(The Center Square) – The federal government borrowed $1.9 trillion in the first eleven months of fiscal year 2024, including $380 billion in August, a startling amount as federal watchdogs sound the alarm on spending. Those borrowing figures come from the the latest Monthly Treasury Statement from the Treasury Department. Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee Read More…
In a recent development, Raph Graybill, running mate of gubernatorial candidate Ryan Busse, has admitted to violating campaign finance regulations. The Montana GOP has lodged a formal complaint with the Commissioner of Political Practices after an audio recording surfaced of Graybill acknowledging that he received confidential polling data that he was not authorized to access. Read More…
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has postponed the implementation of a controversial rule that would have drastically cut reimbursement rates for air and ground ambulance services for veterans. The delay comes after sustained oversight and demands from Congressman Ryan Zinke, who has been a vocal critic of the proposed changes. The rule, originally set Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen unveiled a new initiative today aimed at addressing the state’s growing fentanyl crisis. The program will provide life-saving naloxone kits to middle and high schools across Montana, equipping schools with essential tools to handle opioid overdoses. The naloxone kits, which include the overdose-reversal medication naloxone, a CPR respirator mask, a Read More…
MISSOULA – Neel Kashkari, the president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, will visit the University of Montana on Monday, April 8, to conduct a public townhall meeting. Kashkari, one of the nation’s leading monetary policymakers, oversees all operations of the bank and leads numerous initiatives that aim to improve the economic Read More…
(The Center Square) – Mexican cartels for decades have devised creative ways to smuggle narcotics and other contraband across the southern U.S., including using produce, law enforcement officials say. This month, in one week, thousands of pounds of meth were seized hidden in shipments of peppers, tomatillos and carrots. At the Otay Mesa, California, cargo Read More…
Pyramid Mountain Lumber officials have announced their intention to sell the mill rather than resorting to an auction, although no concrete plans have been finalized apart from the impending closure. The company’s decision to shutter operations has sent shockwaves through the lumber industry, with many individuals and stakeholders deeply impacted by the news. Dick Rossignol, Read More…
(The Center Square) – Republican voters have suggestions for former President Donald Trump when he considers his running mate for vice president. The Center Square Voter’s Voice poll released this week asked voters this question: “Who should Donald Trump choose as his vice presidential candidate?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis narrowly edged out the other potential candidates. Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State University will recognize I-Ho Pomeroy, a restaurateur who served on the Bozeman City Commission for a decade and was known for her generous support for the people in her community, with a posthumous honorary doctorate in humane letters at spring commencement. Pomeroy passed away from cancer March 12, 2024, at her Read More…
(The Center Square) – Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray wants the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw a proposal to move mail processing from Casper’s distribution center to Montana. The USPS would move processing operations from Casper to Billings is part of a broader plan to help save money, improve service, and retain employees. Gray also opposes the Read More…
The Center Square) – Teachers in South Dakota will see raises and a new minimum salary under a bill Gov. Kristi Noem signed into law Wednesday. Noem also signed a literacy bill into law, which will appropriate $6 million to the Department of Education to fund professional development in literacy education for teachers. The teacher Read More…
(The Center Square) – The amount of fentanyl seized in Montana last year was over double the amount in 2022, according to Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office. In 2023, the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized a total of 398,552 dosage units of fentanyl, up from 188,823 dosage units compared in 2022 and Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte has raised more than $1.1 million in the 60 days since he announced his bid for reelection on January 16 according to a release from his campaign. “With Governor Gianforte’s pro-family, pro-jobs, pro-business policies and his strong record of protecting our Montana way of life, Montanans are overwhelmingly supporting Governor Gianforte’s reelection, Read More…
(The Center Square) – A swimmer who competed at N.C. State is among 16 collegiate athletes, including 12-time All-American Riley Gaines, suing the NCAA for letting men who say they are women compete against them and use the same locker rooms. Kylee Alons, a two-time national champion and 31-time All-American for the Wolfpack, in the Read More…
