The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Fire Ready Nation Act by unanimous consent, advancing legislation aimed at strengthening the nation’s ability to prevent, forecast, and combat wildfires. The bill, introduced in January by Senator Tim Sheehy (R–Mont.) and Senator Maria Cantwell (D–Wash.), formally establishes the Fire Weather Services program at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R–Mont.) emphasized the importance of expanding energy production in tribal communities during a Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing this week. Speaking with David Conrad, Acting Director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs, Daines highlighted the potential for tribal energy projects to strengthen sovereignty and fuel Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 27-state coalition urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Washington state’s ban on firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. The coalition filed an amicus brief Monday in Gator’s Custom Guns, Inc. v. State of Washington, arguing the law violates the Second Amendment. In May, the Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte this week signed an executive order creating a new Energy Task Force charged with developing strategies to expand affordable, reliable energy production in Montana. “With increasing demand on our energy grid, we must meet the challenge head-on to ensure affordable, reliable power for Montanans now and into the future,” Gianforte said. “After Read More…
A third of British billionaires have moved to tax havens after an exodus over the past decade, a Times investigation has found. They are among 6,800 Britons controlling 12,000 UK firms from low-tax jurisdictions. The Exchequer is denied billions a year but many of the bosses still reap the benefits of British assets. Some have Read More…
At 12:10 a.m. on Sept. 27, 2013, Australian billionaire James Packer texted a 21-year-old British actress named Charlotte Kirk. Kirk had been laboring to establish herself in Hollywood with limited success, but now Packer, who was a partner with director Brett Ratner in the film production/finance company RatPac Entertainment, was saying she was about to Read More…
WASHINGTON – House Democrats find themselves in one of the trickiest battles on Capitol Hill, trying to prove their unity in the fight against President Donald Trump and on core issues they campaigned on last year. They had a remarkably effective first two months in the majority, defying Trump on his demand for a border Read More…
Former Vice President Joe Biden is in the final stages of preparing for a 2020 presidential campaign that is expected to launch next month, according to multiple people familiar with his planning. A formal kickoff is expected by mid-April and would all but cement the size and scope of the Democratic presidential field that currently Read More…
As the Islamic State’s physical caliphate shrinks to nothing after an almost five-year campaign led by U.S. special operations forces, military insiders say one small unit has killed more of the extremists than any other: the company of Gray Eagle drones in the Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Although the military has thrown a Read More…
BISMARCK — Two revenue forecasts due next week will give North Dakota lawmakers a brighter path for budgeting in the session’s second half. Joint meetings of the House and Senate appropriations committees will hear the Moody’s Analytics forecast on Monday, March 11, then the IHS Markit forecast on Tuesday. Moody’s has long provided forecasts for Read More…
The executive director of Wyoming’s $8.5 billion pension fund will retire in July. Ruth Reyerson is departing after almost six years, staying on to help the transition as the Wyoming Retirement System searches for her successor. Staff praised Reyerson’s accomplishments, such as her “focus on building a strong management team at every level of the Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — The manager of an oil processing plant in eastern Montana that exploded and burned in 2012 has pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Air Act. The Billings Gazette reports that the plea agreement by Mark Hurst was reached recently in U.S. District Court in Billings. Hurst was the project manager for Custom Read More…
BILLINGS – While the number of seniors in Montana continues to grow, the number of nursing home facilities in the state have decreased, a trend seen in many rural areas across the country. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana talked about some of the challenges within the industry at a Senate Finance Committee Read More…
