A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement purposes. The order also bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sharing such data with DHS. The injunction comes after Washington and Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour this week, visiting communities across eastern Montana to spotlight infrastructure upgrades, workforce initiatives, public safety investments, and new business openings. “It’s great to hit the road to see firsthand how communities are thriving across eastern Montana,” Gianforte said. “Thanks to our pro-family, pro-jobs agenda, we’re connecting Montanans Read More…
(The Center Square) − A federal grand jury has returned a 45-page indictment charging Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie with conspiring to defraud the city by conducting a secret personal relationship while Vappie was on duty, falsifying records, and obstructing investigations. The indictment, unsealed Friday in the U.S. District Read More…
U.S. stocks closed the week within striking distance of all-time highs, buoyed by renewed expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates in September and a flurry of upbeat corporate and economic news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 1% for the week, briefly touching a fresh intraday record on Friday before Read More…
A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from using Medicaid data obtained from Washington and 19 other states for immigration enforcement purposes. The order also bars the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from sharing such data with DHS. The injunction comes after Washington and Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour this week, visiting communities across eastern Montana to spotlight infrastructure upgrades, workforce initiatives, public safety investments, and new business openings. “It’s great to hit the road to see firsthand how communities are thriving across eastern Montana,” Gianforte said. “Thanks to our pro-family, pro-jobs agenda, we’re connecting Montanans Read More…
(The Center Square) − A federal grand jury has returned a 45-page indictment charging Mayor LaToya Cantrell and New Orleans Police Department officer Jeffrey Vappie with conspiring to defraud the city by conducting a secret personal relationship while Vappie was on duty, falsifying records, and obstructing investigations. The indictment, unsealed Friday in the U.S. District Read More…
U.S. stocks closed the week within striking distance of all-time highs, buoyed by renewed expectations that the Federal Reserve will begin cutting interest rates in September and a flurry of upbeat corporate and economic news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose roughly 1% for the week, briefly touching a fresh intraday record on Friday before Read More…
The Grand Forks community marked a milestone this week with the official ribbon cutting of the Grand Forks Career Impact Academy, a $30.5 million career and technical education facility designed to connect students with hands-on learning aligned to regional and statewide workforce needs. Located near Gateway Drive and 42nd Street, the facility will welcome students Read More…
U.S. Senator Steve Daines visited the Bull Mountains Mine in Musselshell County on Friday, celebrating what he called a major victory for Montana jobs and American energy. The mine, one of the state’s three large-scale active coal operations, had faced the prospect of closure in recent years but will remain open due to a provision Read More…
(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska Friday in the hopes of negotiating a ceasefire or initial steps toward peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. Though the presidents’ greeting was streamed live on the White House YouTube channel, the press has not yet been able to ask questions Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley has joined a coalition of 37 state Attorneys General urging Instagram to make immediate changes to its recently launched location-sharing feature, citing concerns over user privacy and public safety. The coalition’s letter requests that Instagram prevent minors from enabling location sharing, provide clear alerts to adult users detailing the Read More…
Hilf will discuss his work surrounding the intersection of emerging technologies and positive societal impacts. At the Allen Institute for AI, a Seattle-based nonprofit, he researches how artificial intelligence can be used for the common good, brainstorming how to apply AI to everything from climate modeling and wildlife conservation to maritime intelligence to protect marine Read More…
Lee Enterprises, the Iowa-based newspaper chain that owns hundreds of publications in 25 states, including several in Montana, has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle a subscriber privacy lawsuit — even as it confronts fresh legal troubles from a February 2025 cyberattack that allegedly exposed the personal information of thousands of employees. Three new Read More…
Governor Brad Little signed Executive Order 2025-05, known as “The Idaho Act,” aimed at creating efficiencies in state government, reducing spending, and supporting public schools while implementing federal tax cuts for Idahoans. The order directs state executive branch agencies — excluding K-12 public schools — to identify opportunities for consolidation, revert unfilled positions, reduce contract Read More…
