(The Center Square) – The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Mirabelli v. Olson deciding against California’s law that allowed for gender transitions of school children without parental knowledge has met with commendation from advocacy groups and law firms, with a legal counsel calling the decision one of the “biggest parental rights wins” in a generation. Chief Read More…
U.S. stocks closed lower this week as investors grappled with renewed uncertainty around interest rates, economic growth, and upcoming corporate earnings. The broad market benchmark, the S&P 500, posted a weekly decline, with selling pressure building in the latter part of the week. The SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY), which tracks the index, ended near Read More…
The White House has unveiled “President Trump’s Cyber Strategy for America,” a new framework outlining the administration’s approach to maintaining U.S. dominance in cyberspace and strengthening the nation’s defenses against growing digital threats. Administration officials say the strategy is designed to ensure that the United States remains unrivaled in cyber capabilities, while improving coordination between Read More…
In a surprise move that stunned Montana’s political circles, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines withdrew from the 2026 Senate race just minutes before the state’s candidate filing deadline, abruptly ending his reelection bid and reshaping the field for one of the state’s most powerful offices. Daines, a Republican who has represented Montana in the U.S. Senate Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Many Montanans take pride in living in the “406” – and soon Treasure State residents will be using that 406 more often. On Friday, the Montana Public Service Commission announced that beginning next year, whenever you call to a Montana phone number from a Montana phone number, you will have to include Read More…
High rates of chronic wasting disease in and around the Ruby Valley have prompted officials to ramp up the killing of white-tailed deer in nine hunting districts across southwest Montana. Brian Wakeling, game management bureau chief for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, said at a virtual Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting Thursday that Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Sen. Jon Tester is one of several Democratic senators who isn’t an automatic yes on giving President-elect Joe Biden’s defense secretary nominee a congressional waiver. Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin is up for the position, but the National Security Act requires civilian control at the Pentagon, meaning someone has to have been retired from Read More…
Missoula County will distribute up to $625,000 in grant funding to help local businesses impacted by the pandemic retain jobs for low- and moderate-income employees through the COVID-19 Small Business Job Retention Fund. Qualifying businesses will be able to submit applications this week, and grant funding will be awarded and distributed in January. The application Read More…
The city of Helena is looking at modifying its firearm ordinance, after Montana voters approved a measure that limits how local governments can regulate guns. During an administrative meeting Wednesday, city attorney Thomas Jodoin told the Helena City Commission that the existing ordinance will have to be narrowed to bring it in line with Legislative Read More…
During a Friday press conference, his first since being elected, Gov.-elect Greg Gianforte offered few hints about what policies he may pursue or support once he’s sworn in on Jan. 4. While he largely avoided answering direct questions about specific policy proposals and ideas, he did say that responding to the coronavirus pandemic, which has Read More…
The Honorable Ted O. Lympus, a former Flathead County Attorney and Flathead District Court judge for decades, died peacefully Thursday morning, surrounded by family members at home in Missoula. He was 77. Lympus served as a judge for the 11th District Court in Montana for 23 years, retiring in 2015. Prior to that he spent Read More…
MISSOULA — The Montana Food Back Network reports that approximately 10% of Montanans struggle with hunger — a problem only made worse by COVID-19. Once again KPAX and First Security Bank have teamed up for our annual holiday food drive to help keep our community fed. We spoke with First Security Bank president and CEO Read More…
Gov. Steve Bullock on Wednesday announced that Montana could receive the first shipment of vaccinations for COVID-19 as soon as Dec. 15. The state is expected to receive an initial shipment of around 9,750 doses of the vaccination developed by the drug company Pfizer, with several thousand more doses in subsequent weeks. If approved, another Read More…
A man shot at Belgrade police officers Monday night when they responded to a disturbance on NorthHoffman Street in Belgrade. The incident occurred at approximately 10:30 p.m. According to a press release, shortly after officers arrived on the scene, a man opened fire on officers from a second-story apartment window. A Belgrade police car that Read More…
A couple weeks ago, the City of Jackson, Wyoming’s START bus system got something new: an electric bus from Proterra. The system plans on getting at least 7 more of the vehicles. START hosted Proterra representatives for a small ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 12, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they were unable to Read More…
HELENA — Montana is known for its beautiful mountain scenery, and some would even consider it the best place on earth for fishing so when avid fisherman Patrick Hogan was out on the Missouri River near Townsend and saw it sprinkled with old water bottles, he couldn’t let it go. Hogan says, “When you put Read More…
All tickets for the 2020 drawing of Montana Millionaire have sold out, once again selling out in record time. Tickets sold out before 5:00 p.m. on Monday Nov. 23, nine days earlier than 2019 and four days before the first early bird drawing. “Sales for Montana Millionaire have been more and more brisk every single Read More…
BILLINGS — Warrior Wishes Montana works to provide veterans in Billings and surrounding areas with assistance and connect them to the right resources, and veterans can come get the fixings for a warm Thanksgiving meal in Billings on Tuesday, November 24. “Warrior Wishes Montana is going to be giving our annual Vetsgiving Meals to the Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced November 19th, 2020, it has completed a bond sale worth more than $52 million to help finance the construction of a new facility for Shodair Children’s Hospital. The bond issuance by the Montana Facility Finance Authority will support a new facility in Helena, which will include 82 private rooms Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Blackfeet Tribe business owners can now apply for grants to help them make up for some of the money they’ve lost this year due to the pandemic. Application are being accepted through December 11. As of Tuesday, about two dozen businesses had submitted applications. The committee overseeing the grant was still in Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Starting Wednesday, through next Tuesday, Bozeman School District administrators say Meadowlark Elementary will be on a remote learning format. Officials say a large number of staff members have to quarantine, so there is not enough coverage for classes and other positions. READ FULL STORY
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock proposed a two-year state budget on Nov. 16 that he says preserves essential services while boosting education and infrastructure spending. YPR News’ Kevin Trevellyan reports it’s the two term Democratic governor’s final budget proposal. During a news conference at the capitol, Bullock proposed using $75 million, or two thirds of the state’s rainy Read More…
This year in Montana, Republicans swept every statewide and federal race, while also increasing their majority in the statehouse by 10 seats. Montana, once dubbed a purple state for its split-ticket voting, is now deep crimson. After four terms of a Democratic governor, a Republican will sit in Montana’s governor’s mansion for the first time Read More…
Georgia’s top election official said Wednesday the state will conduct a hand recount of all paper ballots cast in the Nov. 3 presidential election. Uncertified results in the state show Democrat Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump by 14,000 votes out of nearly 5 million votes counted in the state. Nearly all ballots have been 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…