(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump Friday morning thanked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit for its ruling that keeps the California National Guard, for now, under his control. The 9th Circuit ruled Thursday night to put a temporary stay on an earlier U.S. District Court for Northern California ruling transferring the National Read More…
In the wake of Israel’s latest strikes on Iranian military targets, U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a forceful statement supporting Israel’s actions and condemning Iran’s role in regional and global instability. “Israel’s attacks against Iran are so far successful and more than justified, and the United Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte honored seven distinguished Montana veterans this week with the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation, recognizing their military service and continued contributions to their communities. The ceremonies took place across Garfield, Musselshell, Fergus, and Meagher counties, with a special tribute to a 104-year-old World War II veteran. “As Americans, we have a duty Read More…
Montana State University Athletic Director Leon Costello has been named a 2023–24 FCS Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), recognizing his transformational leadership and the unprecedented success of Bobcat Athletics. Costello, who has led MSU’s athletics department since 2016, was honored this week during NACDA’s annual Read More…
The town of Browning has been in the process of disbanding due to financial issues since 2016. In March of 2016, a Lewis and Clark County District Judge appointed Robert Denning to take over financial control of the town’s assets and debt. According to Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Chairman Harry Barnes, the Tribe has been in negotiations Read More…
HELENA – Officials announced a new Montana National Guard program that will allow limited hunting on Fort Harrison grounds. It’s called the Purple Heart Deer Program. Each year it will allow up to five Purple Heart recipients to hunt big game in Fort Harrison’s training area. National Guard leaders said the program is a way to Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Numbers from the state show Montana public school students’ standardized test scores did not increase from last year to this year. The test scores released on Tuesday show about half of all public school students graded as at least proficient in English language arts and about 40 percent as proficient in math, Read More…
BILLINGS – Republican and state District Judge Russell Fagg is traveling the state, raising money and touting prominent endorsements – but insists he’s still “exploring” whether to run for the U.S. Senate. “No, I’m not a candidate at this point, and I made that very clear,” he told MTN News in an interview late last Read More…
HELENA – A legislative committee Monday continued to block more than $20 million in proposed cuts to medical services for the poor and disabled in Montana – although it’s unclear whether the action will ultimately stave off the cuts. The Children, Families, Health and Human Services Interim Committee voted 7-1 to continue until at least Read More…
If the state of Montana ends up cutting state budgets by as much as 10 percent, that could result in the Board of Regents raising tuition next fall even more than already planned. Tyler Trevor, deputy commissioner of higher education, said Friday that the University System won’t know until the end of September how big Read More…
Miss North Dakota 2017 Cara Mund has been crowned Miss America. Mund is the first North Dakotan ever to win the Miss America crown. She was asked during her interview question what is on her bucket list. She said it was to make it past the Top 10 on Miss America because only 3 other Miss North Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Steve Bullock is putting the investigation that he misused the state plane while campaigning for re-election behind him. The Governor has agreed to settle the case after an investigation by the Commissioner of Political Practices found the Governor was in violation of Montana’s Campaign Practices Act. The June 28th report found Read More…
When NFL teams trimmed down rosters to 53 players over the weekend, only four former Montana Griz players held a job. By Monday morning, that number was down to three. Here’s a look at how former Griz played this preseason, and who remains on an NFL roster to begin the season. READ THE FULL STORY.