U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently proposed to cut hours for four of Montana’s 16 ports of entry. The proposal would affect ports in Morgan, Opheim, Raymond and Scobey. The following changes would take place if the proposal is passed. Port of Raymond, which is currently open 24 hours, would be closed between the hours Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — A Montana lawmaker says his constitutional rights have been violated after he was identified as the subject of a harassment complaint by a female legislator. Democratic Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder said in a statement Tuesday to the Havre Daily News that he hopes such vilification won’t happen again and Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — According to the U.S. Small Business Administration ninety-nine percent of businesses in Montana were considered small businesses in 2018. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) helped open fifty-eight businesses across the country last year. Montana ranked number one in the country for the number of workers employed by small businesses in 2018 Read More…
Wyoming has now enacted a total of 13 blockchain-enabling laws, making it the only US state to provide a comprehensive, welcoming legal framework that enables blockchain technology to flourish, both for individuals and companies. These laws enable innovation and creativity, and are meant to bring capital, jobs and revenue into Wyoming. Law and technology are Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — The North Dakota Legislature wants to make sure that when consumers buy meat, they know they’re buying “the edible flesh of an animal born and harvested for the purpose of human consumption,” and not something developed in a lab. The Senate on Monday, March 4, passed House Bill 1400, which defines meat Read More…
When it comes to Gov. Steve Bullock’s (D-MT) plans in 2020, Glenn Thrush with the New York Times offers what seems to be the most revealing piece yet. Last week, we told you how Bullock is hoping for a sit down with Hillary Clinton (she is yet to return the call) as he attempts to Read More…
BOZEMAN — Glendive native and former Montana State offensive lineman Mike Person has agreed to three-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers, ESPN reported on Sunday. The deal will reportedly pay Person $9 million, with $3 million guaranteed. Person was set to become an unrestricted free agent next week before signing the deal Monday Read More…
Another weekend of tournament basketball is in the books. Thousands of fans packed into loud gyms over the past few weeks, but are they loud for the wrong reasons? Last month, the Montana High School Association released an op-ed titled, ‘Dear Mom and Dad – Cool It,’ telling parents and fans to stop the growing Read More…
For every 10 Montana teens who graduate from high school, six go on to some kind of college, but four don’t. That means thousands of kids get no training beyond high school. State legislators feel that’s a problem because so many Montana employers have complained they’re having a hard time finding well-trained, well-qualified people Read More…
A 120-unit apartment project near Gateway Community Center is the focus of a public hearing before the Kalispell City Council during its regular meeting tonight. Husky Partners, LLC, is asking for a conditional-use permit for five buildings with 24 units each, plus a clubhouse. The multifamily buildings will be three stories and 43 feet tall, Read More…
Howard Schultz’s announcement in January that he was considering running for president as an independent may have been met with chuckles and eye rolls from pundits, but on Twitter, political operatives, trolls and profiteers saw an opportunity. Within days of the announcement, Twitter was home to fan accounts that seemed to span every demographic, praising Read More…
As speaker of the House, it is a goal of mine to have unity within the Republican Caucus and a positive working relationship with the minority party. At the halfway point of the 66th legislative session, we are hitting those marks. Another goal of this session, was to put the K-12 funding bill on the Read More…
Less than a week after raging against cow farts and urging Americans to stop eating so many hamburgers, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was caught oozing with hypocrisy. On Tuesday night, an image scorched across Twitter showing Ocasio-Cortez and her chief of staff, Saikat Chakrabarti, sitting down for dinner together. While sitting no more than a foot Read More…
A Virginia state employee has complained that her eighth-grade daughter was upset during a tour of the historic governor’s residence when first lady Pam Northam handed a ball of cotton to her and another black child and asked them to imagine being enslaved and having to pick cotton. “The Governor and Mrs. Northam have Read More…
An Alaska Airlines plane from Chicago to Seattle was forced to divert Wednesday night as passengers and crew struggled to breathe. The Boeing 737-900, which had 114 people on board, landed in Minneapolis just after 7pm where 12 people were treated for breathing difficulties. An airport spokesman said four crew members were hospitalized and six more were Read More…
Tax refunds increased by 17 percent last week and are now at the same level as last year, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The left and the media have spent the past few weeks arguing that the reduction in tax refunds in the first few weeks of tax filing season meant that families are Read More…
