A weeklong interdiction operation led by the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) in Butte resulted in multiple drug seizures and arrests as law enforcement worked to curb criminal activity and keep illegal narcotics out of Montana communities. From October 7–14, MHP troopers partnered with the United States Border Patrol and the Air National Guard Counterdrug Aviation Read More…
Superintendent of Public Instruction Susie Hedalen has issued a directive to all Montana school districts, reminding them of their legal obligations to comply with state and federal laws amid rising concerns over ideological activism in public education. In a formal letter sent this week, Hedalen reinforced that adherence to these laws is a condition for Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte on Friday announced the appointment of Seth Cunningham and Edward Zink to serve as district court judges in the Thirteenth Judicial District, which covers Yellowstone County. “As accomplished attorneys with careers distinguished by their dedication to public service, Seth and Edward will continue the fair, consistent, and objective application of the law,” Read More…
(The Center Square) – More American voters support President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Antifa a terror organization than those who don’t, according to new polling. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll shows 49% of American voters support the designation compared to 30% who oppose the move, while 21% remain unsure. Overwhelmingly, Republicans support the designation with Read More…
BUTTE — A former Montana Tech and Jefferson High School football player, Derek James Nygaard, was charged Tuesday with two counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent. Butte-Silver Bow prosecutors formally charged Nygaard, 19, of Clancy, who appeared with his lawyer, David Maldonado, and his parents in Justice of the Peace Jimm Kilmer’s court. A warrant Read More…
HELENA — Montana Highway Patrol leaders honored three troopers Wednesday with the department’s highest award. At a ceremony in Helena, Attorney General Austin Knudsen and MHP Col. Steve Lavin presented Troopers Alex Hiday and Connor Wager and Sgt. Jerril Ren with the Medal of Valor. The medal recognizes troopers who show heroism above and beyond Read More…
In 2020, the U.S. lost 4,400 farms and ranches totally 2,019,000 when compared to 2019. A year-over-year trend that has occurred for decades. Those figures come from the latest Farms and Land in Farms Highlights report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The losses were heaviest in the nation’s largest farming regions, namely California and Read More…
Rioters targeted the federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., on Thursday evening in renewed clashes between demonstrators and federal police. The attack on the courthouse came one day after authorities removed fencing initially erected over the summer, in response to continued riots following the death of George Floyd, an African American man killed during his arrest Read More…
A number of Americans reported late Friday that the third round of government stimulus checks were posted in their bank accounts, just one day after President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion American Relief Plan into law. Biden said on Thursday that some Americans would begin receiving deposits as soon this weekend. READ FULL STORY
The Bigfork School District Board of Trustees voted Wednesday night to extend the district’s mask mandate through April 9 after the teachers union expressed concerns over an earlier decision to lift the rule at the end of this week. The trustees voted 6-0, with one abstention, to continue requiring masks in school buildings based on Read More…
(The Center Square) – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen joined 11 other state attorneys general on Monday in filing a lawsuit in an attempt to block the Biden administration from unilaterally implementing parts of the so-called “Green New Deal” without Congressional approval. The lawsuit challenges President Joe Biden’s executive order that seeks to impose Read More…
MONTANA — Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced three veterans’ organizations in the state will soon receive donations as a result of civil penalties assessed as part of a settlement agreement involving an illegal raffle enterprise and the Montana Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Gambling Control Division. In a press release, a series of online nationwide and Read More…
HELENA — The U.S. Navy announced that the USS Montana, a Virginia-class submarine, launched Wednesday in Newport News, VA. Wednesday’s launch brings the USS Montana one step closer to being commissioned into the Navy fleet. Huntington Ingalls Industries constructed the submarine. According to the company, the Montana had been dry-docked in since October. In launching, the Read More…
A Bozeman couple donated $1 million to a Special Olympics Montana endowment that aims to raise $10 million. Mike and Cyndi Huempfner donated the money to the organization’s endowment, titled Reveal the Champion in All of Us, according to a news release from the nonprofit. Cyndi said in the release she and her Read More…
