U.S. Sen. Tim Sheehy is leading a bipartisan effort in the Senate to expand free access to national parks and federal recreation lands for law enforcement officers and firefighters, including wildland firefighters. Sheehy, a Montana Republican, joined Sen. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., in introducing the Law Enforcement Officer and Firefighter Recreation Pass Act, legislation that Read More…
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation has uncovered massive fraud and systemic weaknesses in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace, including fake identities receiving subsidies, misuse of Social Security numbers, billions in unreconciled payments, and insurers collecting tax credits for deceased individuals. The report validates longstanding Republican concerns that the ACA subsidy system lacks Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has called on the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and the Attorney General Alliance (AGA) to deny membership to Virginia Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, citing a series of “abhorrent” text messages Jones sent in 2022 that expressed violent fantasies toward his political opponent and the opponent’s children. The texts Read More…
More than 32,000 Montana businesses will see a reduction in unemployment insurance (UI) tax rates in 2026, resulting in over $23 million in savings, the Montana Department of Labor & Industry announced. “By reforming our tax code and cutting back the thicket of red tape tying up job creators, we’re helping Montana businesses grow and Read More…
Glacier National Park drew more than a half-million visitors last month, charting its second-busiest June on record despite imposing a ticketed-entry system aimed at blunting the acute congestion that in recent years has led to paralytic gridlock in the park’s key arterials. As approximated through June, the overall visitation estimates peg Glacier’s year-to-date totals as the second Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Cora Neumann has announced a run for Montana’s new U.S. House seat, becoming the third Democrat to join the race. Neumann is a public health expert from Bozeman. She told the Montana State News Bureau this week she would fight for good jobs and wages in Congress. READ FULL STORY
BILLINGS, Mont. – The Billings YWCA is looking to build a second emergency shelter due to the nearly 40% increase in partner and family member assaults during the pandemic. “We have been really struggling to figure out how to house everyone who needed support,” Billings YWCA CEO Merry Lee Olson said. “So, during the pandemic, we ended up Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – Missoula is growing, and with that, the downtown corridor is changing in order to support both its residents and tourists. One of the cornerstones of revamping downtown Missoula is the modern AC hotel on the corner of Pattee and Main Street. It can seem hard to believe, but just two years ago, Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Governor Greg Gianforte, Montana Commission on Community Service Chair Kevin Myrhe, and the Governor’s Office of Community Service Director Sarah Sadowski presented five people and two organizations with their 2021 ServeMontana Awards. The awards were presented on June 25th in Helena. A news release says the purpose of the awards is to Read More…
Alawsuit filed in federal court in late June alleges that Paul McCown, the former chief financial officer at Wyoming Catholic College, defrauded an investment firm out of $15 million. According to the suit, filed by New York-based advisory firm Ria R Squared, McCown is accused of faking bank statements that falsely said his bank account Read More…
Don and John Mueller are brothers who share a love of the history of the nation’s oldest national park and a love of the old buses that used to tour it in the years before World War II. Driving down Broadway Avenue in Red Lodge in a bright yellow bus made by White Motors in Read More…
Last month was the fourth hottest June on record in Kalispell, thanks in large part to the extreme heat wave that roasted the region the final week of the month. According to climate statistics from the National Weather Service in Missoula, the average temperature in June for Kalispell was 63.9 degrees, which is 6.3 degree Read More…
COLSTRIP, Mont. – One person has been charged with negligent arson after unintentionally starting a range fire north of Colstrip. The Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office reports the range fire was caused by fireworks. READ FULL STORY
DEER LODGE — Wildlife officials are continuing to search for a grizzly bear that killed a camper in Ovando on Tuesday morning. The Powell County Sheriff’s Office reports traps have been set in the area while a ground and air search is continuing for the grizzly bear. READ FULL STORY
