BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings man has been charged with felony criminal insurance fraud after state investigators alleged he filed a false claim involving several lawnmowers he reported stolen. Adam Walker told authorities in July 2023 that his truck, trailer and four lawnmowers had been stolen from outside his residence. Police later recovered the truck, Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montanans who purchased certain generic prescription drugs between 2009 and 2019 may be eligible for compensation from a series of settlements totaling about $96.5 million over allegations that drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices. A federal court in Connecticut recently granted preliminary approval to a distribution plan involving Montana and 47 other Read More…
WASHINGTON — The official White House mobile app rose to the top of Apple’s News category this week and moved into the App Store’s overall Top 20, as the Trump administration expands its effort to communicate directly with the public through government-run digital platforms. The White House said the app ranked No. 1 in the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division, was named Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings man has been charged with felony criminal insurance fraud after state investigators alleged he filed a false claim involving several lawnmowers he reported stolen. Adam Walker told authorities in July 2023 that his truck, trailer and four lawnmowers had been stolen from outside his residence. Police later recovered the truck, Read More…
BOISE, Idaho — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Idaho’s Medical Freedom Act, rejecting claims brought by a Boise-area child-care provider and three parents who argued the law violated their constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Amanda Brailsford granted a motion to dismiss in Le Soleil Child Care LLC v. Labrador, a case challenging Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montanans who purchased certain generic prescription drugs between 2009 and 2019 may be eligible for compensation from a series of settlements totaling about $96.5 million over allegations that drug manufacturers conspired to inflate prices. A federal court in Connecticut recently granted preliminary approval to a distribution plan involving Montana and 47 other Read More…
FORT WORTH, Texas — A federal jury convicted Texas mental health clinic owner Kevin D. Curry, 64, of Frisco, in a scheme prosecutors said generated more than $26 million in fraudulent TRICARE claims. Curry was convicted of three counts of health care fraud, three counts of offering and paying illegal health care kickbacks and three Read More…
WASHINGTON — The official White House mobile app rose to the top of Apple’s News category this week and moved into the App Store’s overall Top 20, as the Trump administration expands its effort to communicate directly with the public through government-run digital platforms. The White House said the app ranked No. 1 in the Read More…
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota is consolidating workforce-related programs under a single leadership structure as Gov. Kelly Armstrong prepares to ask lawmakers to formally create a new Department of Workforce Development next year. Katie Ralston Howe, who has been serving as deputy commissioner and director of the Department of Commerce’s Workforce Development Division, was named Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 22-state coalition urging the Securities and Exchange Commission to examine whether Moody’s Corporation is complying with federal rules governing credit-rating agencies and potential conflicts of interest. In a letter to K. Scott Davey, acting director of the SEC’s Office of Credit Ratings, the attorneys Read More…
BOULDER, Mont. — The Montana Highway Patrol commissioned seven new troopers during the 84th Montana Highway Patrol Advanced Academy graduation ceremony. For the first time, the graduation was held at MHP headquarters in Boulder. Montana Highway Patrol Col. Kurt Sager and Montana Supreme Court Clerk Bowen Greenwood addressed the graduates before the swearing-in and badge-pinning Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Montana State Board of Land Commissioners has approved an oil and gas lease sale expected to generate more than $2.1 million for state trust lands, with the proceeds benefiting public education. The sale included 12 tracts in Musselshell, Sheridan and Toole counties. A single tract in Sheridan County generated a $2.14 Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Billings counselor has been ordered to pay nearly $48,000 to the state after pleading guilty to charges stemming from fraudulent Medicaid claims, according to the Montana Department of Justice. Melvera Parker, 69, pleaded guilty to felony Medicaid fraud and making a false claim to a public agency following an investigation by Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon is praising Peabody Energy’s successful pilot shipment of Powder River Basin coal to Vietnam, calling the export an important step toward expanding international markets for the state’s coal industry. The shipment moved coal from Wyoming through the United States and Mexico using Union Pacific and Ferromex rail networks Read More…