BOZEMAN — Full of new insights into business communication, Montana State University students recently returned from a summer class abroad in Ireland, where they learned and laughed in scenic settings from Galway to Dublin to the Cliffs of Moher. The MSU Professional Business Communication class poses for a photo at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Read More…
BOZEMAN – Author and attorney Michael Punke, whose literary works include “The Revenant” and “Fire and Brimstone,” will speak at Montana State University’s First Year Student Convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 19. The event will be held in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at 4 p.m. and is open to the public. Tickets are not required. Author Read More…
The University of Montana will officially welcome the class of 2029 to campus on Monday, Aug. 18. Members of the media are invited to cover one of the most busy and emotional days of the school year, as students from across the country arrive to begin their academic journey at UM. Students will arrive for Read More…
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of the Interior on Tuesday approved expansion of coal mining in Montana, marking the second largest coal expansion since President Donald Trump took office in January as 33.75 million tons of federal coal will be recovered, 300 jobs ensured, and a million homes powered by the decision. The Read More…
The intense, week-long search for Michael Paul Brown — wanted in connection with the shooting deaths of four people at the Owl Bar in Anaconda — came to an end Friday afternoon with his capture. Authorities say Brown was taken into custody around 2 p.m. near the Ranch Bar, just south of Highway 1. He Read More…
With new funding from the Montana Pulse Crop Committee, Montana State University’s Eastern Agricultural Research Center is establishing a new survey program for peas and lentils and is seeking producer participants. EARC, located in Sidney, will be the hub for the program, and farmers growing peas or lentils in Daniels, McCone, Roosevelt, Sheridan and Valley Read More…
Newly declassified documents released by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard are reigniting fierce political debate over the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation, with conservatives alleging they show top Obama administration officials helped fabricate the narrative of collusion to discredit then-candidate Donald Trump. The documents include a previously unreleased annex to the 2023 Durham report Read More…
Wall Street ended July on a strong note with the S&P 500 rising 27.2% from its April 8 lows to set new highs by July 31, capping one of the sharpest non-recession rallies in two decades. The rally, driven by momentum in tech, energy, industrials, and consumer discretionary sectors, was buoyed by optimism from easing Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte has announced that he is now accepting applications and nominations to fill two district court vacancies in Montanaʼs Thirteenth Judicial District, which covers Yellowstone County. The vacancies were officially notified to the governor by the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court on July 18, 2025. This development follows the passage and Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced that the Legacy Investment for Technology LIFT) program has awarded a $1 million loan to Trilogy LLC, a North Dakota-based company that developed the Sand Titan, a high-performance sand separator for the oil and gas industry. “The LIFT program is a vital resource for fostering innovation and supporting Read More…
t’s hard to top Grace Porges’ Montana summer internship. A rising senior studying marketing at the University of Montana, Porges has spent her summer promoting the educational opportunities and important science conducted by UM’s Flathead Lake Biological Station. This means long summer days living at the station on the shore of one of America’s largest, Read More…
When Molly Schifferns signed off her final online course for Gallatin College Montana State University in May, she laid on her bedroom floor and felt happy tears slip down her cheeks. The 28-year-old from Belgrade had just completed her two-year associate’s degree in drafting and CAD technology, where students learn to create digital models for Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley and Hughes County Sheriff Patrick Callahan are urging residents to be vigilant against a jury duty telephone scam after a Hughes County resident was defrauded out of $22,000. The victim received a phone call from someone falsely claiming to represent the Hughes County Sheriffʼs Office, informing them that they Read More…
A University of Montana program that trains students for careers in behavioral health care recently received a $2.4 million grant to continue growing the program and produce more providers serving Montana’s children, young adults and those in rural and underserved areas of the state. UM’s Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training program was awarded the Read More…
