Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 20 state attorneys general seeking to intervene in two federal lawsuits that could eliminate a widely used permitting process for oil and natural gas pipelines crossing rivers, streams and wetlands. The states argue that eliminating Nationwide Permit 12, a federal authorization administered by the U.S. Read More…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined senior federal law enforcement officials to announce expanded efforts to combat government benefits fraud in Minnesota, including new financial reporting guidance, a $25 million whistleblower incentive program and additional enforcement actions targeting alleged Medicaid fraud. The announcement came one day after federal investigators executed search warrants and arrested four individuals Read More…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have proposed new regulations tightening eligibility and verification requirements for federal health insurance subsidies, implementing changes enacted under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. The proposed rules would affect the Premium Tax Credit, a refundable federal tax credit that helps qualifying individuals and families purchase health Read More…
Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced the legendary singer’s death on Aug. 25, 2026, in a prerecorded video. Seaver, the son of one of Parton’s 11 siblings, had been her head of security for many years. But Seaver is currently embroiled in a messy dispute with She’s Alive LLC, the company Parton established to manage Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 20 state attorneys general seeking to intervene in two federal lawsuits that could eliminate a widely used permitting process for oil and natural gas pipelines crossing rivers, streams and wetlands. The states argue that eliminating Nationwide Permit 12, a federal authorization administered by the U.S. Read More…
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joined senior federal law enforcement officials to announce expanded efforts to combat government benefits fraud in Minnesota, including new financial reporting guidance, a $25 million whistleblower incentive program and additional enforcement actions targeting alleged Medicaid fraud. The announcement came one day after federal investigators executed search warrants and arrested four individuals Read More…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service have proposed new regulations tightening eligibility and verification requirements for federal health insurance subsidies, implementing changes enacted under President Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts legislation. The proposed rules would affect the Premium Tax Credit, a refundable federal tax credit that helps qualifying individuals and families purchase health Read More…
Dolly Parton’s nephew Bryan Seaver announced the legendary singer’s death on Aug. 25, 2026, in a prerecorded video. Seaver, the son of one of Parton’s 11 siblings, had been her head of security for many years. But Seaver is currently embroiled in a messy dispute with She’s Alive LLC, the company Parton established to manage Read More…
GRAND FORKS, N.D.—The University of North Dakota will host retired Air Force Col. Patrick “Mike” Shortsleeve, a national security and intelligence expert now working in the defense industry, for a campus presentation Nov. 5. Shortsleeve, vice president of strategic development at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., will speak at 2:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union Read More…
Newswise — AMES, Iowa — Picture 2 a.m. in central Iowa. Almost everyone is asleep. But on a phone on a nightstand, shares of company stock are changing hands. An investor in Seoul may be buying while someone in Des Moines is selling. The market is wide awake. “For generations, U.S. stock exchanges have hit Read More…
The year 2026 has been an expensive one for social media platforms. Since March, YouTube and Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, have settled or paid out in multiple lawsuits to the tune of more than US$17 billion for allegedly acting negligently, deliberately designing their platforms to hook kids and misleading the public Read More…
(The Center Square) – The NCAA on Friday sued Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in federal court after the governor issued an executive order earlier this week giving Ohio colleges and universities the option to expand the eligibility options for some student-athletes. “In June, the NCAA adopted a new eligibility model, giving all otherwise eligible student-athletes Read More…
WASHINGTON—American families saw modest gains in income and wealth between 2022 and 2025, but a growing share struggled to keep up with debt payments, according to a new Federal Reserve report examining the financial condition of U.S. households. The Federal Reserve Board released its 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances on Friday, providing a detailed look Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Two Idaho nonprofit organizations say voting laws enacted in 2023 have made it more difficult for eligible residents to register and cast ballots, while Secretary of State Phil McGrane maintains that voters have multiple ways to meet the state’s identification and residency requirements. Babe Vote and the League of Women Voters of Idaho, two Read More…
