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…
The University of Providence announced a partnership with Montana’s first medical school — Touro University of Osteopathic Medicine in Great Falls. The agreement with Touro will allow UP to offer students a Biology degree with a Health Professions concentration. Students enrolled in the program will be guaranteed an admissions interview (if GPA requirements are met) Read More…
A proposed Wyoming law geared toward making fewer sex offenders able to get their names off the sex offender registry died in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday after lawmakers said the bill’s language confused, rather than clarified, the issue. Committee Chairman Sen. Bill Landen, R-Casper, said he wants to resurrect a better version of Read More…
It’s good to have peace of mind knowing that where you live is a safe environment for you, your family, friends, and neighbors. Living in the Peace Garden State should offer some reassurance, so let’s take a look at the ten cities that are considered the safest in North Dakota thanks to some research done Read More…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced Jackie Byam as the Wyoming State Conservationist. She will begin serving in this position on Feb. 26. Byam follows Astrid Martinez, who served as Wyoming State Conservationist for 10 years. Martinez accepted a new position within NRCS on July 18, 2022. READ THE FULL Read More…
The United States Geological Survey is reporting that two 3.5 magnitude earthquakes or greater have occurred in Wyoming since Saturday. One occurred in the Jackson area and the other around Ten Sleep. A magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded at 6:22 p.m. on Saturday about 19 miles east-northeast of Jackson and 3.5 miles from Kelly. So Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen says violent crime and drug trafficking is skyrocketing in the state. In an interview, Knudsen says a weak U.S. southern border is sending deadlier drugs to Montana. They’re the center of many other crime problems, and officers need to be able to keep up. “Drug use is up in Montana, Read More…
Property taxes have been a big concern for many Montanans in recent years — and they’re largely determined at the local level, not the state level. Now, a bill has been proposed that seeks to address the growth in local taxes by putting limits on how much large cities and counties can increase their total Read More…
Voters in Roosevelt County elected a new county attorney last November, but less than three months later he’s already being removed from office. It turns out, Frank Piocos doesn’t actually live in the county. A private citizen had to make the discovery. READ THE FULL STORY:https://www.kxlh.com/news/local-news/roosevelt-county-attorney-forced-to-leave-office-because-he-doesnt-live-there
President Biden might want to pretend the fentanyl crisis and other tragedies aren’t happening When President Joe Biden delivers his annual message to Congress Tuesday, we have little doubt that he will once again proclaim—as he has the past two years—that “the state of the Union is strong.” But that is far from the truth. Read More…
North Dakota lawmakers will return to Bismarck next week to prepare for the 2023 Legislature, where they will lobby for prime committee assignments and get briefings on legislative procedures and ethics. The three-day organizational session that begins Monday also includes such mundane work for lawmakers as filling out paperwork and desk selection, where seats are Read More…
Wyoming continues to make advances in female political representation, adding four more women to the Legislature this election cycle. Twenty out of 93 legislators who will serve constituents in the upcoming general session will be women, including eight women who were elected to their first term. Yet, as many celebrated the incoming additions to the Read More…
North Dakota will get a share in a settlement with Google over its location tracking practices. Forty states will split more than $390 million, and North Dakota’s share will be $4.1 million. Attorney General Drew Wrigley says it’s the largest multistate attorney general privacy settlement in U.S. history. The settlement requires Google to be more Read More…
Titus Swen, the University of Wyoming’s starting running back, has been dismissed from the team for what the university says are “violations of team rules.” The junior from Fort Worth, Texas, had been a workhorse for the Cowboys’ offense, rushing for 1,039 yards through 12 games this season, helping UW to a 7-5 record. His Read More…
Though he’s submitted the paperwork to run for governor of Indiana, Republican Sen. Mike Braun assured reporters Wednesday that he’s not leaving Capitol Hill just yet. “I’m going to robustly finish out the two years as a senator,” the freshman lawmaker said of his commitment to serving out the remainder of his first term. He Read More…
President Joe Biden on Wednesday pledged to give Native Americans a stronger voice in federal affairs, promising at the first in-person summit on tribal affairs in six years that he will bolster tribal consultations, inclusion of Indigenous knowledge in decision-making and funding for communities struggling with the impacts of climate change. Biden spoke on the Read More…
Wil Wilkins of Ravalli County, Mont., acknowledges he’s a bit of a throwback. Growing up in West Virginia, he says his mother used to tell him, “You was born a hundred years too late, boy.” It’s an apt description of this self-described “mountain man.” Wilkins is a dedicated practitioner of traditional crafts such as stone Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is concerned shipping companies FedEx and UPS are tracking gun purchases made by Americans, and that those companies are possibly sharing that information with federal authorities. In a press release on Tuesday, Knudsen called upon the shipping companies to “clarify” their new policies, which allow them to track sales of firearms “with Read More…
The Montana state health department has expanded its contract with a private consulting group hired to oversee the struggling Montana State Hospital and other public health care facilities. The price tag for the amended contract with Alvarez & Marsal LLC, slated to conclude in September 2023, has also swelled to nearly $7 million dollars, up Read More…
Sandra Merchant will be the new Clerk & Recorder for Cascade County, after a recount that began on Monday and ended on Tuesday confirmed the results of the November 8, 2022, election. Merchant defeated incumbent Rina Fontana Moore by 36 votes. Joe Briggs, chair of the Cascade County Board of Commissioners, said on Tuesday that the recount Read More…
A California man admitted to trafficking methamphetamine after law enforcement officials found roughly a pound of methamphetamine in his vehicle during a traffic stop in Livingston. Michael Romie Cervantes, 48, of Fresno, California, was sentenced to six years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. According to court documents, a Montana Highway Patrol Read More…
