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…
MISSOULA – Montana Rail Link (MRL) announced Wednesday they released a special locomotive last week honoring veterans for Veteran’s Day. Additionally, MRL is also releasing a locomotive showing appreciation for essential workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Essential workers have played a critical role in keeping our communities healthy and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic,” MRL Read More…
HELENA — Season work can be a good way to earn some extra money during the holidays, and help struggling families get back on their feet. Holiday hiring has begun in earnest, but those seasonal jobs are just a small portion of workforce shortage Helena businesses are currently experiencing. “There is an incredible need for Read More…
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is closing its office in Libby after 20 years of community outreach and extensive cleanup work. The Libby Field Office on Ninth Street opened as an information center as the EPA was ramping up its cleanup efforts after the town was declared a Superfund site from decades of asbestos Read More…
FARMINGTON, Utah — Montana and Montana State will meet in their annual Brawl of the Wild football game March 27 in Missoula, the Big Sky Conference said Wednesday in announcing its six-game league schedule for spring 2021. The abbreviated slate is set to begin Feb. 27 and will culminate April 10 with two conference-wide bye weeks Read More…
GREAT FALLS — The four-member staff of a Montana county’s health department has resigned, citing a lack of support by the county in fighting the coronavirus. A letter from Health Department Director Nicki Sullivan to the Pondera County Commission highlighted the need for a fairer wage, more transparency and additional contact tracers and staffers. “I want Read More…
HELENA- Results are in for the Montana Youth Vote 2020. The election was held Thursday in many schools throughout Montana and results were finalized at 4:00 pm. Around 4,500 students from Montana schools participated in the election. Two demographics were polled, grades K-6 voted for the President and other age-appropriate questions and grades 7-12 voted Read More…
HELENA — A new grassroots organization has been created to help individuals and businesses challenge COVID mandates in Montana for what they call government overreach. The Freedom Protection Project was created by the organizers of the “Let Freedom Ring” concert that was held at the beginning of October in the Helena Valley. “A lot of Read More…
Two environmental groups have filed separate lawsuits to stop the Soldier-Butler timber project in the Ninemile Valley after U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided there was no long-term harm to grizzly bears. On Monday, the Flathead-Lolo-Bitterroot Citizen Task Force sued the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Missoula federal court Read More…
As the unpredictable nature of the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect every industry differently, sawlog prices in Montana are reaching record levels, said F.H. Stoltze Land and Resource Manager Paul McKenzie. “The product demand has increased dramatically in general forest products,” he said. According to the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research Read More…
Responding to a request from the Montana Department of Corrections, Governor Steve Bullock and Major General Matthew Quinn have activated the Montana Army National Guard to provide operational assistance at Montana State Prison, where staff and inmates have been impacted by COVID-19. The facility saw its first positive cases among staff and inmates earlier in Read More…
In a press conference today, Governor Steve Bullock joined Yellowstone County Public Health Officer John Felton to announce increased enforcement of health officer orders, along with a website for residents to file complaints. “Just one business not complying with the public health measures, puts an increased risk on everyone else who is doing their due diligence to Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Sheila Hogan announced Monday that Montana has submitted its draft COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for review. “This is a critical step, and I’m pleased with where we’re at this point in the process,” Read More…
Montana gas prices are unchanged in the past week, averaging $2.25/g on Oct. 19, 2020, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations. Gas prices in Montana are 1.3 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and stand 47.3 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, the Read More…
A federal grand jury has charged six Russian nationals with a wide-ranging campaign of cyberattacks — including a highly destructive global malware rampage and a 2018 attack on the Winter Olympic Games — that reflects the scope and intensity of Russia’s digital aggression. As officers of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, the six defendants launched Read More…
The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation into the death of Sally Jane Demarais-Smith, who was found dead on Sunday afternoon. At around 2:30 p.m., her body was found inside her 2005 Toyota Corolla in a storage unit at 3033 Malmstrom Drive, according to Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter. Although located near Malmstrom Read More…
Brucellosis research will expand to outdoor settings in the greater Yellowstone area, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Wednesday. USDA under secretary Greg Ibach announced the new research projects in front of stacks of hay at a ranch north of Belgrade. Ibach said the new testing guidelines will help the effort to eliminate brucellosis Read More…
A new poll of the Montana Senate race, conducted October 5–7 by Emerson, shows Republican incumbent Steve Daines leading his Democratic challenger Steve Bullock by 9 points: Republicans have been worried about the Montana Senate race because the state has a robust recent history of ticket-splitting. Bullock, the sitting Democratic governor, won reelection in 2016 even as Read More…
MISSOULA — A federal judge convicted a Manhattan man of providing false information on a form when trying to buy a firearm, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said today. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, on Oct. 1, found Joshua Rodney Meech, 29, guilty of false statement during a firearms transactions. The one-day bench trial was Read More…
BOZEMAN- A Bozeman doctor admitted to pre-signing blank prescriptions while he was a medical director for two weight loss clinics. A release from the Department of Justice says in 2009, Doctor Ronald M. Buss became the medical director for Go Figure, a weight loss clinic in Bozeman, and became the director for Go Figure in Read More…
Yellowstone County Health Officer John Felton said Monday he will increase restrictions on businesses, churches and group gatherings at the end of October if COVID-19 infection rates continue to rise countywide. Felton said in a news conference that health officials are monitoring one key metric: the daily rate of infections per 100,000 residents. Restrictions will Read More…
