Featured Articles in Featured

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley Applauds Trump’s Nominee for Attorney General, Pam Bondi

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has expressed strong support for President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as the next U.S. Attorney General. “I served with, and was impressed by, Pam as Florida’s Attorney General,” Jackley said in a statement. “She is an experienced prosecutor who will strengthen the relationship Read More…

Idaho Army National Guard Welcomes 10 New Honorary Unit Commanders

The Idaho Army National Guard inducted 10 new honorary unit commanders during a ceremony on Friday, continuing its tradition of fostering strong ties with the community. These honorary commanders, selected from local business, education, and civic leaders, will gain a deeper understanding of the Guard’s mission, policies, and programs. “Our Honorary Unit Commander Program is Read More…

Montana Department of Commerce Awards $1.4 Million to Boost Rural Emergency Services

he Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 26 rural safety agencies will receive more than $1.4 million in grant funding to enhance emergency service capabilities in areas experiencing increased tourism. The funding, allocated through the Montana Emergency Tourism Assistance Grant Program (METAP), aims to strengthen public safety across rural communities. “Emergency services are critical Read More…

Montana-Based Glacier Bank Declares 159th Consecutive Quarterly Dividend

Glacier Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: GBCI), the parent company of Montana’s Glacier Bank, announced on November 20, 2024, that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share. This marks the company’s 159th consecutive quarterly dividend and highlights its impressive track record of 49 dividend increases since its founding. The dividend will be Read More…

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Former Montana Native Women’s Coalition chairwoman sentenced for stealing federal grant funds

Former chairwoman of the Montana Native Women’s Coalition, Meredith McConnell has been sentenced for stealing federal grant funds for unapproved travel to Las Vegas, Nevada, and other unauthorized expenses. McConnell was found guilty at a trial on April 2 by a federal jury on all counts in a superseding indictment, including theft from a program receiving federal Read More…

North Dakota Health Department seeks to augment health care workforce, citing ‘unprecedented need’

North Dakota’s Health Department on Monday urged volunteers and people with medical experience to join the health care workforce due to what it called an “unprecedented staffing need.”   Active cases of COVID-19 in North Dakota have dropped to the lowest level in a month and the average test positivity rate appears to have started Read More…

Southwest drops plan to put unvaccinated staff on unpaid leave starting in December

Southwest Airlines has scrapped a plan to put unvaccinated employees who have applied for but haven’t received a religious or medical exemption on unpaid leave starting by a federal deadline in December. Southwest Airlines and American Airlines are among the carriers that are federal contractors and subject to a Biden administration requirement that their employees are vaccinated against Covid-19 by Read More…

FBI agents swarm Washington home of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska

FBI agents on Tuesday swarmed the home of Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska in Washington, D.C., an agency spokesperson confirmed to NBC News. The reason for their presence wasn’t immediately clear. The spokesperson said the agency is conducting “law enforcement activity at the home” but wouldn’t elaborate. The investigation is being led by federal investigators in Read More…

Former FDA commissioner says child vaccine mandates are ‘multiyear effort’

The former head of the Food and Drug Administration said Sunday that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for children will be a “multiyear effort.” “I think that’s a very long way off,” Scott Gottlieb said on CBS’s Face the Nation. “The older kids, the high school kids, the middle school kids, do seem to get into trouble more with COVID. It’s harder Read More…

Plans underway to bring sobering center to Billings

BILLINGS, Mont. – Plans are underway to bring a sobering center to Billings. The Gratitude in Action Foundation said it would be a place for people to sober under medical supervision and then, be offered services as needed. “We have been working on the sobering center for a few months,” Director of Development at the Gratitude Read More…

$31 million in federal funding now available to help Montana childcare providers

The demand for statewide childcare services outstripped supply before the start of the global pandemic. COVID-19 exacerbated the problem. State officials hope a new pool of federal grant money will bolster the availability of childcare services. The state health department Thursday announced the funding is now available through the American Rescue Plan Act. The $31 million can help registered Read More…

