White House Border Czar Tom Homan held a press conference in Minneapolis to update the public on ongoing immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, emphasizing the removal of dangerous criminal aliens and reaffirming the Trump administration’s commitment to public safety. “These targeted operations continue to remove the worst of the worst illegal alien killers, rapists, gang Read More…
Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke announced that President Trump has signed H.R. 6938, the 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act, which includes more than $8 million in federal funding for critical water infrastructure and law enforcement projects across Western Montana. “These projects come directly from county commissioners Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines called for increased public safety resources for Montana tribes and commended tribal efforts to protect youth and families during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing featuring Harlem Councilwoman Joan Johnson. Daines emphasized the Trump administration’s support for Indian Country, including enhanced law enforcement presence and the opening of a new FBI Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate rose slightly to 3.4 percent in December, extending the state’s streak of over four consecutive years with unemployment at or below that level, according to the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The state’s jobless rate remains well below the national average of 4.4 percent, keeping Montana among the top ten states Read More…
A report released earlier this week by finance website WalletHub said Fargo is the ninth fastest-growing midsize city based on a study that compared 515 cities on 14 different factors, including population growth rate, college-educated population growth and unemployment rate decreases. Fargo ranked 13th overall in the study, which looked at growth between 2009 and Read More…
As Dakota Access Pipeline opponents fanned out and stopped construction at multiple sites again Thursday, Oct. 6, the Morton County sheriff said he has assigned more resources to the area and will call in deputies from other states if necessary to respond to simultaneous protests. “We have basically tapped the resources to a level Read More…
More than $2 million from a California billionaire has been dropped into a North Dakota ballot measure aimed at elevating crime victims’ rights to the constitutional level. Only $10,000 has been raised by opponents to Marsy’s Law. The Marsy’s Law for North Dakota committee’s pre-general election finance report filed Friday though the Secretary of State’s Read More…
Construction work on the Dakota Access Pipeline is nearly completed along the North Dakota portion of the project route. The September construction report from Dakota Access LLC, a partner of Energy Transfer Partners LP, shows that 87 percent of the project has been completed in the state through the end of the month. This Read More…
Eight North Dakota lenders have earned the 2016 Director’s Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration North Dakota District Office, honoring their participation with SBA in supporting the growth and expansion of small businesses in their communities. The winners are: Dakota Certified Development Corp., U.S. Bank, Capital Credit Union, Choice Financial, VISIONBank, Starion Financial, Town Read More…
When our founding fathers set up the greatest nation known to man, they expected the citizens to take an active part in it by voting. Where does Wyoming stand? Our friends at WalletHub.com did a study and found that the National Voter Representation Index at 87 percent. They also found that different demographic groups are Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead says he’s hopeful that state lawmakers won’t have to make more substantial cuts to state spending when they convene early next year. Declining revenues forced Mead to cut $250 million from the state’s two-year, $3 billion general fund budget that started in July. Updated revenue projections are due later this month Read More…
The State Loan and Investment Board (SLIB) approved funding for seven projects at its quarterly board meeting Thursday in Cheyenne. SLIB awarded three companies a total of $41 million in Economic Development Large Project loan requests – none of the three approved large project loans were the full amounts requested. Standard Alcohol, Atlas Carbon and Cody Read More…
One of downtown Helena’s largest employers is ready to make a move to the east side of town. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana will start operations Monday at its new headquarters in the Mountain View Meadows subdivision. Leaders say the move will be in several stages and should be finished in about two weeks. Read More…
When Steve Daines visited the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Lame Deer in 2014 to meet with tribal leaders as a freshman member of Congress, he was greeted with a traditional honor dance and an energetic performance highlighting their other customs. But it was what came next that caught his attention. “‘You’re the first Republican Read More…
