BILLINGS – The White House sent its $4.1 trillion dollar spending plan to Capitol Hill Tuesday. President Donald Trump is looking to balance the budget in 10 years with big spending cuts and faster economic growth. That includes an almost $3.6 trillion dollars in cuts to programs including Medicaid, food stamps, and Social Security Disability Read More…
CASCADE – Tucked in an old poker room in the back of the Driftwood Bar in Cascade, Amy Eisenzimer (formerly Parker) mixes just five ingredients to make a drink with a kick: Parker’s Hangover Tonic. “I do recommend this to customers that are hungover…a little hair of the dog always helps,” said Eisenzimer. Parker’s Hangover Tonic is Read More…
Billings – Governor Steve Bullock refused to answer questions about infrastructure funding from a constituent at a fundraiser. Mr. Bullock appeared at a democrat political fundraiser at a private golf club in Billings on Thursday. Bullock’s representatives told those present that the Governor would not be answering any questions on infrastructure funding. The 2017 legislative Read More…
Revelations of Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist’s drug use have taken center stage in the final days of the campaign to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke. Earlier this week, a national media outlet uncovered court documents in which Quist confessed to regularly using marijuana. When the news reports became public, his campaign cancelled a previously-scheduled interview Read More…
Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist’s venereal disease, drug use, and marriage problems were revealed to the public this week when a national media outlet uncovered documents from a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by Quist. The documents show, among other things, that Quist suffers from depression, has genital herpes, tested positive for tuberculosis, uses recreational drugs, Read More…
Helena – The tumultuous tenure of Jonathan Motl as Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices came to an end Monday with Jeff Mangan taking over. Mr. Motl’s time as Montana’s top political cop was marked by allegations of unethical behavior, partisan chicanery, and numerous lawsuits over his conduct. Mr. Motl was a controversial figure since his Read More…
Failed Democrat Presidential Candidate and United States Senator Bernie Sanders will make 4 stops in Montana to campaign for Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. Mr. Sanders will make stops in Missoula, Butte, and Billings on Saturday, May 20th and will be in Bozeman on Sunday. Mr. Sanders, a self-described socialist, was elected to the United Read More…
As the 2017 legislative session has come to an end, we want to make sure that Montanans have a clear view of what’s happened the past few months in Helena. The mission of the Senate and House Republicans from Day One has been to help create more opportunities for all Montanans by making our state Read More…
Helena – On the final day of the 65th legislative session, Democrats in the House of Representative voted to kill a bill that would have provided $41 million in loans to local communities for water projects. House Bill 8 would have provided $41 million in loans from the coal tax trust fund to water, sewer Read More…
Helena – For the third consecutive legislative session, Democrat Governor Steve Bullock has failed to get an infrastructure bill passed by the Legislature. In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there seemed to still be a chance for the infrastructure package to pass, but in the end, it came down to a simple Read More…
Two recent publicly-available opinion polls show Republican Greg Gianforte besting Democrat Rob Quist in the special election to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke. The latest poll was released this week by the Emerson College Polling Society. That poll shows Mr. Gianforte leading with 52%, Mr. Quist with 37% and longshot, Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks with 5%. Read More…
Helena – Newly-released records show Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist has not had a hunting or fishing license in Montana in at least 15 years. According to public records released to MTN news by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the banjo player turned politician has not purchased a hunting or fishing license since Read More…
Helena – In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there is still a chance for infrastructure package to pass, but it might not be an easy road. The eventual solution may be complicated but the breakdown is rather simple: Democrat Governor Steve Bullock wants to spend more; Republicans in control of the House Read More…
Failed Democrat Presidential Candidate and United States Senator Bernie Sanders will come to Montana to campaign for Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. This is not the first time Mr. Sanders has campaigned in Montana. Mr. Sanders made campaign stops in Montana last year during his unsuccessful bid to beat out Hillary Clinton for the Democrat Read More…
A new public opinion poll of Montanans shows Republican Greg Gianforte with a 12% advantage over Democrat Rob Quist in the race to replace Ryan Zinke for Montana’s lone Congressional seat. According to the survey, Gianforte leads the pack with 50% of respondents saying they intended to vote for him. Democrat Rob Quist was in Read More…
From the beginning of the 2017 session, House Republicans committed to supporting essential infrastructure which would not place an undue burden on Montana taxpayers. The Legislature is currently moving more than $1.1 Billion worth of infrastructure projects directly to Montana communities. You read that right – Billion. This is an important piece of the Read More…
Helena – Representative Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, joined with a mostly Democrat coalition to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax in the House. Rep. Garner is the sponsor of House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38%. The bill has been one of the most contentious Read More…
Helena – Representative Ken Holmlund, R-Miles City, voted to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax. Rep. Holmlund joined with the mostly Democrat coalition to pass the bill in the House. House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38% has been one of the most contentious Read More…
Helena – Representative Bruce Grubbs, R-Bozeman, voted to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax. Rep. Grubbs joined with the mostly Democrat coalition to pass the bill in the House. House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38% has been one of the most contentious pieces Read More…
Helena – Representative Tom Welch, R-Dillon, voted to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax. Rep. Welch joined with the mostly Democrat coalition to pass the bill in the House. House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38% has been one of the most contentious pieces Read More…