Researchers hunt for soldiers’ graves at Montana’s Rosebud Battlefield

It was the early afternoon of June 17, 1876, when a bullet ripped through Cpt. Guy Henry’s cheek. For several hours, he was one of more than 2,000 people fighting in the largest battle of the Plains Wars. The fighting involved the United States government, committed to confining the Indigenous peoples of the continent to reservations, and the Cheyenne and Read More…

Why China Is Alienating the World

In early 2017, China appeared to be on a roll. Its economy was beating estimates. President Xi Jinping was implementing the country’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative and was on the cusp of opening China’s first overseas military base in Djibouti. Most important, Xi seemed poised to take advantage of President Donald Trump’s determination to Read More…

As Pressure Mounts on Private Timber Companies to Convert Forestland for Development, Many in Northwest Montana Choose to Conserve

If the growing scrum of land and development interests bearing down on the intermountain west were to attend a formal gala, the region’s swaths of privately owned forestlands would surely stand out as the belle of the ball. And yet, as America’s working forestlands endure an unprecedented degree of pressure to convert their traditional bases to Read More…

UM Law School Dean steps down

MISSOULA — The University of Montana confirmed to MTN News Thursday morning that the Dean of the Alexander Blewett II School of Law, Paul Kirgis, submitted his resignation. University spokesman Dave Kuntz said Kirgis sent an email to UM President Seth Bodnar shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday announcing his resignation. READ FULL STORY

Multiple law enforcement agencies approved for a grant to help train new canine units

HELENA, Mont. – Multiple police and sheriff’s offices in Montana have had grants approved that will help them obtain and train new canine units. The canine units will help local law enforcement crackdown on illegal drugs being trafficked into Montana according to the Department of Justice. “Dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and fentanyl are coming in Read More…

GOP Governors bring forth border security plan

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte traveled to the Texas-Mexico border as the fight to re-open the southern border continues. Gov. Gianforte joined nine other GOP governors addressing the issue of illegal immigrants and brought forth a security plan they believe will help the situation. The security plan includes 10 steps, like continuing Title Read More…

Psaki dodges specifics on Hunter Biden investment in Chinese firm

White House press secretary Jen Psaki dodged specifics on Hunter Biden’s ownership stake in a Chinese government-linked investment firm, saying only that “he has been working to wind that down” and directing reporters to speak with the president’s son for further details. The lack of transparency comes despite promises from President Joe Biden that his family would not have Read More…

New Zealand to End ‘Zero Covid-19’ Strategy

WELLINGTON, New Zealand—New Zealand is ending its effort to keep Covid-19 out of the remote South Pacific country as the economic costs mount and after its latest lockdown failed to halt the spread of the virus. Pandemic restrictions in the country’s largest city, Auckland—in place after a Covid-19 outbreak in mid-August—will be eased in stages starting this week, Read More…

Warren urges SEC to open insider trading probe into Fed Vice Chair Clarida, others

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether three Federal Reserve leaders violated insider trading rules in 2020, when they bought and sold assets as the central bank ramped up efforts to save the U.S. economy from economic turmoil. Warren, who sits on the congressional committee that oversees the Fed, pressed Read More…

Burgum: Net neutral goal set off $25 billion ‘cascade’ of interest in North Dakota

Gov. Burgum’s net-zero challenge to industry during the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference raised eyebrows — and maybe even a few hackles — back in May.   It did something else, too, though. It has attracted what Burgum described as a multibillion dollar “cascade” of global investment interest.   “Our announcement that we made in May Read More…

Idaho governor and lieutenant feud over vaccinations

Idaho‘s feuding governor and lieutenant governor are at it again. As coronavirus cases spike in the state, Gov. Brad Little’s office disclosed Tuesday that he was mobilizing the National Guard again and adding hundreds of new medical personnel for state hospitals. And with hospitals strained due to unvaccinated patients, he called for more Idahoans “to receive the safe and Read More…

YouTube announces crackdown on anti-vaccine content

YouTube is cracking down on anti-vaccination content on its site, taking down several channels from high-profile anti-vaccination activists. A representative for Google, YouTube’s parent company, confirmed to the Washington Examiner that channels belonging to “well-known vaccine misinformation spreaders,” such as Joseph Mercola, the Children’s Health Defense Fund, which is affiliated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Erin Elizabeth, Read More…