The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals and companies spanning the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe on Friday, targeting what officials described as procurement networks funneling weapons and aerospace-grade materials to Iran’s military — including components found inside recovered Iranian attack drones. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, acting under an executive order targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – More than 200 children were rescued and more than 350 child sex offenders arrested in one month in the latest Department of Justice targeted enforcement operation to find child sex abuse victims and arrest child sex predators. The operations are nationwide and involve staff from all 56 FBI field offices and Read More…
The Justice Department filed suit against the State of New Mexico, the City of Albuquerque, and their respective governors and attorneys general, charging that recently enacted sanctuary laws violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause and illegally impede federal immigration enforcement operations. The complaint, filed in federal court alongside a motion for a preliminary injunction, takes aim Read More…
(The Center Square) – The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled this week that Greenpeace International cannot keep pursuing most of its lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands as the pipeline company’s case moves forward in North Dakota. The dispute stems from litigation surrounding disruptive protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy Transfer sued Greenpeace Read More…
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned 10 individuals and companies spanning the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe on Friday, targeting what officials described as procurement networks funneling weapons and aerospace-grade materials to Iran’s military — including components found inside recovered Iranian attack drones. The Office of Foreign Assets Control, acting under an executive order targeting Read More…
(The Center Square) – More than 200 children were rescued and more than 350 child sex offenders arrested in one month in the latest Department of Justice targeted enforcement operation to find child sex abuse victims and arrest child sex predators. The operations are nationwide and involve staff from all 56 FBI field offices and Read More…
The civil complaint alleges that Victor Manuel Rocha lied his way through the naturalization process while secretly serving Havana for decades. The Justice Department filed a civil complaint Thursday seeking to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Victor Manuel Rocha, a former American ambassador who admitted to spying for Cuba for more than four decades, in Read More…
The Justice Department filed suit against the State of New Mexico, the City of Albuquerque, and their respective governors and attorneys general, charging that recently enacted sanctuary laws violate the Constitution’s supremacy clause and illegally impede federal immigration enforcement operations. The complaint, filed in federal court alongside a motion for a preliminary injunction, takes aim Read More…
(The Center Square) – The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled this week that Greenpeace International cannot keep pursuing most of its lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands as the pipeline company’s case moves forward in North Dakota. The dispute stems from litigation surrounding disruptive protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy Transfer sued Greenpeace Read More…
(The Center Square) – The nation’s largest pro-life organization filed an amicus brief Thursday in the U.S. Supreme Court asserting the impossibility of ensuring informed consent without an in-person doctor’s visit as it relates to the abortion pill, since anyone can order the drug online. President of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Marjorie Dannenfelser told The Read More…
The U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, surpassing Wall Street expectations and extending a run of stronger-than-forecast hiring that has characterized the labor market in early 2026. The headline number bested the consensus estimate among economists surveyed by Bloomberg, continuing what the White House described as a Read More…
The lawmakers pressed China’s leadership on fentanyl, agricultural market access, and Boeing aircraft purchases ahead of an anticipated Trump-Xi summit next week. A bipartisan group of five U.S. senators held three high-level meetings in Beijing on Friday with China’s top leadership, including Premier Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in a rare diplomatic overture Read More…
The final decision reverses a Biden-era authorization that allowed non-production bison to graze on more than 63,000 acres of federal land, ending a four-year legal and political fight by Montana’s governor, attorney general, and congressional delegation. The Bureau of Land Management issued a final decision canceling the American Prairie Reserve’s bison grazing permits on more Read More…
(The Center Square) – Another international human smuggling ring exploiting lax Canadian border security and visa processes has been thwarted by U.S. officials. Mexican smuggling at the U.S.-Canada border isn’t new but during the Biden and Trudeau administrations, illegal activity increased to record levels that exploited weak Canadian border security and lax visa policies, The Read More…
The governor held a town hall in Sidney and visited a string of small businesses and nonprofits across five counties, using the tour to tout property and income tax reforms ahead of the next legislative session. Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte brought his 56 County Tour to the state’s southeast corner this week, holding a town Read More…
A wave of new economic data is pointing to broad-based strength across the American economy, with improvements in housing, manufacturing, consumer confidence, and the labor market. Housing New residential construction surged last month to its highest level in more than a year, reflecting strong momentum in expanding housing supply. Home prices declined on an annual Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that the North Dakota Development Fund Inc. (NDDF) has expanded its eligibility criteria to include non-primary sector businesses. The change is intended to open financing opportunities for more rural businesses and community organizations that previously did not qualify for support. The updated guidelines allow for-profit businesses, specific nonprofits Read More…
sophomore in Montana State University’s Honors College double-majoring in cell biology and neuroscience and biochemistry was recently accepted to the highly selective University of Virginia Law School Roadmap Scholars program. Neva Clark is one of 12 students nationwide admitted to the program and the first to be accepted from MSU. The program by the top-tier Read More…
A Pakistani national has pleaded guilty to operating an international human smuggling network that charged migrants as much as $40,000 each to be illegally transported into the United States, the Justice Department announced. Abbas Ali Haider, 49, of Sialkot, Pakistan, operated two fake Pakistan-based companies — Diamond TV World Productions and Multimedia Advertising Ltd. — Read More…
South Dakota senior citizens and citizens with disabilities have until July 1 to apply for a tax refund through the state’s Tax Refund Program. Eligible individuals may receive a refund of a portion of the sales taxes they paid in the previous year. To qualify, individuals must meet the following requirements: have been a South Read More…
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…
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has launched investigations into 36 Illinois public school districts to determine whether they have included sexual orientation and gender ideology content in classes for grades pre-K through 12 and whether parents have been properly notified of their rights. The investigations will examine whether the school districts have notified parents Read More…
