KALISPELL, Mont. – Negotiations are on the table between the nurses’ union and hospital administration. However, a separate group’s formed and is looking to end the nurses’ relationship with its current union, SEIU Healthcare 1199NW. The group, formed on Facebook, is called Nurses and Community Unite. As of now, the Facebook group has 101 members. On June 1, they Read More…
Montana will be getting a second seat in Congress. The lines for the two new districts will soon be drawn. On top of that, the lines for state legislative districts will also be drawn. The big battles on both of those fronts have not really yet begun, but some of the battle lines are now being Read More…
Biogen on Tuesday faced tough questions from Wall Street analysts over the $56,000 annual cost of its newly approved Alzheimer’s drug, Aduhelm – a price tag executives are calling “fair” and “responsible.” Shares of Biogen surged 38% on Monday after the FDA announced it approved the company’s drug, scientifically known as aducanumab. It is the first medication cleared by Read More…
Federal prison inmates are keeping large sums of money — in some cases more than $100,000 each — in government-run deposit accounts effectively shielded from court orders for things like child support, alimony or other debts, and not subject to the same scrutiny as accounts owned by non-incarcerated citizens, according to court documents and interviews. Read More…
With each new school year, fresh checks for tuition and fees streamed into the principal’s office at St. James Catholic School in Torrance, Calif. But for 10 years, those checks, along with donations, scarcely made it to the school’s bank account. Instead, the school’s principal, Sister Mary Margaret Kreuper, 79, was stealing the money and Read More…
First son Hunter Biden repeatedly called his white attorney the N-word in a pair of bizarre and occasionally lewd text conversations late in 2018 and early 2019, according to newly unearthed messages. In an exchange on Dec. 13, 2018, taken from Hunter’s abandoned laptop and first reported by DailyMail.com, the younger Biden asked Chicago-based corporate attorney George Read More…
Corrected 12:08 P.M. | Two key senators want travel records of Supreme Court justices as part of a broader congressional look at financial disclosure standards for the receipt of gifts, travel and other financial gains by senior government officials. Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy asked the Justice Department and the U.S. Marshals Service Read More…
WASHINGTON — New focus groups conducted by a prominent Democratic pollster warn that many voters “have trouble describing a clear positive vision of what the Democratic Party stands for.” The study of swing voters and liberal “surge” voters in competitive districts, led by Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners and requested by the Congressional Progressive Read More…
A freshly transplanted barbecue pitmaster is on the verge of opening a new Boise restaurant. Neighbor Tim’s BBQ is preparing to launch in a small space at 7802 W. Goddard Road, across from Capital High School. Hungry Idahoans can watch the business’ Facebook page for updates on the opening date: “Very, very soon,” Neighbor Tim’s proclaimed in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Country Billboard-charting artist Stephanie Quayle is returning to her home state of Montana and raising funds for a new safe house for human trafficking victims. Quayle is releasing new music this year and about to start touring again. The Bozeman native has been recording in Nashville for 10 years and has performed at Read More…
Researchers at Montana State University discovered a variant that originated in Bozeman early in the pandemic. The Bozeman variant, a strain that actually weakened the effectiveness of the virus, was found by postdoctoral researchers Anna Nemudraia and Artem Nemudryi. The pair published a study on their findings last month in the journal Cell Reports Read More…
BILLINGS — Evacuated residents from a section of the Billings North Side were allowed to return to their homes around 6 p.m. Sunday after water depths in the canal located north of the homes lowered to a safe level. Local officials held a press conference Sunday afternoon to update the community after water overflowed from the Read More…
HELENA — The Helena City Commission is slated to hear two proposals at their June 7 meeting that would significantly change restrictions on open containers of alcohol. Two options are being presented Monday evening. The first would completely repeal all open container restrictions in city limits. The second would keep the current ordinance intact but would create an exception Read More…
Former President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will go on a “history tour” to discuss his presidency for paying customers at arenas in Florida and Texas in December. Mr. Trump will attend four events with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly in a series of live discussions to address “exactly how things were accomplished, as well as challenges, both good and bad,” Read More…
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. regulators OK first new Alzheimer’s drug in nearly 20 years, against the advice of their own outside experts. READ FULL STORY
Lee en español On Sunday, the largest elections in the history of México will be held. But this electoral process has been tainted by the murder of at least 91 politicians — 36 of them candidates and aspiring candidates — from different parties, taking place since campaigning began in September 2020. These homicides make this election the second most Read More…
Democratic congresswoman Marie Newman (Ill.) promised a six-figure, taxpayer-funded job to a local activist that he says was a bribe to keep him out of a tight primary race—an apparent violation of federal law. Columbia College Chicago adjunct professor and Palestinian activist Iymen Chehade sued Newman in January for breach of contract. Included in the Read More…
Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said he received “death threats” from other scientists for broaching the possibility that Covid-19 leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The former CDC director said the threats came after a March 26 CNN interview, when he told the network, “I am of the point of Read More…
To hear some politicians and commentators tell it, this will be a banner weekend for global tax policy. And you know what that means, dear reader: Hang onto your purses and wallets. The danger to personal tax bills may not be immediately apparent because the current discussion concerns corporate taxation. Finance ministers from the Group Read More…
NAMPA, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) —Transgender Democrat Melissa Sue Robinson announced on Tuesday her candidacy for governor of Idaho. Robinson says she’s running to help save the educational system in Idaho and fight fascism that has been “brought forward by Lt Governor, Janice McGeachin, Rep. Barbara Ehardt, The Idaho Freedom Foundation, Wayne Hoffman, and other far-right-wing Republicans.” Read More…
CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon and Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) welcomed news that the Federal Reserve has announced the opening of a comment period for proposed “Account Access Guidelines for the Reserve Banks.” In a press release, Gordon and Lummis said this is “a critical step towards approval of Wyoming-chartered special purpose depository institutions (SPDIs).” READ FULL STORY
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has formed a federal political action committee, indicating her growing fundraising prowess and national ambitions. The Republican has insisted she is focused on getting reelected as governor next year, but her nationwide fundraising network has fueled speculation she could be eyeing a 2024 presidential bid. Last week, her campaign registered a Read More…
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Idaho Power is asking to increase two rate adjustments with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. If approved, the average monthly bill could increase by $2.71 for a homeowner using 950-kilowatt hours per month, the power company said Wednesday. Here’s what Idaho Power says is the reasoning behind the request. READ FULL STORY
Wyoming is partnering with tech mogul’s Bill Gates nuclear power company to build the state’s first Natrium advanced nuclear reactor power plant. The state’s partnership with the firm founded by Gates, TerraPower, and Washington state power firm Pacificorp was announced Wednesday in an event hosted by Gov. Mark Gordon, according to Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Read More…
The era of supersonic commercial flights came to an end when the Concorde completed its last trip between New York and London in 2003, but the allure of ultrafast air travel never quite died out. President Biden mused about supersonic flights when discussing his infrastructure plan in April. And on Thursday, United Airlines said it was ordering 15 Read More…
Roby Burch didn’t intend to develop a grill and start a company selling them. He just wanted to drink some beers with friends, eat good food and have a grill he could take on outdoor excursions. When Burch, 26, couldn’t find a grill he wanted — something that was portable and versatile — Read More…
A member of Montana’s House of Representatives resigned his seat late last month to accept an appointment to the Montana Board of Pardons and Parole, even after an attorney for the legislature questioned the constitutionality of the move, a Montana news outlet reported. Republican Rep. Jimmy Patelis of Billings announced May 23 on social media Read More…
There’s two stories taking place with the hospital in Kalispell this week. The first big story is the fact that nurses affiliated with the SEIU union are in the middle of a three day strike. The other big story is that several nurses do not support the SEIU and have now filed a petition to break ties with the Read More…
HELENA — Editor’s note: This is the first of a three-part series on federal Covid-relief funds in Montana – which will top $7 billion. While the 2021 Montana Legislature has left town, one of its biggest projects is just getting under way: The distribution of more than $1.6 billion of federal Covid-relief funds, from the Read More…
HELENA — Former U.S. Interior Secretary and GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke told MTN News on Thursday that he’s running for Congress in Montana in 2022 – in whatever district he lives in, after lines for new districts are drawn in the state. “We’ll see what the (redistricting) commission decides,” he said in an interview. READ Read More…
HELENA — On Tuesday, Lewis & Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton asked the community for assistance as his office began caring for 58 horses seized from a Helena Valley property as part of an animal neglect investigation. On Wednesday, the community responded. At the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, a number of residents began bringing Read More…
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – A U.S. Forest Service smokejumper who fought wildfires in Montana has passed away. According to a release from the U.S. Forest Service, Tim Hart died from his injuries he received while battling a fire in New Mexico. Hart launched his career fighting fires as an engine crew member on the Coconino National Read More…
Kalispell has a new fire chief and for Dan Pearce, it’s a homecoming of sorts. Pearce spent several years in Kalispell, from 1990 to 1999. He worked as a home health care provider with Kalispell Medical Equipment and as a firefighter and paramedic as well as a hazardous materials technician for Flathead County. “I’m happy Read More…
Governor Doug Burgum has signed on to 3 House Bills and 2 Senate Bills. The governor also signed Senate Bill 2030, but vetoed Section 5 of said bill. Senate Bill 2030 is an act to provide an appropriation to the state board of higher education for the higher education challenge matching grant program. Burgum signed the bill Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. – In 1941, the land about nine miles west of Casper looked like most of the areas outside of city limits – miles of flat , wind-swept prairie covered in sage, migrating antelope and numerous other small critters. That changed with breakneck speed the following year, when the United States Army Airforce commissioned Read More…
ATLANTA (SBG) — A small business advocacy organization filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Major League Baseball, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, the Major League Baseball Players Association and executive director Tony Clark. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by the Job Creators Network. READ FULL STORY
HELENA — The Gianforte administration has directed state agencies to bring at least 50 percent of their employees back to the office by June 14 and says no new “telework” agreements will be granted for now. The directive, issued late last Friday, was described as “Stage Two” of the administration’s plan to return state workers Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Less than three months after hearing the case, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that tribal police officers are able to stop and search non-Natives on tribal lands on suspicion of a violation of state or federal law. Justice Stephen Breyer delivered the opinion of the court. Breyer said allowing a tribal police officer to Read More…
MISSOULA — Former Montana Griz football standout Jesse Sims passed away on Saturday morning after an accident involving an ATV near Clearwater. Sims was 24. Montana Highway Patrol trooper Mary Strumpfer said she was dispatched to an accident at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday near mile marker 31 just off the north side of Highway 200. Read More…
Two legislators are asking North Dakota’s Health Department to end phone calls to residents that inform them of how and where to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The state health officer in a response said immunization reminders are routine, callers are state-employed and trained on federal privacy law, and people can opt out of state-issued Read More…