Meta Platforms Inc., the parent company of Facebook, has entered into a series of commercial AI agreements with prominent news publishers, including USA Today, People Inc., CNN, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Washington Examiner, and Le Monde, the company announced Friday. The partnerships will allow Meta to provide “real-time” news and updates through its AI Read More…
Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) has introduced the Written Informed Consent Act, a measure designed to ensure veterans are fully informed about the intended effects and potential risks of certain high-risk medications prescribed through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The bill also aims to combat widespread overprescription within the VA system. “America’s veterans put their Read More…
Governor Mark Gordon has highlighted economic development as a central focus of his administration, stressing the importance of creating a climate that encourages business growth and job creation across Wyoming. “Economic development is truly economic growth. Wyoming’s government must foster an environment where individuals who create and build businesses can flourish,” Gordon said in his Read More…
On the fifth day of his annual “12 Days of Giving” campaign, Governor Greg Gianforte spotlighted Underwater Soldiers, a Montana nonprofit that provides therapeutic scuba diving for veterans while helping clean the state’s waterways. “Montana veterans have given so much to protect our freedoms and serve our communities,” Gianforte said. “Underwater Soldiers gives veterans a Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Biden administration spent more than $10 million over three years on a security detail and related expenses for former First Son Hunter Biden after denying similar protections to other high-profile political figures, documents obtained by the Center to Advance Security in America and shared exclusively with The Center Square show. The Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) is leading a bipartisan effort to increase transparency and accountability in the federal Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, introducing the CDFI Fund Transparency Act alongside Senators Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). The legislation would require the Secretary of the Treasury to testify annually before Read More…
overnor Greg Gianforte this week recognized Montana veterans for their service to the nation and their lasting contributions to their communities, presenting the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation during ceremonies in Beaverhead and Silver Bow counties. “Montana is stronger because of the selflessness and leadership of our veterans,” Gianforte said. “These men and women answered Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is warning Montanans about the dangers of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful opioid derivative that is being sold over the counter in gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores across the state. 7-OH is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant and has been linked to a growing number of deaths. Read More…
The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) command staff has wrapped up its annual district tour, a statewide effort to connect directly with troopers, captains, sergeants, and professional staff across MHP’s seven districts. The yearly tour provides an opportunity to strengthen internal bonds, set future goals, and celebrate accomplishments. This year, Colonel Kurt Sager and MHP leadership Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte joined Rivian officials and community leaders in Belgrade this week to celebrate the opening of the company’s new 20,000-square-foot service and demo center, marking Rivian as the first electric vehicle manufacturer to invest in Montana. “It’s great to welcome Rivian to Montana as the first electric vehicle manufacturer to invest in our Read More…
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) recently released its 2025 Freedom Index Rankings for states. SEL is a global leader in power system protection, automation and control solutions. The SEL report ranks the most economically and politically free states in the nation. It utilizes data from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Cato Institute, and various government agencies to Read More…
(The Center Square) – Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations will expand after Labor Day in sanctuary cities nationwide, including Seattle, Wash., and Portland, Ore. “You’re going to see a ramp up of operations in New York. You’re going to see a ramp up of operations continue in Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Trump administration directed 46 states and territories to remove gender ideology from their sex ed materials or else face possible termination of federal Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) funding, with a family advocate praising the move. Policy director for family advocacy group American Principles Project Paul Dupont told The Center Read More…
(The Center Square) – The Seattle Police Department is gearing up for what it hopes will be a peaceful event Saturday at Gas Works Park. Christian artist Sean Feucht, the founder of the Let Us Worship movement, is bringing his “Revive in ’25” tour to the city. “The city of Seattle has invited us back Read More…
he Local Rules Subcommittee of the Federal Practice Committee for the District of North Dakota has released proposed revisions to the District’s Local Rules, now available for public review and comment. The subcommittee, chaired by Magistrate Judge Alice R. Senechal, carefully reviewed all existing rules to improve clarity and consistency. Committee members included attorneys Chris Read More…
Amber Potts has been appointed as the new Air Quality Division (AQD) Administrator for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), DEQ Director Todd Parfitt announced Monday. The position opened in May when former AQD Administrator Nancy Vehr was promoted to DEQ Deputy Director. “It is with great pleasure I am announcing that I have Read More…
Prosecutors with the Montana Attorney General’s Office on Thursday charged a 31-year-old Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children for possession of explicit images and videos depicting a child under 12, including at least one image digitally altered using artificial intelligence. Shy Herbert McCutchan was arrested in Alzada by the Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a 23-state coalition of attorneys general urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halt grants to the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), a group that has been providing climate-focused trainings for judges nationwide. In a letter sent Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, Knudsen raised concerns that taxpayer Read More…
Warren Buffett, the legendary investor known as the “Oracle of Omaha,” celebrated his 95th birthday Tuesday in typically understated fashion, surrounded by close family and friends in his hometown. Buffett, chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, has long avoided lavish celebrations. Instead, those close to him said the billionaire spent the day with a Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte has approved $308 million in broadband deployment grants aimed at closing Montana’s digital divide, backing 32 projects that will extend high-speed internet to nearly 72,000 unserved and underserved locations across the state. The funding recommendations were presented Tuesday by the state’s Communications Advisory Commission (CAC), which voted unanimously to advance the projects Read More…
The Montana Historical Society will kick off the fall season with the return of its popular public lecture series in September, while also joining forces with the Montana 250th Commission to host a statewide virtual book club in anticipation of the United States’ 250th anniversary in 2026. The lecture series, which regularly draws history enthusiasts Read More…
Montana Grizzly Athletics produces much more than championships and scholar student-athletes. Griz Athletics contributes more than $94 million in total spending for Missoula-area businesses annually according to a new report published by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research. A day after again announcing record-setting football season ticket sales, the report notes the increased demand Read More…
