A coalition of 25 Republican governors joined forces to issue a collective statement urging President Joe Biden to lift the current pause on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export approvals. The governors expressed deep concern over the administration’s decision, emphasizing its adverse impact on both economic and national security, as well as the security of Read More…
A recent federal jury ruling has shed light on the enduring consequences of asbestos exposure in the small town of Libby, Montana, as BNSF Railway has been found partially responsible for the deaths of two individuals who were exposed to asbestos decades ago. The jury’s decision, handed down after careful consideration, awarded $4 million each Read More…
The emergence of fentanyl as a deadly drug threat has placed Montana at the forefront of trafficking activities, driven by the staggering profit margins associated with this potent substance. With just a two-milligram dose capable of proving lethal, the economic allure for traffickers is immense. A kilogram of fentanyl, which can potentially result in the Read More…
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NASDAQ: LEE),has announced that its Board of Directors approved a limited-duration shareholder rights plan (“Rights Plan”). Effective immediately, the Rights Plan will remain in effect until March 27, 2025. However, the Board retains the option to terminate the Rights Plan earlier if deemed necessary. The decision to implement the Rights Plan comes Read More…
LAUREL – The current Montana real estate market is nothing short of crazy. As more people pour into the state, what was once just a Bozeman boom, seems to be impacting big and small home prices across the state. But, if you think picking up and moving to Laurel will help you escape this crazy Read More…
Fentanyl-related deaths in Montana doubled from 2019 to 2020 and this year’s deaths have already outpaced the tally from two years ago. There were 41 fentanyl-related deaths last year, a dramatic jump from 19 in 2019. This year there have been 22 fentanyl-related fatalities confirmed by the state crime lab, according to a press release Read More…
HELENA — Law enforcement officials referring individuals to Montana’s Adult Protective Services (APS) is on pace for a 50% increase in 2021. This is because Elder Abuse is on the rise in Montana and the Department of Justice partnered with the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to now train law enforcement officials Read More…
HELENA — The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) confirmed Tuesday evening that a DNRC helicopter incident happened while responding to the Deep Creek Fire in Townsend, MT on June 15, 2021 at approximately 5:00 pm. While en route to the Helibase, the aircraft experienced a hard landing that resulted in a fire. Read More…
HARDIN — While visiting Hardin Wednesday, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte donated his first quarter salary to One Health Big Horn clinic and said he was proud of the work done at the facility to help people fighting addiction. “I became familiar with their work, their addiction recovery and mental health services and they are helping Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The University of Montana’s Lady Griz women’s basketball team welcomes a new assistant coach with strong family ties in the program. Joslyn Tinkle played in three Final Four tournaments while she was at Stanford, and then went on to play professionally in the WNBA, Hungary, Turkey and Australia, UM Griz Athletics said Read More…
DEER LODGE, Mont. – An inmate is dead after he disemboweled himself in the Montana State Prison. Now, Disability Rights Montana is calling for an investigation. According to his death certificate, 39-year-old Shaun Morrison killed himself by cutting into his stomach on May 19. He then died of his injuries four days later. Morrison was serving Read More…
Montana will be getting a second seat in Congress. The lines for the two new districts will soon be drawn. On top of that, the lines for state legislative districts will also be drawn. The big battles on both of those fronts have not really yet begun, but some of the battle lines are now being Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Country Billboard-charting artist Stephanie Quayle is returning to her home state of Montana and raising funds for a new safe house for human trafficking victims. Quayle is releasing new music this year and about to start touring again. The Bozeman native has been recording in Nashville for 10 years and has performed at Read More…
Researchers at Montana State University discovered a variant that originated in Bozeman early in the pandemic. The Bozeman variant, a strain that actually weakened the effectiveness of the virus, was found by postdoctoral researchers Anna Nemudraia and Artem Nemudryi. The pair published a study on their findings last month in the journal Cell Reports Read More…
HELENA — Former U.S. Interior Secretary and GOP Congressman Ryan Zinke told MTN News on Thursday that he’s running for Congress in Montana in 2022 – in whatever district he lives in, after lines for new districts are drawn in the state. “We’ll see what the (redistricting) commission decides,” he said in an interview. READ Read More…
WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. – A U.S. Forest Service smokejumper who fought wildfires in Montana has passed away. According to a release from the U.S. Forest Service, Tim Hart died from his injuries he received while battling a fire in New Mexico. Hart launched his career fighting fires as an engine crew member on the Coconino National Read More…
Kalispell has a new fire chief and for Dan Pearce, it’s a homecoming of sorts. Pearce spent several years in Kalispell, from 1990 to 1999. He worked as a home health care provider with Kalispell Medical Equipment and as a firefighter and paramedic as well as a hazardous materials technician for Flathead County. “I’m happy Read More…
HELENA — The Gianforte administration has directed state agencies to bring at least 50 percent of their employees back to the office by June 14 and says no new “telework” agreements will be granted for now. The directive, issued late last Friday, was described as “Stage Two” of the administration’s plan to return state workers Read More…
MISSOULA — Former Montana Griz football standout Jesse Sims passed away on Saturday morning after an accident involving an ATV near Clearwater. Sims was 24. Montana Highway Patrol trooper Mary Strumpfer said she was dispatched to an accident at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday near mile marker 31 just off the north side of Highway 200. Read More…
BILLINGS — The latest edition of “The Match” is coming to Montana. The event, which will take place on July 6 in Big Sky, will feature future NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers and PGA Tour stars Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau. READ FULL STORY
MISSOULA, Mont. — The Montana Supreme Court says two lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of campus-related bills passed in the 2021 legislative session should be filed in district court first. One lawsuit was filed by the Montana Board of Regents and the other by the Montana Federation of Public Employees, which multiple other parties joined. Wednesday’s rulings Read More…
Snowflake, the cloud data analytics vendor that held the biggest U.S. software IPO ever last year, has become the latest tech company to jettison California. In its earnings press release on Wednesday, Snowflake’s dateline showed up as “No-Headquarters/BOZEMAN, Mont.” As recently as May 3, when the company announced the date of its first-quarter earnings report, that same line said “SAN MATEO, Read More…
A soldier from Montana who died during WWII in a Prisoner of War camp has been positively identified. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Monday that US Army Private Wayne M. Evans of Hamilton – who was captured and died as a prisoner of war during World War II at the age of 21 – was accounted Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The Blackfeet Community College unveiled a new portal that will help people report cases of Montana’s missing and murdered indigenous people. Kimberly Loring’s sister, Ashley Loring-HeavyRunner went missing on the Blackfeet Reservation in 2017. “When she went missing, there was a gap of when she was reported missing, because we had that Read More…
BOZEMAN — Do you remember your high school graduation? You might not remember all the little details, but you probably remember being surrounded by loved ones. “There are going to be 5,000, maybe, total people in the stadium that day. I want 5,000 smiles at once,” said Bozeman High School principal Dan Mills. READ FULL Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A Missoula woman’s Freedom of Information Act request for emails about a temporary safe outdoor space reveal county officials have been discussing another location for a potential homeless camp. In November 2020, county officials and community partners opened an outdoor shelter to help the homeless during the pandemic, but some residents have been Read More…
Montana’s high-tech companies overcame and even benefited from the dynamics of a pandemic economy in 2020, generating more than $2.9 billion in revenues and growing at rates up to seven times faster than the statewide economy, according to a survey conducted by the University of Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research. The study found Read More…
The Kalispell Police Department held a parade and memorial service Saturday for officers who died while serving their communities. The processional parade began at noon with Kalispell police joined by Flathead County sheriff’s deputies, Montana Highway Patrol and several other Montana agencies coming together to pay respects to those lost in the line of duty. Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — A bomb threat was called in at a Montana Trappers Association gathering in Dillon Saturday evening. According to the Montana Trappers Association’s Facebook page, an anonymous person called in the threat shortly after the banquet was served. The Dillon Police Department exited people out of the building and ushered them to a safe Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte on Tuesday announced two measures to address the state’s severe workforce shortage and provide incentives for unemployed Montanans to reenter the labor force. A news release says that the State of Montana will launch a return-to-work bonus program, utilizing federal funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Return-to-work bonuses will be Read More…
