U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy’s bipartisan Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act is on its way to President Donald J. Trump’s desk after clearing the House of Representatives today. The legislation, introduced by Sheehy alongside Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) in January, aims to strengthen the nation’s wildfire suppression capabilities amid an increasingly dangerous wildfire season. The bill unanimously Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is spearheading a 28-state coalition backing a legal challenge to Maine’s newly enacted 72-hour waiting period for firearm purchases, calling the law an unconstitutional infringement on Second Amendment rights. In an amicus brief filed in Beckwith v. Frey, the coalition urged the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a series of unanimous decisions this week, resolving contentious disputes and clarifying legal boundaries on discrimination, religious tax exemptions, gun manufacturer liability, and environmental regulations. Handed down by June 5, 2025, these rulings addressed pressing issues, shaping policies and lives across the nation. In Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte on Thursday praised the Trump Administration’s approval of a crucial mining permit for the Signal Peak Energy coal mine, calling the move a major victory for Montana coal miners and a lifeline for American energy independence. The U.S. Department of the Interior, under Secretary Doug Burgum, authorized Signal Peak to move forward Read More…
The letters of three Montana women politicians offer historic insight as the nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment in August, which gave women the right to vote. Women’s earliest known role in Montana politics began in 1882 when Helen Piotopowaka Clarke was the first woman and first Native American elected as county Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A homeless camp along Missoula’s North Reserve Street continues to grow amid the coronavirus pandemic. In the winter, officials estimate 15 to 20 people were living along the banks of the Clark Fork. That number grows every summer, but due to the pandemic they now estimate 60 to 80 people are living there. Read More…
Montana university officials approved guidelines for colleges and universities statewide to reopen campuses in the fall. These measures, known as Montana University System Healthy Fall 2020 Task force Guidelines, would be used as the framework for campuses to form their own individual safe back-to-school plans. A few of the key points listed in those guidelines Read More…
Two members of Congress have written a letter to officials at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) demanding that former Indian Health Services pediatrician and convicted pedophile Stanley Patrick Weber be stripped of his pension. Congressmen Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, and Dusty Johnson, R-South Dakota, wrote Monday that by allowing Weber to continue Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Unordered packages containing unknown seeds are arriving in mailboxes across the country with return addresses in China. Montana officials started getting reports of the unsolicited packages this week. According to the Montana Department of Agriculture, it’s important that recipients of these unsolicited packages of seeds do not plant them. “Could they be harmless Read More…
HELENA- The State of Montana is partnering with Montana State University to expand surveillance testing for COVID-19 for critical front-line health care personnel, essential workers and other groups. Researchers with the Montana State University will begin surveillance testing next week and will have a capability to test 500 people per day according to a release Read More…
Montana State Prison Warden Lynn Guyer submitted his letter of resignation last week after almost two years on the job and amid a public health crisis through which the state correctional system has been carefully treading. Montana Department of Corrections spokesperson Carolynn Bright on Wednesday confirmed Guyer had submitted his letter of resignation on July Read More…
GREAT FALLS- William Edward Miller Jr. has been sentenced to 1 year deferred with unsupervised probation after a plea deal was reached earlier this year. Miller Jr., plead guilty to one of the 64 counts of sexual abuse of children after detectives found several photos and disturbing web searches on his cell phone and laptop. Read More…
BIG TIMBER — The streets of Big Timber are quiet, but that’s not uncommon for this small community on a Sunday afternoon. Amy Smith has worked as the head chef at the Grand Hotel downtown for thirty years. She says people in town know how to keep to themselves, which is why she believes the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock has issued a directive requiring face coverings at indoor public spaces and at larger outdoor gatherings in counties where four or more people are known to be currently infected with COVID-19. Bullock says too many people continue to meet in large gatherings and too few are wearing masks. The Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota is urging a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline. North Dakota Solicitor General Matt Sagsveen filed a document Monday supporting operator Energy Transfer’s efforts to keep the oil line open while the Texas-based company appeals. READ FULL STORY