HELENA — Governor Greg Gianforte said during a news conference in Helena on Tuesday beginning on March 8, Montana will move to Phase 1B+ of the state COVID-19 vaccination plan. Vaccines will become available for Montanans who are 60 years of age and older as well as people between 16 and 59 years old who have Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Gallatin City-County Health Department, along with Bozeman Health, is addressing two new concerns when it comes to local emergency rules and vaccine distribution – and according to Health Officer Matt Kelley, that includes how some people have found a way to “jump the line.” “While we are down significantly from where we Read More…
MONTANA — Montana Attorney General, Austin Knudsen, announced a new partnership called the Sentinel Project between the Department of Justice (DOJ), Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association (MBWDA), and Montana Association of Chiefs of Police (MACOP) to fight human trafficking in the state. Beer and wine distribution employees statewide have participated in the awareness training, which included Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Many factors contribute to how successful a small business is, but according to a recent study, Montana is the best state to open a small business. The study done by The Blueprint found that Montana was ranked the number one best state to open a small business in 2021. The factors used to determine Read More…
The crown teachers once put on William Shakespeare now lies uneasy upon his head as the English playwright comes under assault from teachers who fault his unwoke attitudes regarding race, sexuality, gender and class. For the new breed of teachers, Shakespeare is seen less as an icon of literature and more as a tool of Read More…
HELENA — The Gianforte administration is updating a program to distribute at least $44 million in federal rent assistance to Montanans harmed financially by the Covid-19 pandemic – but the money has yet to be authorized by the Legislature. And that money is part of Montana’s total federal share of $200 million for rental assistance, Read More…
GALLATIN COUNTY — Body-worn cameras on law enforcement officers are becoming more and more common across the country. In a three-part series, MTN’s Gaby Krevat talks to a few Montana agencies leading the charge on body-worn cameras; a Montana city preparing to invest in the technology, and civil rights and racial equity advocates to hear Read More…
KALISPELL — The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office reports they are still searching for Nassem Ali Saleh Mohammed who illegally crossed the United States and Canadian border on the weekend of Jan. 23. Flathead Sheriff Brian Heino said Mohammed was taken into the custody of the Border Patrol in Whitefish, as the patrol agents were scanning Mohammed’s Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont.- Montana Highway Patrol Captain Keith Edgell said 50% of the deaths on Montana highways this year have involved people driving under the influence. There have been 17 deaths on Montana Highways so far in 2021. There were 209 deaths on Montana Highways in 2020. Ninety-one of those were linked to DUI. “You know, over the Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana House lawmakers voted to advance a bill that would protect businesses and health care providers from coronavirus-related lawsuits. Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte endorsed the bill last week, saying it was necessary to remove a statewide mask mandate put in place by his Democratic predecessor. READ FULL STORY
A little more than one week ago, U.S. Border Patrol agents took four men into custody near Whitefish after they allegedly made an illegal border crossing from Canada into the U.S. Three remain in custody, including one accused of murder in Canada, but one walked away before agents fully realized who he was. Now, law Read More…
Longtime Titans coach Jeff Fisher is reportedly a candidate for the Montana State head coaching position. Fisher, 62, a Franklin resident, recently expressed interest in the Tennessee Vols vacancy. The Montana State position came open on Jan. 28 when Bobcats coach Jeff Choate became co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas. READ FULL STORY
A truck driver hauling produce was stopped at the Sweet Grass border crossing into Canada in December and found to have roughly 500 pounds of meth on board. The news came in a press release from the Canada Border Services Agency on Wednesday. It was the largest meth seizure at a land border crossing on Read More…
KALISPELL — Anthony Weimer of Columbia Falls, who was found guilty of felony criminal mischief for removing a Ten Commandments monument outside of the Flathead County Courthouse in June, has been given a deferred three-year sentence. Court documents state that Weimer is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $6,900 to reimburse insurance policies Read More…
