(The Center Square) – The Trump administration is continuing to reverse Biden administration energy policies, including its moratorium on new oil and natural gas lease sales on federal land and offshore waters. In response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Unleashing American Energy,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order to reduce regulatory burdens and Read More…
The U.S. Interior Department announced Friday that it is opening the public comment process for a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, potentially paving the way for expanded drilling in the Arctic and other previously restricted areas. The move is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to boost domestic energy production. The Read More…
Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, known for his outsized bets and outspoken commentary, has been a lightning rod in 2025, navigating a turbulent market landscape while wielding influence in both finance and politics. His Pershing Square Capital Management’s portfolio is down nearly 14% year-to-date, a rare stumble for the activist investor, yet his high-profile Read More…
Hank’s Reno Junction Travel Plaza sits at the busy intersection of Wyoming Highways 387 and 59, making it a strategic stop for travelers, truckers and coal miners working at the nearby North Antelope Rochelle Mine. When Peabody Energy announced Tuesday it planned to ramp up production at the mine, Hank Pridgeon — the namesake of Read More…
WHITEFISH — Whitefish Mountain Resort is taking extra precautions for all of their activities on the mountain due to coronavirus concerns. Elyse Knudsen, risk control manager with Whitefish Mountain Resort, said that the resort is being extra careful with guests. Before the summer season started the resort assessed all possible contact points between guests and Read More…
Just about every business has had to adapt to COVID-19 in one way or another, creating a financial strain for many organizations. In addition to a drop in customers, the cost of safety precautions like masks and hand sanitizer can be a burden on organizations. Since March, Blackfoot River Brewing Co. in Helena has moved Read More…
COVID-19 cases are increasing in Montana, and a group of businesses in downtown Bozeman have decided to do something. “We do have an uptick in cases, and hopefully, this will slow it down. In our industry, we need to show that we’re willing to do our part. But we’ve also got families to feed and Read More…
A long-anticipated grocery store and a new Town Pump are under construction on neighboring parcels on Bozeman’s north side. Construction of WinCo Foods is underway on Max Avenue near Staples, just off of North 19th Avenue. The employee-owned grocery store, based in Boise, Idaho, first tried for a Bozeman location in April 2016 but withdrew those Read More…
BILLINGS- A former market president for Rocky Mountain Bank has admitted to fraud and money laundering crimes. A release from the Department of Justice says 46-year-old Stephen Phillip Casher was charged in a 14-count superseding indictment alleging bank fraud and related crimes. The prosecution presented evidence in court records at trial that Casher worked as Read More…
AT&T is notifying thousands of employees that their jobs are being eliminated as part of a $6 billion cost-cutting push, an attempt to slim down one of the most heavily indebted companies in the U.S. The cuts follow through on a plan that Chief Executive Officer Randall Stephenson outlined in October when he said the Read More…
The Securities and Exchange Commission told Hertz, which filed for bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic, that the regulator has issues with the rental car company’s plan to sell stock. “In this particular situation we have let the company know that we have comments on their disclosure,” SEC Chairman Jay Clayton said Wednesday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” “In Read More…
KALISPELL, Mont. — Summer officially begins at Whitefish Mountain Resort this Saturday. The resort will be opening nearly all its outdoor activities, including over 30 miles of mountain bike trails. As snow continues to melt, more trails will open throughout the season. The resort will also be opening three brand-new trails expected to be completed by Read More…
The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City announced on Thursday that its popular annual economic policy symposium will not be held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for the first time in nearly 40 years due to the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, the bank said that this year’s symposium, titled “Navigating the Decade Ahead: Implications for Monetary Policy,” will be Read More…
Richland County is among a handful of statewide areas designated as a “Destination Community.” As part of the Phase 2 Reopening of Montana scheduled to begin on June 1, Gov. Steve Bullock announced that 20 counties — including Richland — would be eligible for additional financial assistance through two new initiatives to help protect Read More…
There’s another twist in the years-long legal battle over the operation of a Creston bottled water plant, with the Montana Supreme Court overturning a lower court ruling which had blocked permits. Local residents and conservation groups have been fighting the plans of Montana Artesian Water Company to pump enough water to fill more than 1-billion Read More…
The debate over how to dispose of the Bakken’s radioactive oilfield waste has prompted a small group of lawmakers from North Dakota and Montana to start collaborating. The conversations come as Montana prepares to enact a formal rule capping the radiation level of oilfield waste disposed of at landfills in the state. Much of the Read More…
Economists were shocked on Friday as the Bureau of Labor Statistics said US employers added 2.5 million payrolls in May, defying expectations of 7.5 million jobs lost. The surprise increase came on the heels of the record 20.5 million jobs lost in April. The unemployment rate declined to 13.3%, bucking forecasts of a near-record 19% rate. April’s 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…
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…
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…
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…
One trader bought 250,000 barrels of oil and secured a rare payout as oil prices turned negative last month, causing jitters in markets and leaving most other traders scrambling to find storage options across both sides of the Atlantic, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. But for BB Energy, a trading house based in London, the historic oil-market crash was Read More…
US states are rushing to court Tesla CEO Elon Musk, after he threatened to move the company’s HQ out of California. The billionaire is in a spat with California’s Alameda County over the closure of Tesla’s Fremont facility as part of a shelter-in-place order during the pandemic. He tweeted on Saturday that he would be Read More…