At the base of the Montana State Capital, construction began on the Tribal Flag Plaza on July 13. The plaza will showcase flags from Montana’s eight Tribal Nations, next to the United States and Montana flags. Construction of the project comes a little over a year after Governor Bullock signed the bill, paving the way Read More…
GREAT FALLS — On July 6, the Retail Industry Leaders Association sent a letter to the National Governors Association asking governors to require face masks while shopping or in public places nationwide, barring any medical exemption. Governor Steve Bullock has encouraged Montanans to wear face masks when in public and social distancing is not possible, Read More…
(CNN)Almost three years after a tiny Montana company ignited a firestorm of controversy when it signed a massive contract to repair Puerto Rico’s hurricane-battered electricity grid, the firm’s CEO has won another disaster relief deal: supplying the federal government with protective gear in the fight against the coronavirus. A new company co-led by Andy Techmanski, Read More…
A Montana University System task force has changed course on face masks, recommending that students and employees be required to wear face coverings this fall, rather than being urged to do so, to limit spread of the coronavirus. The MUS Healthy Fall 2020 Task Force reached consensus on the recommendation Wednesday during an online meeting Read More…
As we reported back in May, Lieutenant Governor and Democrat gubernatorial candidate, Mike Cooney (D-MT) was busted for making campaign fundraising calls from his official office in the state capitol. Now, Cooney has been slapped with the “maximum penalty” by the state Commissioner of Political Practices. As the Associated Press reports: READ FULL STORY
Just about every business has had to adapt to COVID-19 in one way or another, creating a financial strain for many organizations. In addition to a drop in customers, the cost of safety precautions like masks and hand sanitizer can be a burden on organizations. Since March, Blackfoot River Brewing Co. in Helena has moved Read More…
International students attending the University of Montana could be forced to leave the country this fall if the flagship institution is forced to revert to online only instruction due to COVID-19. The Trump administration this week said international students attending U.S schools who switch to online classes will be required to leave or risk violating Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – The number of active cases in Yellowstone County prompted Senator Steve Daines to host a virtual roundtable with county medical leaders. According to Mayor Bill Cole, Yellowstone County is the epicenter for coronavirus, with 16 out of the 45 new cases reported Sunday coming out of Yellowstone County. City health leaders met Read More…
After nine years as an offensive lineman in the NFL, Glendive native Mike Person is retiring, as first reported by the Billings Gazette. “It just felt like the time. It had to come at some point and it just felt like the right time,” Person told MTN Sports by phone. Person was a seventh-round pick Read More…
BILLINGS — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines of Montana is calling on the U.S. Postal Service to review and correct policy after a Billings veteran’s remains were lost in the mail. Daines recently sent a letter to the USPS inspector general asking for an in-depth investigation into the matter, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Billings Read More…
BOZEMAN — At least one Montana State football player has tested positive for COVID-19, multiple sources close to the program told MTN Sports. The case comes after the university opened up some of its facilities for voluntary athletics-related workouts on June 1, the same day that Governor Steve Bullock announced that Montana was moving into Read More…
A federal appeals court on June 22 upheld a Montana judge’s 2019 order awarding $3.1 million to a Columbia Falls man who sued BNSF Railway for wrongful termination after he was injured on the job. The case involves Zachary Wooten, who sued BNSF in 2016 alleging the company violated the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA), Read More…
Wyoming’s unemployment rate fell to 8.8% in May, as the state began to recover from the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. The Equality State had the nation’s third lowest unemployment rate for the month, trailing only Nebraska and Utah, federal figures show. The national unemployment rate, meanwhile, stood at 13.3%. In April, Wyoming unemployment Read More…
HELENA — As the 2020 general-election race for Montana governor gets under way, Republican candidate Greg Gianforte’s campaign has accumulated almost four times the money of his Democratic competitor, Mike Cooney – but that total includes $1.5 million of Gianforte’s own money. Gianforte reported Monday that his campaign has raised about $3.83 million through June Read More…