As the city of Whitefish continues to refine its nascent program requiring affordable workforce housing in the majority of new multifamily developments, a new legislative proposal would prohibit “inclusionary zoning” rules intended to assist working residents with moderate incomes. Under the Whitefish Legacy Homes Program adopted by city council in July 2019, new residential developments Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — By TOM KUGLIN Independent Record Two northwest Montana lawmakers are considering a number of bills that could moderately or significantly change the way Montana manages wolves. Sen. Bob Brown and Rep. Paul Fielder, both Republicans from Thompson Falls, have drafted legislation ranging from including wolf licenses in big game combination licenses and Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State’s football coaching staff has taken another hit. Kane Ioane, who returned to Bozeman in 2019 as the Bobcats’ defensive coordinator, has agreed to become the co-defensive coordinator at Boise State. Multiple sources told MTN Sports that Ioane told his players on Friday and is flying to Boise on Sunday. MTN Sports’ Read More…
HELENA – Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Friday he requested the returning home of Montana National Guard soldiers deployed for security assistance at the presidential inauguration in Washington D.C. In a tweet, Gov. Gianforte wrote, “With their mission complete, I have instructed Adjutant General Hronek to bring our @GuardMontana soldiers home.” READ FULL STORY
BILLINGS — A portion of Governor Greg Gianforte’s proposed Montana budget is aimed at bolstering drug and alcohol treatment, both inside and outside prison walls. He demonstrated his agenda on his first day in office by having Yellowstone County District Court Judge Mary Jane Knisley administer the oath of office. Then, at the top of Read More…
HAVRE, Mont. – The Department of Veterans Affairs announced 250 veterans will receive their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in Havre Thursday. The Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) was chosen to be the forefront of the VHA pilot program bringing vaccines to rural veterans nationwide. “With the vaccines, our Veterans and staff finally have Read More…
(CNN)A Montana Highway Patrol trooper is being praised for his heroic actions after pulling a driver from her submerged vehicle in the icy Yellowstone River Thursday. Trooper Connor Wager entered the near-freezing water after responding to a rollover crash south of the town of Emigrant, the Montana Highway Patrol said on Twitter. “After arriving on scene, Read More…
BILLINGS — Montana could be on the cusp of achieving something that has never happened before in U.S. history. In early March, state officials expect to find out if Montana’s population has grown enough to warrant a second seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. If that happens, it will be a first. “If we Read More…
A House bill that would allow concealed carry on university campuses is a step closer to passage after receiving an initial vote of approval in front of the full chamber. The discussion and the 67-33 vote was along party lines, with Republicans speaking in favor of expanding concealed carry and Democrats opposing to it Read More…
GREAT FALLS — The powerful winds that rocked most of Montana on Wednesday caused widespread damage – tipping semi trucks, toppling trees, ripping roofs, and more. The National Weather Service in Great Falls said: “This is an extreme wind event even for this area.” The NWS said that three locations set new January wind speed Read More…
GREAT FALLS — It’s not quite time yet, but some Montana school districts have begun planning to administer COVID-19 vaccinations to their teachers and staff when they are available. According to the latest draft of the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan, Frontline Essential Workers will receive the vaccine in Phase 1c. The Centers for Disease Control Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines called Twitter’s Friday ban of President Donald Trump “censorship,” and demanded in a letter to the social media giant that the account be reinstated. Daines, a Montana Republican and Trump ally, said the move to ban a public official from the platform eliminates Americans’ access to important information and hinders their Read More…
BILLINGS — Applications are open for Montana business owners to receive a second round of Paycheck Protection Program loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration, with a few more caveats in the application for second-time borrowers this go-around, said Kevin Kraft, president of the Shiloh branch of Yellowstone Bank Sunday. “The biggest difference is you have to Read More…
HELENA — A Republican state representative from Hamilton revealed late Thursday that he has tested positive for Covid-19 – the first state lawmaker to be known as infectious with the disease during the 2021 Legislature, which began Monday. Rep. David Bedey came into contact with the virus before the Legislature began, said Sen. Jason Ellsworth, Read More…
BOZEMAN — As part of a new contract Montana State head football coach Jeff Choate signed with the university last year, he would have to pay the university $250,000 if he terminates the agreement with more than 12 months remaining on the contract. The contract is set to expire on Jan. 31, 2024. MTN Sports Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte vowed Tuesday to rescind the statewide mask mandate — though not immediately — and announced he is revising the state’s vaccine distribution plan to prioritize Montanans over 70 and people with specific underlying health conditions. Gianforte, a Republican, said he will lift the statewide mask rule once the most vulnerable Montanans are vaccinated and once the Read More…