HELENA — A judge in Helena has dismissed the lawsuit brought by state Rep. Zooey Zephyr challenging the constitutionality of disciplinary actions taken by legislative Republicans against her during the recent session. District Court Judge Mike Menahan deemed the lawsuit moot, stating that Zephyr’s disciplinary measures ceased with the conclusion of the session. In April, Read More…
Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court and a pivotal swing voter in major court cases, passed away at the age of 93 on Friday in Phoenix. The court revealed in a statement that she succumbed to complications linked to advanced dementia, likely Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory ailment. Read More…
This week, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen formally responded to a complaint alleging professional misconduct, characterizing it as “highly irregular” and defending his actions in the dispute between the Montana Legislature and the state Supreme Court. In a 50-page response submitted on Monday to the state Commission on Practice by lawyers representing Knudsen, both private Read More…
Cory Swanson, the Broadwater County Attorney and Army veteran, officially declared his candidacy for the Montana Supreme Court this week, initiating a competition with former magistrate judge and liberal trial lawyer Jerry Lynch for the position of chief justice. In a campaign announcement on the Montana Talks radio show, Swanson emphasized the importance of fairness Read More…
BOZEMAN — An online auction to support Montana 4-H will be available through Dec. 4, according to the Montana 4-H Foundation. More than 50 lots are up for bid in the Montana 4-H Emerald Auction. Items donated by supporters and county councils include a collection of 4-H clover emblems, woodworking, jewelry, leatherwork and vacation getaways, according to Read More…
The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Montana State University will host a presentation, “New Directions: County and City Leaders Look Forward to 2024,” during its monthly Friday Forum on Dec. 8 via Zoom. The event will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public. U.S. census data shows that Read More…
Montana PBS received recognition from the National Educational Telecommunications Association for its outstanding contributions to public media during the 55th Annual Public Media Awards Gala. The event took place earlier this fall at the 2023 NETA Conference and CPB Public Media Thought Leader Forum. The accolades were bestowed upon Montana PBS Director of Education, Nikki Read More…
GREENOUGH — On Monday, November 27, 2023, Governor Greg Gianforte journeyed from Helena to Greenough to partake in the felling of the 2023 State Capitol Christmas tree. The governor ventured into the woods, reaching the designated site within the Montana Department of Natural Resources & Conservation (DNRC) trust lands, where the ideal tree was selected Read More…
HELENA — Montana legislators are poised to make a pivotal decision regarding the convening of a special session early next year to address tax-related matters, notably the resolution of a property tax dispute by the state Supreme Court. The Montana Freedom Caucus, comprising fervently conservative Republican lawmakers, formally requested a special session on January 15, Read More…
In a report released last week, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) confirmed that Montana’s outdoor recreation industry continues to play a significant role in the state’s economy. According to the 2022 report detailing the industry’s economic impact, outdoor recreation contributed to 4.3% of Montana’s gross domestic product (GDP) last year. While this represents Read More…
WASHINGTON — Hunter Biden extended an offer on Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress in response to a subpoena from Republicans delving into various aspects of his business dealings amid their pursuit of an impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden. Characterizing the investigation as a “fishing expedition,” the son of the Democratic president Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte visited Billings to engage with veterans, business owners, legislators, and advocates in a discussion centered around the benefits of Senate Bill 104. The bill, set to take effect on January 1, will allow veterans to exempt up to 50 percent of their military retirement pay from state income tax. The governor emphasized Read More…
In a groundbreaking verdict that has sent shockwaves through gun control circles, a U.S. District Court judge in California made a bold stand for Second Amendment rights. What’s more, in the process, he served a scorching rebuke to “Firearms Expert” Ryan Busse, a senior advisor for the Giffords gun control organization and candidate for Montana’s Read More…
The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks Department reports that Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota-South Dakota border is the latest body of water infested with zebra mussels. Game & Fish Communications Manager Nick Harrington says effective education and outreach is key for slowing the spread of aquatic invasive species, and the department’s Zebra Mussel Read More…
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department has confirmed the presence of chronic wasting disease, or CWD, in Wyoming’s Deer Hunt Area 154. The disease was detected in a hunter-harvested buck mule deer in September. Deer Hunt Area 154 is in the Jackson Region and is bordered by three areas in which CWD was previously detected Read More…
The most pressing political challenge confronting President Joe Biden as he drifts uncontested toward renomination is that which he can do the least about: voters’ profound misgivings about his age and fitness to serve another full term. Yet what’s striking, and to his allies increasingly unnerving, is Biden’s unwillingness even to try to fully address Read More…
A veteran and active-duty gym called the Adaptive Performance Center (APC) has been awarded the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant through the Veteran’s Administration (VA). This is the second time APC has received the grant since they first opened their Helena location less than a year ago which will help to expand Read More…
Montana saw more than $160 million in spending during the 2020 U.S. Senate race, and with more than a year to go until the 2024 Senate election, it appears the state is again on track for a race with huge amounts of money raised. The campaigns of U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Republican candidate Tim Sheehy Read More…
The Kalispell Public Schools (KPS) Board of Trustees will consider applications for one or more charter schools to be opened within the district at its Oct. 24 meeting. If approved by the board, the applications will head to the Montana Board of Public Education, where they will be approved or denied by early 2024. At Read More…
TikTok’s lawsuit against Montana over the state’s recent ban will be in court starting Thursday, October 12, 2023. The lawsuit argues the law banning the social media app violates the First Amendment, violates the U.S. Constitution in several other regards and is preempted by federal law. Governor Greg Gianforte signed the TikTok ban May 17 and Read More…