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon joined members of the Wyoming National Guard in Tunisia this week, participating in activities surrounding Exercise African Lion 2026, the largest annual joint military exercise led by the U.S. Africa Command. Held in Tunis, Tunisia, the exercise brought together military forces from the United States, Tunisia, and more than 40 partner Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. national debt is now larger than the entire American economy and is only set to keep growing, further exacerbating the affordability crisis and risking national security. Out of the $39 trillion total national debt, debt held by the public hit $31.27 trillion on March 31, surpassing the $31.22 trillion Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced that the Montana Registered Apprenticeship Program (MRAP), administered by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry (DLI), reported record participation in 2025, reinforcing its role as a key driver of workforce development in the 406 JOBS initiative. “The Montana Registered Apprenticeship Program is opening doors for hardworking Montanans to earn while Read More…
King Charles III and Queen Camilla visited Arlington National Cemetery on April 30 for a full honors wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, marked by a 21-gun salute. The ceremony came on the final day of their state visit to the United States, commemorating the 250th anniversary of American independence. The royal Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has announced that applications are open for the Innovate ND grant program. Entrepreneurs across the state are encouraged to apply by May 14, 2026, to be considered for this round of funding and support. Innovate ND provides North Dakota entrepreneurs with hands-on education in the lean business model canvas, Read More…
U.S. Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, along with Congressmen Ryan Zinke (MT-01) and Troy Downing (MT-02), sent a letter to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requesting funding to repair the St. Mary Diversion Dam and Canal in northwestern Montana. The delegation is urging the Bureau of Reclamation to consider the St. Mary Diversion Dam Read More…
The University of Montana will celebrate over 2,000 degree candidates who make up the class of 2026 during its Spring Commencement celebration on Saturday, May 9. “This is a special time of year, as Commencement marks the culmination of the academic journey of so many of our students,” said Leslie Webb, UM vice president for student Read More…
The United States Department of Justice has filed a complaint challenging New Jersey laws that provide in-state tuition rates and financial assistance to illegal aliens, arguing the laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens and conflict with federal law. The complaint, filed in the District of New Jersey, names the State of New Jersey, the Higher Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced that a $7.4 billion settlement reached with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, for their role in fueling the opioid crisis took effect Friday, May 1. South Dakota is expected to receive an estimated $10.1 million over the next 15 years as part of its settlement Read More…
The North Dakota Supreme Court welcomed its newest member as Justice Friese was officially installed during a formal investiture ceremony. Chief Justice Lisa Fair McEvers was joined by Justices Jon J. Jensen and Jerod E. Tufte in welcoming attendees to the ceremony. Debra L. Hoffarth, President of the State Bar Association of North Dakota, presented 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…
(The Center Square) – A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a Biden-era rule that allowed individuals to receive the abortion pill mifepristone through the mail without a prescription from a doctor. A three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that the state of Louisiana likely would win Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury intensified its economic pressure campaign against Iran on Friday, sanctioning a major China-based refinery and dozens of shipping firms and vessels accused of helping move Iranian oil to global markets. The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, said it imposed sanctions on Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Read More…
Nearly 250 tourism and hospitality professionals gathered this week in Grand Forks as the 2026 North Dakota Travel Industry Conference entered its second day with a focus on collaboration, innovation, and future growth. Hosted by Visit Greater Grand Forks, the North Dakota Travel Industry Alliance, and the North Dakota Department of Commerce, the conference is Read More…
Small businesses and nonprofit organizations in parts of Wyoming are now eligible for low-interest federal disaster loans following a drought declaration issued by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The assistance is available to businesses in Goshen County, Laramie County, and Niobrara County, which were included in a multi-state disaster declaration covering drought conditions that began Read More…
The ND250 Commission has awarded a new round of community grants to support projects across North Dakota celebrating the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. The ND250 Community Initiatives Grant Program helps organizations and local governments create projects recognizing North Dakota’s role in the nation’s history while encouraging public engagement ahead Read More…
In recognition of its strong commitment to economic engagement, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has designated UND as an Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) University. The IEP designation highlights how the University works together with public and private sector partners to support economic development, spark innovation, foster entrepreneurship, develop a skilled workforce and strengthen communities. “Earning the Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced Friday that more than $90,000 in grant funding has been awarded to the Roundup to help complete rehabilitation of the historic Wier Building. The funding comes through Commerce’s Montana Main Street Final Stage Funding Grant Program, which supports projects in downtown communities across the state. Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio Read More…
Jafar Tafakori allegedly charged some clients as much as $30,000 to arrange travel from South America through Mexico and into the United States A 57-year-old Iranian national was arrested in Colombia this week on federal charges that he ran a smuggling operation moving large numbers of migrants — primarily fellow Iranian citizens — illegally into Read More…
Mark Gordon has signed a finalized regulatory agreement between the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expanding Wyoming’s authority over certain nuclear source materials tied to rare earth and critical mineral development. State officials said the agreement, formally executed April 30, marks a major milestone in Wyoming’s effort to become Read More…
The United States Navy on Saturday commissioned the USS Idaho (SSN-799) during a ceremony at Naval Submarine Base New London, adding the 26th Virginia-class submarine to the fleet. The event marked the formal entry of the vessel into active service as the Navy continues expanding undersea capabilities amid growing strategic competition overseas. James Risch delivered Read More…
Daniel Perez Rojas, a former Mexican special forces soldier who rose to near the top of one of the country’s most violent cartels, faces up to life in prison A former high-ranking member of the Los Zetas cartel pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking conspiracy charges, the Justice Department announced, marking a significant victory in Read More…