Groups trying to influence the outcome of a Montana Supreme Court race are on track to set a record for the most fundraising collected for a justice seat. Lee Newspapers of Montana reports that this year’s race between Dirk Sandefur and Kristen Juras, fundraising by political action committees has reached a reported total of Read More…
Montana’s freshman congressman hasn’t shied away from the national spotlight during his brief tenure in Washington, D.C. In the past year, Republican Ryan Zinke has weighed the possibilities of being both Speaker of the House and a running mate for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. Zinke said both positions are about leadership and Read More…
The three newest members of Montana State University Billings’ Business Hall of Fame will accept individual honors this week, but all of them say they haven’t succeeded without surrounding themselves with a team. “This honor is focused on me, but it shouldn’t. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with tremendous… people,” said Karen Fagg Read More…
A pair of local businesses were honored as part of the 23rd Annual Family Business Day hosted by Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship. Bozeman baked goods company Elliotts of Montana and retailer Wild West Shirt Company were among the six businesses awarded at Friday’s event. Busted Knuckle Brewery in Glasgow, Read More…
Conferences, especially in the technology sector, are great opportunities for people of similar interests to meet up and interact. On Sept. 22, Malta held its Hi-Line Technology Roundup. The free conference focused on the use of communication technologies in a rural environment, with topics relating to remote work, software for ranchers and technological advances in Read More…
The Missoula city council recently passed a city ordinance requiring all firearm transfers within the city be subject to a background check, even private transfers between individuals. This new ordinance is in direct violation of Montana Code Annotated section 45-8-351 (2015), which states a local government may not restrict or regulate the purchase, sale, or Read More…
Wyoming has the most competitive tax code in the nation according to the 13th annual State Business Tax Climate Index, released today by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation. The report measures how well-structured each state’s tax code is by analyzing over 100 tax variables in five different tax categories: corporate, individual income, sales, property, and unemployment Read More…
Hillary Clinton is “evil,” Gary Johnson is always “high” and it’s game on against Sen. Elizabeth Warren, according to former baseball star Curt Schilling. The six-time all-star Major League pitcher told Fox News’ Neil Cavuto Friday that he’s “serious” about mounting a 2018 challenge to unseat Warren in Massachusetts, while deriding Johnson and Clinton’s current Read More…
Attacks from the liberal, anonymous blog Montana Cowgirl are exempt from campaign laws requiring “attribution,” and therefore the blog doesn’t have to identify its author, the state’s top campaign-law enforcer said Friday. Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl said postings on the anonymous blog’s website are not “electioneering communication” and don’t have to be attributed. Read More…
While University of Montana students will start getting around campus through electric power this fall, Missoula’s main transit agency also has electric buses on its shopping list. “We’re aggressively going after federal grant opportunities as they arise and looking at how we can move in that direction,” Mountain Line General Manager Corey Aldridge said, The Read More…
More than half of the minimum wage workers in Montana are older than 25 and more than 60 percent are women. The Montana Department of Labor and Industry announced on Thursday the new minimum wage for a group it calls an important part of the workforce. The minimum wage will increase to $8.15 an hour starting Read More…
Burger Dive’s “I’m Your Huckleberry” is the People’s Choice at the the Zoofari burger competition at ZooMontana on Friday night. The very first Zoofari brought burgers, brews and bands for a big party and fund raiser. The Montana Beef Council sponsored the competition. Callaghan Enterprises, Grille 406 out of Bozeman, Stacked, a Montana Grill and Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has upheld the state’s Public Service Commission’s decision to deny a $1.4 million rate increase requested by NorthWestern Energy. An outage at a plant in January 2012 forced the company to buy power from third parties, but the PSC had ruled that even with the outage, NorthWestern Energy was allowed to collect $8.3 Read More…
There have been plenty of chances for the Sacramento State Hornets to grab their first win of the season. Saturday night at Hornet Stadium, Jaelin Ratliff reached high into the air and snatched that victory . Nate Ketteringham hit Ratliff for a 15-yard strike in the back corner of the north end zone with Read More…
Brady Gustafson threw for 415 yards and four touchdowns Saturday, leading the Montana Grizzlies past Southern Utah 43-20. Gustafson, a senior quarterback, completed 27 of 50 passes and had one pass intercepted. His scoring strikes to John Nguyen, Justin Calhoun and Josh Horner fueled a string of 27 points that put the Grizzlies (3-1, Read More…
