Montana has topped the nation in year-over-year increases in single-family home permits, according to a new report from the National Association of Home Builders. The Washington, D.C.-based trade association, which represents over 140,000 members in the residential construction industry, reported that seven states recorded year-over-year increases in single-family permits in January. Gains ranged from 25.5 Read More…
U.S. Senators Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have introduced the China-Africa Mining Transparency Act of 2026, a bipartisan bill aimed at exposing China’s use of forced labor, child labor, and environmental abuse in critical mineral mining operations across Africa. “As we restore American energy dominance and onshore critical mineral production, it is imperative Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has invoked supervisory control over Gallatin County Attorney Audrey Cromwell, following her failure to issue a memorandum clarifying that Gallatin County may share confidential criminal justice information (CCJI) with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for civil immigration enforcement functions. On April 2, Attorney General Knudsen sent a letter to Read More…
Congressman Ryan Zinke announced the House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, commonly known as the Farm Bill, a comprehensive piece of legislation designed to strengthen American agriculture, support rural communities, and improve forest and land management. The bill includes six provisions sponsored or co-sponsored by Zinke. “The Farm Bill Read More…
Kara Landolfi said she felt “super excited” as she helped greet hundreds of hungry people at Monday’s opening of Rendezvous, Montana State University’s newest and largest $18.2 million dining hall. “I think it’s going to be one of the greatest gathering spots on campus,” said Landolfi. She is farm-to-campus coordinator for MSU, bringing Montana-grown beef Read More…
LAKE MCDONALD — The Howe Ridge Fire started Sunday as a small fire smoldering on a hillside overlooking Lake McDonald. By nightfall it had become a massive inferno spewing smoke and flames hundreds of feet into the air and forcing the evacuation of a section of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park officials are still Read More…
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Making West Virginia political history, the House Judiciary Committee has voted in favor of impeachment articles for all four remaining members of the state Supreme Court. Only former Justice Menis Ketchum was spared because he announced his resignation the day before impeachment proceedings were set to begin. READ THE FULL STORY.
The Billings, Montana kids are only two wins away from the Little League World Series. This, after a big win over Alaska earlier in the week. That’s what Coach Scott Sears told me Wednesday morning on our Montana Talks radio show. Sears is also a doctor at St. Vincent Healthcare in Billings and is coaching Read More…
A Bigfork man with a lengthy criminal record for felony theft and fraud was recently found guilty in U.S. District Court in Billings of 21 counts for running a Ponzi scheme. A jury found John Kevin Moore guilty Aug. 3 of 11 counts of wire fraud, nine additional counts of money laundering and one count Read More…
UPDATE KALISPELL – The Northern Rockies Coordination Group announced on Tuesday that the fire danger in Northwest Montana had been hiked to “extreme” with the exception of Glacier National Park — which remains at “very high.” Ali Ulwelling with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation says that as this week may be the Read More…
HELENA – Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn a judge’s decision to remove Green Party candidates from the November ballot. Stapleton’s office filed an appeal Wednesday of the decision by District Judge James Reynolds of Helena. Reynolds ruled last week that 87 of the more than 7,000 signatures Read More…
With the apex of cherry season just weeks away, cherry growers along Flathead Lake are taking stock of the fruit on their trees and picking the varieties that ripen early. “So far this year the weather has been cooperating,” said Bruce Johnson, president of the Flathead Lake Cherry Growers Association. “We’ve been pretty dry for Read More…
Environment Montana, based in Missoula, released a report on Wednesday claiming that Montana is lagging behind adjacent western states when it comes to solar and wind energy production. Skye Borden with the Environment Montana Research and Policy Center referred to a recently released report called ‘Renewables on the Rise’. “Despite the fact that Montana has Read More…
The Montana Healthcare Foundation and the state have launched a new program aimed at reducing drug and alcohol use in pregnant women, new mothers and families. The three step plan provides support and care throughout a women’s pregnancy, and includes screening, counseling or higher levels of care, if needed. Care coordinators can then address social Read More…
Helena – In a lawsuit filed by the Montana Democratic Party and several prominent Democrats, District Court Judge James Reynolds ruled Monday in favor of the Democrats and ordered the Montana Green Party must be removed from the ballot. However, Judge Reynolds failed to disclose his ties to one of the plaintiffs, Donald Judge of Read More…