More than 9,600 COVID-19 relief grant applications have been submitted to the State of Montana since applications opened last Thursday. Last week, Governor Bullock announced $123 million in CARES Act funding for nine new grant programs that are designed to address key COVID-19 issues Montanans are facing. As of the beginning of the business day May 13, the Montana Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton noted that 11,000 fewer businesses renewed their state registrations by April 15 this year in comparison to last year. The statistic was highlighted in Stapleton’s Montana Business Forecast on Sunday. “The economic, social, and health-related disruptions from the coronavirus are historic,” Stapleton wrote in the emailed forecast. Read More…
“Times are hard and change is coming no matter what we do, but what we can do is be good to those around us. Our neighbors need good neighbors more than ever…” Those were well written words by our friends at KXGN Radio & TV in Glendive, Montana as they shared the news that BNSF Read More…
HELENA- Montana child care providers are eligible for funding through the CARES Act Child Care and Development Block Grants. The $10 million in federal CARES Act funding was announced Wednesday, and is to provide support for existing child care providers, assistance for low-income families participating in the Best Beginnings Scholarship Program and will fund emergency Read More…
After recently announcing a new mask/face covering policy going into effect Monday, Costco will also now begin temporarily limiting fresh meat purchases at its warehouses. Costco says fresh meat purchases will be temporarily limited to a total of three items per member among the beef, pork and poultry products. “Costco has implemented limits on certain items Read More…
A top financial ratings service has listed western Wyoming gas drillers Ultra Resources and Jonah Energy among issuers of “top bonds of concern” whose securities could face “imminent” default. Fitch Ratings named the two companies that operate in the Pinedale Anticline, Jonah Field and Normally Pressured Lance, or NPL Field in an April 13 report Read More…
SEATTLE — Face masks will soon be mandatory for all passengers and flight crews on Alaska Airlines planes, the airline announced Friday. The policy goes into effect on May 11 for passengers, but on Monday for employees whose jobs makes it difficult to maintain 6 feet of space between others, including pilots, flight attendants and customer Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Kettlehouse Northside location is closing permanently in Missoula due to COVID-19 pandemic. They posted the following on their Facebook page: We have some difficult news to share. We have made the decision to permanently close our Northside taproom in response to the global pandemic we are currently experiencing. As a result of Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — Restaurants and bars around the Treasure State are gearing up to reopen, but they can only do so under certain restrictions outlined by Governor Steve Bullock and the Yellowstone County Unified Health Command. One restaurant in Billings is making sure all employees follow these new protocols, by putting staff through a web-based Read More…
Gross domestic product fell 4.8% in the first quarter, according to government numbers released Wednesday that provide the first detailed glimpse into the deep damage the coronavirus wreaked on the U.S. economy. Economist surveyed by Dow Jones had expected the first estimate of GDP to show a 3.5% contraction. This marked the first negative GDP Read More…
BOZEMAN — On Wednesday Montanans heard from Governor Bullock about his plans to reopen the Treasure State. Now, it’s up to individual business owners on what they plan to do. Aaron Parker owns several restaurants in Bozeman, but before he makes a hasty decision to open them back up, he first wants to hear from Read More…
A Bozeman construction company last week received a $569 million addition to an existing contract to build about 17 miles of border wall between the United States and Mexico. The U.S. Department of Defense announced the modification to the contract held by Barnard Construction’s subsidiary BFBC LLC on April 13. It was first reported Read More…
The City Commission on Tuesday OK’d the final details of a $3.2 million bond sale needed to repay a developer for its up front costs for public improvements tied to a big project on the west bank of the Missouri River. D.A. Davidson and Co. will handle the bond sale for the city. A portion Read More…
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began closing businesses and lowering interest rates, banks in the Flathead Valley are reporting high numbers of phone calls, loan applications and mortgage refinances. Banks have seen a lot of activity through the Small Business Administration’s $349 billion federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which authorizes forgivable loans to small businesses Read More…
More than 2.9 million homeowners have taken advantage of a program designed to provide relief to holders of government-backed mortgages, part of the coronavirus CARES Act relief package. This represents 5.5% of all active mortgages, according to Black Knight, a mortgage data and analytics company that is now tracking the growing numbers daily. The program Read More…
The coronavirus pandemic has created a desperate clamber for vital medical supplies, like N95 masks, that has led the federal government to award massive contracts to third-party vendors to help fill the gaps. In this chaotic effort to obtain supplies, the Trump administration awarded a $55 million contract to Panthera Worldwide LLC, a company with Read More…
A federal judge in Montana has thrown out a key permit needed for a developer to complete the Keystone XL pipeline. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris of Great Falls ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers improperly granted a permit to developer TC Energy to cross waterways to build the pipeline. The order Read More…
A special committee of WeWork’s board is suing SoftBank after SoftBank withdrew its $3 billion tender offer, the company announced Tuesday. WeWork is claiming that SoftBank breached its obligations under their agreement. SoftBank originally made the tender offer to buy shares of WeWork at an agreed upon price last year as part of a package to bail out Read More…
Bozeman, Montana has a population of 48,532, but just like big cities in New York and California, this small city in the southern part of the state has seen the demand for medical masks skyrocket. Located in Gallatin County, Bozeman is home to more than one third of Montana’s confirmed COVID-19 cases, and is by far the hardest hit county in Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Canadian company said Monday that it’s started construction on the long-stalled Keystone XL oil sands pipeline across the U.S.-Canada border despite calls from tribal leaders and environmentalists to delay the $8 billion project amid the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesman for TC Energy said work began over the weekend at the border crossing Read More…