BILLINGS — The question of whether to allow seven types of marijuana businesses into the Billings city limits could be up to the voters again in an election on Nov. 2, after the City Council directed staff on Tuesday to research ballot language and dates to bring back at a future meeting. Billings Assistant City Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court announced on Tuesday it will issue a final ruling on the Legislature’s subpoenas, rejecting GOP lawmakers’ request to dismiss the case. The state high court is moving forward with the case because justices say the dispute over Legislative powers is a relevant issue likely to come up again. READ FULL STORY
BOZEMAN — It was the last school board meeting of the academic year in Bozeman – and it surely went out with a bang, going on for hours. The meeting was the first in-person in almost a year, and administrators heard from dozens of people who showed up to express their concern, mainly to talk Read More…
LAUREL – The current Montana real estate market is nothing short of crazy. As more people pour into the state, what was once just a Bozeman boom, seems to be impacting big and small home prices across the state. But, if you think picking up and moving to Laurel will help you escape this crazy Read More…
Fentanyl-related deaths in Montana doubled from 2019 to 2020 and this year’s deaths have already outpaced the tally from two years ago. There were 41 fentanyl-related deaths last year, a dramatic jump from 19 in 2019. This year there have been 22 fentanyl-related fatalities confirmed by the state crime lab, according to a press release Read More…
HELENA — Law enforcement officials referring individuals to Montana’s Adult Protective Services (APS) is on pace for a 50% increase in 2021. This is because Elder Abuse is on the rise in Montana and the Department of Justice partnered with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to now train law enforcement officials Read More…
HELENA — The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) confirmed Tuesday evening that a DNRC helicopter incident happened while responding to the Deep Creek Fire in Townsend, MT on June 15, 2021 at approximately 5:00 pm. While en route to the Helibase, the aircraft experienced a hard landing that resulted in a fire. Read More…
HARDIN — While visiting Hardin Wednesday, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte donated his first quarter salary to One Health Big Horn clinic and said he was proud of the work done at the facility to help people fighting addiction. “I became familiar with their work, their addiction recovery and mental health services and they are helping Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The University of Montana’s Lady Griz women’s basketball team welcomes a new assistant coach with strong family ties in the program. Joslyn Tinkle played in three Final Four tournaments while she was at Stanford, and then went on to play professionally in the WNBA, Hungary, Turkey and Australia, UM Griz Athletics said Read More…
DEER LODGE, Mont. – An inmate is dead after he disemboweled himself in the Montana State Prison. Now, Disability Rights Montana is calling for an investigation. According to his death certificate, 39-year-old Shaun Morrison killed himself by cutting into his stomach on May 19. He then died of his injuries four days later. Morrison was serving Read More…
Montana will be getting a second seat in Congress. The lines for the two new districts will soon be drawn. On top of that, the lines for state legislative districts will also be drawn. The big battles on both of those fronts have not really yet begun, but some of the battle lines are now being Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Country Billboard-charting artist Stephanie Quayle is returning to her home state of Montana and raising funds for a new safe house for human trafficking victims. Quayle is releasing new music this year and about to start touring again. The Bozeman native has been recording in Nashville for 10 years and has performed at Read More…
Researchers at Montana State University discovered a variant that originated in Bozeman early in the pandemic. The Bozeman variant, a strain that actually weakened the effectiveness of the virus, was found by postdoctoral researchers Anna Nemudraia and Artem Nemudryi. The pair published a study on their findings last month in the journal Cell Reports Read More…
HELENA — Former U.S. Interior Secretary and GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke told MTN News on Thursday that he’s running for Congress in Montana in 2022 – in whatever district he lives in, after lines for new districts are drawn in the state. “We’ll see what the (redistricting) commission decides,” he said in an interview. READ Read More…
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – A U.S. Forest Service smokejumper who fought wildfires in Montana has passed away. According to a release from the U.S. Forest Service, Tim Hart died from his injuries he received while battling a fire in New Mexico. Hart launched his career fighting fires as an engine crew member on the Coconino National Read More…
Kalispell has a new fire chief and for Dan Pearce, it’s a homecoming of sorts. Pearce spent several years in Kalispell, from 1990 to 1999. He worked as a home health care provider with Kalispell Medical Equipment and as a firefighter and paramedic as well as a hazardous materials technician for Flathead County. “I’m happy Read More…