HELENA – Winning the lottery once was exciting for Cheyenne Long, but winning it twice in one day was unbelievable. Long, of Kalispell, won a total of $77,000 playing Power Play Gold Crossword, a Montana Lottery Scratch ticket. She bought another ticket the same day, and won again. “It was a super genuine and blissful Read More…
The National Weather Service (NWS) hasn’t confirmed whether or not an actual tornado struck down in Plentywood, Montana Monday night. Nonetheless, the storm wreaked havoc, flipping over airplanes and knocking out the beacon at the airport. Taylor Ordahl of Brooks Photography posted over a hundred pictures via Facebook, a couple are posted below also with Read More…
Roger and Lisa Sammons are definitely overachievers. When the owners of Pardue Grain invited dignitaries, local business owners and customers, vendors and contractors to the “groundbreaking” of their new pulse crop processing facility, they forgot to mention the facility’s construction is well underway! Last Friday’s ceremony was merely a formality as the Sammons and their Read More…
Democrats could breathe more easily Tuesday after a judge ordered the Montana Green Party to be removed from the November ballot, upending a threat from the left to Sen. Jon Tester’s critical re-election bid. Helena District Court Judge James P. Reynolds issued his ruling after invalidating dozens of signatures on Green Party petitions in what Read More…
The lines started forming before noon Thursday, hours before President Donald Trump’s scheduled 4 p.m. arrival at Four Seasons Arena in Great Falls. As the temperature climbed, more and more red, white and blue-clad Trump enthusiasts milled around the fairgrounds, bearing the chants that would later echo throughout the arena: “Keep America Great” signs, “Lock Read More…
President Trump went after Sen. Jon Tester during a campaign-style rally in Tester’s home state of Montana on Thursday night, accusing the Democratic senator of failing to live up to his promises in Washington. Joined by Republican Senate candidate Matt Rosendale, who is seeking to oust Tester in November, Trump sought to tie the two-term Read More…
Judge Kimberly Mueller on June 10, 2016 in the U.S. Eastern District Court of California found that John Duarte, a nursery operator and wheat farmer, plowed wetlands, four to six inches deep, and therefore violated the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Judge found Mr. Duarte, by chiseling a pasture, discharged fill material into a water Read More…
Last year, the Montana Highway Patrol created a drug interdiction team with hopes of slowing the trafficking of illegal drugs in the Treasure State. And the creation of that team has led to a record amount of drugs seized on the state’s roadways. “I never imagined the amount of drugs we would find,” Montana Highway Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — The president of the United States is coming to Montana Thursday. Donald Trump will be the 17th sitting president to do so and the sixth to visit Great Falls. Trump is hosting military families for a picnic and fireworks at the White House for the Fourth of July, but in less than Read More…
Donald Trump Jr. is set to headline Friday’s GOP convention in Montana, where he will seek to boost state auditor Matt Rosendale (R), who is running for Senate. READ THE FULL STORY.
Montana Army National Guard soldiers based in Kalispell are one step closer to setting foot in Afghanistan. Sixty-eight members of the 495th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion deployed in mid-May, bound for a mobilization station at Fort Hood, Texas. According to Maj. Christopher Lende, chief of public affairs for the Montana National Guard, they are expected Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Department of Justice announced Tuesday they have developed a new website and hotline for survivors of sexual assault. The site features a video message from Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and is at www.dojmt.gov/SAKI. It includes: Links to survivor resources, including an interactive map to locate nearby services Crisis phone numbers Read More…
The Substance Abuse Prevention Alliance in Great Falls and the Lincoln County Unite for Youth Coalition will each get $50,000 for communities’ efforts to combat local drug use, especially among youth. “Montana’s meth and drug epidemic has taken lives and destroyed families,” Daines, R-Mont., said. “These critical funds will help Montana combat drug use and Read More…
Despite recent rains, fire season is coming soon and is predicted to be worse than average. Montana Insurance commissioner Matt Rosendale is pleading with Montanans to prepare for the worst by cataloging valuable possessions, a process that is especially important for those that live in the Wildland Urban interface. “Thorough inventories should include photos and/or Read More…
The National Park Service on Tuesday announced the award of a $4.08 million dollar contract to Dick Anderson Construction out of Great Falls to begin rebuilding the historic Sperry Chalet Dormitory in Glacier National Park. The chalet was badly burned in August 2017 during the Sprague Fire that burned thousands of acres in the park. Read More…
Flights were conducted over northeastern Montana this winter in search of feral pigs after sightings were reported, but none were found. Feral pigs are a destructive invasive species with a bristly attitude and hide and sharp tusks that have expanded in number to 6 million in 35 states. READ THE FULL STORY.