BOZEMAN — This semester, Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship held its first career symposium, a casual event intended to help students become comfortable talking to potential employers and collaborators. About 300 students attended the event, which was held Feb. 12 in the Strand Union Building on the MSU campus. There, Read More…
(The Center Square) – Some lawmakers are once again calling on their colleagues to make Daylight Saving Time permanent. Ahead of the switch to Daylight Saving Time this weekend, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., highlighted the importance of the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make Daylight Saving Time permanent. “We’re ‘springing forward’ but should have never Read More…
HELENA – Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today an over 20,000 percent increase in fentanyl seizures by anti-drug forces in Montana since 2019. Additionally, over twice as much fentanyl was seized in 2023 compared to 2022, shattering previous records. In 2023, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task forces seized a total of Read More…
HELENA — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen, along with 23 other attorneys general, filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Biden administration’s new air quality rule that would significantly impact state economies and raise energy costs for Montana manufacturers, utilities, and families. This is the 38th lawsuit Attorney General Knudsen has filed against the Biden administration. The Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. – Rounding out Invest in Veterans Week, Governor Greg Gianforte highlighted community support for veterans today at the Montana Veterans Meat Locker in Billings. “Because of the sacrifices of service members and their families, we live in the greatest country on Earth,” Gov. Gianforte said. “While our debt to them will never fully Read More…
(The Center Square) – As President Joe Biden prepares to deliver his State of the Union Address Thursday night, two new polls show a majority of Americans think he is not mentally fit to be president and is too old. Biden’s address to the nation comes just two days after his 2020 opponent, former President Read More…
On Monday at 1889 Coffee House, Governor Greg Gianforte kicked off Invest in Veterans Week. “I think it’s huge. Communication is the key to so many good things,” said Brett Wiensch, the Owner of 1889 Coffee House. A roundtable to discuss supporting and expanding opportunities for Montana veterans and their families was held. “This today Read More…
(The Center Square) – A bill that would allow the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission to supersede city and county decisions on pipelines passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday after a lengthy debate. Senate Bill 201 states the PUC can overrule local jurisdictions if “such rules, or regulation, or ordinances, as applied to the Read More…
BOZEMAN – For the third year in a row, Montana State University’s club men’s hockey team will play in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division 2 national tournament later this month. The team, with a 34-3 record this year, will travel to St. Louis for the tournament, where the Division 2 competition will be held Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Montana think tank and special interest groups have filed an amicus brief in the state supreme court case known as Held v. Montana. The coalition is asking the Montana Supreme Court to overrule a lower court’s decision that struck down recent changes to state environmental permitting laws and said 16 minors Read More…
(The Center Square) – Twenty-two state attorneys general said Monday more than 85,000 migrant children could be lost based on a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. The report issued this month shows many of the children could be in the labor market or sex trafficked, they said in a letter. “By Read More…
Donald Trump is aiming for a decisive victory on “Super Tuesday” as 15 states hold Republican contests in the primary season’s biggest voting day. Trump, despite facing numerous criminal charges, has dominated the Republican campaign, leaving Nikki Haley as his lone challenger. With a string of victories in early nominating contests, Trump has narrowed down Read More…
(The Center Square) – An Operation Lone Star task force that has seen a number of successes is expanding throughout the state to combat cartel and gang crime, led by Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd. Law enforcement officials from over 30 agencies met for an operational meeting this week to discuss future goals as well Read More…
(The Center Square) – California lawmakers are pushing for new exemptions to the state’s fast food minimum wage as controversy erupted over the state’s reported exemption for Panera Bread. California Gov. Gavin Newsom approved an exemption to the state’s $20 per hour minimum wage for fast-food employees to national fast-food chains with bakeries that sell Read More…
(The Center Square) – North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said a protest over the Dakota Access Pipeline was a “disaster” for the state during a court hearing Monday over whether the federal government should reimburse the state for $38 million in costs related to the pipeline. More than 5,000 people camped near the pipeline site Read More…
