WHITEFISH—Republican congressional nominee Aaron Flint and Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino joined local residents in Whitefish on Friday for a rally supporting Border Patrol and local law enforcement, while Flint used the event to criticize Democratic opponent Sam Forstag’s lobbying record on immigration and criminal-justice issues. The gathering drew roughly 40 people near the Whitefish Read More…
WASHINGTON—The federal government is putting greater emphasis on investing, digital finance and fraud prevention as part of an updated national strategy aimed at improving Americans’ financial knowledge and decision-making. The Financial Literacy and Education Commission released its 2026 update to the U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy, establishing four priority areas: youth financial capability, saving 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…
American manufacturing is showing fresh momentum, with factory activity climbing to its strongest level in four years as companies expand domestic production and investors warm to an industrial rebound. Recent data point to a broad pickup across the sector. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose for a third straight month, reaching its highest Read More…
Mark Gordon has signed a finalized regulatory agreement between the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expanding Wyoming’s authority over certain nuclear source materials tied to rare earth and critical mineral development. State officials said the agreement, formally executed April 30, marks a major milestone in Wyoming’s effort to become Read More…
The United States Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS Idaho (SSN-799) during a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London, adding the 26th Virginia-class submarine to the fleet. The event marked the formal entry of the vessel into active service as the Navy continues expanding undersea capabilities amid growing strategic competition overseas. James Risch delivered Read More…
Daniel Perez Rojas, a former Mexican special forces soldier who rose to near the top of one of the country’s most violent cartels, faces up to life in prison A former high-ranking member of the Los Zetas cartel pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking conspiracy charges, the Justice Department announced, marking a significant victory in Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte has appointed a seven-member advisory council to help review candidates for the vacant district court judgeship in Montana’s Sixth Judicial District, which serves Park County and Sweet Grass County. The council will assist the governor in evaluating the lone applicant for the position, Livingston attorney Rebecca Robyn Swandal, after the application and Read More…
Gov. Larry Rhoden has appointed Chad Callahan as a circuit judge in the Fourth Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the retirement of Mike Day. Rhoden praised Callahan’s integrity and professionalism, saying he is confident the judge will uphold the rule of law, treat everyone fairly in the courtroom, and serve the state well. Callahan Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined leaders from BHE Montana in Great Falls to celebrate the opening of the company’s new office and to emphasize the need for affordable, reliable energy as demand continues to grow across the state. Gianforte said Montana must continue investing and innovating to meet increasing energy needs for homes, schools, businesses, and Read More…
(The Center Square) – U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Friday she is closing the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, days after a key hearing for his replacement. Pirro said she is referring the matter to the Fed’s own inspector general, the same watchdog Powell had formally asked to Read More…
Montana residents living in South Korea and Korean residents living in Montana will soon have an easier path to obtaining local driver’s licenses after state officials signed a new reciprocity agreement this week. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, who oversees the Montana Motor Vehicle Division, signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Police Agency Read More…
A regional anti-human trafficking conference wrapped up in Billings after bringing together law enforcement officers, prosecutors, educators and victim-service advocates from across the Rocky Mountain region for specialized training on combating trafficking and exploitation. The 2026 Greater Rockies Immersive Training Conference, known as GRIT, concluded Wednesday after a multi-day program focused on the unique challenges Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury said Friday it plans to overhaul disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations, aiming to shed more light on how nonprofits receive and spend public money. Treasury announced that the Internal Revenue Service intends to revise Form 990, the annual information return filed by many nonprofits, to require clearer reporting on Read More…
Sixty-three new law enforcement officers graduated last week from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy and will now begin service with 32 agencies across the state. The academy, which operates under the Montana Department of Justice, provides basic and advanced training for state, county, city and tribal law enforcement officers. The new graduates are expected to Read More…
Mark Gordon announced he will not seek a third term as Wyoming governor, confirming his current term will be his last in office. Gordon recently met with his cabinet to outline priorities for the remainder of his administration, focusing on strengthening Wyoming’s economy, supporting key industries, protecting natural resources, and investing in local communities and Read More…
New allegations of sexual misconduct have emerged against Montana state Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy days after he suspended his campaign for Montana’s eastern congressional district. The latest claims come from a former legislative staffer who said Windy Boy showed her explicit nude photos of himself while she was working during the 2017 legislative session. The Read More…
A $16 billion financing package for a massive Oracle Corp. data center in Michigan has closed after months of difficult negotiations, the latest sign of both the enormous appetite for AI infrastructure and the growing wariness among investors asked to fund it. Bank of America sold $14 billion in bonds tied to the project, with Read More…
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will welcome King Charles III and Queen Camilla to Washington next week for a four-day state visit, marking the first official state visit of Trump’s second term. The April 27-30 visit is expected to highlight the longstanding alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom as Read More…
(The Center Square) — The Trump administration is investigating claims that New York City schools violated the civil rights of Jewish students by hosting seminars on Palestinian resistance. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights announced Thursday that it has opened an investigation into the New York City Department of Education to determine Read More…
After a nationwide search, retired Vice Admiral Darse E. “Del” Crandall, Jr. has been appointed to the position of dean of the School of Law at the University of North Dakota. The appointment was made by Eric Link, UND provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. Crandall is expected to begin his new role on Read More…
FORT BELVOIR, Va. – Two and a half centuries after the first shots of the American revolution were fired, the Army Reserve continues to embody the spirit of those original minutemen. Like their predecessors, Citizen Soldiers stand ready to answer the nation’s call — not as a force in reserve, but as a critical, integrated Read More…