Residents from a neighborhood in the Billings Heights are upset about damages caused in their yards due to construction contracted by TDS Fiber. The construction leaves massive holes in front lawns of many in the area. These holes are where the Wisconsin-based company will lay brand new fiber optic internet cables underground. Heights resident Kristi Read More…
Helena, MT – Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Christopher Abbott has issued a temporary restraining order that temporarily blocks a law scheduled to take effect on October 1st. This law would have mandated that abortion clinics in Montana obtain licenses to operate. The restraining order stems from the fact that the state has Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte made a visit to the newly expanded Alpha Loading Systems Facility in Stevensville, Montana. The governor’s visit came in response to the recent expansion of the company’s operations, driven by the increased demand for its American-made machinery and ammunition. This development underscores the vital role that small businesses play in Montana’s economy, Read More…
A new story from NBC news outlines how Senator Jon Tester’s public image as an ethics crusader doesn’t align with the reality of his 16 years in office. From NBC: “Despite his push for lobbying reform, Tester over the years has ranked among the Senate’s top recipients of campaign cash from lobbyists, according to OpenSecrets, Read More…
A new report from CNN has found that Senator Jon Tester failed to follow through on the ethics pledge he made the center of his 2006 campaign against incumbent Conrad Burns. From the CNN report: “I’ll end secret meetings with lobbyists. At the end of every business day, I will post a list of every Read More…
Democrats are using a new super PAC to meddle in the Montana GOP Senate primary and stop former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy from emerging as the nominee, campaign finance disclosures suggest. The new group, Last Best Place PAC, registered with the Federal Election Commission last week and placed a six-figure ad buy attacking Sheehy’s business career, describing Read More…
As Mitt Romney‘s cell phone started ringing incessantly in the minutes following his Wednesday retirement announcement, he silenced it and lamented during an interview that President Joe Biden shouldn’t run for reelection. Just five minutes after Romney said that, he got a phone call that he couldn’t ignore: It was Biden. “There are certain calls you Read More…
Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue helped a hiker experiencing a medical emergency near Big Sky Thursday afternoon. Gallatin County 911 received a call of a hiker concerned of experiencing a heart attack, along with dizziness and sweatiness, on Ousel Falls Trail. Volunteers from the Big Sky Section, Big Sky Fire Department and a Gallatin Read More…
As of now, the top three candidates for Billings City Council Ward 3 are: Danny Choriki with 1,091 votes (26.83%) Charles W. Loveridge with 1,294 votes (31.82%) Bill Kennedy with 1,331 votes (32.73%) The top two candidates will progress to the general election on November 7th. Current voter numbers are as follows: -Registered Voters – Total 14,180 Read More…
The TEACH Act, or Tomorrow’s Educators Are Coming Home Act, was signed into law in 2021 by Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte. Today, backers say it’s making a dent in the teacher shortage by providing incentives and loosening licensing requirements. On Tuesday, Gianforte visited Lockwood High School to meet two new teachers, who were hired through the TEACH Act. Read More…
There is a huge difference between true caring and indignant self-righteousness, a fact that the mayors of many sanctuary cities are now learning. It’s one thing to climb up on your soap box and declare that immigration makes communities stronger when you have no idea what you’re talking about. The truth is that these cities Read More…
Of course, we all hope that the outcome of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial will turn on the merits of the case. But even as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has said, this is a political trial and the jurors are politicians, so there can be no illusion that the political calculus will not Read More…
A recent study found that using social media was unrelated to long-term mental health problems in Norwegian youth. One well-intentioned scholar suggested that doomsayers proclaiming that social media is causing suicide and other mental health problems in youth would need to “reckon” with this new study. To which I replied, in effect, they would do no such thing. As Read More…
The early conventional wisdom appears to be that Sen. Ted Cruz is in solid shape for reelection in 2024. Cook’s Political Report rates the race as “Likely R,” as does Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball. Inside Elections is more circumspect, labeling the race as a “battleground,” although Inside Elections currently only labels races as “safe” or Read More…
No harmful levels of carcinogenic PCBs were found inside the missile launch facilities at F.E. Warren Air Force base in Wyoming, the service said Tuesday, as it looks for possible causes for cancers being reported among its nuclear missile community. F.E. Warren is among three nuclear bases the Air Force is investigating. Earlier this month the Air Read More…
A new state law that bans the social media app TikTok from operating in Montana is set to take effect Jan. 1 – but before that, a federal judge will have to consider whether to put the law on hold. On Friday, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office filed their response to a federal lawsuit Read More…
Montana Technological University is starting off the school year by introducing a new degree program: construction management. The new program will be under the School of Mines and Engineering and will take a multifaceted approach to construction management. Students will take courses in many different subject areas, including operational safety and health, mining, civil engineering, business communication and Read More…
Atlantic Richfield Company and ARCO Environmental Remediation (collectively known as Atlantic Richfield) have agreed to the cleanup of community soils – including both residential and non-residential yards and soil affected by the refinery’s operations – at the ACM Smelter and Refinery Superfund Site in Black Eagle, Montana. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in Read More…
Reactions to a new documentary on how the federal government and environmental groups deny that offshore wind is killing whales reflects a problem some residents in Wyoming say is happening with wind projects in the Cowboy State. “Many wanted to believe we could consume more and more energy, and renewable energy was all green. Nothing Read More…
A Browning man who was convicted by a jury of raping a girl in Browning, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, was sentenced on Aug. 15 to eight years and four months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today. After a two-day trial in March, the Read More…