HELENA – The Bullock administration Wednesday said it needs to cut the state budget by as much as $230 million, to put it back in balance, and asked state agencies to submit plans for 10 percent cuts by next week. Dan Villa, the governor’s budget director, said the administration isn’t looking forward to making the Read More…
HELENA – The state Public Service Commission voted 4-1 Thursday to approve the license of Lyft Inc., making it the second app-based ride-sharing company in Montana. A similar license was granted to Uber in December 2015 after changes to state law earlier that year paved the way for such companies to operate in Montana. “The Read More…
BILLINGS – Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he is recommending that none of the 27 national monuments under review by the Trump administration be eliminated but that changes would be made to a “handful.” Zinke told The Associated Press that unspecified boundary adjustments for some monuments are among the recommendations he planned to give the president Thursday. None Read More…
HELENA – Less than two months into Montana’s fiscal year, the state’s $62 million firefighting fund is all but empty, drained by summer wildfire costs and a budget-transfer bill. Bullock administration officials said the fund could be empty by next week, as fires continue to burn across the state, with no weather relief in sight. Read More…
WHITEFISH — The Vegas Golden Knights, the NHL’s new franchise set to debut this season, toured the Rocky Mountains last week, introducing the team and some of its players to a prospective fan base. The road trip was a homecoming of sorts as Bill Foley and Murray Craven celebrated the team’s creation in this corner Read More…
Helena – More than two months in to his term as Commissioner of Political Practices, Jeff Mangan, is still using the services of a Billings lawyer his office previously found to have violated Montana’s campaign finance laws. In October 2016, then-Commissioner of Political Practices Jonathan Motl found that Billings attorney John Heenan and his political Read More…
Helena – Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan issued a ruling Thursday that Governor Steve Bullock violated campaign finance rules in his 2016 re-election bid and should be fined. At issue in the complaint was the Bullock campaign’s failure to timely report the Governor’s use of the state airplane to fly to more than 37 Read More…
HELENA – Billings lawyer Kurt Alme has been recommended as Montana’s next U.S. attorney, the chief federal law officer in the state, whose appointment by the president must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. U.S. Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., made the recommendation Thursday to President Donald Trump, saying Alme is the “right person for the job.” Read More…
HELENA- Montana Attorney General Tim Fox was elected vice president of the National Association of Attorneys General. The vote was Thursday, while the association met for its annual Summer Meeting in Big Sky. Fox said he was “humbled and honored” by the vote. The association helps the 56 state and territorial attorneys general fulfill the Read More…
MISSOULA – Wildfires in Montana are nothing new. Last year, the Treasure State saw a bad fire season with more than 114,000 acres burned. In an attempt to better understand how wildfires may affect weather, climate and even health, a group of University of Montana scientists will fly directly into the smoke of a wildfire. Read More…
It seems like hardly a day goes by when you don’t see someone arrested in Gallatin County for a methamphetamine-related offense. It could be when a Bozeman police officer pulls over a driver for a traffic offense and discovers a small baggie with a crystalline substance and a residue-covered pipe. It could be when Read More…
Missoula tech firm Submittable announced a $5 Million Series A investment led Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, True Ventures. Submittable is a cloud-based submission platform that was founded in 2010. The company now has more than 35 employees. “We are positioned as the matching and reviewing platform for any organization looking for work or any Read More…
KALISPELL –Kalispell Regional Healthcare officials confirmed on Sunday that over 50 people were injured and transported in Saturday’s deck collapse at Glacier Camp, south of Lakeside. 36 of these patients were treated in the Flathead area, with 9 at North Valley Hospital and 27 at Kalispell Regional medical Center. Significant numbers of orthopedic and neurological injuries Read More…
Bozeman Mayor Carson Taylor said this week that he doesn’t intend to act on a request by neighborhood preservation activists that the city place a moratorium on major downtown developments. “I haven’t found any interest in the commission in discussing a moratorium,” he said in an interview Thursday. “I think we’re pretty comfortable with the Read More…
HELENA — Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said Friday that mail ballot voter fraud occurred in Missoula County during the May 25 congressional special election. The case involved a signature forgery on a mail-in ballot, he said. Stapleton said his office has notified the Missoula County Attorney’s office. “We’ve had mail ballot security issues in Read More…
