Amid record low unemployment it’s hard to find employees in Montana, not just the Flathead Valley. Still, the work is ongoing locally to promote strategies that can help businesses keep the employees they already have. Montana’s unemployment rate is the fifth-lowest in the nation, dropping from 2.7% in January to 2.6% in February, according to Read More…
A Montana judge says, after more than 25 years on a federal appeals court, he’s ready for his successor to be chosen. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced Tuesday that Judge Sidney Thomas, of Billings, has announced plans to assume senior status, effective when his replacement takes office. According to a statement from the court, Read More…
Dozens of House Republicans are expected to attend House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s fundraiser for Rep. Liz Cheney’s Wyoming GOP primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, on Wednesday evening in an increasingly bitter contest over fealty by party members to former President Donald Trump. McCarthy and Cheney have had a contentious relationship due to her criticisms of Trump. Tensions rose after Cheney Read More…
President Joe Biden secretly hired the public relations titan who provided “damage control” advice to disgraced Hollywood rapist Harvey Weinstein, raising concern among ethics experts, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Anita Dunn played a leading role in Biden’s presidential campaign, and previously served in the White House as a senior communications adviser before returning to SKDK, her powerhouse political strategy firm, Read More…
Republican state attorneys general are sounding alarms about money management and left-wing bias at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). The flagship organization for top state legal officers controls tens of millions of dollars in settlement funds, which it disperses to support consumer protection training and enforcement. Some Republican attorneys general fear those accounts Read More…
The recent surge in gas prices is fueling operational adjustments across the Flathead Valley business landscape. Donny Stevens, who runs a Columbia Falls trucking company, said his biweekly bill increased by $5,000 from one statement to the next. “It’s affecting us big-time,” Stevens said. READ THE FULL STORY
The Wyoming Legislature completed its redistricting process on March 11. Representatives passed a bill with new legislative maps with less than two hours to go before they’d be in violation of the state’s constitution. The plan creates three new districts — two in the House, one in the Senate — bumping the state’s total to Read More…
Two Native American tribes are suing North Dakota over newly drawn political boundaries they argue illegally dilute votes from indigenous communities. North Dakota’s Turtle Mountain and Spirit Lake tribes filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court last month. It alleges that the map does not comply with section two of the Voting Rights Act. READ Read More…
Grand Teton National Park hosted 3,885,230 recreation visits in 2021, the highest number of recreation visits for one year in the park’s history. Previously, 2018 had the record for the most recreation visits in a year with 3,491,151. Recreation visits in 2021 exceed the 2018 record by 11% and surpassed the 2018 record in September Read More…
State leaders say it no longer makes sense to participate in a federal program intended to provide food assistance for kids who weren’t in school because of COVID-19. However, some advocates say they’re concerned about what that’s going to mean for families in need this summer. In 2020, the federal government launched the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Read More…
Missoula County and the Poverello Center will hold a virtual public hearing at 5:30 p.m. Monday on developing single unit housing for 20 homeless veterans. The Poverello Center bought the Clark Fork Inn on West Broadway, for $1.5 million. The total price is $3.6 million. Organizers are applying for a $600,000 community development block grant. Read More…
It’s been over 10 years since a staff Sergeant Travis Atkins died at the age of 31 in combat. In May 2019, he was honored at the White House with the Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump for his sacrifice. His son accepted the award on his behalf. Atkins gave his life protecting his Read More…
The Denver Broncos announced on Friday that they agreed to terms with former Montana State linebacker Alex Singleton on a one-year deal. Singleton, who played for the Bobcats from 2011-2014, last played for the Philadelphia Eagles and led the team in total tackles the last two seasons, a span in which he started 19 games. Read More…
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., accused President Biden and Democrats of using the Russian oil ban as a “fig leaf” to cover for their “radical” Green New Deal policy proposals. Daines made the comments during an interview with FOX Business and said that this isn’t just about banning Russian oil: Democrats want to ban all oil. Read More…
Companies would be required to disclose their greenhouse gas emissions and be held to account on their climate promises under a proposal released Monday by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The proposed rule would deliver a big — and durable — policy win for President Joe Biden, whose climate agenda has been mired in congressional partisanship, Read More…
Most people will need to get a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to be protected from the virus, the head of Pfizer said on Sunday. “It is necessary for most” people, CEO Albert Bourla said during an interview on CBS’s “Face The Nation” when asked if Americans can expect to get annual COVID booster shots every fall. The Read More…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will address the U.S. Congress Wednesday morning. In a letter to lawmakers, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer invited members of both the House of Representatives and Senate to attend the virtual event at 9 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. READ THE FULL STORY
Gallatin County voters will get to decide on two local options in taxes for marijuana sales during the June primaries. On Tuesday, the Gallatin County Commission voted unanimously to add a 3% local option sales tax on all recreational and medical marijuana products sold in the county. READ THE FULL STORY
Before more than 100 individuals were told to move out of their rooms at the FairBridge Inn and Suites in February, displacing many of them and drawing outcry from the community, Cassidy Kipp of Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana (CAPNM) had already been receiving stacks of applications from people in desperate need of housing. Read More…
Eighth-grader Ellette Whitcomb from Sussex School in Missoula will be heading to National Harbor, Maryland for the 2022 Scripps National Spelling Bee. Fifty-seven students from across the state gathered at Montana State University to compete in the 57th Annual Treasure State Spelling Bee. Some traveled a few minutes, others traveled hundreds of miles. READ THE Read More…