U.S. stocks slipped this week, closing out August on a mixed note as investors balanced encouraging inflation data, strong corporate earnings, and fresh trade developments against concerns of political and technological volatility. The S&P 500 finished the week down 0.1%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite each shed about 0.2%. The Russell Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte on Friday celebrated the second anniversary of the statewide expansion of the Imagination Library of Montana, a program that delivers free, high-quality books each month to children under five in every corner of the state. Partnered with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the program aims to boost early Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 21 other state attorneys general, has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review a case challenging a Massachusetts school district’s policy on student “social transitioning” without parental consent. The case, Foote v. Ludlow School Committee, involves Ludlow Public Schools and parents Stephen Foote and Marissa Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte on Monday marked the opening of Eshylon Scientific’s new facility in Bozeman, cutting the ribbon on the semiconductor manufacturing solutions company’s relocation from California to Montana. The governor toured the site and highlighted the investment as part of Montana’s growing technology and semiconductor industry. “Montana is becoming a hub for entrepreneurship and Read More…
U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy led a letter from Montana’s congressional delegation urging President Donald Trump to take immediate action against Russia’s palladium exports, calling for a 50 percent tariff on unwrought palladium imports from Russia to protect American jobs and domestic mineral production. The letter, also signed by Senator Steve Daines, Rep. Troy Downing, and Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines joined a bipartisan group of senators in urging the U.S. Department of Labor to quickly implement President Trump’s recent Executive Order expanding access to alternative investments for Americans with 401(k) and other defined-contribution retirement plans. The letter, sent to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, was also signed by Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Read More…
Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder joined education partners and the National Museum of Military Vehicles (NMMV) this week to announce the launch of new classroom curricula focused on World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The project is a collaboration between the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), the NMMV, the Read More…
The Wyoming Transportation Commission has awarded $22.7 million in contracts for seven construction projects across the state, the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) announced following the commission’s August meeting. The largest contract, valued at $8.29 million, went to Idaho-based H-K Contractors, Inc., for asphalt paving, fencing, grading, traffic control, and chip seal work on about Read More…
exbase, Inc., a Bozeman-based retail data management software company, announced Monday the formation of an Advisory Board to guide its next phase of strategic growth. The company also named retail supply chain veteran Jack Keating as the board’s first member. Texbase said the Advisory Board will be composed of executives with deep retail and supply Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced Monday that a new loan participation program aimed at expanding access to capital for rural businesses will open for applications on Oct. 1, 2025. The Opportunities in Rural Economies (ORE) Loan Participation Program will partner with local lenders to provide low-interest loans for projects that support job creation, strengthen Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State University officially opened its interdisciplinary research facility dedicated to the study of quantum computing Aug. 20. Called QCORE, or Quantum Collaborative Research and Education, the high-tech facility is housed in MSU’s College of Letters and Science and positions the university to identify and address grand challenges in quantum systems. Quantum computing is Read More…
or the fourth year in a row, North Dakota has been named the nation’s most business-friendly state, according to CNBC’s annual “Top States for Business” rankings. The network evaluates all 50 states on 135 metrics across 10 categories, including economy, workforce, infrastructure, cost of doing business, technology, quality of life, and business friendliness. The business Read More…
Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH) and NorthWestern Energy Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: NWE) said their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive agreement to combine in an all-stock, tax-free merger. The deal will create a regulated electric and natural gas utility company with an estimated market capitalization of $7.8 billion and an enterprise value of Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate remained at 2.8% in July, marking the tenth consecutive month below 3% and extending a four-year stretch at or below 3.4%, according to state labor data released this week. The state continues to rank among the five lowest in the nation for unemployment, 1.4 percentage points below the national rate of 4.2%. Read More…
With bachelor’s and master’s degrees now under his belt, Montana State University alumnus Quinn Holland’s advice to current students is still what drives him every day. “Relentlessly chase what excites you in life. If there is something that you are curious about, chase it until the end of the earth and until you’re satisfied with Read More…
A new analysis from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation projects that every state in the nation will see average tax reductions under President Donald J. Trump’s signature tax legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill, which the White House says is the most significant middle-class tax cut in U.S. history. According to the report, the law will Read More…
Since President Donald J. Trump took office, U.S. manufacturing, production, and innovation have seen a surge in domestic investment, with corporations and foreign entities pledging trillions of dollars to expand operations on American soil. Major technology, automotive, pharmaceutical, and industrial companies have announced multi-billion-dollar investments in the United States during President Trump’s second term. Highlights Read More…
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement purposes. The order also bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sharing such data with DHS. The injunction comes after Washington and Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour this week, visiting communities across eastern Montana to spotlight infrastructure upgrades, workforce initiatives, public safety investments, and new business openings. “It’s great to hit the road to see firsthand how communities are thriving across eastern Montana,” Gianforte said. “Thanks to our pro-family, pro-jobs agenda, we’re connecting Montanans Read More…
(The Center Square) − A federal grand jury has returned a 45-page indictment charging Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie with conspiring to defraud the city by conducting a secret personal relationship while Vappie was on duty, falsifying records, and obstructing investigations. The indictment, unsealed Friday in the U.S. District Read More…
U.S. stocks closed the week within striking distance of all-time highs, buoyed by renewed expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates in September and a flurry of upbeat corporate and economic news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 1% for the week, briefly touching a fresh intraday record on Friday before Read More…
The Grand Forks community marked a milestone this week with the official ribbon cutting of the Grand Forks Career Impact Academy, a $30.5 million career and technical education facility designed to connect students with hands-on learning aligned to regional and statewide workforce needs. Located near Gateway Drive and 42nd Street, the facility will welcome students Read More…