Helena – Representative Geraldine Custer, R-Forsyth, voted to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax. Rep. Custer joined with the mostly Democrat lead coalition to pass the bill in the House. House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38% has been one of the most contentious Read More…
Helena – A pair of leading state Democrats vowed to block Republican efforts to pass an infrastructure bill this legislative session because the bill doesn’t spend enough money on the projects they want. Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, R-Butte, and House Minority Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said the Democrats will not support House Bill 645, known Read More…
Helena – Helena Democrat Representative Moffie Funk has introduced a bill in the legislature to give state employees raises costing $16.5 Million over the next two years. House Bill 13, the state pay plan bill would provide a 1% raise for each of the next two years. State workers previously received raises in January 2016 Read More…
Helena – The state of Montana filed three tax liens to collect approximately $15,000 in back taxes against Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. Quist is also finalizing a settlement with a bank over $10,000 loan he defaulted on. The tax liens filed against Quist in 2015 for about $15,000 cover tax years 2007, 2011 and Read More…
The Better in Butte Local Crowd is seeking proposals from businesses, organizations, and individuals who need funding to get their projects off the ground. Butte was selected in 2016 to be a Local Crowd crowdfunding demonstration site as part of a research project funded by USDA. Crowdfunding is the practice of sourcing small contributions from Read More…
Patrick and John Collison have come a long way from the quiet village outside of Limerick, Ireland where they grew up. With little around except “mooing cows,” the brothers turned to coding to occupy themselves. To access the internet, their parents had to buy a special satellite. In 2011 the Collisons founded Stripe, an online Read More…
There’s a congressional election coming up on May 25th and three candidates are currently out barnstorming the state to gather votes and remind people that the special election actually exists. Republican Greg Gianforte and Democrat Rob Quist have big-name parties to help promote their message and a head start. Libertarian Mark Wicks was picked at Read More…
The Montana House Judiciary committee will look at resolution this week that states a proposed American Bar Association rule limits free speech and is unconstitutional. Proposed Rule 8.4 (g) states: “It is professional misconduct for a lawyer to engage in conduct that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know is harassment or discrimination on the basis of Read More…
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) asked FBI Director James Comey on Monday whether reporters could be prosecuted for leaks — despite a longstanding tradition and court history of not prosecuting the press. “Is there an exception in the law for current or former U.S. officials requesting anonymity?” Gowdy asked Comey during testimony about Russia’s interference in Read More…
A large part of the House GOP plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare is predicated on the idea of giving states more flexibility to run their Medicaid programs. But with an $880 billion price tag estimated over 10 years, governors and state officials from both parties are pressing Congress to slow down. States play a Read More…
An electric utility company is closing two coal-fired power plants by next year, citing economic conditions. Dayton Power & Light, a subsidiary of utility giant AES Corp., announced on Monday the closure of the J.M. Stuart and Killen generating stations, following a monthslong review of the plants. They are the latest in a string of Read More…
Former top officials for Hillary Clinton’s campaign vented their frustration with both FBI Director James Comey and congressional Republicans on Monday as he testified on Capitol Hill. Five months after Comey stepped into the 2016 election fray in the campaign’s closing days to talk about investigations into Clinton’s email use — which Clinton herself has Read More…
A pair of new streets are under construction in North Bozeman as part of a 20-acre commercial development slated for the vacant field off 19th Avenue south of Target. Located south of City Brew coffee across Cattail Street, the Opportunity Subdivision will contain six lots, five of which will be available for shops and businesses. Read More…
Missoula County Sheriff Terry “T.J.” McDermott will pay a $936 fine as a result of a campaign complaint. Montana’s commissioner of political practices released two settlements associated with the 2014 Missoula County sheriff’s race on Monday in response to a public records request. The complaint was filed by former Missoula County Undersheriff Josh Read More…
A couple of large data problems from the U.S. Department of Education recently came to the attention of U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo. One of those errors uncovered billions of dollars in student loan costs, of which Congress was previously unaware. The other affects potential college students’ ability to make an informed decision about what Read More…
The Flathead Valley’s best and brightest young professionals will be honored in June at the inaugural 20 Under 40 celebration and event. The Daily Inter Lake will be presenting these honors in June along with the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce and the Flathead Area Young Professionals group. “The Flathead Valley is full of talented young Read More…
High-rise wood-framed buildings are a rarity in the United States, but that may change with the help of a bipartisan bill that calls for accelerating research and development of tall wood buildings. U.S. Sens. Steve Daines, a Republican, and Jon Tester, a Democrat, have introduced legislation they say would support Montana’s timber industry, create jobs Read More…
The Montana Legislature is responsible for accomplishing a great deal during the 90 days it meets every two years. But lawmakers are actually only constitutionally required to do one thing — create and pass a state budget. Last week, the House of Representatives got one step closer to that goal. Fifty-six days into the session, Read More…
While campaign for the Democrat nomination to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke, Rob Quist supported a national gun registry; now that he has the nomination he is trying to walk back his earlier comments. In late January, Quist, a 69 year old banjo player and singer from Creston, told the Bozeman Chronicle, “You register your car Read More…
A Missoula company is fed to the “sharks.” TOMIS takes home the winning prize at the Montana made “Shark-Tank” business plan competition. Tourism is one of Montana’s leading industry. In 2016, non-resident visitors spent $3.5 billion. According to one Missoula company, more of that money could go directly into the pockets of local tourism businesses if they Read More…