(The Center Square) – Sweeping a fourth consecutive primary by double digits, former President Donald Trump left South Carolina victorious on Saturday and on a roll heading into Michigan on Tuesday. Nikki Haley, two-term governor of South Carolina and a former United Nations ambassador in Trump’s administration, was overwhelmed in unofficial totals. The race was Read More…
In a recent SurveyUSA poll commissioned by NonStop Local, the results show that Governor Greg Gianforte is currently in the lead with a 22-point advantage over Democrat candidate Ryan Busse. According to the poll, 52% of Montanans expressed their intent to vote for Governor Gianforte, while only 30% favored Busse. The remaining 18% either remain Read More…
MISSOULA – Spring semester enrollment is rising again at the University of Montana, marking the sixth consecutive semester of enrollment growth at the public flagship institution. UM reports 10,349 students enrolled in classes this spring, a 2.4% increase over the spring 2023 semester. More students are enrolled at UM for spring semester than any year Read More…
BOZEMAN – Spring enrollment at Montana State University set a new all-time record, with 16,110 students attending classes at the state’s largest university. It’s the first time in the university’s 131-year history that the spring headcount has surpassed 16,000. The new total represents a 3% increase over last spring, or 393 students. It’s the fourth Read More…
(The Center Square) – Texas is building a new military base camp at the border to continue its efforts to block illegal entry from Mexico. Gov. Greg Abbott made the announcement on Friday in Eagle Pass, Texas, with Adjutant General of the Texas National Guard Major General Thomas Suelzer and border czar Mike Banks. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Congressional watchdog said Friday that it was again unable to determine if the federal government’s consolidated financial statements were reliable. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, which is Congress’s research arm, said it was hampered by “serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense,” problems in accounting for transactions between Read More…
MISSOULA – Brandon Travis admits some of his favorite college memories involve doing taxes. Before you judge him, know the University of Montana alum appears outwardly normal. The 24-year-old hails from the tiny town of Sand Coulee near Great Falls, where he graduated in a class of 10. He then attended UM, where he earned Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden is facing the fallout of a last-minute, messy press conference late Thursday where he attempted to defend his mental fitness but appeared to only amplify concerns. Biden called the press conference after the Special Counsel tasked with looking into his handling of classified documents announced Biden had committed Read More…
(The Center Square) – A federal district court judge has denied a request by the Biden administration to dismiss a lawsuit Texas filed in an attempt to stop the administration from implementing a new asylum policy it argues is contrary to one established by Congress. U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, who presides over the Read More…
Former Montana Governor Marc Racicot has joined a court filing aimed at preventing former President Donald Trump from appearing on the 2024 ballot. Racicot, alongside former governors Bill Weld of Massachusetts and Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court, which is deliberating on whether Colorado can exclude Read More…
BOZEMAN — Accounting students from Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship are offering free help preparing tax returns for MSU students and individuals who made less than $60,000 last year. The 2024 help sessions will be held on the MSU campus in Jabs Hall, Room 215, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the following dates: Feb. Read More…
BOZEMAN — An internationally recognized scholar will discuss rural education in the next installment of Montana State University’s 2023-24 Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Series. Jayne Downey, professor in the Department of Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and director of the MSU Center for Research on Rural Education, will deliver “Rural Education Read More…
(The Center Square) – Montana plans on suing the federal government over its recent decision to list wolverines as a threatened species. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on Friday filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after the agency in November moved to list wolverines in the contiguous U.S. as Read More…
(The Center Square) – Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the case involving former President Donald Trump’s removal from the 2024 Colorado Republican presidential primary ballot. The brief comes after Griswold recently petitioned the court to argue her side of the case along with attorneys for Trump Read More…
(The Center Square) — New York Republicans are calling for the deportation of a group of undocumented migrants who were released without bail after a brutal beating of two NYPD police officers in Times Square. The officers were assaulted attempting to break up a disorderly crowd outside of a Midtown migrant shelter on Saturday night, Read More…