This week we reached our transmittal break, marking the halfway point of the 68th Legislature. Probably the most-discussed legislation so far is our tax relief package, which we refer to as the “8 pack.” We’ve also passed a number of technology-focused privacy bills, dozens upon dozens of red tape relief bills, and several bills to Read More…
South Dakota legislators and Governor Kristi Noem are engaged in a back and forth contest over tax cuts. The Governor is pushing for the elimination of state’s portion of the sales tax on groceries (4.5%), while lawmakers have backed a cut in the overall sales tax rate from 4.5% to 4.2%. House Majority Leader Will Mortenson of Pierre Read More…
North Dakota Representative Kelly Armstrong is in Bismarck to talk about the work he is doing in Washington, D.C. Armstrong addressing both the North Dakota Senate and House. He told state lawmakers about four new bills just introduced in the U.S. House including an online notary bill and Pick Sloan Irrigation bill which gives farmers Read More…
A bill introduced at the legislature about bicycles and horses might soon make a small but significant difference for some people in North Dakota. As the law currently stands, bicycles and horses are considered vehicles in North Dakota state law. House Bill 1506 would change that. Although that might not seem like a big deal, Read More…
Jaron Fry is one of Wyoming Department of Transportation’s snow plow drivers, but he used to be a truck driver in a former life. As he was working 12-hour shifts to plow roads in the Evanston area, his eye wandered often to all of the stranded truck drivers. He knew exactly how they were feeling. Truck Read More…
U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development in Montana and Wheatland Memorial Healthcare are pleased to announce that the USDA will invest more than $19 million to build a new health care facility in Harlowton. “Everyone deserves quality, accessible health care, no matter where they live, which is why it is critical that we invest in Read More…
The Montana Highway Patrol trooper who was run over by a suspect’s vehicle following a pursuit near Eureka is headed out of state to continue his recovery. Trooper Lewis Johnson was seriously injured on Feb. 16 and was flown by ALERT helicopter to Kalispell’s Logan Health to receive life-saving care. He suffered multiple critical injuries, Read More…
A bill that would outright ban TikTok in Montana cleared its first significant hurdle. Senate Bill 419, sponsored by State Sen. Shelley Vance (R-Belgrade), cleared the Senate Business, Labor and Economic Affairs Committee on a 7-3 vote on Monday morning following its initial hearing. The legislation, which will now head to the Senate floor, would prohibit internet service Read More…
Yellowstone County Commissioners are taking steps to improve the election process. The changes come after some expressed concerns during last year’s election, including just how long it took to receive the results. Commissioners and the election administrator addressed some of those questions on Monday. The county has a plan to hire some more people to Read More…
The owner of the Taco Time on Main Street is looking for someone to buy the property due to declining sales. The Taco Time, first opened to great success in 1975 performed well during the pandemic with their drive-thru. But since the pandemic began winding down last year, so have their sales, said owner Steve Adams. Adams believes a lot Read More…
The University of Providence announced a partnership with Montana’s first medical school — Touro University of Osteopathic Medicine in Great Falls. The agreement with Touro will allow UP to offer students a Biology degree with a Health Professions concentration. Students enrolled in the program will be guaranteed an admissions interview (if GPA requirements are met) Read More…
A proposed Wyoming law geared toward making fewer sex offenders able to get their names off the sex offender registry died in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday after lawmakers said the bill’s language confused, rather than clarified, the issue. Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, said he wants to resurrect a better version of Read More…
It’s good to have peace of mind knowing that where you live is a safe environment for you, your family, friends, and neighbors. Living in the Peace Garden State should offer some reassurance, so let’s take a look at the ten cities that are considered the safest in North Dakota thanks to some research done Read More…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced Jackie Byam as the Wyoming State Conservationist. She will begin serving in this position on Feb. 26. Byam follows Astrid Martinez, who served as Wyoming State Conservationist for 10 years. Martinez accepted a new position within NRCS on July 18, 2022. READ THE FULL Read More…
The United States Geological Survey is reporting that two 3.5 magnitude earthquakes or greater have occurred in Wyoming since Saturday. One occurred in the Jackson area and the other around Ten Sleep. A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded at 6:22 p.m. on Saturday about 19 miles east-northeast of Jackson and 3.5 miles from Kelly. So Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen says violent crime and drug trafficking is skyrocketing in the state. In an interview, Knudsen says a weak U.S. southern border is sending deadlier drugs to Montana. They’re the center of many other crime problems, and officers need to be able to keep up. “Drug use is up in Montana, Read More…
Property taxes have been a big concern for many Montanans in recent years — and they’re largely determined at the local level, not the state level. Now, a bill has been proposed that seeks to address the growth in local taxes by putting limits on how much large cities and counties can increase their total Read More…
Voters in Roosevelt County elected a new county attorney last November, but less than three months later he’s already being removed from office. It turns out, Frank Piocos doesn’t actually live in the county. A private citizen had to make the discovery. READ THE FULL STORY:https://www.kxlh.com/news/local-news/roosevelt-county-attorney-forced-to-leave-office-because-he-doesnt-live-there
President Biden might want to pretend the fentanyl crisis and other tragedies aren’t happening When President Joe Biden delivers his annual message to Congress Tuesday, we have little doubt that he will once again proclaim—as he has the past two years—that “the state of the Union is strong.” But that is far from the truth. Read More…
Is George Washington’s birthday the same as Presidents’ Day? Which Presidents do we celebrate on Presidents’ Day? When was Washington’s actual birthday? Get answers to these common questions about Presidents’ Day. When Is Presidents’ Day? Presidents’ Day is observed annually on the third Monday in February. In 2024, Presidents’ Day will be celebrated on Monday, February 19. Is This Read More…
