WASHINGTON—Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy is calling for greater congressional scrutiny of former special counsel Jack Smith as lawmakers consider changes to the rules governing secret government demands for private records. Sheehy’s comments follow disclosures from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Arctic Frost, the federal inquiry that ultimately became part of Smith’s investigation of President Read More…
Amazon plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next five years in communities where it operates data centers, as the company responds to growing political and public concern over the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence infrastructure. The money will support education, workforce training, water and energy conservation projects and other local priorities in areas Read More…
MINNEAPOLIS—A federal grand jury has indicted 10 foreign nationals in separate voter-fraud cases involving Minnesota elections in 2022, 2024 and 2026, the Justice Department said. The defendants were indicted Sept. 24 and have since made initial appearances in federal court. Prosecutors allege the cases involve unlawful voting by noncitizens and false claims of U.S. citizenship Read More…
ST. LOUIS—Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how people access and interpret economic data, creating both new opportunities and new risks for one of the central bank’s most widely used public tools. Speaking at FRED Con 2026 in St. Louis, Waller called the Federal Reserve Economic Data platform, known as Read More…
WASHINGTON—Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy is calling for greater congressional scrutiny of former special counsel Jack Smith as lawmakers consider changes to the rules governing secret government demands for private records. Sheehy’s comments follow disclosures from the Senate Judiciary Committee’s investigation of Arctic Frost, the federal inquiry that ultimately became part of Smith’s investigation of President Read More…
Amazon plans to invest more than $1 billion over the next five years in communities where it operates data centers, as the company responds to growing political and public concern over the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence infrastructure. The money will support education, workforce training, water and energy conservation projects and other local priorities in areas Read More…
MINNEAPOLIS—A federal grand jury has indicted 10 foreign nationals in separate voter-fraud cases involving Minnesota elections in 2022, 2024 and 2026, the Justice Department said. The defendants were indicted Sept. 24 and have since made initial appearances in federal court. Prosecutors allege the cases involve unlawful voting by noncitizens and false claims of U.S. citizenship Read More…
ST. LOUIS—Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how people access and interpret economic data, creating both new opportunities and new risks for one of the central bank’s most widely used public tools. Speaking at FRED Con 2026 in St. Louis, Waller called the Federal Reserve Economic Data platform, known as Read More…
NEW YORK—U.S. stocks ended a volatile week with a strong Friday rally as a weaker-than-expected jobs report eased concerns that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates again this month. The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% Friday to 7,722.72, leaving the benchmark less than 1% below its record high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% Read More…
MINOT, N.D.—Gov. Kelly Armstrong has appointed Minot attorney Christene Reierson to an open judgeship in North Dakota’s North Central Judicial District, effective Nov. 16. Reierson has operated Reierson Law Office P.C. in Minot as a solo practitioner since 2015, handling matters including family law, criminal law, probate, civil litigation, business formation, real estate transactions, estate Read More…
MISSOULA—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint unveiled a tax-relief proposal in Missoula this week while seeking to make Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s past lobbying work a central issue in Montana’s 1st Congressional District race. Flint’s proposal calls for making permanent federal tax breaks on tips and overtime, eliminating federal taxes on military pensions, ending the estate Read More…
Tony Romo is leaving CBS Sports after nine seasons as one of the network’s most prominent NFL analysts, ending a broadcasting run that began shortly after his retirement from professional football. CBS Sports said Friday that it and Romo had “mutually agreed to part ways,” roughly two months after the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback was Read More…
BILLINGS—The Billings Cattle Punchers opened a new chapter for hockey in the Magic City with their first official home game at the new Signal Peak Ice Arena, drawing a sold-out crowd to the $17.5 million facility. Billings fell 5-3 in the opener, but the night still marked a major milestone for the city’s hockey community Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings man has been charged with felony criminal insurance fraud after state investigators alleged he filed a false claim involving several lawnmowers he reported stolen. Adam Walker told authorities in July 2023 that his truck, trailer and four lawnmowers had been stolen from outside his residence. Police later recovered the truck, Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montanans who purchased certain generic prescription drugs between 2009 and 2019 may be eligible for compensation from a series of settlements totaling about $96.5 million over allegations that drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices. A federal court in Connecticut recently granted preliminary approval to a distribution plan involving Montana and 47 other Read More…
