Shareholders of both NorthWestern Energy and Black Hills Corp. have voted to approve a proposed all-stock merger that would combine the two regional utilities into a new company called Bright Horizon Energy Corporation, the companies announced Thursday. The votes were cast at special shareholder meetings held earlier in the day and mark a major step Read More…
A Montana Republican state representative, Llew Jones, received more than $4 million in low-interest federal loans through a program he helped create and sat on the commission formed to oversee — raising questions about conflicts of interest and possible violations of the program’s own lending caps, according to a report by Yellowstone County News. Rep. Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. LNG exports hit record-high 11.7 million metric tons in March as new plants in Texas ramped up production while supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East drove global gas prices sharply higher, according to preliminary LSEG data. Asian benchmark LNG prices spiked above $22 per million Btu Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell demanding she reverse a policy that refuses to recognize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as a criminal justice agency entitled to receive confidential criminal justice information, giving her until Monday, April 6, to comply or face state action. The dispute Read More…
More than 800 FFA members from 27 eastern South Dakota schools gathered in Huron recently for the annual Heartland Classic Career Development Event at the DEX, with NorthWestern Energy among the community partners supporting the day’s competitions and activities. Hosted by the Wolsey-Wessington FFA Chapter, the event gave students the chance to compete in a Read More…
The White House on Friday celebrated a stronger-than-expected March jobs report, saying the numbers validated President Trump’s economic agenda and signaled accelerating momentum heading into the second quarter of 2026. The economy added 178,000 jobs in March, nearly triple what economists had forecast, according to the Labor Department. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.3% while Read More…
SpaceX, the private rocket and satellite company founded by Elon Musk, has filed confidentially for an initial public offering that could value the company at approximately $1.75 trillion — a figure that would make it the largest IPO in U.S. history if it moves forward at that valuation. The filing, which allows companies to submit Read More…
(The Center Square) – Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia announced Friday they’re suing to block President Donald Trump’s recent executive order regulating mail-in and absentee ballots. The suit was slated to be filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. A copy of the lawsuit wasn’t available as Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced Thursday that fentanyl seizures in the state dropped sharply in 2025, falling 70 percent from the prior year and nearly 80 percent from the all-time high recorded in 2023 — though the decline in seized supply came alongside a troubling rise in fentanyl-linked deaths. Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Read More…
The U.S. economy added 178,000 jobs in March, the Labor Department reported Friday, a figure that surpassed expectations and came in roughly triple some earlier forecasts, signaling continued resilience in the nation’s labor market as geopolitical tensions mount abroad. The unemployment rate dipped to 4.3%, while wage growth moderated slightly from previous months — a Read More…
(The Center Square) – Advocates are calling for justices on the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify federal laws regarding climate change lawsuits. The Maryland Supreme Court on Tuesday blocked a lawsuit from Baltimore, Annapolis and Anne Arundel County seeking large damages from fossil fuel companies. The government entities claimed the companies misled the public in Read More…
For most of my career in public education, school choice was treated as a partisan issue. I served more than two decades as a public school teacher and school leader. During that time, I sat across the table from dozens of families whose children were struggling in the traditional school environment. Sometimes the issue was Read More…
The White House on Thursday pointed to new Census Bureau estimates showing a sharp slowdown in international migration across the country, casting the data as evidence that President Donald Trump’s border and immigration policies are having a major impact. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, every metropolitan area in the country recorded lower immigration rates Read More…
South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has signed five bills into law aimed at supporting agriculture and rural communities, including a measure to expand broadband infrastructure in underserved areas. Among the bills signed was House Bill 1048, which provides an appropriation for the expansion of broadband access, a priority Rhoden said is critical to strengthening opportunities Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen praised the Helena City Commission after it voted Thursday night to rescind its immigration resolution, calling the move the right step to keep the community safe. “The commissioners made the right decision voting to keep the Helena community safe,” Knudsen said in a statement. “This resolution should never have been passed Read More…
The president on Thursday signed into law three measures authorizing the awarding of the Medal of Honor to U.S. service members for acts of valor in combat. Among the bills signed was H.R. 3377, which authorizes the president to award the Medal of Honor to James Capers Jr. for his actions while serving in the Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is urging swift confirmation of Katie Lane to the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana, calling her a principled, Montana-rooted attorney who would bring integrity and constitutional focus to the federal bench. Lane, a Bozeman native and nominee of Donald Trump, appeared this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee Read More…
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador has joined a coalition of 24 states in urging a federal appeals court to block a lower court order that could expand access to gender transition surgeries for prison inmates. The coalition, led alongside Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Court of Read More…
U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy has introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to cutting-edge medical treatments for veterans, particularly those suffering from mental health conditions such as PTSD and depression. The proposal, known as the Veterans Health Administration Novel Therapeutics Preparedness Act, seeks to ensure the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is equipped to evaluate Read More…
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte toured two Flathead Valley firearms manufacturers this week, promoting the state’s growing role as a hub for firearms and ammunition production and emphasizing support for Second Amendment-related businesses. During stops in Kalispell, Gianforte visited Invader Concepts and FALKOR Defense, two Montana-based companies producing firearm accessories and precision weapons systems, respectively. “Across Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon has decided not to move forward with the removal of Hot Springs County Commissioners Paul Galovich and Robert Aguiar after reviewing a complaint filed by county electors and information gathered through investigations by both the governor’s office and the Wyoming Attorney General. The complaint, filed Sept. 10, 2025, by six qualified Read More…