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy praised President Donald Trump’s announcement of plans to establish a next-generation military training range in Montana, describing the project as an investment in modernizing the nation’s defense capabilities. The proposed facility would support integrated military exercises and testing involving emerging technologies, including electronic warfare, hypersonic weapons, space systems and advanced targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bipartisan bill has been filed in the U.S. Senate to target cartel trafficking in the U.S. The Enhancing Southbound Inspections to Combat Cartels Act was filed to increase inspections of traffic heading south to Mexico through any U.S. state to combat the flow of illicit firearms and money that fuel drug Read More…
WASHINGTON—Union Pacific is seeking to keep video footage of remarks by Chief Executive Jim Vena out of the public record as the railroad and Norfolk Southern press ahead with their proposed merger before the Surface Transportation Board. The dispute centers on comments Vena made in March at a Southwest Association of Rail Shippers conference. Merger Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont.—The Billings City Council has approved the sale of Lampman Park to a private developer for $834,000, clearing the way for a proposed residential development that would bring 81 housing units to the six-acre property. The park, located south of Monad Road between South 30th and South 31st streets, is currently designated as parkland. Read More…
HELENA, Mont.—The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has secured $4.8 million in federal funding to expand workforce training programs led by employers in high-demand industries, including advanced manufacturing, technology and construction. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund. Montana is one of seven states receiving a share of Read More…
HELENA, Mont.—Gov. Greg Gianforte has joined 21 other governors in signing Vice President JD Vance’s Pledge to Protect Americans from Fraud, an initiative aimed at reducing fraud and improper payments in taxpayer-funded government programs. The pledge calls for stronger oversight of public assistance programs, improved fraud prevention measures and increased accountability for individuals who improperly Read More…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Treasury Department announced enforcement actions against Bank of America for violations of federal anti-money laundering and sanctions laws, including failures to report more than $5 billion in suspicious financial transactions. The actions involve three federal regulators and include the third-largest penalty in Treasury history and the largest penalty ever assessed by the Office Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont.—The University of Montana College of Business ranks among the top 15% of public undergraduate business programs nationwide, according to the 2027 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings. The college tied for No. 89 among undergraduate business programs at public universities and No. 149 among all public and private institutions. The ranking Read More…
HELENA, Mont.—Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of misleading consumers about the safety of ChatGPT and exposing children and teenagers to harmful advice and inadequate privacy protections. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 14 in Lewis and Clark County District Court, alleges OpenAI violated the Montana Consumer Read More…
If you think your energy costs are high now, the situation may be about to get a whole lot worse. With traffic in the Strait of Hormuz – normally the primary route for oil leaving the Middle East – hovering below 15% of prewar levels, oil prices have increased from US$65 a barrel before the Read More…
RIVERTON, Wyo.—Candidates for Wyoming’s lone U.S. House seat discussed federal spending, Social Security and immigration enforcement during a Wyoming PBS debate, while Republican nominee Chuck Gray declined an invitation to participate. Democrat Lisa Kinney, Libertarian Shawn Johnson and Constitution Party candidate Jeff Haggit participated in the forum, outlining their priorities for Congress and discussing how Read More…
(The Center Square) – Inflation ranks among the top three issues for 46% of registered voters, a nine-point climb since March, while the national debt and government spending sit near the bottom at 13%. Voters put the debt near the bottom in a year the federal government ran a $2 trillion deficit, $218 billion more Read More…
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Treasury Department is stepping up scrutiny of religious charity networks that it says the Iranian government uses to divert donations, enrich regime officials and finance terrorist organizations. The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, issued an alert under Operation Economic Outcast urging financial institutions to identify and report suspicious transactions Read More…
PIERRE, S.D.—Voters in four South Dakota counties will decide in November whether to impose new local sales taxes intended to reduce property taxes on owner-occupied homes. Brown and Codington counties will vote on half-percent county sales taxes during the Nov. 3 general election, while Clay and Charles Mix counties are scheduled to hold special elections Read More…
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade are rethinking how surgical care moves on the battlefield, using a prototype M1087 expandable van to turn a traditionally static medical setup into a faster, more mobile and more survivable surgical platform for large-scale combat operations. The prototype gives the 67th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment a Read More…
