Western Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke celebrated the release of $53,889,068 in Payments in Lieu of Taxes funding for Montana counties, an increase of more than $7.3 million over 2025 disbursements. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, Zinke said he played a major role in securing the funds. “Public Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen led a coalition of 23 state attorneys general in urging the U.S. Senate to confirm Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche as the next attorney general of the United States. In a letter sent to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, Ranking Member Richard Durbin and other committee members, Knudsen urged Read More…
(The Center Square) – Betting on a football score isn’t gambling. At least not according to the federal Commodities Futures Trading Commission. The commission recently proposed rule changes to strengthen its governance over prediction markets and sports betting. The changes involve how the panel defines “gaming” and “gambling.” The proposal defines limitations for the CFTC’s Read More…
The Center Square) – Minnesota’s special districts reported $5.4 billion in outstanding long-term debt in 2023, while increasingly relying on state funding as pandemic-era federal aid declined. This is according to a new report from the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor. The 91-page report examined 572 special districts that submitted financial data to the auditor’s Read More…
KALISPELL — Officials in Washington State reported Monday that four more people have died from the coronavirus bringing the state’s death toll to six and as the cases continue to add up, Flathead County officials are taking pre-preemptive measures to help contain a potential outbreak. Kalispell Regional Healthcare Chief Medical Officer Dr. Doug Nelson says Read More…
HELENA — U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is asking the federal government to delay enforcing Real ID requirements in Montana, as state authorities continue to issue compliant identification. Daines’ office announced Monday that the senator had sent a letter to President Donald Trump, asking for a one-year extension of the Oct. 1 enforcement deadline. In the Read More…
Montana schools are now mandated to test drinking water for lead, following state rule changes related to school health. Schools are required to test all fixtures that may “reasonably provide water for human consumption or for food preparation,” such as drinking fountains, water bottle refill stations and sinks. Schools may begin testing as early as Read More…
HELENA – Businesswoman Whitney Williams announced Buzz Mattelin as her Lieutenant Governor candidate. Buzz is a farmer and President of the National Barley Growers Association. He is from Culbertson. Williams is the last to announce her running mate. On Friday, Democrat Mike Cooney announced Casey Schreiner as his running mate. Schreiner is a former school Read More…
Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT) announced his much-anticipated running mate in the race for Montana governor and lieutenant governor on Sunday night in Billings. Gianforte selected Great Falls lawyer and former Montana Supreme Court candidate Kristen Juras to serve as his running mate. Juras told the crowd that she is excited to be Gianforte’s running mate, Read More…
A second Republican has filed to run for the state House seat that covers south Bozeman, including Montana State University. Jason Zeng, a Ph.D. student at MSU in chemical engineering, will face Bryan Haysom in the primary June 2. Zeng, 28, has also worked as a research assistant at MSU and a potato inspector in Read More…
A Montana State University police officer has been suspended after an investigation found that she violated the department’s code of conduct and safety policies during a January traffic stop. MSU released a report Thursday outlining what happened when Officer Angela Roundtree got involved in a Jan. 8 traffic stop and had a verbal altercation with Read More…
A Flathead County District Judge on Thursday denied Michael Goguen’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit by Whitefish’s police chief, whose December 2019 complaint accuses the wealthy philanthropist of interfering with a criminal investigation and trying to get the city’s top law enforcement officer fired. Goguen denies the allegations set forth in the lawsuit by Whitefish Read More…
CASPER, Wyo. — A Tyler, Texas resident is reportedly deceased, after leaping from a moving vehicle, while leading Highway Patrol troopers on a pursuit. According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, on Friday, February 21st, 2020 Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers were notified of a suspected drunk driver in the area of Sheridan, Wyoming. Troopers report that Read More…
Bozeman’s crime rate is the lowest in Montana when compared to other cities similar in size. Bozeman Police Chief Steve Crawford rapped his knuckles on his wooden desk several times when talking about the city’s low crime rate. “I knock on wood and don’t want to jinx it, right?” Crawford said. READ FULL Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Two military veterans were honored on Friday in separate ceremonies – one in Great Falls and the other in Conrad. This is all part of the Montana Congressional Veteran Commendation, recognizing outstanding Montana veterans who have honorably served both country and community. At the VFW Post 1087 in Great Falls, U.S. Representative Read More…