The Trump administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal judge’s decision and grant a key permit to allow the Keystone XL pipeline to move forward. If the high court sides with the administration, it could open the door for Canadian developer TC Energy to move forward with construction of the pipeline, Read More…
The Supreme Court decided on Monday that they will not reexamine a doctrine that protects law enforcement and government officials from being sued over their actions while on the job. The doctrine, which the justices created nearly 50 years ago, gives “qualified immunity” for law enforcement officers, which protects them from frivolous lawsuits CNN reported. READ FULL STORY
The United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue was at the Forest Service Smokejumper Center on Friday to sign a stewardship memorandum that contained a blueprint to modernize the U.S. Forest Service. Perdue outlines aspects of the agreement officially signed on Friday. “It increases productivity,” said Secretary Perdue. “These are renewable resources. We are Read More…
Bill Tietz, the hard-charging maverick whose tenure as Montana State University president laid the foundation for the Bozeman campus to become a modern research university, has died. “It is with great sadness that I write today with news of the passing of Montana State University President Emeritus William J. Tietz,” President Waded Cruzado wrote Read More…
The rise in coronavirus cases seen in about half a dozen states across the U.S. isn’t the feared “second wave” — it’s still the first, scientists and infectious disease specialists say. To be defined as a second wave the virus would need to retreat and reappear, or a new variant would have to emerge, said Ian Lipkin, a professor Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana is moving ahead with its attempt to ease crowding on one of its most popular rivers. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has put forward a proposal for regulating fishing outfitters and easing crowding on the Madison River, one of the top fly-fishing destinations in the world. The proposal would cap the number Read More…
The debate over how to dispose of the Bakken’s radioactive oilfield waste has prompted a small group of lawmakers from North Dakota and Montana to start collaborating. The conversations come as Montana prepares to enact a formal rule capping the radiation level of oilfield waste disposed of at landfills in the state. Much of the Read More…
Economists were shocked on Friday as the Bureau of Labor Statistics said US employers added 2.5 million payrolls in May, defying expectations of 7.5 million jobs lost. The surprise increase came on the heels of the record 20.5 million jobs lost in April. The unemployment rate declined to 13.3%, bucking forecasts of a near-record 19% rate. April’s Read More…
President Donald J. Trump said on social media Friday that he would once again visit Montana, this time to help Sen. Steve Daines in his reelection bid in what is being touted as one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races in the country. Daines is running against Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock in a race Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Montana State University Black Student Union and the Montana Racial Equity Project hosted the Bozeman Rally for Black Lives Sunday afternoon. The event was one of many happening in solidarity nationwide after 46-year old George Floyd was killed in police custody last week in Minneapolis. Speakers at the rally addressed concerns for Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Melisia Muscat had been thinking of moving to Billings for about a year, but COVID-19 sealed the deal. It helped that in February she got a good offer on her home, a condo in a highly sought-after building in the lush seaside city of Anacortes, Washington, north of Seattle. “It was Read More…
HELENA — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana announced a $100,000 donation to the Montana Community Foundation. The money will benefit The Rebound Montana Relief Fund. The fund is a partnership between the Montana Television Network, AMB West Philanthropies and Montana Community Foundation. The fund will grant directly to nonprofit intermediary organizations such as community foundations and Read More…
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, California. TMZ Sports first reported it. Leaf was taken into custody on Friday afternoon. Details of the incident itself are not clear. All that’s currently known, according to the information available on the Riverdale County Sheriff’s Department’s website, is that Leaf was Read More…
It’s no secret that the newspaper industry across the country has been facing challenges for the past few years. Falling subscriptions and ad dollars have been attributed to the internet and the current way that many of us consume news and information. Why wait for a morning newspaper when instant info is available 24-7 right on our Read More…
When Joe Unterreiner became the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer in 1996, he thought he’d only be there for a few years. But 24 years later, he’s finally decided to transition into retirement starting this October. “It’s been a really great run … I really enjoyed the work, obviously, or I Read More…