Army Capt. Daniel W. Lee Sr. was a platoon leader during World War II. He earned the Medal of Honor for valorous action in southeast France in 1944, during Operation Dragoon. Lee was born June 23, 1919, in Alma, Georgia. His parents, Daniel M. Lee and Ida Hyres, were farmers. Lee and his six siblings Read More…
There wasn’t much empty space inside UND’s Office of Safety on Sept. 23. Family, friends and fellow officers packed the room to watch two new female officers take their oaths. “Two new women joining the constellation of stars here in the Department of Safety is a monumental event,” said Chief of Police Rodney Clark. Standing Read More…
On Wednesday morning at Montana State University’s new nursing education building, located on a tree-lined block between the Billings Clinic and Intermountain Health St. Vincent Regional Hospital campuses, the Mark and Robyn Jones College of Nursing began its next chapter. Hundreds of attendees applauded as MSU President Brock Tessman, nursing college dean Sarah Shannon, Billings Read More…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Applications are open for Wyoming residents seeking a seat on the Wyoming Main Street Advisory Board, a volunteer panel that helps guide efforts to strengthen downtowns and support local businesses across the state. The seven-member board works alongside Wyoming Business Council staff on the services and priorities of the Wyoming Main Street Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has vacated an injunction that would have placed a proposed data center initiative on Butte-Silver Bow County’s November ballot, saying it would not have granted the order had it known ballots had already been printed, mailed and, in some cases, returned. The court issued the new order Sept. 24, two days Read More…
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump proclaimed Sunday, Sept. 27, as Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, calling on Americans to honor the families of service members who died while serving the country. In a proclamation issued Friday, Trump said the nation owes a continuing obligation to the spouses, parents, children and other relatives of fallen members of Read More…
The University of Montana enrolled 11,319 students this fall, marking the highest student headcount for the flagship campus since 2017. The significantly larger first-year class that arrived on campus this fall drove the growth. More than 1,500 first-time entering freshmen enrolled at UM this fall semester. This is the largest first-year class enrolled at UM in a Read More…
Delayne Lindeen, a junior studying business finance, transferred to Montana State University this past spring. Lindeen, who’d been attending college in Billings, said she wanted the experience of living a little farther from her hometown of Huntley. Coming from a graduating high school class of 50, she said it was a bit intimidating to enter Read More…
The Montana Historical Society is now accepting submissions for the Montana Headwaters Book Prize, a new annual award recognizing the best historical nonfiction books on Montana history. Submissions are open through Jan. 31, 2027, to authors and publishers of books published during the 2026 calendar year. The prize is funded annually by Larry Len and Read More…
In about 12 minutes, an artificial intelligence program running on UND’s new high-performance computing cluster, Medora, identified business challenges in 500 sets of notes from meetings with North Dakota business owners. The test was an early step in a project that could help small business advisors recognize recurring problems and better anticipate what their clients Read More…
Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said a new state Supreme Court ruling provides clearer direction on the Legislature’s constitutional obligations for public-school funding while preserving lawmakers’ authority over how the state meets those requirements. The Wyoming Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part a lower-court ruling in a long-running dispute over education funding. The Read More…
(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin employee has filed a class action lawsuit against the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 7 and Olympic Companies claiming the company and union continue to deduct dues from her paychecks even after she provided written notice of the termination of her union membership. Caryn Johnson Read More…
The Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel released a legal opinion Wednesday concluding that federal law barring licensed dealers from selling handguns to adults ages 18 to 20 cannot be enforced consistent with the Second Amendment. The opinion, dated Sept. 17, 2026, addresses 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(b)(1) and (c)(1), which generally prohibit federally licensed Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte recently joined officials from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service to visit the Blacktail Powerline Project near Lakeside on the Flathead National Forest, the first initiative announced under Montana’s Shared Stewardship Agreement. “Through our Shared Stewardship Agreement with the Forest Service, management partners are working Read More…