HELENA — The Gianforte administration has directed state agencies to bring at least 50 percent of their employees back to the office by June 14 and says no new “telework” agreements will be granted for now. The directive, issued late last Friday, was described as “Stage Two” of the administration’s plan to return state workers Read More…
MISSOULA — Former Montana Griz football standout Jesse Sims passed away on Saturday morning after an accident involving an ATV near Clearwater. Sims was 24. Montana Highway Patrol trooper Mary Strumpfer said she was dispatched to an accident at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday near mile marker 31 just off the north side of Highway 200. Read More…
BILLINGS — The latest edition of “The Match” is coming to Montana. The event, which will take place on July 6 in Big Sky, will feature future NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers and PGA Tour stars Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau. READ FULL STORY
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Montana Supreme Court says two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of campus-related bills passed in the 2021 legislative session should be filed in district court first. One lawsuit was filed by the Montana Board of Regents and the other by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which multiple other parties joined. Wednesday’s rulings Read More…
Snowflake, the cloud data analytics vendor that held the biggest U.S. software IPO ever last year, has become the latest tech company to jettison California. In its earnings press release on Wednesday, Snowflake’s dateline showed up as “No-Headquarters/BOZEMAN, Mont.” As recently as May 3, when the company announced the date of its first-quarter earnings report, that same line said “SAN MATEO, Read More…
A soldier from Montana who died during WWII in a Prisoner of War camp has been positively identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday that US Army Private Wayne M. Evans of Hamilton – who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II at the age of 21 – was accounted Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The Blackfeet Community College unveiled a new portal that will help people report cases of Montana’s missing and murdered indigenous people. Kimberly Loring’s sister, Ashley Loring-HeavyRunner went missing on the Blackfeet Reservation in 2017. “When she went missing, there was a gap of when she was reported missing, because we had that Read More…
BOZEMAN — Do you remember your high school graduation? You might not remember all the little details, but you probably remember being surrounded by loved ones. “There are going to be 5,000, maybe, total people in the stadium that day. I want 5,000 smiles at once,” said Bozeman High School principal Dan Mills. READ FULL Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Missoula woman’s Freedom of Information Act request for emails about a temporary safe outdoor space reveal county officials have been discussing another location for a potential homeless camp. In November 2020, county officials and community partners opened an outdoor shelter to help the homeless during the pandemic, but some residents have been Read More…
Montana’s high-tech companies overcame and even benefited from the dynamics of a pandemic economy in 2020, generating more than $2.9 billion in revenues and growing at rates up to seven times faster than the statewide economy, according to a survey conducted by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The study found Read More…
The Kalispell Police Department held a parade and memorial service Saturday for officers who died while serving their communities. The processional parade began at noon with Kalispell police joined by Flathead County sheriff’s deputies, Montana Highway Patrol and several other Montana agencies coming together to pay respects to those lost in the line of duty. Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A bomb threat was called in at a Montana Trappers Association gathering in Dillon Saturday evening. According to the Montana Trappers Association’s Facebook page, an anonymous person called in the threat shortly after the banquet was served. The Dillon Police Department exited people out of the building and ushered them to a safe Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte on Tuesday announced two measures to address the state’s severe workforce shortage and provide incentives for unemployed Montanans to reenter the labor force. A news release says that the State of Montana will launch a return-to-work bonus program, utilizing federal funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Return-to-work bonuses will be Read More…
HELENA — In the escalating battle between leading Republicans and the Montana judiciary, Attorney General Austin Knudsen has asked that all seven justices of the Montana Supreme Court disqualify themselves from deciding the legality of legislative subpoenas seeking internal documents from the court. Knudsen, a Republican, filed the motion late Friday, saying the justices have Read More…