The Montana Historical Society has received a $50,000 grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana to create a free field trip program aimed at Montana students statewide. This initiative will bring students from every corner of the state to the Montana Heritage Center and the State Capitol for immersive educational experiences focused on Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality DEQ) has released the final supplemental Environmental Assessment EA) for the Yellowstone County Generation Station—commonly known as the Laurel Generating Station—in Laurel, Montana. This release comes after construction was completed and the facility began operating, but was delayed by court proceedings over the adequacy of DEQʼs initial environmental review. Read More…
Governor Brad Little announced today the appointment of Juliet Charron as the new director of Idahoʼs largest state agency, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare DHW. Charron will succeed Alex Adams, who was recently nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as Assistant Secretary for the Administration of Children and Families at the U.S. Read More…
Brigadier General Toby J. Alkire, Deputy Adjutant General of the Wyoming National Guard, has been selected to serve as the Deputy Surgeon General for the Army National Guard, Office of the Surgeon General. His two-year dual-hat assignment began on June 1, 2025, and will continue through May 31, 2027. In this role, Alkire will maintain Read More…
The Montana Digital Academy MTDA) has announced the launch of the Frontier Learning Lab FLL, a new statewide innovation initiative designed to help Montana schools explore and integrate artificial intelligence AI, extended reality XR, and other emerging technologies into education. Supported by funding from the 2025 Montana Legislature and building on MTDAʼs leadership in digital Read More…
An intense manhunt is underway following a deadly shooting at The Owl Bar in Anaconda, Montana, on Friday morning, August 1, 2025, in which four people were fatally shot. Authorities have identified the suspect as 45-year-old Michael Paul Brown, a former U.S. Army soldier and local resident who reportedly lived next door to the bar. Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced today that six companies have been approved for a total of $2.16 million in loan funds through the North Dakota Development Fund, Inc. NDDF) during the second quarter of 2025. The loans target key sectors including child care, technology, and value-added agriculture across multiple communities in the state. Read More…
(The Center Square) – Congress has created several programs to allow illegal border crossers claiming to be minors to remain in the U.S. Despite years of documented abuse of the programs, Congress continues to fund them to the tune of billions of dollars. One is the failed unaccompanied minor program, with decades of documented reports Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at a remarkably low 2.8% in June, marking the ninth consecutive month below 3% and extending a historic run of four straight years with unemployment at or below 3.4%, according to Governor Greg Gianforte. “With more Montanans working now than ever before and historically low unemployment, we’re seeing the results Read More…
(The Center Square) – The nation’s largest nurses’ union is blasting Kaiser Permanente for pausing gender-affirming surgeries for patients under 19 starting next month, due to pending litigation and pressure from the Trump administration. “As the legal and regulatory environment for gender-affirming care continues to evolve, we must carefully consider the significant risks being created Read More…
The University of Montana (UM) and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) have announced the creation of the Center for Hunting and Conservation, a pioneering initiative dedicated to advancing science, research, education, and outreach focused on land and wildlife management across the United States. The new center builds on the longstanding partnership between UM’s top-ranked Read More…
Sixty-six newly trained law enforcement officers graduated today from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy (MLEA), ready to serve in 35 agencies across the state. The MLEA, a division of the Montana Department of Justice, provides both basic and advanced training to state, county, city, and tribal law enforcement personnel. Attorney General Austin Knudsen was on Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce announced today that two innovative tech companies have been approved to receive a combined $345,000 in funding through the North Dakota Development Fund Inc.’s Angel Match Program (AMP) during the second quarter of 2025. The Angel Match Program is designed to support early-stage, high-growth businesses by matching private angel Read More…
Governor Brad Little has officially proclaimed August as “Keeping Idaho Healthy Month”, recognizing the state’s leadership in advancing public health initiatives under the national Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. The announcement came during a visit from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who joined the governor in Boise to celebrate Read More…
The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, will begin Phase 1 of a long-term restoration effort in Binarch Creek this summer, aimed at removing non-native brook trout to support the recovery of native westslope cutthroat trout. The removal project, located in North Idaho’s Kootenai National Forest, will use Read More…