HELENA — In the escalating battle between leading Republicans and the Montana judiciary, Attorney General Austin Knudsen has asked that all seven justices of the Montana Supreme Court disqualify themselves from deciding the legality of legislative subpoenas seeking internal documents from the court. Knudsen, a Republican, filed the motion late Friday, saying the justices have Read More…
HELENA — Former Secretary of the Interior and Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke has filed once again to represent Montana in Congress. The Republican was elected twice, 2014 and 2016, to serve as Montana’s lone member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first Navy SEAL to serve in the chamber. READ FULL STORY
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) believes the U.S. can convince Canada to re-open its borders to normal traffic if more people follow through on getting their COVID shots. We’ve been telling you about the emotional turmoil facing residents in Montana’s border communities from the continued pandemic shutdown of the Canadian border. READ FULL Read More…
They were known as the Montana Freemen, and 25 years ago, they would put the national spotlight on Montana for a long, bizarre armed standoff with FBI agents that would drag on for months. For almost two years, the Freemen had refused to be evicted from their secluded 960-acre farm near Jordan. They called it Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — After a nearly year-long delay, the new Missoula Public Library will open on May 3 with some limitations, including the number of visitors, hours and services. “The idea is to get people as much access to resources as we can, but continue to try and keep people safe and prevent future infections,” said Read More…
GREAT FALLS — Family and friends of Carl Mock, who was attacked by a grizzly bear on Thursday morning, say that he passed away on Saturday morning. The West Yellowstone man, who was 40 years old, was taken to a hospital in Idaho Falls after being attacked by the bear. According to GoFundMe account created Read More…
If you hit it, you can eat it. A new Wyoming law allows drivers to take home wildlife that was accidentally killed by a car, and prepare it for dinner. Salvaging roadkill had been illegal in the state for generations before Monday’s bill singing. Now, Wyoming joins 30 other states where drivers can cook a Read More…
HELENA – The Montana University System is looking for your input, when it comes to carrying guns on campus. House Bill 102 was passed by the Montana House of Representatives, expanding where people can carry a concealed weapon. The bill would relax gun restrictions in Montana by allowing concealed carrying of firearms on college campuses and allow people Read More…
HELENA — In an escalating political battle between Republican leadership at the Montana Legislature and the state’s judiciary, the Montana Supreme Court Sunday quashed a subpoena lawmakers had used to obtain a cache of internal e-mails from the judiciary. In an unusual weekend order, the high court blocked any further release of the e-mails until Read More…
Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed legislation banning sanctuary cities throughout the state earlier this week. “We are a nation of laws, and immigration laws will be enforced in Montana,” Gianforte said in a statement,” the governor said in a statement. The legislation allows the state’s attorney general to pursue civil action against jurisdictions that refuse to comply with federal Read More…
(The Center Square) – Montana is the ninth least stressed state in the U.S., according to a new study, in large part because of financial, family and health-related factors. Personal finance website Wallethub ranked the states based on more than 40 indicators across categories such as average number of hours worked per week, personal bankruptcy rate and Read More…
HELENA — One of the most anticipated bills of the 2021 Legislature – the measure containing the Gianforte administration’s proposal to implement recreational marijuana in Montana – was introduced Monday morning. House Bill 701, sponsored by Rep. Mike Hopkins, R-Missoula, would make many changes to the 2020 initiative passed by voters last November, that legalized Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. – Organizers for the Kenny Chesney concert have rescheduled the show at the Bobcat Stadium in Bozeman for 2022 due to COVID-19 concerns. Montana State University said in a release Chesney is putting on an entirely new show with a different name, different line-up and is including new music for his 2022 tour Read More…
HELENA — On Monday, the Montana House met all day to consider just a single bill – but it was a massive one. They held a full day of debate on House Bill 2, the main state budget bill. Lawmakers then endorsed the bill 67-33 in a party-line vote, with Republicans in support and Democrats Read More…