A three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals extended its order Thursday blocking a lower court’s sweeping ruling that would have allowed all Texas voters to qualify to vote by mail during the coronavirus pandemic. With early voting for the primary runoff elections starting later this month — and the Texas Supreme Court also blocking Read More…
Illustrating the divide in the Democratic Party, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has endorsed 16-term incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D-Bronx) after progressive darling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her weight behind his challenger, Jamaal Bowman. “I firmly support Eliot Engel for Congress and I support Alexandria for Congress as well,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday. “I think the people of Read More…
CHEYENNE — Governor Mark Gordon announced Thursday that Wyoming should expect a decline in economic activity this coming fiscal year and the years to follow. In a press release earlier Thursday, he said some businesses and mines may have to do layoffs, furloughs, salary reductions, benefit reductions, and consider other options as Wyoming could see revenue Read More…
President Donald J. Trump said on social media Friday that he would once again visit Montana, this time to help Sen. Steve Daines in his reelection bid in what is being touted as one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races in the country. Daines is running against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in a race Read More…
JCPenney has released their list of stores they are closing. The list shows 154 stores that they have decided to close, including one in Montana. The Gallatin Valley Mall JCPenney is the only location in Montana currently set to close. “While closing stores is always an extremely difficult decision, our store optimization strategy is vital Read More…
MISSOULA — For the Class of 2020, their families and friends, this year has been surreal. So it seems fitting to add another special memory to an unexpected end to their school careers. All this week, the University of Montana has been paying tribute to the graduates of all five of Missoula’s urban high schools, Read More…
Joe Biden’s choice of a running mate is getting more treacherous with each news cycle. Real-life events — from the outcry over the recent killing of black men in Minnesota and Georgia and a black woman in Kentucky to a mundane request for boating privileges in Michigan — are crashing into his already fraught decision Read More…
Montana is heading for a high-stakes battle between popular two-term Gov. Steve Bullock (D) and first-term Sen. Steve Daines (R) that could help determine control of the upper chamber. Though Montana has traditionally voted Republican in presidential elections — handing President Trump a 20-point victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016 — it has split its votes for statewide offices, including electing Democratic Sen. Jon Read More…
Anthrax and poisoning have been ruled out as the cause of a rising number of unexplained elephant deaths in Botswana, the country with the world’s biggest population of the animals. Wildlife authorities have now discovered 110 carcasses in north west Botswana, up from the 56 announced earlier in May according to a government statement. “I Read More…
Non-residents will be able to camp in Wyoming beginning Monday, as the state continues to gradually relax COVID-19 restrictions. In a news release, Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Director Darin Westby said the criteria for opening camping to non-residents has been when surrounding states open their camping and their COVID-19 cases began leveling. “Now Read More…
The OL Reign announced Sunday it was headed to train in Missoula, Montana, in preparation for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. The Challenge Cup is a 25-match tournament, which begins June 27 in Salt Lake City, in lieu of a 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Reign are training in Montana because the team Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Montana State University Black Student Union and the Montana Racial Equity Project hosted the Bozeman Rally for Black Lives Sunday afternoon. The event was one of many happening in solidarity nationwide after 46-year old George Floyd was killed in police custody last week in Minneapolis. Speakers at the rally addressed concerns for Read More…
BILLINGS- Eight female inmates at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility have tested positive for COVID-19. Sheriff Mike Linder says RiverStone Health tested 43 inmates and 41 jail staff for the coronavirus on Friday, May 29, and results of those tests came back Saturday, May 30. Only one inmate has been hospitalized and is currently recovering. Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Melisia Muscat had been thinking of moving to Billings for about a year, but COVID-19 sealed the deal. It helped that in February she got a good offer on her home, a condo in a highly sought-after building in the lush seaside city of Anacortes, Washington, north of Seattle. “It was Read More…
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Department of Livestock (DOL) encourage safe handling of live poultry to prevent potential human illness. According to public health, spring is a common time for Montanans to be raising young birds but want to make sure you are aware of the risks. Poultry can Read More…
BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Coronavirus cases are spiking in the food and meat processing plants of Jerome and Burley. Both plants are in rural areas, but what they process ends up in major cities, including Boise. That caught Boise Mayor Lauren McLean’s attention. “We talk regularly with Central District Health about the status of COVID in Read More…
The person who oversees North Dakota’s Department of Health has resigned in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, with Gov. Doug Burgum naming her interim replacement within a matter of hours. State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte submitted her resignation letter Wednesday, saying “I feel it is time for me to return to the private Read More…
Montana State University has started distributing $5.3 million in federal coronavirus relief to more than 7,400 low-income students. The university announced that direct student aid started going out this week from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act. Undergraduate and graduate students are receiving grants of $300 to $900 each, depending on Read More…
HELENA — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana announced a $100,000 donation to the Montana Community Foundation. The money will benefit The Rebound Montana Relief Fund. The fund is a partnership between the Montana Television Network, AMB West Philanthropies and Montana Community Foundation. The fund will grant directly to nonprofit intermediary organizations such as community foundations and Read More…
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, California. TMZ Sports first reported it. Leaf was taken into custody on Friday afternoon. Details of the incident itself are not clear. All that’s currently known, according to the information available on the Riverdale County Sheriff’s Department’s website, is that Leaf was Read More…
