(The Center Square) — U.S. agricultural trade exports declined by $17 billion in fiscal year 2023, raising concerns from U.S. senators about how the Biden administration will address the issue. The deficit is growing and will decline by another $8 billion in fiscal year 2023, the senators said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Read More…
(The Center Square) – A swimmer who competed at N.C. State is among 16 collegiate athletes, including 12-time All-American Riley Gaines, suing the NCAA for letting men who say they are women compete against them and use the same locker rooms. Kylee Alons, a two-time national champion and 31-time All-American for the Wolfpack, in the Read More…
(The Center Square) – Embattled Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis on Friday stayed on the case involving former President Donald Trump and accepted the resignation of her lead investigator following a judge’s ruling that one of them had to step aside. Judge Scott McAfee, overseeing Trump’s election interference racketeering case, said Willis can remain on Read More…
BOZEMAN — This semester, Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship held its first career symposium, a casual event intended to help students become comfortable talking to potential employers and collaborators. About 300 students attended the event, which was held Feb. 12 in the Strand Union Building on the MSU campus. There, Read More…
(The Center Square) – Some lawmakers are once again calling on their colleagues to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Ahead of the switch to Daylight Saving Time this weekend, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., highlighted the importance of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. “We’re ‘springing forward’ but should have never Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today an over 20,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures by anti-drug forces in Montana since 2019. Additionally, over twice as much fentanyl was seized in 2023 compared to 2022, shattering previous records. In 2023, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized a total of Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – A Billings business, The Maker’s Market, was honored with the 2024 Retailer of the Year award today at the annual Made in Montana Tradeshow for Food and Gifts in Helena. Montana Lt. Governor Kristen Juras and Department of Commerce Deputy Director Mandy Rambo presented the award to Victoria Eichel, owner of The Read More…
HELENA — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 23 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Biden administration’s new air quality rule that would significantly impact state economies and raise energy costs for Montana manufacturers, utilities, and families. This is the 38th lawsuit Attorney General Knudsen has filed against the Biden administration. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – Billionaire businessman Elon Musk said Wednesday that he won’t donate to anyone seeking the U.S. presidency in 2024. The Tesla and SpaceX owner’s announcement came after a meeting with former President Donald Trump on Sunday. “Just to be super clear, I am not donating money to either candidate for US President,” Read More…
(The Center Square) – Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema announced on Tuesday that she is retiring at the end of the year and not seeking re-election, which led to a wide range of reactions from the political world. Sinema is considered one of the most politically moderate members of the Senate, and she made waves Read More…
BOZEMAN — A team of six Montana State University students from the Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering drew recognition at a recent competition that pitted them against 1,400 other students from across the region. The undergraduate students, each majoring in construction engineering technology, were among 40 MSU students who competed in the Associated Schools of Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – Rounding out Invest in Veterans Week, Governor Greg Gianforte highlighted community support for veterans today at the Montana Veterans Meat Locker in Billings. “Because of the sacrifices of service members and their families, we live in the greatest country on Earth,” Gov. Gianforte said. “While our debt to them will never fully Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 16 attorneys general in demanding answers from Wells Fargo Wednesday regarding the company’s debanking policies, which appear to extend the Biden administration’s woke agenda. In a letter to Wells Fargo’s Chief Executive Officer Charles Scharf, Attorney General Knudsen raised concerns with the bank’s decision Read More…
BOZEMAN — Steven Swinford, a longtime faculty member and administrator at Montana State University, has been named the university’s new vice president for student success, MSU President Waded Cruzado announced today. Swinford, who has been serving as interim vice president for student success since July 2023, was selected for the role after a national search. Read More…
BOZEMAN – Registration is now open for the three-day 406 Grazing Academy, an annual workshop aimed at ranchers seeking to hone their grazing management skills and learn new strategies. This year’s event will be held June 11-13 in Miles City, and registration is open until April 26. Registration costs $200 per person and includes materials, Read More…
(The Center Square) – As the U.S. Armed Forces have struggled to meet recruitment goals, the Army is reducing its troops by 24,000 soldiers. According to an “Army Force Structure Transformation” document first published by American Military News, the Army announced its restructuring plan due to a “changing security environment and evolving character of war.” Read More…
(The Center Square) – Former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican presidential primary Wednesday and declined to endorse former President Donald Trump. “I am filled with the gratitude for the outpouring of support we have received from all across our great country, but the time has now come Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Minnesota Congressman who ran a longshot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination against President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he was suspending his campaign. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., thanked his supporters and endorsed Biden for the Democratic nomination. “To all who supported my effort, thank you,” he wrote on Read More…
(The Center Square) – As President Joe Biden prepares to deliver his State of the Union Address Thursday night, two new polls show a majority of Americans think he is not mentally fit to be president and is too old. Biden’s address to the nation comes just two days after his 2020 opponent, former President Read More…
(The Center Square) – The majority of Republican state representatives who voted to impeach Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and ran for reelection won their primary races on Tuesday. Sixty House Republicans voted to impeach Paxton last May, passing 20 articles of impeachment with four articles held in abeyance. Paxton was the first attorney general Read More…
