MISSOULA — The nominee to be Montana’s next health director faced an unwieldy disease outbreak and pushed Medicaid work requirements — two issues looming in Montana — when he held a similar job in Kentucky. Montana senators will soon decide whether to confirm Adam Meier, Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte’s pick for director of the state Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte said yesterday he’s happy with the executive team he’s assembled and encouraged with the progress of key measures as the Legislature nears transmittal. “Job one was putting the team together,” he told The Montana Standard in a short interview. “That’s what I’ve done my whole career, organize teams.” “We’ve prioritized Read More…
Wyoming winds gusting more than 70 mph almost pushed an Amazon semi-trailer off of a bridge on Interstate 25 south of Chugwater on Monday. The driver’s status was unknown as of Monday morning, as the Wyoming Department of Transportation noted on its social media that the Wyoming Highway Patrol was still investigating the incident. The Read More…
Moet Hennessy is acquiring a 50% stake in rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z’s Champagne brand in an effort to up its cool factor and expand distribution. Terms of the deal, which was announced Monday, weren’t released. Armand deBrignac, known familiarly as Ace of Spades because of its distinctive label, is produced in France’s Champagne region by a Read More…
HELENA – Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen today called on President Biden and his administration to reverse its last-minute cancellation of Operation Talon. Operation Talon is a nationwide ICE operation that focuses on removing illegally present convicted sex offenders from the United States. The cancellation of Operation Talon emboldens sexual predators who seek to enter the Read More…
BILLINGS- In his first sit-down television interview since becoming Montana’s congressman, Republican Matt Rosendale spoke openly about the election, inauguration, insurrection, and a whole slew of other items facing Montanans. The freshman representative spoke with MTN News’ Andrea Lutz Friday at the Billings Public Library after spending the last several days touring areas of eastern Read More…
The suite of passenger air services continues to expand at Glacier Park International Airport (GPIA), which on Friday announced a new partnership with JetBlue Airways that adds direct routes to New York City in addition to new routes through American Airlines. Beginning this summer, travelers will be able to take a seasonal JetBlue flight to Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Gallatin City-County Health Department, along with Bozeman Health, is addressing two new concerns when it comes to local emergency rules and vaccine distribution – and according to Health Officer Matt Kelley, that includes how some people have found a way to “jump the line.” “While we are down significantly from where we Read More…
WYOMING — Despite Wyoming only having one four-year university in the entire state, the Cowboy State has been ranked as the tenth best in the nation to be a student in 2021 according to recent data from the student resource website, Studee. “To help students find the best place to study, we’ve compared the cost of Read More…
Rep. Diego Hernandez, a three-term Portland Democrat who’s been embroiled in controversy for months following multiple allegations that he created a hostile workplace for women, told OPB News on Sunday he is resigning, the news organization reported. Hernandez was facing the possibility of being the first legislator expelled from the Legislature in Oregon. A day earlier, Hernandez lost Read More…
Is there anything that politics can’t ruin? The answer, it appears, is a resounding “no” as partisan conflict creeps into all areas of American life. Our political affiliations, researchers say, obstruct friendships, influence our purchases, affect the positions we take on seemingly apolitical matters, and limit our job choices. As a result, many people are Read More…
The brutal winter storm that turned Texas roads to ice, burst pipes across the state and left millions of residents shivering and without power has also damaged the reputations of three of the state’s leading Republicans. Sen. Ted Cruz was discovered to have slipped off to Mexico on Wednesday night, only to announce his return when he was caught Read More…
Two travelers visiting Hawaii from Louisiana were arrested on Friday and accused of offering a Honolulu airport screener $3,000 to let them pass without quarantining or providing the negative coronavirus tests required for entry, officials say. Johntrell White, 29, and Nadia Bailey, 28, were charged with bribery and flown back to the mainland. The two allegedly flew Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — The Wyoming Legislature are exploring implementing a tax hike on wind energy production and repealing the three-year tax exemption on new wind turbine projects. House Bill 108 would increase the tax on electricity generated from wind by $1 per megawatt hour starting July 1. The proposed tax hike would generate about $6.5 million Read More…
PIERRE, S.D. (KELO) — South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg has been charged with three misdemeanors in connection with a deadly crash in September 2020. Hyde County Deputy State’s Attorney Emily Sovell announced Ravnsborg will be charged with operating a vehicle while using a mobile electronic device, illegal lane change and careless driving. READ FULL Read More…
Gov. Mark Gordon sent a letter to the Biden administration on Wednesday criticizing a recent order that he says severely hampers oil and gas development and threatens Wyoming’s economic well-being. In a letter sent Wednesday to the Interior Department’s acting secretary, Gordon said Wyoming’s oil and gas operators faced long delays in obtaining permits and other approvals Read More…
HELENA – House Bill 102 was signed into law by Governor Greg Gianforte Thursday. The bill expands the concealed carry of firearms in public places including college campuses and drew opposition from a variety of Montanans, including the Montana University System. According to the Governor, 20 other states allow gun owners to carry firearms without a government-issued permit. READ Read More…
HELENA — Bozeman state Sen. J.P. Pomnichowski says she began hearing last year from constituents being charged substantial fees just to apply to rent, or even view, an apartment or home in the city’s tight – and expensive – rental market. “I’m not opposed to the idea of collecting a fee to do something like Read More…
HELENA – While a lot slowed down in 2020, fraud and scammers did not. Data shows fraud reports and dollars lost went up both nationwide and in Montana. Scammers not only used phone calls, emails, text messages and social media, they also used COVID-19 to convince people to hand over their money. “We’re talking a Read More…
MONTANA — Montana Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, announced a new partnership called the Sentinel Project between the Department of Justice (DOJ), Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association (MBWDA), and Montana Association of Chiefs of Police (MACOP) to fight human trafficking in the state. Beer and wine distribution employees statewide have participated in the awareness training, which included Read More…