FARGO — A former union leader from Fargo will avoid federal prison time for embezzling more than $100,000 from his organization, though he will have to spend a half year on house arrest, a judge ruled Wednesday, Sept. 30. Per a joint agreement from prosecutors and the defense, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor sentenced Chad Read More…
HELENA — The Montana VA Health Care System (MTVAHCS) is excited to announce its flu clinic schedule at fourteen sites across Montana. Flu clinics and walk-in flu shots are available for Veterans in Anaconda, Bozeman, Billings, Cut Bank, Fort Harrison/Helena, Glasgow, Glendive, Great Falls, Havre, Hamilton, Kalispell, Lewistown, Miles City, and Missoula (Details for each site Read More…
More Montana kids who are fighting critical illnesses could have wishes granted, and it’s because of a partnership involving South Dakota. Make-A-Wish South Dakota has joined forces with Make-A-Wish Montana to form one chapter. The new chapter is called Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana. “So really we were presented with an opportunity to look at Read More…
In an already crowded landscape of yard advertising for political candidates, new signs are cropping up across the valley that have nothing to do with the general election, promoting messages such as “put patients before profits.” The signs are the result of unionizing nurses deciding to go public with their grievances amid collective-bargaining negotiations with Read More…
Veterans Administration Secretary Robert Wilkie visited the Missoula Veterans Clinic on Palmer Street on Monday along with Montana Senator Steve Daines to deliver a message to all the staff members and employees, to thank them for their hard work in serving the growing population of western Montana veterans, especially during the COVID 19 pandemic. “It Read More…
MISSOULA — Another feature film is looking for actors in the Missoula area. According to IMBD “Slant Streets” is a memory loss drama about a homeless Native American in Montana trying to put his life together, despite losing his memory. The website says it is in the pre-production stage. There is a casting call for actors Read More…
Montana has a 90.3% response to the census so far. The current deadline for responding is September 30. The national response to the census is 95.8%. You can respond to the census online at 2020census.gov, by phone at 1-844-330-2020 or in person with a census taker. A census taker will have a government ID with a Read More…
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in a new interview she’s confident that Democratic socialists like herself can push Joe Biden “in a more progressive direction” once he’s elected to the White House. Speaking to Just the News in an interview Tuesday, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said she shares Sen. Bernie Sanders’ view that Mr. Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, should focus his message on Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Politicians and rail experts are backing the Big Sky Passenger Rail Authority spearheaded by Missoula Commissioner Dave Strohmaier. They discussed the benefits of rail service at the Montana Passenger Rail Summit on Thursday, including improved economy, infrastructure and connectivity. READ FULL STORY
WYOMING—The U.S National Weather Service predicts smoke from the western wildfires will begin to move eastward into the afternoon filling the valleys in Northwestern Wyoming with smoke. Jackson remains under a fire weather watch with elevated fire weather conditions predicted until at least Tuesday. On Sept. 9, during a COVID-19 press conference update, Governor Gordon Read More…
HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines leads his Democratic challenger, Gov. Steve Bullock, by three percentage points and President Trump leads Democratic nominee Joe Biden by seven points in Montana, according to a poll released Friday by AARP-Montana. The poll, which surveyed 800 people by telephone from Aug. 30-Sept. 5, said Daines led Bullock 50 Read More…
BILLINGS- Beartooth Pass is completely open on both the Montana and Wyoming sides after being closed due to snow, ice and high winds September 7. The pass is scheduled to close for the season on the weekend of October 12, Columbus Day, however, the date can change depending on earlier adverse weather conditions. READ FULL Read More…
Families will be able to attend Laurel Schools sporting events. The Laurel School Board approved that plan 5-1 at a virtual speical meeting Wednesday night. It would allow four fans at games for each player, cheerleader, pep band member and coach. READ FULL STORY
Vice President Mike Pence is coming back to Montana for a rally with Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) in Belgrade on Monday. Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) and Republican US House candidate Matt Rosendale will also be prominently featured. According to an eventbrite page created by the Montana Republican Party, the event will take place at the Big Yellow Read More…
Bozeman Mayor Chris Mehl resigned Wednesday, a day after all four city commissioners asked him to step down over allegations that he bullied city staff and interfered with city administration. “It’s been an honor to serve Bozeman for more than 10 years, and I thank the voters for that repeated opportunity,” Mehl said in an Read More…
LIVINGSTON – Two Park High School faculty members have tested positive for COVID-19 according to the Park County Health Department. The Montana State Health Lab reported the first result to the Park County Health Department Tuesday evening, and that through contact tracing, the additional positive test result was found Wednesday. Livingston School District and the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota set a near record Thursday for the number of daily positive coronavirus tests, and has increased its per-capita figures for the infection to the highest in the country. The state Health Department’s update showed that 360 of the 12,629 tests in the past day came back positive, with Cass, Read More…
BOZEMAN — A Montana State University professor and her collaborators have received a grant worth nearly $1 million to create a program for Apsáalooke youth that they hope will ultimately spark interest in STEM fields and lead to cleaner water for the Apsáalooke nation in southeast Montana. Vanessa Simonds, associate professor in the Department of Health Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – You may have seen these Strongman competitions on TV, but have you ever seen them in person? Residents of the Magic City got their chance Saturday with Ron Wilson’s Iron Barn Gym hosting Montana’s first-ever strongman competition. When you think about lifting weights, many people may think of lift barbells or dumbbells, Read More…
Montana airports might have been spared the worst damage from the COVID-19 pandemic this summer. According to a new analysis from industry group Airlines for America, Montana experienced the smallest percentage decline in passenger flights out of any state in the country when compared to July of last year. Montana saw a 25% reduction in Read More…