BISMARCK, N.D. – North Dakota regulators say the state’s oil production remained at a near-record level in March. The Department of Mineral Resources says the state produced an average of 1.39 million barrels of oil daily in March. That was down from a record 1.4 million barrels a day from the record set in January. Read More…
Top Democrats in Montana and Washington are really excited about Gov. Steve Bullock running — for the Senate, not the presidency. The Montana governor’s seemingly quixotic presidential run comes as nearly everyone in the party is begging him to challenge GOP Sen. Steve Daines and transform the 2020 Senate map. Unlike any other Democratic candidate Read More…
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has entered into an agreement to write a memoir, Publishers Weekly reported in its April 22 edition. It is to be co-written by Aaron Murphy, the former chief of staff for the Montana Democrat, the article stated, adding a fall 2020 publication date is planned. Tester entered into an agreement with Read More…
BOZEMAN – As the opioid crisis and drug epidemic deepen nationwide, we’re feeling the effects right here in Montana. So far this year, law enforcement in southwest Montana have seized nearly 35,000 grams of drugs, ranging from marijuana to meth to prescription drugs. They’re already on track to surpass last year’s seizures of close 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…
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…
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…
BILLINGS-Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., visited the Rimrock Foundation in Billings last week. The senator talked with people at the Willow Way Program home. Willow Way allows mothers to go through detox and rehab while staying with their children. Daines learned the importance of these programs are for those going through treatment. “What would happen if you didn’t Read More…
Facing a nationwide shortage of teachers — and special-education teachers in particular — schools in Montana are feeling it acutely as the number of students receiving special-education services is on the rise. Statewide there are 18,803 students receiving special-education services. This is a more than 10 percent increase over the past five academic years. In Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana will travel to Iowa at the end of the week as he further explores a run for the Democratic presidential nomination, his Big Sky Values PAC told POLITICO on Tuesday. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a Democrat who just won his 10th term in November, will escort Bullock to a Read More…
Montana lawmakers are considering two bills to tax carbon pollution, and not surprisingly owners of Colstrip Power Plant say the measures would kill the facility. Democratic legislators are floating two bills creating a $10-per-ton tax on carbon dioxide from various sources, including coal-fired power plants. Theirs aren’t the first attempts targeting Colstrip. Washington State, Read More…
After taking a trip to what border patrol agents claim is the highest illegal activity sector of the Mexican-American border, Sen. Steve Daines of Montana says that border patrol agents are “pleading” for something to be done. Daines, along with Georgia’s Sen. Perdue met with border patrol around 2 a.m. last night at the Rio Read More…
Montana’s Child and Family Services Division is tasked with safeguarding the wellbeing of some of the society’s most vulnerable citizens, but in recent months the agency has been criticized by sources who claim longstanding mismanagement has fostered a broken system. Nearly 20 sources with knowledge of Northwestern Division VI of Child and Family Services in Read More…
A tongue-in-cheek online petition has a creative solution to paying off the national debt – although Montanans may have mixed feelings about it. The Change.org petition proposes simply to “Sell Montana to Canada for $1 Trillion to eliminate the national debt.” It goes on to say “We have too much debt and Montana is useless. Read More…
MISSOULA- Health officials say the amount of confirmed flu cases is on the rise, with over 200 cases reported in Missoula County alone, and nearly 500 new cases reported across the state last week. “When you have more people interacting together, you have more illness out in the community; people are going to get sick. Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D.) apologized Saturday for keeping secret sexual harassment claims against a former aide, allowing the aide to find new employment in a prominent government office where he again came under fire for sexual harassment. Bullock hired Kevin O’Brien in 2015, when Bullock served as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. O’Brien Read More…
The U.S. government is preparing to begin construction of more border walls and fencing in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, likely on federally owned land set aside as wildlife refuge property. Heavy construction equipment was expected to arrive starting Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. A photo posted by the nonprofit National Butterfly Center Read More…
A bill that would create a $15 million low-income housing loan program in Montana could be headed for the state House floor for discussion as soon as next week. House Bill 16, sponsored by Whitefish Democrat Rep. Dave Fern, would direct $15 million of coal tax trust fund money to start a program to provide Read More…
Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday ripped Montana Gov. Steve Bullock for not telling his administration that a senior staffer had been fired for sexual harassment before he was hired by City Hall. “Clearly they had information and when DOI reached out, they did not share the information they had,” de Blasio said about the Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana Gov. Steve Bullock’s spokeswoman says the governor thought a former senior staffer of his wouldn’t harass any more women after being fired from the Democratic Governors Association. Bullock spokeswoman Ronja Abel said Tuesday that it’s clear that Kevin O’Brien’s 2015 firing from the DGA hadn’t been enough since O’Brien was forced out Read More…
VIRGINIA CITY – Montana’s historic Old West saloons are setting the scene for the set of supermodel Cindy Crawford’s latest photoshoot – and yes, that’s a live wolf and bear. Cindy Crawford and photographer David Yarrow organized the photoshoot as part of a fundraiser for animal conservation, according to Elijah Allen, executive director with the Read More…
Late January in the Flathead means its skijoring time in Whitefish. The 16th annual Whitefish Winter Carnival World Invitational Skijoring races up the ante this year with teams traveling from all over the West to compete for more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. The skijoring event will be held this weekend at Big Mountain Read More…
Montana’s snowpack is closer to average than our mild winter might suggest, as residents across the state grew accustomed to snow-less sidewalks in December and celebrated a decidedly not-white Christmas. The close-to-normal snowpack is largely thanks to autumn snowfall, when storms provided a base in the mountains before the tap ran dry for a prolonged Read More…