WASHINGTON — The official White House mobile app rose to the top of Apple’s News category this week and moved into the App Store’s overall Top 20, as the Trump administration expands its effort to communicate directly with the public through government-run digital platforms. The White House said the app ranked No. 1 in the Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — Micron Technology is scheduled to report fiscal fourth-quarter results Sept. 30, with investors looking for another quarter of rapid growth as artificial-intelligence spending continues to fuel demand for high-performance memory. The Boise-based semiconductor company has already set a high bar. Micron reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $41.46 billion, up 74% from the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division, was named Read More…
BOULDER, Mont. — The Montana Highway Patrol commissioned seven new troopers during the 84th Montana Highway Patrol Advanced Academy graduation ceremony. For the first time, the graduation was held at MHP headquarters in Boulder. Montana Highway Patrol Col. Kurt Sager and Montana Supreme Court Clerk Bowen Greenwood addressed the graduates before the swearing-in and badge-pinning Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana’s U.S. Senate race is entering its final stretch with millions of dollars in outside spending, a dispute over a television advertisement targeting Republican Kurt Alme and growing scrutiny of independent candidate Seth Bodnar’s record leading the University of Montana. The four-way contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Steve Daines includes Alme, Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana State Board of Land Commissioners has approved an oil and gas lease sale expected to generate more than $2.1 million for state trust lands, with the proceeds benefiting public education. The sale included 12 tracts in Musselshell, Sheridan and Toole counties. A single tract in Sheridan County generated a $2.14 Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings counselor has been ordered to pay nearly $48,000 to the state after pleading guilty to charges stemming from fraudulent Medicaid claims, according to the Montana Department of Justice. Melvera Parker, 69, pleaded guilty to felony Medicaid fraud and making a false claim to a public agency following an investigation by Read More…
A coalition of 15 Republican state attorneys general is urging congressional leaders to preserve language in the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 that they say protects state authority over eligibility rules for women’s college sports. The attorneys general sent a Sept. 23 letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is praising Peabody Energy’s successful pilot shipment of Powder River Basin coal to Vietnam, calling the export an important step toward expanding international markets for the state’s coal industry. The shipment moved coal from Wyoming through the United States and Mexico using Union Pacific and Ferromex rail networks Read More…
Army Capt. Daniel W. Lee Sr. was a platoon leader during World War II. He earned the Medal of Honor for valorous action in southeast France in 1944, during Operation Dragoon. Lee was born June 23, 1919, in Alma, Georgia. His parents, Daniel M. Lee and Ida Hyres, were farmers. Lee and his six siblings Read More…
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — Spectrum is expanding its fiber broadband network in Cascade County, bringing service to more than 1,200 additional homes and small businesses in previously unserved or underserved areas, including Ulm and Vaughn. Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Spectrum this week to mark the expansion, which is part of the company’s broader rural broadband Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Applications are open for Wyoming residents seeking a seat on the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board, a volunteer panel that helps guide efforts to strengthen downtowns and support local businesses across the state. The seven-member board works alongside Wyoming Business Council staff on the services and priorities of the Wyoming Main Street Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has vacated an injunction that would have placed a proposed data center initiative on Butte-Silver Bow County’s November ballot, saying it would not have granted the order had it known ballots had already been printed, mailed and, in some cases, returned. The court issued the new order Sept. 24, two days Read More…
WASHINGTON — Legislation updating the Crow Tribe’s water-rights settlement has cleared Congress and is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk. The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement Amendments Act, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Steve Daines and backed in the House by Rep. Troy Downing, passed the Senate after clearing the House last week. The Read More…
NEW YORK — U.S. stocks finished a volatile week higher, with renewed enthusiasm around artificial intelligence helping offset concerns over rising Treasury yields, elevated oil prices and the prospect of additional Federal Reserve interest-rate increases. The S&P 500 gained 1.2% for the week, while the technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite rose 2%, including record-high closes earlier in Read More…