In a new twist to a lengthy battle by a preservation group to save a BNSF Railway bridge over the Missouri River between Bismarck and Mandan, N.D. — which has thwarted railroad efforts to build a new structure — the Friends of the Rail Bridge is claiming the bridge in question actually belongs to the Read More…
Last month, Jamie Smith, a Democrat and Minority Leader in the House of Representatives, issued a challenge against Republican Governor Kristi Noem. Saturday, Smith met with some of his supporters and those who are interested in his campaign in Rapid City. Smith says he’s running for Governor, because he believes people are ready for a Read More…
The Energy Sector and Cyber-Security have been hot topics in the Wyoming legislature this session. U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso have echoed Wyoming’s concerns. “We have the opportunity to be energy independent here. We need to stake our claim on energy independence and help the world with those who would interfere with freedom Read More…
Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana is looking to partner with a local landowner or donor for a housing project. The nonprofit is seeking one acre of land or more to place three modular units that will hold a total of 17 rental units. Community Action is open to purchasing, leasing or receiving the land Read More…
The Flathead Warming Center has been awarded a $30,000 emergency grant from the Whitefish Community Foundation to replace its roof after it began failing last month, according to a Whitefish Community Foundation press release. The leaking roof was deemed irreparable in February and its estimated cost is $42,000 to replace. The grant allowed crews to Read More…
After eight years with MetraPark, Ray Massie is resigning from his position as director of marketing, and he is saying the community is being misled regarding discussions about private management of the facility. “It is not going to save you money, as a taxpayer, you are not going to save any more money if the Read More…
People in Montana always love a hometown hero to root for on network competition reality shows, and they’ll soon find one in Stephen Yellowtail of Wyola, who will compete in the third season of the INSP network’s reality competition program, “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown.” “One day after one of the episodes, they asked, ‘Do you think Read More…
It could become easier for communities to play a role in cleaning up abandoned mine sites in the coming years, if a bill jointly backed by Montana’s two senators gets traction in Washington, D.C. It could be the next significant step in dealing with an environmental problem that not only plagues Montana but the entire Read More…
Montana’s attorney general has launched a civil investigation into the popular social media app TikTok for possible violation of the state’s consumer protection act. Attorney General Austin Knudsen says the app may be misrepresenting the dangers of the platform for teens. Knudsen sent the company a letter demanding answers to 80 questions, including how the app promotes Read More…
President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee shielded one of Hillary Clinton’s top State Department aides from scrutiny about his use of a personal email account to conduct official business. Then-U.S. district judge Ketanji Brown Jackson in 2015 denied Gawker’s request for details about press aide Philippe Reines’s stewardship of the account in the context of a Read More…
Russian troops slaughtered a Ukrainian policeman’s family, including his newborn baby and 6-year-old daughter — all while his brother heard it in a phone call, according to reports. Policeman Oleg Fedko, 30, was working in the Kherson region when his parents and partner picked up his kids to keep them safe last Thursday, the day Read More…
While Montana Rail Link will be getting out of the railroad business by shifting operations to Burlington Northern Santa Fe, the Missoula-based company will still control considerable real estate. That includes some important, but currently unused branch lines in Western Montana. During the most recent meeting of the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority (BSPRA), spokesman Jon Bennion explained Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has started a comprehensive investigation into TikTok for allegedly serving harmful content to children and for publicly misrepresenting the “dangers” of its social media platform. “TikTok is certainly an application that should raise concerns for parents in Montana and everywhere,” Knudsen said in an interview with Fox News Digital in announcing his office’s investigation. Read More…
Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Troy Downing approved over $340,000 in restitution payments to victims of Metals.com. The victims, ranging in age from 60 to 77, received payments of $14,676 to $50,000. “Victims of securities fraud are often left emotionally and financially devastated. Thanks to the Securities Restitution Fund ─ promoted by this agency ─ and Read More…
Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) have launched a new app that allows Montanans to access their hunting and fishing licenses with their phone. The goal is to help reduce the need to secure and carry around paperwork while people fish and hunt. MyFWP will store and display licenses, permits, and digital carcass tags, known as E-Tags, Read More…
The Gianforte Family Foundation will donate $50 million to Montana State University for construction of a building dedicated to its computing school, the university announced Friday. The building will be home to MSU’s Gianforte School of Computing — named for a previous contribution from the Gianforte Family Foundation — and other classes including cybersecurity and Read More…
Montana has seen a surge in opioid and fentanyl overdoses over the last several years and it has officials concerned. A January 2022 news release from Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen says Montana experienced a 116% increase in fentanyl-related deaths from 2019 to 2020. The release goes on to say Lewis & Clark County emergency Read More…
The Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs has been placed on “Immediate Jeopardy” status by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS sent a letter to the Montana State Hospital saying the hospital violated patient rights and infection prevention control. CMS determined that the violations are so serious that it’s an immediate and Read More…
Two bills focused on transparency in Idaho’s elections were introduced in a Senate committee on Monday. The first, from Sen. Patti Anne Lodge, a Republican from Caldwell, would increase campaign finance reporting requirements for contributions and expenditures made in non-election years. The legislation would trigger campaign finance reporting requirements once a candidate has received Read More…
Celilo Miles is a 27-year-old wildland firefighter, student and model. Earlier this week, Victoria’s Secret released a new campaign empowering women and inspiring social change. Gone are the Victoria’s Secret angels, and instead are 18 models from diverse backgrounds, one of which is an Idaho native. “It was like a dream come true, those were Read More…