The city of Whitefish has been approved for three State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans worth a combined $20.1 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment technology and meet more stringent standards for treating ammonia and other nutrients. The city’s wastewater collection and treatment system has over 58 miles of sewer main and 16 lift stations, portions Read More…
North Dakota regulators on Wednesday approved expanding the Dakota Access pipeline, despite concerns from environmentalists and Native Americans who said the plan makes an oil spill more likely. The 3-0 vote by the Public Service Commission clears one hurdle to double the pipeline’s capacity to 1.1 million barrels of crude oil per day, but the proposal needs additional permits and Read More…
WASHINGTON (RELEASE) – U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $7.2 million in airport safety and infrastructure grants to 10 airports in Wyoming. This investment in Wyoming’s airports is part of a $520.5 million national investment in America’s airports that was announced today by Secretary Chao. Read More…
A fourth inmate at the Big Horn County Jail is facing 4 felonies following the escape of 3 inmates over a week ago. According to court documents, Casey Wallace Leider is accused assisting 3 individuals escape from jail. Leider faces 4 felony charges. They are Assault on a Peace Officer by Accountability, Aggravated Kidnapping, Criminal Read More…
BOISE — The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has become the first circuit in the nation to order a state to pay for an inmate’s gender confirmation surgery, ruling Monday that a three-judge panel decision will stand. Idaho Gov. Brad Little said he will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. Read More…
MISSOULA — The Missoula Area Youth Hockey Association — along with numerous other non-profit organizations around the state — received word from Montana’s Motor Vehicle Division in September of 2019 that their specialty license plates were in danger of being revoked. Nonprofits were given until Dec. 31, 2019 to have 400 of their plates on Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has approved a $107 million plan to clean up the toxic coal ash pounds outside the Colstrip units 3 and 4. The plan for Colstrip operator Talen Energy would remediate the high levels of sulfates, boron, selenium and heavy metals that have been disposed into 462-acre ponds over decades Read More…
BILLINGS – Nina Schuett didn’t feel like her life quite – fit. “I’d never really felt too passionate about other things before,” Schuett said. “I liked volleyball, I liked doing swimming, but I felt that those were more of other people’s sports.” Older sister Ashley swam collegiately, and twin Gage always seemed to be a Read More…
HELENA — State officials said Monday they plan to invest $16 million annually over the next five years to add capacity for current community-based services for people with severe and disabling mental illness. The funding, under an existing Medicaid waiver benefit option, will increase the number of people already receiving services from 357 to 750 by 2025, Read More…
Former President Barack Obama met privately with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock on Thursday in Washington, an adviser confirmed, as Democrats hold out hopes that the red-state governor makes a surprise, last-minute splash into the state’s Senate race. Bullock has consistently said he will not run for the Senate after dropping his own White House bid Read More…
BILLINGS — Economists with the University of Montana touted Billings’ economic health during a Tuesday luncheon at the Northern Hotel. Patrick Barkey, the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research director, said Billings has had good construction activity, a healthy real estate sector and financial institutions that are doing well. “Billings is the Read More…
Democratic attorney general candidate Raph Graybill is not eligible for the ballot because he hasn’t actively practiced law in Montana for five years, alleges a complaint filed this week with the state political practices office. Graybill, however, said he will have met the requirement before the Nov. 3 election, and his campaign called the complaint Read More…
MISSOULA — It’s been 18 months since Jermain Charlo went missing and despite the lack of progress in the case her family and friends continue the search. Charlo was last seen near the Orange Street Food Farm in Missoula on June 16, 2018. Search warrants and interviews have been completed, and dozens of leads investigated Read More…
House Minority Leader Casey Schreiner dropped out of the gubernatorial race Monday, leaving just two candidates running in the Montana Democratic primary race for governor. The four-term Great Falls state representative is suspending his campaign four months before Montana’s June 2 primary. In a statement, Schreiner said he doesn’t have the resources needed to run Read More…