“What is conservatism?” asked President Abraham Lincoln. “Is it not adherence to the old and the tried, against the new and the untried?” Defining conservatism is not an easy task. Even before the election of President Donald Trump, fierce debates existed within the conservative movement. President Trump’s rise has intensified those debates over what it Read More…
America’s small business owners pulled back slightly on their optimism in February, according to the latest data from the National Federation of Independent Business, with the group’s Small Business Optimism Index dipping to 98.8 — a modest retreat that nonetheless offered some encouraging signs beneath the headline number. The reading, which fell below the index’s Read More…
While Wall Street has been gripped by a broad selloff in 2026, one corner of the market has been quietly — and in some cases loudly — thriving. Energy stocks have emerged as the standout performers of the year, riding a wave of elevated oil prices, geopolitical tension, and a flight to safety that has Read More…
Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson issued a stark warning this week about the economic risks posed by surging energy prices, telling audiences that a sustained rise in oil and gas costs could simultaneously stoke inflation and drag on economic growth — a combination that would put the central bank in an increasingly difficult position. Read More…
Bank of America has agreed to pay $72.5 million to settle a federal class-action lawsuit accusing the bank of helping facilitate Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation — becoming the latest major financial institution to face accountability for its ties to the disgraced financier. Details of the settlement were presented Friday to U.S. District Judge Jed Read More…
It has been one of the most jarring weeks in recent memory for Micron Technology (Nasdaq: MU) shareholders — a story of blockbuster results overshadowed by a perfect storm of bad news. Micron released its fiscal second-quarter results on March 18, and they were nothing short of spectacular. Revenue nearly tripled year-over-year to $23.9 billion, Read More…
Microsoft is taking over a major AI data center expansion project in Abilene, Texas, after OpenAI decided not to move forward with the additional buildout, signaling a continued shift as the two companies increasingly pursue separate strategies in artificial intelligence infrastructure. Developer Crusoe said it is now working with Microsoft to construct two new “AI Read More…
Authorities have identified human remains discovered earlier this month in a South Side Billings yard as those of a man who had been missing since 2021. Yellowstone County Deputy Coroner Valerie Juhl confirmed the remains found March 19 at a residence on 4th Avenue South belong to Ronald Lander, a 56-year-old man who had been Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce has awarded $100,000 in Tribal Tourism Grant funding to two tribal governments to support tourism infrastructure improvements and economic development efforts. According to Commerce officials, the funding is part of the state’s Tribal Tourism Grant Program, which supports projects aimed at strengthening local tourism assets and expanding economic opportunities in Read More…
President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at prohibiting what the administration describes as discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices among federal contractors and subcontractors. The order requires federal contracts governed by the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act to include provisions banning contractors from engaging in racially discriminatory DEI activities. Read More…
The Financial Stability Oversight Council voted unanimously this week to release proposed interpretive guidance for public comment on how it designates nonbank financial companies as potential threats to U.S. financial stability. The proposal would restore several elements of the council’s 2019 framework while adding new provisions tied to economic growth, economic security, and transparency in Read More…
he White House has launched a new official mobile app aimed at giving Americans direct, real-time access to updates from President Donald Trump and his administration. According to the White House, the app is designed to provide users with breaking news alerts, live streams of speeches and briefings, a media library of videos and photos, Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced plans to include President Donald Trump’s signature on future U.S. paper currency, marking what officials say will be the first time a sitting president’s signature appears on American banknotes. The change is being made in recognition of the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary, also known as the Semiquincentennial, with Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has opened applications for the state’s Legacy Investment for Technology, or LIFT, loan program, with submissions due April 23. State officials said the program continues to play a key role in helping North Dakota companies commercialize intellectual property and expand innovation-driven businesses across the state. “We are grateful to Read More…
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons and South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced new coordinated efforts to combat government fraud during a joint press conference Thursday in Sioux Falls. The two offices emphasized a shared commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars, ensuring public funds reach intended recipients, and prosecuting individuals who defraud state, federal, or tribal programs. Read More…
It has been a week of mixed signals for Constellation Energy (Nasdaq: CEG), the nation’s largest nuclear power operator. A string of setbacks — regulatory delays, a major asset sale, a director departure, and a price target cut — weighed on shares even as analysts maintained an overwhelmingly bullish long-term outlook on the Baltimore-based company. Read More…
A federal appeals court has overturned a $16.1 billion judgment against Argentina tied to the nationalization of energy company YPF, delivering a major legal victory for the South American country and its government. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Friday reversed a 2023 ruling that had ordered Argentina to compensate former Read More…
Golfer Tiger Woods was arrested Friday after a rollover crash near his home on Jupiter Island, Florida, in what authorities said was his second DUI-related arrest and at least the fourth high-profile auto incident of his career. According to authorities, Woods showed signs of impairment after his Land Rover struck another vehicle and rolled over. Read More…
The Montana Historical Society is accepting nominations for the 37th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award, which recognizes an outstanding schoolteacher for excellence in teaching Montana history. This year’s award will honor a teacher in grades 7 through 12 who has demonstrated exceptional work teaching Montana history during the 2025-26 school year. Nominations must be submitted Read More…