(CNN) – A government watchdog has cleared Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke from improper political activity when he spoke to a professional hockey team owned by one of his campaign donors. The Office of Special Counsel found “no evidence or allegation” that Zinke “gave a political speech or otherwise engaged in political activity during this event” Read More…
Tired of scalpers reselling tickets at inflated prices, longtime concertgoers Joel Martin and Henry Vinson decided to develop a better system. The Montana State University graduates created a web app, Sellout, to eliminate what the pair see as the biggest issues with modern-day ticketing. After buying a ticket, the app obscures its barcode until the Read More…
Judge Nic Madge said ordinary kitchen knives were causing a “soaring loss of life”, rather than more heavily regulated large-bladed weapons. He was speaking at Luton Crown Court at a ceremony to mark his retirement. Knife crime rose by 22% in England and Wales in 2017, according to the Office for National Statistics. “Kitchens contain Read More…
HELENA – A political group that wants to elect more scientists is making the first major outside-money buy in Montana’s crowded Democratic U.S. House primary, supporting former land-trust director Grant Kier. The 314 Action Fund reported spending $52,000 in the past two weeks on direct mailers supporting Kier, one of five candidates competing for the Read More…
The Pentagon is working behind-the-scenes on a plan to get NATO allies to play a far more significant, boots-on-the-ground role in maintaining security in Iraq as the U.S. military revamps its anti-Islamic State mission into a longer-term stabilization campaign. Pentagon sources have told The Washington Times that Defense Secretary James N. Mattis intends to present Read More…
HELENA – Democratic U.S. House candidate John Heenan has been touting his record as a “consumer lawyer,” representing people wronged by banks, insurers and other corporate bad actors. “I have the privilege of representing widows when insurance companies deny their claims, people suffering from cancer when insurance companies deny their claims,” he told MTN News Read More…
When a local radio host asked Montana Senate candidate Matt Rosendale what differentiated him from the other GOP candidates earlier this year, he had a quick response. “Piece of cake. Rancher,” he told radio host Aaron Flint in January. “I’m a businessman. I’m a former legislator, and I’m an executive. And I’ve been very effective Read More…
Families heading to Yellowstone National Park this weekend can expect to see an increase at the gate. “Yellowstone, like other parks in the national parks in the system is having a slight entrance fee increase,” said YNP Public Information Officer Jody Lyle. “Starting June 1, it will be $35 per vehicle to enter Yellowstone National Read More…
Montana State University’s president says renovating Romney Hall isn’t sexy, it’s mundane deferred maintenance. At the Montana Board of Regents meeting Wednesday in Havre, MSU President Waded Cruzado defended the Bozeman campus’ request to the governor and 2019 Legislature for $32 million to modernize the historic building and turn it into classrooms. Given the huge Read More…
A Glendive woman who claims the Bureau of Indian Affairs violated a tribal order when it handcuffed her and removed her two grandsons from the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in 2015 filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday in which she is seeking $1 million in damages. BIA agents used an “invalid Minnesota warrant” to seize Patsy Read More…
For all of Montana’s exquisite colors and variegated beauty, in the right light, with the right eyes, it can be seen as a vast blank canvas. That’s how director and screenwriter Michael Polish and his actress wife Kate Bosworth see the Treasure State through the lens of filmmaking potential, not just as a pretty backdrop, Read More…
The National Park Service on Thursday granted a key permit for the rebuilding of Sperry Chalet. The project has been moving quickly through the regulatory process. Last month, the Park Service released a draft environmental assessment with four options for rebuilding the chalet that burned last summer in the Spraque Fire. Of these, the “preferred Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines is among a group of just over a dozen of Republican colleagues asking their Majority leader to continue working through the traditional August recess. Democratic U.S. Senator Jon Tester said he also didn’t have a problem staying in August. Daines told reporters during a telephone press call he didn’t think it Read More…