At a small community hall in Seeley Lake Monday night, Libertarian candidate for the U.S. House Mike Fellows shared his views at a sparsely-attended candidates forum. Fellows wore a dark suit jacket over a light blue collared shirt, an American flag tie wrapped loosely around his neck. He moved about slowly and with help from a metal Read More…
As I campaign for secretary of state across Montana, I am reminded of how important it is to balance our desire for larger voter participation with assuring the integrity of our voting process isn’t compromised by expediency or carelessness. If we have the mindset that it’s not a matter of if we get hacked, but Read More…
2 new lifts are almost done at Big Sky Resort, and one of them finally has a name. Workers are still laying the steel on the upper terminal of the new “powder seeker” lift. The grade work is already done on the new high tech, heated and covered seat lift. Overall work on the 2 new Read More…
Just hours after The Missoula City Council passed a new ordinance requiring background checks on gun sales, a Republican state lawmaker challenged it. House Speaker Austin Knudsen is asking State Attorney General Tim Fox to review the law. “This is a fairly blatant and flagrant violation of Montana law. Second amendment issues are Read More…
With the election just six weeks away, a Republican state senator is calling for an investigation into how Gov. Steve Bullock, who is running for re-election, disposed of emails when he left the attorney general’s office. The move echoes efforts by Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s campaign to align Bullock in the eyes of Read More…
FAIRFAX, Va.—Today the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) announced its endorsement of Greg Gianforte for governor and Tim Fox for attorney general in Montana. “We are pleased to endorse two strong pro-Second Amendment candidates in Montana. Greg Gianforte and Tim Fox will fight to protect our Right to Keep and Bear Arms,” said Read More…
Crowdsourcing live traffic data has been one of Waze’s key competitive advantages in navigation software for a while, but Germany’s HERE might give it a run for its money with new services that pull traffic info from cars on the road. The data gathered by Here’s upcoming traffic services, which it’s set to debut during Read More…
Uber today announced yet another rewards program for its drivers and riders, this time in partnership with retailer Sears and its “Shop Your Way” loyalty platform. The program offers drivers points redeemable for products at Search, Kmart and Lands End, as well as discounts on vehicle maintenance and repairs at Sears Auto Centers. Meanwhile, riders who Read More…
“Darned Poor Judgment” is the rating I give Gov. Steve Bullock for infrastructure performance during the past four years! Clear back in 2013 the governor’s bad judgment became obvious. That year the Legislature passed a fix for oil boom infrastructure by a heavy margin, only to have the governor kill it with a veto. Read More…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Gianforte is calling for Gov. Steve Bullock to fire his commerce director, over a tourism-promotion contract awarded to an out-of-state company. At a gubernatorial debate in Billings this week, Gianforte said the contract was awarded in a “rigged process” that caused job losses in the state, and was “given Read More…
The State of Montana is blessed with an abundance of energy resources. We have areas of high quality wind and solar opportunities, and we have one of the nation’s largest reserves of high quality coal, plus new reserves of natural gas. The recent announcement of the complete shutdown of Colstrip units 1 & 2 was Read More…
Billings-based GTUIT, LLC has earned the 203rd position on Inc. magazine’s 2016 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private American companies with a three- year revenue growth rate of 1,894%. For 35 years, Inc. has tracked the fastest-growing private companies which have included firms like Microsoft, Under Armor, Oracle and Yeti Cooler. GTUIT stands out because Read More…
Six businesses will receive Montana Family Business Program awards at the 2016 Montana State University Jake Jabs College of Business & Entrepreneurship State Farm Insurance Family Business Day, set for Friday, Oct. 7, at the Best Western Plus GranTree Inn in Bozeman. The 2016 Family Business Day award winners are: Elliotts of Montana of Bozeman Read More…
Agriculture in Montana looks to be back on the right track after last year’s rough market and drought-ridden growing season, the state reported, and local farmers are finding more success in their harvests than last year. “We’ve experienced more volatility in the past five years than we have in the past several decades,” Mountain West Read More…
In a household with five children under the age of 7, a simple date night away for the parents can feel like a spa day, a few hours to recalibrate and breathe, to ignore the kids’ menu and enjoy conversation with other adults. Amanda and John Mark Creamer understand how important this sliver of Read More…