A Phoenix-area woman was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in fraudulently billing Arizona’s Medicaid agency more than $69 million in less than a year for addiction treatment therapy, the Justice Department announced. Many of the patients used to fuel the scheme were Native Americans covered by Arizona Medicaid under a specific Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.2% in August, remaining below the national rate and placing the state among the 15 lowest unemployment rates in the country. The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in August, according to federal labor data. Total employment in Montana, including payroll, agricultural and self-employed workers, increased by 482 Read More…
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, is leaning into an unconventional, deeply historical and highly effective tool for mitigating fire risk: goats. The installation is releasing herds of grazing animals in a targeted effort to reduce dry brush and invasive grasses, a nature-based solution to protect military infrastructure and the neighboring civilian communities. The Operation Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced the state will receive a $104,976.64 settlement with Credit Acceptance Corporation to provide cash and debt relief to consumers in connection with their car loans. South Dakotans affected by the settlement will be eligible for individual debt relief. The state’s share of the settlement will go to the Read More…
The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated BitBank, a digital assets venture controlled by OFAC-designated Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, as part of Operation Economic Outcast, the Trump administration’s economic campaign against Iran and its enablers. The designations also include BitBank’s developer, Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, and three Zanjani associates: Hossein Ali Zaker Read More…
North Dakota is entering the final stages of procurement for the state’s Drone Replacement Program, an initiative designed to transition state agencies to National Defense Authorization Act-compliant unmanned aircraft systems. Made possible through support from the North Dakota Legislature, the program was created in response to changing federal requirements surrounding UAS technology. Transitioning agencies to Read More…
Gov. Larry Rhoden and the South Dakota Arts Council announced the opening of the Governor’s Student Art Competition. “Arts are an important part of a well-rounded education,” Rhoden said. “They give students a chance to develop their talents, think creatively, and build confidence. This competition is a great way to recognize the hard work and Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen testified Tuesday before the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance on the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis, outlining jurisdictional challenges that hamper coordination among tribal, federal and local law enforcement in addressing the issue. During the hearing, titled “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Strengthening Public Read More…
For the second year in a row, the University of North Dakota has been named one of the region’s 50 Best Places to Work by Prairie Business magazine. The annual list recognizes organizations across the region based on nominations from the people who know those workplaces best. This year, Prairie Business received nearly 1,400 nominations Read More…
Minnesota officials on Thursday dropped their lawsuit against Gov. Greg Abbott to force the extradition of Christian Castro, a day after arresting the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis. The dismissal capped a Minnesota-Texas fight that landed in court last month regarding the handover of Castro, who is accused of injuring a Venezuelan Read More…
(The Center Square) – The federal government spent an estimated $6.7 billion in 2025 paying employees to stay home under its deferred resignation buyouts, and the agency that ran the program cannot say exactly what it cost. The Government Accountability Office found in a report released this week that federal agencies spent about $9.5 billion Read More…
The Steer-A-Year program in Montana State University’s College of Agriculture will return for the 2026-27 academic year and is seeking donations of young cattle and feed. Housed in the Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Steer-A-Year teaches students about the many aspects of raising cattle through a hands-on academic approach, while supplying locally raised beef Read More…
(The Center Square) – A coalition of 17 states, lawmakers and advocacy organizations has filed 12 friend-of-the-court briefs urging the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold that parents and teachers have constitutional rights to know about their children despite public school gender policies. The briefs were filed in Mirabelli v. Bonta, a case involving California’s Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has received $20.78 million to cover reclamation costs at the long-idled Montana Tunnels Mine near Jefferson City, following the latest bankruptcy proceeding involving Montana Tunnels Mining Inc. The payment is tied to a structured sale of the property to Silver Bow Mining Corp. and Silver Bow Tunnels Corp. and Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced the appointment of Mary Lynn Hartwell of Idaho Falls and Joel Beck of American Falls to the State Board of Education. “Mary Lynn Hartwell and Joel Beck bring a wealth of experience, a deep commitment to public service, and a strong connection to Idaho’s communities and schools. Their professional backgrounds Read More…