Montana U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar appears to have a substantially higher net worth than Republican rival Kurt Alme, according to financial disclosure reports filed with the U.S. Senate. An analysis of the candidates’ disclosures estimates Bodnar and his wife have a net worth ranging from approximately $4.9 million to $13 million, compared with roughly Read More…
HELENA—More than 14,000 Montanans are set to receive a combined $7 million in refunds tied to overcharges on Obamacare health plans, according to Montana State Auditor James Brown. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services identified 14,093 Montana residents who are eligible for $500 refund checks, representing a total of $7,046,500. The refunds stem from Read More…
BOISE, Idaho—Idaho General Fund revenue exceeded the state’s forecast by $90.3 million during the first quarter of fiscal year 2027, finishing 6.8% above projections. September revenue alone came in $39 million above forecast, with individual income tax collections accounting for much of the strength. Individual income tax revenue is running 18.3% above forecast year to Read More…
WASHINGTON—The Defense Department is expanding its investment in quantum computing with roughly $350 million in new initiatives, including a conditional $150 million loan commitment to PsiQuantum aimed at strengthening advanced manufacturing and prototyping in the United States. The effort is designed to accelerate development of quantum systems that could eventually support national-security missions in areas Read More…
GREAT FALLS—Janicki Industries has named retired Air Force Col. Daniel J. Voorhies senior director of operations for its new Great Falls manufacturing campus as the aerospace and defense company prepares to expand production in Montana. Voorhies retired earlier this year after 25 years in the U.S. Air Force. He most recently commanded the 341st Missile Read More…
NAVI MUMBAI, India—CoreWeave is expanding into India with plans for a 240-megawatt data center project in Navi Mumbai, adding capacity in one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for artificial-intelligence infrastructure. The company is partnering with AdaniConneX to build three 80-megawatt facilities at the Taloja campus, with the first phase expected to come online by mid-2028. Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D.—Two major pipeline disputes moved forward in North Dakota this week, with a state judge ruling that local zoning rules are not automatically overridden by state pipeline-siting authority and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe filing a new federal lawsuit seeking to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline. In the first case, South Central District Court Read More…
HELENA—Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson has been elected chair-elect of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, giving Montana a leadership role in a national organization representing workforce agencies across the country. Swanson assumed the position Sept. 17 during NASWA’s annual membership meeting at the 2026 NASWA Summit. The chair-elect serves Read More…
A record 15,908 students are attending UND this fall, marking the University’s second consecutive all-time enrollment high and seventh straight year of growth. Behind that number are gains in undergraduate enrollment, strong retention and several of the largest freshman classes in UND history. Here’s a closer look at what is driving UND’s record enrollment. More Read More…
HELENA—Montana’s formally nonpartisan Supreme Court race is developing a clear ideological divide, with liberal advocacy groups, liberal-leaning current and former Montana Supreme Court justices and district judges lining up behind District Judge Amy Eddy, while conservative organizations, Republican officials and GOP committees are supporting District Judge Dan Wilson. Eddy and Wilson, both judges in Montana’s Read More…
HELENA—Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 20-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case challenging workplace diversity, equity and inclusion training at the Colorado Department of Corrections. The coalition filed an amicus brief in Joshua Young v. Colorado Department of Corrections, asking the court to review a Tenth Circuit Read More…
MINNEAPOLIS—A Minnesota woman has been convicted on federal health-care fraud charges for orchestrating a $3.6 million scheme targeting the state’s now-defunct Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program. A federal jury found Sharmaine Meadows, 45, of Lake Elmo, guilty of three counts of health care fraud after prosecutors said her company billed Medicaid for housing services that Read More…
HELENA—The race for Montana’s open U.S. Senate seat is giving voters four distinct choices, with Republican Kurt Alme, independent Seth Bodnar, Democrat Alani Bankhead and Libertarian Kyle Austin competing to replace retiring Sen. Steve Daines. Alme, 59, has made his Montana roots and long record in state and federal public service central to his campaign. Read More…
BOZEMAN—Republican Aaron Flint and Democrat Sam Forstag traded attacks and outlined sharply different approaches to affordability, energy and economic development during their first televised debate in Montana’s Western Congressional District race. The two candidates met Thursday in Bozeman for a 30-minute forum hosted by the Montana Television Network and moderated by senior political reporter Jonathon Read More…
The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll (The Center Square) – A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll. The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll found that 55% of American voters are concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates running for and winning elected office Read More…