North Dakota could be the next battleground for Big Tech, as a new bill has been introduced that would stop Apple and Google from collecting a portion of the revenue from companies using their app stores, The New York Times (NYT) reported. The bill came about when ND state senator Kyle Davison was approached by a lobbyist who pitched the proposal. Davison, who Read More…
Quick Take Senator Cynthia Lummis has been assigned to the Senate Banking Committee. Lummis has been vocally pro-digital assets in both her candidacy and since taking office. Lummis said she plans on forming a Financial Innovation Caucus to educate her fellow senators on emerging financial technologies. The Senate has assigned pro-bitcoin senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Many factors contribute to how successful a small business is, but according to a recent study, Montana is the best state to open a small business. The study done by The Blueprint found that Montana was ranked the number one best state to open a small business in 2021. The factors used to determine Read More…
They’re easy to miss, hunkered down behind laptops in home offices, but remote workers are quietly setting up shop around the Flathead Valley. The COVID-19 pandemic spurred companies nationwide to adopt more flexible, socially distanced operations, so for many of their employees, the home is now the workplace. And for some of these remote workers, Read More…
The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the travel plans of many, and Billings Logan International Airport is seeking the effect. The number of passengers traveling through the airport was down nearly 48 percent in 2020 from the previous year, according to the airport’s annual report. The airport saw 248,597 passengers boarding planes in 2020, Read More…
Making money in your sleep sounds too good to be true, given many of us find it hard enough to earn a living while we’re awake. But many influencers are jumping on a new trend that’s rising in popularity: the “sleep stream.” Among the best-known sleep streamers is one who goes by the name Asian Read More…
Bitcoin’s price broke above $50,000 for the first time in history Tuesday, continuing its blistering rally as major companies appear to be warming to cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest digital currency by market value rose more than 3% to an all-time high of $50,487 at about 7:30 a.m. ET, according to data from Coin Metrics. It later Read More…
The Lincoln Project hired a legal team to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against co-founder John Weaver, the anti-Trump group announced on Monday as it struggles to manage inner turmoil, including high-profile resignations and finger-pointing, that has barreled into the public’s view. “The Lincoln Project has retained the law firm of Paul Hastings to investigate Read More…
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday blasted state lawmakers who have threatened to rescind his emergency powers and open investigations into his administration’s coverup of its mishandling of nursing home coronavirus deaths. “You can’t use a subpoena or the threat of investigation to leverage a person,” Cuomo said in a briefing on Monday. “That’s a crime, Read More…
The crown teachers once put on William Shakespeare now lies uneasy upon his head as the English playwright comes under assault from teachers who fault his unwoke attitudes regarding race, sexuality, gender and class. For the new breed of teachers, Shakespeare is seen less as an icon of literature and more as a tool of Read More…
The first U.K. houses where appliances including boilers, stoves and ovens are fueled exclusively by hydrogen are due to be opened by April, with authorities hoping the buildings will provide the public with “a glimpse into the potential home of the future.” The project to develop the two semi-detached properties has received £250,000 (around $347,175) Read More…
Millions of people in Texas remain without power as a bitter cold snap prompted record-breaking wintertime energy demand for the region, all while dozens of gigawatts of power were unavailable. More than 4 million people in the state still don’t have power as of Tuesday morning, according to online tracker poweroutage.us. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, the Texas Read More…
A bill that would decimate Bozeman’s affordable housing ordinance received overwhelming support in the Montana House of Representatives on Monday. House Bill 259 would prohibit local governments from requiring developers to pay a fee that would go to providing homes at specified prices or for people in specific income levels or from dedicating property for Read More…
BILILNGS — MSU Billings released its spring 2021 enrollment data, which showed an increase in undergraduate student enrollment and graduate degree program enrollment, particularly in healthcare support programs such as clinical rehabilitation, special education in applied behavior analysis, and health administration. At its official 15th class-day count 3,987 students were enrolled with 2,263 at University Campus and 1,724 Read More…
As the number of patients with mental health needs steadily increases, Bozeman Health Deaconess Hospital is adding two rooms dedicated to emergency behavioral health patients. A lack of mental health and substance abuse services were flagged in two recent community health needs assessments, which Bozeman Health does every three years to ascertain where their services Read More…
HELENA — The Gianforte administration is updating a program to distribute at least $44 million in federal rent assistance to Montanans harmed financially by the Covid-19 pandemic – but the money has yet to be authorized by the Legislature. And that money is part of Montana’s total federal share of $200 million for rental assistance, Read More…
Thomas Donohue, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, will reportedly be leaving his role. The chamber is expected to name Suzanne Clark as his successor, according to Axios, which cited people familiar with the matter. Donohue, a longtime confidant of Republican presidents who has been at the Chamber of Commerce since 1976, faced criticism Read More…
Tesla announced Monday it has bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it bought the bitcoin for “more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash.” Tesla also said it will start accepting payments in bitcoin in exchange for its products “subject to applicable Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is pushing to build up the state’s economic recovery through proposals and initiatives that he said would add value to the agriculture, tourism, and energy sectors. Taking an “all the above” approach, Gordon said he would seek to further bolster Wyoming’s energy and mining sectors. The governor supports bills allowing severance Read More…
A New York judge issued a restraining order Friday afternoon that prohibits the state from imposing its 10 p.m. curfew on dozens of restaurants in Erie and Monroe counties. The order, which took effect immediately, comes 10 days after about 90 Erie County establishments filed a lawsuit challenging a Cuomo administration order that directs establishments to Read More…