When Cedar Stellon O’Donnell was in high school in Fairbanks, Alaska, she visited Montana State University as part of a tour of colleges she was considering. She wasn’t expecting to decide on attending MSU so quickly, but she said the energy of the campus during that visit made a lasting impression. “Everyone here seemed proud Read More…
(The Center Square) – American colleges and universities have received $5.2 billion in foreign gifts and contracts in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. The department released data compiled from foreign funding disclosures submitted by American colleges and universities, documenting over 8,300 transactions worth more than $5.2 billion in reportable foreign Read More…
(The Center Square) – On Tuesday, a judge will decide whether or not to approve a $29 million settlement between the city of Seattle and the family of Jaahnavi Kandula, a 23-year-old graduate student from India who, in January 2023, was struck and killed by a police SUV speeding at 74 mph in a 25 Read More…
(The Center Square) – Climate and energy experts have praised President Donald Trump’s recent elimination of former President Barack Obama’s Endangerment Finding, with several noting the freedom the action will bring to the auto industry and others stating this is only a beginning step. American Energy Institute CEO Jason Isaac told The Center Square that Read More…
Republican Montana Sen. Steve Daines introduced a bill on the Senate floor Thursday that would withhold the pay of members of Congress during future government shutdowns. Daines’s introduction of the bill, sponsored by Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn, comes hours after Daines announced he sent a letter requesting the secretary of the U.S. Senate withhold Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — One day following the beginning of Montana’s 2019 legislative session, Gov. Steve Bullock presented a report on the benefits of Medicaid expansion. The current funding plan is set to expire in June. The governor was a strong proponent of I-185. The initiative would have funded Medicaid expansion by increasing the tobacco tax. Voters Read More…
In November, Montana’s voters rejected renewal of the Medicaid-expansion welfare program (hereinafter “MedEx”), consigning its fate to the Legislature in the 2019 session. Even though the subject may sound boring, taxpayers should pay close attention these next few months, since big money is at stake and the program dis-incentivizes work and self-sufficiency. Medicaid itself Read More…
What would the economy of the state of Montana look like if the eight largest hard rock mines – producing copper, palladium, gold, talc, cement and other products and materials – did not exist? That was a question posed in a recent study produced by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. It addressed – Read More…
In a recent study conducted in Gardiner, Montana, by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana, unsolicited comments from nearly 50 percent of residents exemplified issues in Montana’s affordable housing crisis. Those comments ranged from complaints about high rent to unreasonable housing prices. And while the state battles an affordable Read More…
Billings, MONT.-Today, local business owners announced the formation of the Yellowstone Area Chamber of Commerce. The group was formed in response to a growing belief among business owners that common-sense, pro-business solutions have become secondary policy goals. The group will educate and advocate for proven and business-centric policy prescriptions that create a positive environment for Read More…
(CNN)Several water fountains were shut down at a Cleveland airport after passengers aboard a Frontier Airlines flight became sick, airport officials said. At least six passengers who traveled on Tampa-bound Frontier Airlines Flight 1397 on Tuesday fell ill after leaving Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The passengers, who were not traveling as a group, were Read More…
Taliban fighters killed more than 20 Afghan security forces in simultaneous raids on a provincial capital and district in northern Afghanistan, an official said Tuesday, as the city braced for further violence. Hundreds of militants were outside Sar-e-Pul city, which provincial governor spokesman Zabihullah Amani said was at risk of falling to the Taliban if Read More…
PORT ORCHARD, Wash. — A woman accused of drunken driving and jailed really had suffered a stroke, and despite multiple contacts with police and corrections officers, she went days without medical attention. Carol Carlson, 64, of Edmonds, Washington, drove to the Kingston ferry terminal on a Monday morning in December 2017. Washington State Patrol troopers Read More…
House Democrats have formally proposed creating a new committee on climate change, without many of the main factors that progressives wanted in the panel’s structure. Democratic leaders unveiled the plans for the “Select Committee on the Climate Crisis” late Tuesday as part of a package of rules to govern House proceedings for the next two Read More…
Wednesday morning, recently reelected Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester broke some exciting news by telling Montana College Democrats that their state’s governor, Steve Bullock, would challenge incumbent Republican Sen. Steve Daines in his 2020 reelection bid. Minutes later, Bullock’s chief of staff offered a contrary view: Not only was Bullock not ready to announce, he’s Read More…