When tragedy strikes and a Native American is murdered or disappears on one of the 324 federally recognized reservations across the country, the majority of these cases are within federal jurisdiction, requiring federal law enforcement to investigate. And statistics show these communities see a disproportionate amount of violence and missing persons cases. More than 82% of American Read More…
The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office has identified a human skull found 18 years ago south of Red Lodge as a Wisconsin man, and detectives have opened up a case to find his killer. Rogers “Roger” Lee Ellis left his home in Wisconsin in 1976 after he was facing legal problems related to an arrest for Read More…
It’s election season, also known as the season of misleading information. A prime example is what appears to be Montana Democrats’ main talking point on legislative races: “If the Republicans can flip just two more legislative seats, they’re coming after the Constitution.” What the Democrats fail to mention is that the legislature cannot change Montana’s Read More…
LAUREL – It was an opportunity to try something wild and crazy. That’s what a Laurel blacksmith said about the History Channel show, “Forged In Fire: Gladiators of the Forge.” John Lockie’s passion and knowledge of blacksmith skills transferred over well to showing his talents in the timed competition. “It’s a hobby run amok,” said Read More…
Preliminary reports from the Montana Secretary of State’s office show voters won’t see any citizen-sponsored initiatives on the ballot this November. All four qualified measures failed to garner the signatures needed to make an appearance. The failed measure that received the most signatures would have capped property tax hikes at 2%, while another sought to Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte today announced that Montana exceeded his goal for adding good-paying jobs to the economy in 2021, which he set at the beginning of last year. Montana Department of Labor & Industry (DLI) data show the state added just under 13,000 jobs paying over $50,000 in 2021, easily surpassing the governor’s goal of Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 16 other state attorneys general joined a lawsuit today against the Biden administration’s rules that threaten the long-held American tradition of private firearms assembly and put the livelihood of thousands of Americans at risk. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rulemaking would regulate unfinished, non-functional firearm parts Read More…
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is suing the Biden administration over claims it is ignoring immigration law that requires the federal government to arrest, detain and deport foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally. The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration’s immigration policy exceeds the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, is arbitrary and capricious, Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has led 21 other attorneys general from across the country, filing a brief in support of a lawsuit challenging a federal rule banning bump stocks. Plaintiffs, including the Gun Owners of America, have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or Read More…
The Missoula Human Trafficking Task Force filled in cracks of the sidewalk down the Hip Strip on April 8 in partnership with other local organizations. It is part of The Red Sand Project, a way to bring awareness to sexual violence. READ THE FULL STORY
With starting running back Isaiah Ifanse out for the spring as he recovers from offseason surgery, it has opened the door for other running backs to step up and take more reps in Montana State’s practices. Head coach Brent Vigen has emphasized the importance of building depth at all positions, especially after last season when Read More…
The Senate confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court Thursday afternoon, marking a historic moment for the high court and a massive victory for President Joe Biden. Jackson was approved, 53-47, on Thursday afternoon with the support of three Republicans. The vote makes Jackson the first Black female justice and delivers Democrats their first Read More…
When Brittain Kovac and Josh Schukman bought their first 1988 Airstream trailer in 2016 to live in while they worked traveling jobs, they fell in love with the vintage living space and the era it was designed in. Over the years, they acquired five Airstreams from Kansas City, Arizona and the Yaak, moving each of Read More…
Beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, April 15, 2022, select roads in Yellowstone National Park will open to the public for the season, weather permitting. On Saturday, April 16, entrance fees will be waived in celebration of National Park Week. READ THE FULL STORY
Many in Billings are mourning the loss of Parker Hopkins, a local photographer who was the victim of a fatal accident Tuesday morning on Billings West End. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder says his office got a call around 8:20 a.m. Tuesday to an area on the 1600 block of South 32nd Street West. Linder Read More…
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the Montana Department of Justice is hosting training in Helena for forensic interviews in child abuse cases. “Working with child victims of crime and abuse is very different from working with an adult victim, and it requires specialized training because children do not think as adults do. We Read More…
Amid record low unemployment it’s hard to find employees in Montana, not just the Flathead Valley. Still, the work is ongoing locally to promote strategies that can help businesses keep the employees they already have. Montana’s unemployment rate is the fifth-lowest in the nation, dropping from 2.7% in January to 2.6% in February, according to Read More…
A Montana judge says, after more than 25 years on a federal appeals court, he’s ready for his successor to be chosen. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals announced Tuesday that Judge Sidney Thomas, of Billings, has announced plans to assume senior status, effective when his replacement takes office. According to a statement from the court, Read More…
Dozens of House Republicans are expected to attend House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s fundraiser for Rep. Liz Cheney’s Wyoming GOP primary opponent, Harriet Hageman, on Wednesday evening in an increasingly bitter contest over fealty by party members to former President Donald Trump. McCarthy and Cheney have had a contentious relationship due to her criticisms of Trump. Tensions rose after Cheney Read More…
President Joe Biden secretly hired the public relations titan who provided “damage control” advice to disgraced Hollywood rapist Harvey Weinstein, raising concern among ethics experts, the Washington Post reported on Monday. Anita Dunn played a leading role in Biden’s presidential campaign, and previously served in the White House as a senior communications adviser before returning to SKDK, her powerhouse political strategy firm, Read More…