BILLINGS – The White House sent its $4.1 trillion dollar spending plan to Capitol Hill Tuesday. President Donald Trump is looking to balance the budget in 10 years with big spending cuts and faster economic growth. That includes an almost $3.6 trillion dollars in cuts to programs including Medicaid, food stamps, and Social Security Disability Read More…
Billings – Governor Steve Bullock refused to answer questions about infrastructure funding from a constituent at a fundraiser. Mr. Bullock appeared at a democrat political fundraiser at a private golf club in Billings on Thursday. Bullock’s representatives told those present that the Governor would not be answering any questions on infrastructure funding. The 2017 legislative Read More…
Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist’s venereal disease, drug use, and marriage problems were revealed to the public this week when a national media outlet uncovered documents from a medical malpractice lawsuit filed by Quist. The documents show, among other things, that Quist suffers from depression, has genital herpes, tested positive for tuberculosis, uses recreational drugs, Read More…
Helena – The tumultuous tenure of Jonathan Motl as Montana’s Commissioner of Political Practices came to an end Monday with Jeff Mangan taking over. Mr. Motl’s time as Montana’s top political cop was marked by allegations of unethical behavior, partisan chicanery, and numerous lawsuits over his conduct. Mr. Motl was a controversial figure since his Read More…
Helena – On the final day of the 65th legislative session, Democrats in the House of Representative voted to kill a bill that would have provided $41 million in loans to local communities for water projects. House Bill 8 would have provided $41 million in loans from the coal tax trust fund to water, sewer Read More…
Helena – For the third consecutive legislative session, Democrat Governor Steve Bullock has failed to get an infrastructure bill passed by the Legislature. In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there seemed to still be a chance for the infrastructure package to pass, but in the end, it came down to a simple Read More…
Two recent publicly-available opinion polls show Republican Greg Gianforte besting Democrat Rob Quist in the special election to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke. The latest poll was released this week by the Emerson College Polling Society. That poll shows Mr. Gianforte leading with 52%, Mr. Quist with 37% and longshot, Libertarian candidate Mark Wicks with 5%. Read More…
Helena – Newly-released records show Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist has not had a hunting or fishing license in Montana in at least 15 years. According to public records released to MTN news by the Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, the banjo player turned politician has not purchased a hunting or fishing license since Read More…
Helena – In the waning days of the 2017 legislative session, there is still a chance for infrastructure package to pass, but it might not be an easy road. The eventual solution may be complicated but the breakdown is rather simple: Democrat Governor Steve Bullock wants to spend more; Republicans in control of the House Read More…
A new public opinion poll of Montanans shows Republican Greg Gianforte with a 12% advantage over Democrat Rob Quist in the race to replace Ryan Zinke for Montana’s lone Congressional seat. According to the survey, Gianforte leads the pack with 50% of respondents saying they intended to vote for him. Democrat Rob Quist was in Read More…
Helena – Representative Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, joined with a mostly Democrat coalition to pass a 38% increase to Montana’s fuel tax in the House. Rep. Garner is the sponsor of House Bill 473 which increases the state tax on gasoline and diesel fuel by about 38%. The bill has been one of the most contentious Read More…
Helena – A pair of leading state Democrats vowed to block Republican efforts to pass an infrastructure bill this legislative session because the bill doesn’t spend enough money on the projects they want. Senate Minority Leader Jon Sesso, R-Butte, and House Minority Jenny Eck, D-Helena, said the Democrats will not support House Bill 645, known Read More…
Helena – Helena Democrat Representative Moffie Funk has introduced a bill in the legislature to give state employees raises costing $16.5 Million over the next two years. House Bill 13, the state pay plan bill would provide a 1% raise for each of the next two years. State workers previously received raises in January 2016 Read More…
Helena – The state of Montana filed three tax liens to collect approximately $15,000 in back taxes against Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. Quist is also finalizing a settlement with a bank over $10,000 loan he defaulted on. The tax liens filed against Quist in 2015 for about $15,000 cover tax years 2007, 2011 and Read More…
While campaign for the Democrat nomination to replace Congressman Ryan Zinke, Rob Quist supported a national gun registry; now that he has the nomination he is trying to walk back his earlier comments. In late January, Quist, a 69 year old banjo player and singer from Creston, told the Bozeman Chronicle, “You register your car Read More…
Helena – Two Democrat lawmakers are proposing legislation to enact a limited sales tax in Montana. Both bills would allow local residents to vote whether or not to pass the tax in their communities. Representative David Fern (D-Whitefish) introduced House Bill 577 which was heard in the House Taxation committee this week and awaits further Read More…