On Monday at 1889 Coffee House, Governor Greg Gianforte kicked off Invest in Veterans Week. “I think it’s huge. Communication is the key to so many good things,” said Brett Wiensch, the Owner of 1889 Coffee House. A roundtable to discuss supporting and expanding opportunities for Montana veterans and their families was held. “This today Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing at Montana State University has taken another step toward improving health care for state residents, particularly those living in rural, frontier or Native communities. The nursing college has been authorized by the national Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education to start a nurse-midwifery track in its Read More…
(The Center Square) — Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso will not say whether he’ll run for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s position next year. As the Senate Republican Conference chair, he is widely speculated to run. “That election doesn’t occur until later in November. To me, the key election is the one earlier in November. Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bill that would allow the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to supersede city and county decisions on pipelines passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. Senate Bill 201 states the PUC can overrule local jurisdictions if “such rules, or regulation, or ordinances, as applied to the Read More…
BOZEMAN – For the third year in a row, Montana State University’s club men’s hockey team will play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division 2 national tournament later this month. The team, with a 34-3 record this year, will travel to St. Louis for the tournament, where the Division 2 competition will be held Read More…
MISSOULA – Kyle Fickler grew up in Drummond, Montana. From a young age, he was always drawn toward motorsports and racing. He loved tinkering on cars and figuring out how to make them go faster and with more power. “My cousin took me to my first drag race in Spokane when I was around 14 Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Montana think tank and special interest groups have filed an amicus brief in the state supreme court case known as Held v. Montana. The coalition is asking the Montana Supreme Court to overrule a lower court’s decision that struck down recent changes to state environmental permitting laws and said 16 minors Read More…
(The Center Square) – Twenty-two state attorneys general said Monday more than 85,000 migrant children could be lost based on a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. The report issued this month shows many of the children could be in the labor market or sex trafficked, they said in a letter. “By Read More…
Donald Trump is aiming for a decisive victory on “Super Tuesday” as 15 states hold Republican contests in the primary season’s biggest voting day. Trump, despite facing numerous criminal charges, has dominated the Republican campaign, leaving Nikki Haley as his lone challenger. With a string of victories in early nominating contests, Trump has narrowed down Read More…
“I am incredibly grateful to have this opportunity to serve, and I look forward to a challenging and rewarding career on the bench,” said Dvorak. “I have a history of wanting to make a difference in the lives of others, whether as a social worker, as a volunteer or in my practice. I hope to Read More…
(The Center Square) – An Operation Lone Star task force that has seen a number of successes is expanding throughout the state to combat cartel and gang crime, led by Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd. Law enforcement officials from over 30 agencies met for an operational meeting this week to discuss future goals as well Read More…
BOZEMAN – Nobel Prize-winning geneticist and immunologist Dr. Bruce Beutler will speak at Montana State University next month as part of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology’s Hilleman Research Lecture Series. Beutler currently serves as the director for the Center of Genetics and Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He Read More…
BOZEMAN – Nearly 1,500 students in search of internships and employment opportunities, many of them dressed to impress, attended the first day of Montana State University’s Almost Spring Job and Internship Fair, where employers from across the U.S. and Montana were actively recruiting Bobcats for future careers. MSU’s Allen Yarnell Center for Student Success hosts Read More…
(The Center Square) – California lawmakers are pushing for new exemptions to the state’s fast food minimum wage as controversy erupted over the state’s reported exemption for Panera Bread. California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved an exemption to the state’s $20 per hour minimum wage for fast-food employees to national fast-food chains with bakeries that sell Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) commissioned 12 new troopers at a graduation ceremony at the Civic Center in Helena Friday. Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Sager addressed the new troopers prior to their badge pinning and taking the oath of office. “I’m confident that the new troopers are prepared to Read More…
(The Center Square) – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said a protest over the Dakota Access Pipeline was a “disaster” for the state during a court hearing Monday over whether the federal government should reimburse the state for $38 million in costs related to the pipeline. More than 5,000 people camped near the pipeline site Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden signed a temporary funding measure Friday that will keep the government open roughly one more week while lawmakers work to broker a longer-term deal. As The Center Square previously reported, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Continuing Resolution with a vote 320-99, sending it to the Senate, Read More…
(The Center Square) – Former President Donald Trump asked a federal judge Friday to push back the start of his trial for allegedly mishandling classified documents. The case was previously set to go to trial on May 20. Trump and his defense team asked Judge Aileen Cannon on Friday to set the trial for Aug. Read More…
(The Center Square) – The monthly costs for healthy meals for a family of four participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program increased by 31% over the past three years. The United States Department of Agriculture stated the food stamp benefit amounts are based every year upon the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan. SNAP Read More…
(The Center Square) – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said Wednesday that Lt. Gov. Tammy Miller has his complete support in her bid to take his place. Burgum announced last month he would not seek a third term. Voters approved a ballot measure in 2022 limiting governors to two four-year terms but grandfathered in current Read More…