Disney, McDonald’s, Starbucks and other U.S. companies with significant footprints in China are suspending operations and instituting travel restrictions as they respond to the outbreak of the coronavirus. The virus has now taken the lives of at least 82 people in China and sickened 2,900 worldwide, including in the U.S. and Europe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Montana, announced Thursday he will be introducing bipartisan legislation to protect the civil liberties and privacy of Montanans from government spying programs. Daines’ bipartisan bill reforms Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which the National Security Agency has used to create a secret mass surveillance program that swept up millions of Read More…
Two decades ago, four Montana hospitals tried something new. They bankrolled a company to compete with the most powerful insurer in the state. The hospitals wanted to challenge what they described as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana’s “dominating presence.” So they founded insurer New West Health Services in 1998 to cover hospital employees and Read More…
TC Energy is moving ahead with plans to construct the Keystone XL pipeline, and it’s getting ready to make a few Montana moves. Terry Cunha, a spokesman for TC Energy, told the Herald on Tuesday that Keystone XL has reached several key milestones. That prompted the company to file a status report with the Read More…
Democrat Reilly Neill has withdrawn from the 2020 governor’s race, saying she will work instead through “the media to educate, inform and report on issues of climate change and human rights.” The Livingston resident and former state representative posted her decision on her votereilly.com website Jan. 12. “At every event for Democratic candidates I’ve attended in the Read More…
REPUBLICAN GOV. MARK Gordon, who took his seat as Wyoming’s 33rd governor in 2019, is the most popular governor in America, according to Morning Consult’s latest survey. The global technology company releases a survey identifying the country’s most and least popular governors every three months, with the most recent survey taken from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, 2019. Read More…
JCPenney announced Friday that the retailer is planning to close its location at Southgate Mall. The department store is expected to close in April 2020. In a press release sent Friday afternoon, Washington Prime Group, the owner of Southgate Mall said prior to the JCPenney closing announcement they executed an agreement to gain control of Read More…
BELGRADE, Mont. – Montanans are ready for takeoff to the country music capital Nashville, Tenn. for the state’s first direct flight to Music City, USA. Montana’s busiest airport, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, is getting ready for a new direct flight to Nashville through Allegiant Airlines. You can start booking flights now for nonstop service, with Read More…
BILLINGS — The Montana High School Association executive board passed proposals for the MSHA to add girls wrestling and boys powerlifting as sanctioned sports during the MHSA’s annual meeting on Monday in Billings. The sports will be offered to member schools beginning with the 2020-21 school year. It was announced in late November that the Read More…
More than 100 years ago, Montana and many states erected legal walls against spending public money on private religious schools, but today school choice activists are seeking to bring down those barriers using a case from Montana. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a lawsuit brought on behalf of Kendra Espinoza Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — An investment group from Billings has filed a lawsuit against the Montana Lottery over rules that require businesses wishing to offer sports gambling to have specific alcohol licenses. The lawsuit filed by Arete Group argues the legislation that authorized sports wagering did not include the alcohol license rule. The lawsuit seeks an injunction Read More…
A statewide campaign working to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana submitted two proposed 2020 ballot initiatives for state review Monday. According to the initiative backers, The first ballot proposal would legalize marijuana in Montana for adults. In a press release, backers say it would also establish a regulatory framework for pot cultivation and sales, including Read More…
Montana’s Superintendent of Public Instruction, Elsie Arntzen said on Thursday that she was proud to announce that graduation rates in state public schools have broken a record for the second year in a row. “This is improvement, this is growth,” said Arntzen. “For two years in a row our graduation rates have been the highest Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has reversed a $35 million judgment against Jehovah’s Witnesses for failing to report child sexual abuse. A lower court had found that the church illegally failed to report a child sexual abuser to authorities, which allowed him to continue sexually abusing another child. The unanimous decision from seven state Supreme Court justices found Read More…
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Then you can really enjoy this spectacular, 16,000-square-foot, mountain-top dream home in the winter wonderland that’s Big Sky, Montana. Maybe strap on your snowshoes and explore the miles of powdery trails that meander through the home’s 160 wooded acres. Or master the moguls at nearby Big Sky Read More…