It’s no secret that the newspaper industry across the country has been facing challenges for the past few years. Falling subscriptions and ad dollars have been attributed to the internet and the current way that many of us consume news and information. Why wait for a morning newspaper when instant info is available 24-7 right on our Read More…
When Joe Unterreiner became the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer in 1996, he thought he’d only be there for a few years. But 24 years later, he’s finally decided to transition into retirement starting this October. “It’s been a really great run … I really enjoyed the work, obviously, or I Read More…
Officials from the theme park, located in Orlando, Florida, announced their proposed phased reopening on Wednesday during a meeting with a local economic recovery task force. Jim McPhee, senior vice president of operations at Disney World, said that as part of the plan, Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom would reopen on July 11. Epcot and Hollywood Studios Read More…
Waters, a Democrat from California who frequently launches wild attacks at Trump, told TMZ she thinks the Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, who was filmed with his neck on Floyd’s knee, “enjoyed doing it.” Trump on Wednesday called the death “very sad and tragic”. Video from Monday night shows Chauvin holding Floyd, a 46-year-old who was suspected of using a forged check at a deli, down Read More…
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is publicly urging judges in their mid- to late 60s to consider stepping aside ahead of Election Day to help ensure that their seats could be filled by Republicans. Asked during an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt if he knew if any judges would take “senior status,” a semi-retirement status that Read More…
UNDATED (NewsDakota.com) – Although first established in 2018, it wasn’t until earlier this year that the North Dakota Ethics Commission welcomed its first executive director. The Commission is still working on finalizing procedures for dealing with complaints and penalizing guilty parties. However, under the guidance of its new director, it will be looking at ethical misconduct and Read More…
For the first time in more than two months, no new coronavirus cases were reported in Wyoming on Friday. The Wyoming Department of Health, in its daily coronavirus update, said the number of confirmed cases in the state stayed steady at 608. The news came one day after the Health Department reported the 12th coronavirus-related Read More…
Collapsing energy prices and the COVID-19 pandemic are expected to cost Wyoming up to $1.5 billion in revenues through June 2022, preliminary estimates released Tuesday show, setting the stage for steep budget cuts, new taxes, or a mix of both. In a preliminary report delivered Tuesday to members of the Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee, Read More…
KULR (Billings)- It started in a brainstorm session, but evolved into something much larger, all to recognize area high school seniors. Lets face it, being a graduating senior is not the most ideal of situations right now. In a team effort, one Billings commercial print shop is providing area seniors a momento to remember their Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) outraised Sen. Steve Daines (R) in the state’s high-profile Senate race as Democrats hope to score an upset. Bullock raised about $2.4 million in the first half of the second quarter and has about $4.1 million in the bank, according to his campaign’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission. Daines raised $1.3 million and has a war Read More…
Ever since Montana’s stay-at-home order expired on April 24, Glacier Park International Airport Director Rob Ratkowski has noticed a gradual rise in travelers as summer approaches. With an all-time low of 21 passengers on April 18, Ratkowski says he’s seeing an average of 76 people daily this month, with 133 on Saturday, May 16. “Those Read More…
Every summer, thousands of cattle from this region are marketed through video sales. And with another busy summer video sales season already upon us, Superior Livestock Auction (SLA), like others, continues to persevere through these very unprecedented times. SLA’s president Danny Jones says they’re continuing to monitor and adapt to local, state and national restrictions, but they’ve Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — With the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a lot of focus on state leadership. We wanted to check in with our national delegation via video chat to gauge their concerns and ask what they want to see done in Washington, D.C., to help Montanans. Here is out extended interview with Senator Steve Daines where Read More…
GREAT FALLS — In an effort to honor the families of fallen servicemen and women, Great Falls Flower Growers and Rainbow Garden Club raised money to install a Gold Star Memorial marker along the western edge of the Montana Veterans Memorial. Rainbow Garden Club president Patricia Schlaeger explained the Gold Star Memorial marker’s purpose. “Every Read More…
Amidst widespread coal layoffs throughout the Powder River Basin in recent months and an industry rocked by plummeting prices and decreased demand, Decker Mine reverses course, offering a but of good news for the future of western coal. After laying off nearly 30% of its workforce earlier this month, all 98 furloughed Decker Coal Company Read More…
Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is elevating a longtime top political adviser to the president to the role of deputy campaign manager. Bill Stepien, who formerly served as White House political director and had been advising the reelection effort, will serve under Brad Parscale, who has been campaign manager since 2018. Those familiar with the decision, Read More…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence’s chief spokeswoman said Tuesday that she has recovered from coronavirus and is back at work. President Donald Trump confirmed on May 8 that Katie Miller, Pence’s press secretary, had tested positive for COVID-19. She is one of two people working at the White House complex known to have tested positive for the virus. Miller Read More…
A lot will be riding on the 230-foot rocket that lifts off this week from Cape Canaveral: The lives of two NASA astronauts. The United States’ ambitions to reclaim its independence as a spacefaring nation. And hopes for a reimagined era of space travel in which private companies ferry humans to low-Earth orbit and beyond. Read More…
A New Jersey-based company that sells caller ID spoofing services and the state of North Dakota are asking a federal judge to decide the fate of North Dakota’s new anti-spoofing law. Attorneys for both sides have filed motions in U.S. District Court asking the judge to decide the case based on their arguments, rather than Read More…
Three pieces of legislation providing relief from coronavirus impacts for businesses and renters in Wyoming were approved by the Legislature during its two-day special session. During the session, which ended Saturday, legislators approved bills authorizing Gov. Mark Gordon to spend $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief funds and specifying how some of the money will Read More…