesday he needs a “willing partner” to call a special legislative session and address the state’s budget revenue shortfalls. Bullock met with the Chronicle editorial board Wednesday to talk about the decision he needs to make regarding budget cuts. READ THE FULL STORY.
BOZEMAN, Mont. – In a four to one decision, the Bozeman City Commission voted Wednesday night to approve a controversial apartment complex project slated for downtown. It was the second vote on the Black Olive project. Dozens of people crowded into City Hall to have their voice heard. Many were disappointed when the vote came Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. – The Burke County Sheriff’s Office logged a high-profile arrest. Singer Melissa Etheridge was charged with possession of a controlled substance after her tour bus was searched while attempting to enter the United States from Canada at the Port of Entry. Burke County authorities said they were conducting K9 searches at the Port of Entry when Read More…
State Rep. Tom Woods said Thursday he will challenge GOP Congressman Greg Gianforte for Montana’s at-large congressional seat in the House of Representatives. “Montanans deserve a government that is by people and for people,” the Bozeman Democrat said. “That principle is what this country was founded on. The principle of putting people first is what Read More…
Kathy Boelter, Billings, founder and President of Arrow Solutions Group, was recently accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, a very coveted award for small business owners who demonstrate dynamic leadership in business. The program, a co-investment between Goldman Sachs and Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on job creation and economic development. It offers participants Read More…
Fourth-generation Montanan and 22-year District Judge Russ Fagg made a stop in Kalispell Monday to announce his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. A small crowd gathered for Fagg’s announcement in front of the Flathead County Courthouse on the crisp, clear morning. “It’s just about a perfect day in the Flathead Valley, and it’s an honor Read More…
YELLOWSTONE COUNTY, Mont. – A Washington man is being held in the Yellowstone County Detention Facility following a traffic stop Thursday morning that uncovered 80 one-pound sealed bags of marijuana in his car. According to court records, on October 12th at 10:55 a.m. Anthony Fujimoto, 33, was stopped for failing to signal a lane change Read More…
BILLINGS – Making hand crafted spirits is a labor of love for Casey McGowan, who opened Trailhead Spirits in January 2013. “We are a true production distillery where we make all the products that we sell,” said McGowan. “We ferment, we distill, we bottle, we do everything on site here.” When McGowan says everything is Read More…
The Supreme Court on Monday accepted a second important case on digital privacy, agreeing to hear a dispute between the federal government and Microsoft about emails stored overseas. The justices increasingly have been called upon to settle legal battles between law enforcement and technology companies, and to interpret laws written before the technology revolution that Read More…
One irony of Washington these days is that a press corps that claims to loathe right-wing political operative Steve Bannon can’t get enough of him. The media broadcast his every utterance, cheering on his declaration of “civil war” against Republicans in Congress. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (S.C.) captured that reality on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Read More…
A man accused of killing a South Carolina high school student had been protected from deportation under the DACA program, U.S. officials confirmed to Fox News Thursday evening. Daniel De Jesus Rangel-Sherrer, 19, is accused of murder, kidnapping and possession of a weapon during a violent crime in connection with the death of 18-year-old Diana Read More…
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told a military judge on Monday that he’s pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. “I understand that leaving was against the law,” said Bergdahl, whose decision to walk off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009 prompted intense search and recovery missions, during Read More…
Here are the highlights from Monday’s proceedings in the federal corruption trial of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez. Menendez, a Democrat and New Jersey’s senior senator, is charged with doing official favors for his friend and co-defendant, Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen, in exchange for expensive hotel stays, private jet flights and hundreds of thousands of Read More…