Rail transportation is the backbone of the American economy, and a proposed $85 billion merger threatens to concentrate market power in an already highly consolidated industry in the hands of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern. The consequences will ripple across the economy, raising transportation costs, weakening service, and squeezing industries that depend on rail, from Read More…
The South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation is inviting employers, educators and workforce partners to a free virtual session next week aimed at promoting registered apprenticeship programs as a tool for addressing persistent talent pipeline challenges. The online event, part of a broader Apprenticeship Knowledge Series timed to coincide with National Apprenticeship Week, is Read More…
The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy recognized personnel assigned to National Guard counterdrug programs for their support to 10 award-winning law enforcement investigations during a ceremony in Washington, April 2. The investigations were part of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program, a White House-led effort that brings together federal, state, local Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has launched a consumer protection investigation into Ford Motor Co. and Stellantis N.V., alleging that both automakers have been collecting and selling drivers’ personal data to third-party companies — including insurance data brokers — without vehicle owners’ knowledge or consent. Mr. Knudsen issued Civil Investigative Demands to both companies, giving Read More…
House Speaker Mike Johnson issued a sharp rebuke Thursday of congressional Democrats following reports that party leadership is briefing members on the use of the 25th Amendment and amid calls from more than 80 Democratic lawmakers for the impeachment and removal of President Donald Trump. In a statement, Johnson dismissed the efforts as politically motivated Read More…
(The Center Square) – Planned Parenthood received $832 million in taxpayer funding in 2024-2025, an increase of $39.8 million from its previous report. A record number of abortions also were performed by the organization. President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Marjorie Dannenfelser told The Center Square that “taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund Planned Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte made a stop at Billings’ Park High School this week, touring woodshops, auto bays and a greenhouse as part of a broader push to position career and technical education as a cornerstone of the state’s economic strategy. The visit underscored a governance philosophy Gianforte has pursued since taking office: that closing Montana’s Read More…
200 years ago, the Luddites destroyed textile looms and cropping machines in a vain effort to resist technological innovation. Now, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) are trying to do the same thing with the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act. Or at least they’re acting the part of modern-day Luddites to secure political control over Read More…
The Trump administration released a list Thursday of nine undocumented immigrants facing serious criminal charges across multiple states, using the cases to intensify pressure on congressional Democrats to approve additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security and end what the White House describes as sanctuary city policies that shield criminal offenders from deportation. The Read More…
Daniel Loeb’s hedge fund Third Point has walked away from its activist campaign against CoStar Group, selling its entire position in the real estate data company after concluding that its original investment thesis no longer held, according to a letter to investors. Third Point had signaled in January that it would pursue a board challenge Read More…
A representative from Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen’s office appeared before a legislative committee Thursday to answer questions from lawmakers about the office’s public mailings and their handling of state voter data. Jacobsen’s elections director and chief legal counsel spoke to the Legislative Audit Committee on questions about mailers, billboards and voter data. In Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Thursday used his line-item veto authority to reverse a legislative cut to the state’s graduate medical education program, warning that the reduction would have disrupted the training of eight current medical residents mid-residency and undermined the state’s credibility with its healthcare workforce pipeline. Mr. Little signed but partially vetoed House Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Friday directed state agencies to prepare leaner budgets for the next two-year spending cycle, warning that a widening gap between ongoing revenues and expenditures represents an unsustainable fiscal trajectory that must be corrected by 2032. Speaking to agency leaders and fiscal officers at the state Capitol, Mr. Armstrong framed Read More…
The Laramie County School District 1 Board of Trustees authorized roughly $6 million in facility upgrades, service contracts and legal expenses at its regular meeting this week, while also appointing a new principal for Prairie Wind Elementary School. The board moved through its agenda swiftly, approving all items within roughly 10 minutes following public comment Read More…
US. Senator Tim Sheehy was aboard a small plane that made an emergency landing in a rural Madison County field Friday after suffering a mechanical engine failure, according to his office. Neither of the two people on board was injured. The plane came down near Ennis, Mont., during what Mr. Sheehy’s chief of staff described Read More…
(The Center Square) – At a speed astronauts haven’t experienced since Apollo, Artemis II re-entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down near San Diego Friday evening, concluding a historic mission that took humans farther than ever. There were cheers everywhere, from the amphibious dock ship USS John P. Murtha, ready to pick up the astronauts and Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has awarded the Montana Highway Patrol’s highest honor to two troopers who tracked down a wanted Nebraska fugitive near Big Timber last year and shot and killed him after he opened fire on them. MHP Sergeant Barry Kilpela and Trooper Justin Knapp each received the Award of Valor at a Read More…
A federal judge on Friday extended an emergency order keeping Nexstar Media Group and Tegna operating as separate companies for another week, as he weighs whether to issue a longer preliminary injunction that could halt the $6.2 billion merger while an antitrust lawsuit works its way through the courts. U.S. District Judge Troy Nunley of Read More…
I’ve heard enough. “Dr. Al” Olszewski has spent the better part of a decade lying to Montana, dividing conservatives, and has used his post as county GOP chairman to pull good candidates down, rather than working to elevate all. He personally has lost three consecutive primaries for US Senate, governor, Congress, and now that he’s Read More…
he University of Montana’s signature artificial intelligence initiative, the Future Project, landed a prestigious 2026 CIO 100 Award, recognizing excellence in enterprise-scale technology leadership and innovation. “This recognition underscores the University of Montana’s thoughtful and forward-looking approach to AI,” said Zach Rossmiller, UM’s chief information officer. “The Future Project is about more than adopting new Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed two amicus briefs leading coalitions of state attorneys general in defense of American firearms manufacturers facing lawsuits in New York that seek to hold the companies liable for gun crimes committed in the state. Knudsen argues both cases circumvent federal protections established under the Protection of Lawful Commerce Read More…