A new bill introduced in the Idaho legislature Tuesday would allow people with an enhanced gun permit to carry a handgun in public schools without first telling administrators. State Rep. Chad Christensen (R) told the Idaho State Journal he introduced the bill because he doesn’t want schools “to be a soft target.” The bill would Read More…
Below-average gas prices across the Gem State are making travelers happy this time of year, one Riggins convenience store operator said. “I think good prices are a good thing for everybody,” said Andrew Puderbach, who has owned the Riggins One Stop gas station and convenience store for about five months. The American Automobile Association recently Read More…
Let’s be honest. Most people outside of the U.S. have never heard of Wyoming. Yet, the home of the famed Yellowstone National Park, steep canyons, and gushing geysers is firmly on the cryptocurrency community’s radar. It started about a year ago, with blockchain friendly bills. But things really kicked off in earnest ever since governer Read More…
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon late Tuesday afternoon announced line-item vetoes of 29 items in the supplemental budget passed by Wyoming lawmakers earlier in the 2019 Legislative Session. The governor outlines the items being vetoed and his rationale for doing so in a letter to the Wyoming House of Representatives (see below). In response to the Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. It would give community colleges money to increase access for workers looking for job training who want to switch fields or learn a new skill and increase their pay. One representative says it will give some a chance they otherwise couldn’t get on their own. “This’ll be kind of for unmet needs, quite Read More…
A Wyoming county will open a school to serve a single student By Shelby Copeland, CNN Updated 7:29 PM ET, Wed February 27, 2019 Cozy Hollow Elementary School was active more than a decade ago. Here’s a sign to the school in 2004. (CNN)The nearest school to one Wyoming kindergartner is more than an hour’s Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana lawmakers are considering loosening the state’s vaccination requirements even as Washington state deals with a measles outbreak spread mainly by children who haven’t been inoculated. In Montana, parents can opt out of immunizing their children for either medical or religious reasons. In day cares, only medical exemptions are allowed. READ FULL Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — Five bull bison from Yellowstone National park have been transferred to an American Indian reservation in northwest Montana under an effort to bolster herds of the animals outside the park. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports the animals were released into corrals on the Fort Peck Reservation on Friday. They’ll be under quarantine Read More…
CORAM – A small-town distillery in Montana is being nationally recognized for their whiskey. A February article in Esquire magazine dubbed Wheatfish, a whiskey distilled by Glacier Distilling Company, the best in the state. The article, written by Aaron Goldfarb, recounts different distilleries across the country and features one whiskey in every state. Nicholas Lee has Read More…
A resolution requesting that the American Prairie Reserve’s federal grazing permits not be changed passed out of committee on a party-line vote Tuesday. House Agriculture Committee Republicans endorsed House Joint Resolution 28 that asks the Bureau of Land Management to deny the northeastern Montana nonprofit group’s request to modify its federal grazing permits. “I believe there are Read More…
A proposal to change how the state borrows for major infrastructure projects passed its first vote in the Montana House today by 100 to zero. The unanimous initial vote in the House was a sharp pivot from years of disagreement in the Legislature over whether or how to use debt to pay for major public Read More…
ots” of the Russia investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, saying in an interview that lawmakers on Capitol Hill should be more aggressive in digging into alleged ties between President Donald Trump and the Russian government. The 2016 Democratic nominee — who once worked as an attorney for the House Judiciary Committee during the Read More…
One product would arm a school principal with a weapon that would provide less-than-lethal or lethal options when confronting a school shooter. One barrel of the “Protector’s Choice” would fire bean-bag rounds. One would fire live ammunition. A separate product would recycle Styrofoam to manufacture 4-foot-long Lego-style construction blocks that could enhance efforts far and Read More…
Plunging oil prices at the end of 2018 caused worry about an international economic slowdown, but experts say Wyoming could be slightly insulated from the effects – at least for the beginning of the new year. “Any time you’re talking about oil prices, they are notoriously hard to predict, but what we are seeing is Read More…
A once in a lifetime hunt, quite literally! House Bill 390 in Montana’s 66th legislature is introduced to limit the harvest of certain game to one per lifetime. House Bill 390 states, “A person who has killed or taken any game animal, except a deer, elk, or an antelope, during the current license year is Read More…