As state lawmakers prepare to convene for the 66th session of the Montana Legislature, slated to begin Jan. 7, it’s widely agreed that crafting a bill to continue Medicaid expansion will dominate the 90-day term, a prediction that, coupled with Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock’s spending and tax proposals, sets the stage for another budget battle Read More…
CHEYENNE –- The Wyoming Legislature could act this year to make the state one of only three in the country that prevents any child under the age of 18 from getting married. Currently, Wyoming law sets the legal age for marriage at 16, but allows for a child younger than that to get married, if Read More…
The Montana Democratic Party has named Monica Lindeen as its new executive director, replacing the outgoing Nancy Keenan, who is retiring. Lindeen, 56, was most recently executive director of YWCA Helena, following eight years as the state Commissioner of Securities and Insurance. She was previously vice chair of the party and served eight years Read More…
HELENA, Mont., Jan. 02, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eagle Bancorp Montana, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBMT), (the “Company,” “Eagle”), the holding company of Opportunity Bank of Montana, today announced that it completed, effective January 1, 2019, its previously announced acquisition of Big Muddy Bancorp, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiary, The State Bank of Townsend, Townsend, Montana Read More…
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) extends an invitation to all to attend the Annual MCHF Induction Ceremony & Western Heritage Gathering, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls. “This year we celebrate our 13th gathering and 11th class of inductions into Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Close to 200 bills have already been introduced in the State House and Senate for this upcoming 2019 legislative session in Helena. From education to housing, here’s a summary of three standout bills: Senate Bill 52 would revise the laws on how sexual assault kits are processed in the state. The bill aims Read More…
It’s good news that the administration has reached an agreement on an updated North American Free Trade Agreement. It means certainty for U.S. industry and agriculture, as well as the prosperity that comes from free trade. After all, international trade’s been an asset for farmers, businesses and consumers in Montana. The state’s exports have surged Read More…
Look out, roadtrippers: a new RV rental company is coming to town. Designed to cater to younger adults, Blacksford founder Jonathan Distad said he came to his business model for the company from a tech background, with customer service in mind. The idea for the company came to Distad when he was having Read More…
As former House Speakers and Senate Presidents of the Montana Legislature, we question the wisdom of making significant changes to the rules of operation in the Montana House. Currently, there is a group of legislators trying to change the House rules. One of the proposed changes would allow a simple majority (51 members) to “blast” Read More…
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will leave his post at the end of the year, in the latest high-profile departure from President Donald Trump’s administration. When announcing it on Twitter, Mr Trump did not give a reason for Mr Zinke’s departure but the former congressman from Montana has come under scrutiny for his use of Read More…
In a 6-1 decision Tuesday, the Montana Supreme Court overturned a legal opinion by Attorney General Tim Fox, ruling that Gov. Steve Bullock acted within the law when he circumvented the Montana State Board of Land Commissioners to finalize an eastern Montana conservation easement. As a result of the ruling, the Land Board will Read More…
Helena – Governor Steve Bullock unveiled his budget on Thursday that included about $100 in tax increases. Many of the tax increases where already voted down by the legislature in 2017. Mr. Bullock also included an increase in the tobacco tax which voters rejected at the ballot box just weeks ago. In addition to raising Read More…
By Tucson News Now | November 15, 2018 at 11:22 AM MST – Updated November 15 at 11:36 AM TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday, Nov. 15, that part of the border wall in Arizona will be built by a Montana-based company. According to information from the Read More…
Tuesday’s midterm elections weren’t a slam dunk for either party, not by anyone’s estimation. Democrats managed to avoid another apocalyptic election meltdown and keep their base from flipping out by flipping the House, if barely, and Republicans added slightly to their already slight majority in the Senate. We sent at least three Red State fake Read More…
Helena – Governor Steve Bullock has appointed two longtime Democratic legislators and political operatives, Hal Harper and Dave McAlpin, to prestigious state board positions. On Monday, Governor Bullock’s office announced the appointment of Hal Harper to the Judicial Nominations Commission and Dave McAlpin to the Tax Appeal Board. Mr. Harper is a longtime Democrat state Read More…