North Dakota lawmakers will return to Bismarck next week to prepare for the 2023 Legislature, where they will lobby for prime committee assignments and get briefings on legislative procedures and ethics. The three-day organizational session that begins Monday also includes such mundane work for lawmakers as filling out paperwork and desk selection, where seats are Read More…
Wyoming continues to make advances in female political representation, adding four more women to the Legislature this election cycle. Twenty out of 93 legislators who will serve constituents in the upcoming general session will be women, including eight women who were elected to their first term. Yet, as many celebrated the incoming additions to the Read More…
North Dakota will get a share in a settlement with Google over its location tracking practices. Forty states will split more than $390 million, and North Dakota’s share will be $4.1 million. Attorney General Drew Wrigley says it’s the largest multistate attorney general privacy settlement in U.S. history. The settlement requires Google to be more Read More…
Titus Swen, the University of Wyoming’s starting running back, has been dismissed from the team for what the university says are “violations of team rules.” The junior from Fort Worth, Texas, had been a workhorse for the Cowboys’ offense, rushing for 1,039 yards through 12 games this season, helping UW to a 7-5 record. His Read More…
Though he’s submitted the paperwork to run for governor of Indiana, Republican Sen. Mike Braun assured reporters Wednesday that he’s not leaving Capitol Hill just yet. “I’m going to robustly finish out the two years as a senator,” the freshman lawmaker said of his commitment to serving out the remainder of his first term. He Read More…
President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledged to give Native Americans a stronger voice in federal affairs, promising at the first in-person summit on tribal affairs in six years that he will bolster tribal consultations, inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in decision-making and funding for communities struggling with the impacts of climate change. Biden spoke on the Read More…
Wil Wilkins of Ravalli County, Mont., acknowledges he’s a bit of a throwback. Growing up in West Virginia, he says his mother used to tell him, “You was born a hundred years too late, boy.” It’s an apt description of this self-described “mountain man.” Wilkins is a dedicated practitioner of traditional crafts such as stone Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is concerned shipping companies FedEx and UPS are tracking gun purchases made by Americans, and that those companies are possibly sharing that information with federal authorities. In a press release on Tuesday, Knudsen called upon the shipping companies to “clarify” their new policies, which allow them to track sales of firearms “with Read More…
The Montana state health department has expanded its contract with a private consulting group hired to oversee the struggling Montana State Hospital and other public health care facilities. The price tag for the amended contract with Alvarez & Marsal LLC, slated to conclude in September 2023, has also swelled to nearly $7 million dollars, up Read More…
Sandra Merchant will be the new Clerk & Recorder for Cascade County, after a recount that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday confirmed the results of the November 8, 2022, election. Merchant defeated incumbent Rina Fontana Moore by 36 votes. Joe Briggs, chair of the Cascade County Board of Commissioners, said on Tuesday that the recount Read More…
A California man admitted to trafficking methamphetamine after law enforcement officials found roughly a pound of methamphetamine in his vehicle during a traffic stop in Livingston. Michael Romie Cervantes, 48, of Fresno, California, was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. According to court documents, a Montana Highway Patrol Read More…
When tragedy strikes and a Native American is murdered or disappears on one of the 324 federally recognized reservations across the country, the majority of these cases are within federal jurisdiction, requiring federal law enforcement to investigate. And statistics show these communities see a disproportionate amount of violence and missing persons cases. More than 82% of American Read More…
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has identified a human skull found 18 years ago south of Red Lodge as a Wisconsin man, and detectives have opened up a case to find his killer. Rogers “Roger” Lee Ellis left his home in Wisconsin in 1976 after he was facing legal problems related to an arrest for Read More…
It’s election season, also known as the season of misleading information. A prime example is what appears to be Montana Democrats’ main talking point on legislative races: “If the Republicans can flip just two more legislative seats, they’re coming after the Constitution.” What the Democrats fail to mention is that the legislature cannot change Montana’s Read More…
As a native Montanan having grown up on a farm in north central Montana, I appreciate honesty, integrity and down to earth qualities in an individual. That is why I support Randy Chamberlin for SD 32. Randy and I initially crossed paths about 15 years ago as a result of a business relationship. Our rapport Read More…
LAUREL – It was an opportunity to try something wild and crazy. That’s what a Laurel blacksmith said about the History Channel show, “Forged In Fire: Gladiators of the Forge.” John Lockie’s passion and knowledge of blacksmith skills transferred over well to showing his talents in the timed competition. “It’s a hobby run amok,” said Read More…
Preliminary reports from the Montana Secretary of State’s office show voters won’t see any citizen-sponsored initiatives on the ballot this November. All four qualified measures failed to garner the signatures needed to make an appearance. The failed measure that received the most signatures would have capped property tax hikes at 2%, while another sought to Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte today announced that Montana exceeded his goal for adding good-paying jobs to the economy in 2021, which he set at the beginning of last year. Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) data show the state added just under 13,000 jobs paying over $50,000 in 2021, easily surpassing the governor’s goal of Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 16 other state attorneys general joined a lawsuit today against the Biden administration’s rules that threaten the long-held American tradition of private firearms assembly and put the livelihood of thousands of Americans at risk. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rulemaking would regulate unfinished, non-functional firearm parts Read More…
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is suing the Biden administration over claims it is ignoring immigration law that requires the federal government to arrest, detain and deport foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally. The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration’s immigration policy exceeds the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, is arbitrary and capricious, Read More…