The Montana Historical Society is now accepting submissions for the Montana Headwaters Book Prize, a new annual award recognizing the best historical nonfiction books on Montana history. Submissions are open through Jan. 31, 2027, to authors and publishers of books published during the 2026 calendar year. The prize is funded annually by Larry Len and Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said a new state Supreme Court ruling provides clearer direction on the Legislature’s constitutional obligations for public-school funding while preserving lawmakers’ authority over how the state meets those requirements. The Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower-court ruling in a long-running dispute over education funding. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin employee has filed a class action lawsuit against the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 7 and Olympic Companies claiming the company and union continue to deduct dues from her paychecks even after she provided written notice of the termination of her union membership. Caryn Johnson Read More…
Leadership in Action, a political action committee whose honorary chairman is Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, has launched a new advertisement targeting Democratic congressional candidate Sam Forstag over his previous lobbying work in Helena. The ad, titled “The Other Resume,” argues that Forstag’s campaign emphasis on his background as a smokejumper and wildland firefighter leaves Read More…
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion Wednesday concluding that federal law barring licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults ages 18 to 20 cannot be enforced consistent with the Second Amendment. The opinion, dated Sept. 17, 2026, addresses 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1), which generally prohibit federally licensed Read More…
Shares have fallen more than 20% from their 52-week high as Costco prepares to report fiscal fourth-quarter results Sept. 24 Costco Wholesale Corp. shares head into Thursday’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings report trading well off their highs, with investors watching to see whether the warehouse retailer can arrest a monthslong slide ahead of one of its Read More…
A new educational resource, Money for Montanans, answers common questions about the state’s registered agent industry and its role in funding public infrastructure. Montana’s vast land mass requires significant annual investment to maintain its roads, but only about 11.5% of that funding currently comes from state-generated sources, with the remainder coming through federal funds. The Read More…
(The Center Square) — Democratic hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate in the upcoming midterm elections are heavily dependent on retaining an open seat in Michigan. The race features a charismatic and energetic though controversial liberal Democrat — and also the first Muslim nominated by a major party for the post — against Read More…
Pershing Square Inc. reported higher fee-related earnings and a sharp increase in assets under management during its second quarter, its first reporting period as a publicly traded company following its April initial public offering. The alternative asset manager, led by Bill Ackman, reported second-quarter fee-related earnings of $56.1 million, up 24% from $45.1 million a Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte recently joined officials from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service to visit the Blacktail Powerline Project near Lakeside on the Flathead National Forest, the first initiative announced under Montana’s Shared Stewardship Agreement. “Through our Shared Stewardship Agreement with the Forest Service, management partners are working Read More…
A Phoenix-area woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in fraudulently billing Arizona’s Medicaid agency more than $69 million in less than a year for addiction treatment therapy, the Justice Department announced. Many of the patients used to fuel the scheme were Native Americans covered by Arizona Medicaid under a specific Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.2% in August, remaining below the national rate and placing the state among the 15 lowest unemployment rates in the country. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in August, according to federal labor data. Total employment in Montana, including payroll, agricultural and self-employed workers, increased by 482 Read More…
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, is leaning into an unconventional, deeply historical and highly effective tool for mitigating fire risk: goats. The installation is releasing herds of grazing animals in a targeted effort to reduce dry brush and invasive grasses, a nature-based solution to protect military infrastructure and the neighboring civilian communities. The Operation Read More…
A federal judge appointed by former President Barack Obama has ordered the release of 24 people held by federal immigration authorities in Cascade County, concluding that the government failed to follow required procedures governing warrantless immigration arrests and detention. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris issued the order Friday as part of an ongoing class-action Read More…