U.S. markets lost momentum this week as investors stepped back from recent highs, digesting mixed economic signals and growing uncertainty around the outlook for interest rates and growth. After several weeks of gains, the S&P 500 fell roughly 2.4% for the week, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped about 3%, its steepest decline since April. The Read More…
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana (BCBSMT) over a data breach that allegedly exposed the sensitive personal and medical information of hundreds of thousands of members. The filing comes as Montana State Auditor and Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown launched a separate investigation into the Read More…
Now that the United States has officially stopped making pennies, a nationwide scramble is underway among gas stations, fast-food chains, and major retailers to adjust prices and handle cash transactions — a shift that could quietly erode profits for many high-volume businesses. The transition follows President Donald Trump’s decision earlier this year to halt production Read More…
Bitcoin was on track Friday to post its first October loss in seven years, breaking a streak that had given the month a “lucky” reputation among cryptocurrency traders. The world’s largest digital currency is set to fall nearly 5% for the month, trading around $66,800 Friday afternoon, as investors pulled back from risk assets amid Read More…
Women are going nuts overLuLaRoe, a clothing brand that has catapulted from near obscurity to cult status in the past couple of years. The brand, which sells brightly-colored shirts, leggings, and dresses, isn’t available in stores or on a company website. Instead, tens of thousands of people across the US — many of whom are Read More…
Representatives of Wyoming firearms manufacturers were on hand Monday, as Gov. Matt Mead announced three new initiatives to promote shooting sports across the state as part of “Wyoming’s Day at the Range.” “We have a growing firearms industry in Wyoming,” Mead said at ceremony at the Otto Road Shooting Range west of Cheyenne. “Some Read More…
Not long after it became clear that the robust winds that blow down from the Rocky Mountains and across the sea of sagebrush here could produce plenty of profit in a world that wants more renewable energy, some of the more expansive minds in the Wyoming Legislature began entertaining a lofty question: Who owns all Read More…
The Treasure State will soon be able to eat one of the Peach State’s most beloved treasures, and it’s not a peach. Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc. will open its first restaurant in Montana at 35 Treeline Road in Kalispell. The company said more details on our first location and the local owner will be available soon. It’s Chick-fil-A Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – Residents of an eastern Montana city are being asked to limit their water use so one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the western U.S. can continue to safely operate. Colstrip Mayor John Williams asked the city’s 2,300 residents to minimize their use of water for sprinkling and irrigation through the Read More…
If there’s one thing many Montanans can agree on it’s a love for beer. And if Anaconda resident Luke Carlson gets his way, Anaconda could get its own brewery as early as late December. “If everything goes smoothly, we’re kind of pushing for Christmas time,” said Carlson, who recently applied for funding from the city’s Read More…
BONNER — When Steve Nelson and Mike Boehme bought the former Stimson lumber mill site in Bonner in 2011, they saw potential in the blighted, polluted industrial area. Recently, the duo gave a tour to showcase the business activity going on there. Today, 10 separate businesses employing roughly 250 people occupy the 170-acre site, including Read More…
After a decade-long partnership with Bozeman advertising agency MercuryCSC, Montana’s Office of Tourism and Business Development recently awarded the state’s $7 million annual marketing contract to a company based in Wisconsin. The department awarded the contract to Milwaukee agency Hoffman York at the beginning of August using a point system it says is objective to Read More…
THREE FORKS, MONT. — Wheat Montana recently reformulated its Healthyloaf line of bread using only non-G.M.O. ingredients. The company worked with vendors to assure that all ingredients are non-G.M.O., and plans to submit all items for non-GMO Project verification. The Healthyloaf line of better-for-you sliced bread has been a top-seller for Wheat Montana since its Read More…
Anyone who’s built a career knows there are plenty of challenges along the way. The Young Professional Summit in Great Falls over the weekend is helping young professionals get their foot in the door when it comes to establishing themselves, and their careers in Montana. This is the first year of the Summit, which featured a variety of events Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development says the “Get Lost in Montana” campaign has run its course, and now a new company will take over marketing the Treasure State. The state began a competitive selection process in April of this year. Eleven bids were submitted from companies in places like Montana, Read More…
The City Council has signed off, and construction is set to begin at First Interstate Bank’s new branch office on South Haynes Avenue in Miles City. The 7,000-square-foot, single-story structure will replace the existing branch at 1115 Main St. that the bank has called home for the past 30 years. Branch President Jeff Rodenbaugh said Read More…
The Montana Land Board has approved trading two historic Helena buildings for a warehouse property near the Helena airport. The state will trade the Old Liquor Warehouse on Front Street and the Armory on Last Chance Gulch to the D & M Development, LLC for a warehouse on A Street. The Old Liquor Warehouse is currently Read More…
HOUSTON—Continental Resources Inc., North Dakota’s second-largest oil producer, posted a quarterly loss on Wednesday that missed Wall Street’s expectations because of the slump in crude prices. The loss is an example of the difficulty facing the oil industry as it seeks to offset the period of low prices. Many companies have slashed costs to survive. Read More…
At the AlphaGraphics Annual Conference in New Orleans, AlphaGraphics of Billings owners Jake Eaton and Dustin Frost were presented with the AlphaGraphics 2015 Top 10 Sales Award, recognizing the locally owned center’s annual sales volume as 10th highest among the nearly 300 AlphaGraphics business centers worldwide. AlphaGraphics of Billings, a full service print communications company, Read More…
By the end of September, Bozeman will have an entirely new projection for how the city’s economy will grow and change over the coming years. The city, led by Economic Development Director Brit Fontenot, is currently in the process of updating its economic development plan for the first time since 2009. Most of the legwork Read More…