Bozeman – 2018 Democrat congressional candidate and former state legislator Kathleen Williams told Lee Newspapers she’s running in 2020 but will not say which office she’ll seek. According the Billings Gazette, Williams says she will run again in 2020 and the she is “keep my options open”. Williams raised over $4 Million in her bid Read More…
HELENA — Taxes are shaping up to be one of the big debates of the 2019 Montana Legislature. The budget estimates from the governor’s office and the Legislative Fiscal Division are roughly the same — about $10 billion over two years to fund a variety of state agencies and programs. The budget includes everything from Read More…
The New York Times has discovered that Kevin O’Brien, Governor Steve Bullock’s top political advisor and former campaign manager was “quietly ousted” from his job with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over sexual harassment claims in 2018. Mr. O’Brien has been a key advisor to Mr. Bullock since he was elected Attorney General Read More…
HELENA – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge to Montana’s campaign-contribution limits, letting the 24-year-old law stand. The high court, without comment, denied the appeal of a 2017 appellate court ruling that upheld Montana’s monetary limits on what individuals, political-action committees and political parties can give to state candidates. Jaime Read More…
U.S. Sen. Steve Daines will do something no senator has done in 75 years: serve on both the Senate Finance and Appropriations committees, a move expected to give Montana unusual clout and gird Daines for the 2020 elections. The assignment gives Montana a seat at the table on the committee responsible for prescription drug prices, Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — One day following the beginning of Montana’s 2019 legislative session, Gov. Steve Bullock presented a report on the benefits of Medicaid expansion. The current funding plan is set to expire in June. The governor was a strong proponent of I-185. The initiative would have funded Medicaid expansion by increasing the tobacco tax. Voters Read More…
Billings, MONT.-Today, local business owners announced the formation of the Yellowstone Area Chamber of Commerce. The group was formed in response to a growing belief among business owners that common-sense, pro-business solutions have become secondary policy goals. The group will educate and advocate for proven and business-centric policy prescriptions that create a positive environment for Read More…
It’s good news that the administration has reached an agreement on an updated North American Free Trade Agreement. It means certainty for U.S. industry and agriculture, as well as the prosperity that comes from free trade. After all, international trade’s been an asset for farmers, businesses and consumers in Montana. The state’s exports have surged Read More…
US Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will leave his post at the end of the year, in the latest high-profile departure from President Donald Trump’s administration. When announcing it on Twitter, Mr Trump did not give a reason for Mr Zinke’s departure but the former congressman from Montana has come under scrutiny for his use of Read More…
In a 6-1 decision Tuesday, the Montana Supreme Court overturned a legal opinion by Attorney General Tim Fox, ruling that Gov. Steve Bullock acted within the law when he circumvented the Montana State Board of Land Commissioners to finalize an eastern Montana conservation easement. As a result of the ruling, the Land Board will Read More…
Helena – Governor Steve Bullock unveiled his budget on Thursday that included about $100 in tax increases. Many of the tax increases where already voted down by the legislature in 2017. Mr. Bullock also included an increase in the tobacco tax which voters rejected at the ballot box just weeks ago. In addition to raising Read More…
By Tucson News Now | November 15, 2018 at 11:22 AM MST – Updated November 15 at 11:36 AM TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday, Nov. 15, that part of the border wall in Arizona will be built by a Montana-based company. According to information from the Read More…
Updated: Nov 11, 2018 8:50 PM MST In observance of Veterans day, the only veteran elected to statewide executive office spoke in front of dozens of current and retired service members at the historic fort Missoula. Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton was the guest speaker at the Veterans day opening ceremonies for the 100th anniversary of Read More…
Helena – Governor Steve Bullock has appointed two longtime Democratic legislators and political operatives, Hal Harper and Dave McAlpin, to prestigious state board positions. On Monday, Governor Bullock’s office announced the appointment of Hal Harper to the Judicial Nominations Commission and Dave McAlpin to the Tax Appeal Board. Mr. Harper is a longtime Democrat state Read More…
HELENA – Members of Montana’s law enforcement community and others told Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday they were understaffed and underfunded in the growing war on drugs. “Meth is out of control here in the state,” said Stacy Zinn-Brittain, a regional agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Daines, R-Mont., had assembled a roundtable Read More…
Helena – The Commissioner of Political Practices ruled earlier this year that a political committee run by the wife of political prosecutor Gene Jarussi violated campaign finance regulations during the 2016 campaign. As part of a settlement agreement, Mrs. Jarussi admitted to multiple violations and has been fined by the Commissioner. Neighbors for Responsible Legislators Read More…
The Montana Law Enforcement Academy in Helena will be hosting an installation of over 100 human silhouettes this week. The human figures aren’t just an art project though, they are there to tell many tragic but true stories of domestic violence and death in Montana. Natalie Adorno with the Montana Law Enforcement Academy explains why Read More…
Kalispell Regional Healthcare has reached a much-anticipated settlement with the Department of Justice in a whistleblower lawsuit alleging its physicians received illegal compensation in exchange for patient referrals to in-house services, according to a federal court order filed Wednesday. The order, submitted by U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy, dismisses the case with prejudice — meaning Read More…
In-home health care providers in Montana will likely see a pay increase in the next year after preliminary revenue projections are giving the state the green light to dole out money for the raises. A piece of legislation that called for the pay increase passed during the 2017 Legislature, but another bill, known as the Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana Green Party is challenging a state law that governs minor party ballot access. In a complaint filed in federal court Monday, the party is challenging the March 15 submission deadline and the requirement that a minimum number of signatures be gathered in 34 of 100 legislative districts. The party is Read More…