WASHINGTON – The Justice Department has been referred an investigation into Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, raising the possibility for criminal charges, according to the Washington Post and CNN. The probe was one of several the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General had opened into allegations that Zinke, who heads the agency, used his office for personal Read More…
Vice President Mike Pence will be in the Flathead Valley on Nov. 5 campaigning for U.S. Senate candidate Matt Rosendale on the eve of the midterm election. Flathead County Sheriff Chuck Curry said his office was meeting with the U.S. Secret Service on Thursday and that the rally will be held at Glacier Park International Read More…
University of Montana Police have released photos and are asking for the public’s help in identifying two men who reportedly attacked a bus as they disembarked near UM housing at the Lewis and Clark Village on South Higgins Avenue. “We got a report of disorderly conduct on one of the UM transportation buses,” said UM Read More…
Helena – The Montana Chamber Foundation announces its second grant from the Gianforte Family Foundation to achieve its 10-year strategic plan, Envision 2026. The goals of that plan are to increase jobs, per capita income, and gross state product, through focusing on workforce, entrepreneurship, business basics and infrastructure. “We are grateful for the continued support Read More…
ENNIS, Mont. — Louie Baur confessed he doesn’t know much about Matt Rosendale, after meeting the Republican challenging Democratic Sen. Jon Tester as he glad-handed supporters and posed for selfies along Main Street in this historic hunting outpost. But Rosendale has President Trump’s seal-of-approval in Montana’s suddenly competitive Senate contest — and that’s good enough Read More…
President Donald Trump defied climate scientists, intelligence specialists and even his own defense secretary on Sunday evening, capping a week of freewheeling press engagements with a sprawling prime-time network television interview in which he portrayed himself as an isolated but eminently empowered commander in chief. “I felt comfortable at the beginning, other than it was Read More…
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Another NASA space telescope has shut down and halted science observations. Less than a week after the Hubble Space Telescope went offline, the Chandra X-ray Observatory did the same thing. NASA said Friday that Chandra’s automatically went into so-called safe mode Wednesday, possibly because of a gyroscope problem. Hubble went Read More…
MISSOULA – Seven people protesting the Senate vote on Judge Brett Kavanaugh were cited after occupying the Montana GOP office on Friday afternoon. Protesters with the Western Montana Democratic Socialists of America arrived around 2 p.m., sat down in the office and refused to leave. Meanwhile, several other protesters stood outside waving signs against Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. (Billings Gazette) — A 66-year-old man who was caught watching child pornography as he fled Washington state on a bus with $10,000 strapped to each of his legs pleaded guilty Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Missoula. Eric Franklin Rosser pleaded guilty to accessing the internet with intent to view child pornography after Read More…
Eagle Jet Solutions has found a new nest in the Electric City. Construction has just begun for the new private hangar at the Great Falls International Airport and will be the largest private hangar in the state of Montana. The new aircraft hangar will have the ability to hold two 737 airplanes. A 737 aircraft Read More…
MISSOULA – Beer enthusiasts of all kinds gathered for the 10th annual Montana Brewers Fall Rendezvous over the weekend in Missoula as several dozen local craft brewers from large and small companies presented their finest. Judges from the local homebrewers association tasted and judged the best beers, and also hosted classes to show how different beers Read More…
Public officials in Missoula County, located in the U.S. state of Montana, have decided to look into new regulations around cryptocurrency mining rather than seek to ban the activity entirely. As previously reported, miners have been drawn to the region thanks to access to cheap electricity, but local concerns about power rate spikes and noise Read More…
Kalispell Regional Healthcare has reached a much-anticipated settlement with the Department of Justice in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging its physicians received illegal compensation in exchange for patient referrals to in-house services, according to a federal court order filed Wednesday. The order, submitted by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, dismisses the case with prejudice — meaning Read More…
The office of Montana state auditor Matt Rosendale, who’s running for the Senate in November, dismissed fines and dropped sanctions against a donor to his political campaigns, according to a report from the Montana Free Press. Rosendale’s office dropped the fines and dismissed two of three allegations against Friedell LLC, a bail bond company, a day after the Senate Read More…