Montana State Auditor James Brown has suspended the insurance producer license of a Kalispell bail bondsman accused of exploiting people under his supervision, including allegedly trading bond services for sexual favors. The suspension order, issued Aug. 3, bars Laine Kendall Callahan from operating as a bail bondsman in the state pending a revocation hearing, which Read More…
Former President Joe Biden’s cancer has spread beyond his bones and is causing him significant pain, his son Hunter Biden said in an interview with the BBC posted online Friday. Hunter Biden described the disease as “very painful” and “very debilitating,” saying it had “metastasized into his bones and further.” He did not specify where Read More…
Army Cpl. Jake Allex earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary courage while leading his men forward under heavy fire during the Battle of Amiens in World War I. Allex was born Angelko Allex Mandushich July 13, 1887, in Streska, near Prizren, in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, present-day Kosovo. He was of Read More…
The Trump administration is reviewing how millions of acres of wilderness and other undeveloped federal lands are managed across Idaho and the West, opening several longstanding federal policies to public comment through Aug. 14. The Interior Department is examining policies used by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Read More…
Montana State Auditor James Brown has suspended the insurance producer license of a Kalispell bail bondsman accused of exploiting people under his supervision, including allegedly trading bond services for sexual favors. The suspension order, issued Aug. 3, bars Laine Kendall Callahan from operating as a bail bondsman in the state pending a revocation hearing, which Read More…
Investors will get one of the most important economic reports of the month Wednesday morning when the government releases its July Consumer Price Index, providing the latest look at inflation and potentially reshaping expectations for the Federal Reserve. The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release July CPI at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, Aug. 12. Read More…
Former President Joe Biden’s cancer has spread beyond his bones and is causing him significant pain, his son Hunter Biden said in an interview with the BBC posted online Friday. Hunter Biden described the disease as “very painful” and “very debilitating,” saying it had “metastasized into his bones and further.” He did not specify where Read More…
Army Cpl. Jake Allex earned the Medal of Honor for extraordinary courage while leading his men forward under heavy fire during the Battle of Amiens in World War I. Allex was born Angelko Allex Mandushich July 13, 1887, in Streska, near Prizren, in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, present-day Kosovo. He was of Read More…
Nutrition is moving closer to the center of medical education, allowing pre health students a different path to careers in medicine. In June, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services announced new commitments from medical education and accreditation organizations to strengthen nutrition instruction throughout medical school, residency and professional training. Seventy-three medical schools have Read More…
The Trump administration is reviewing how millions of acres of wilderness and other undeveloped federal lands are managed across Idaho and the West, opening several longstanding federal policies to public comment through Aug. 14. The Interior Department is examining policies used by the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Read More…
Angi Bruce resigned as director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department effective immediately Friday, moving to a newly created position in Gov. Mark Gordon’s office. Bruce, who became the agency’s first female director when she took over in 2024, will begin her new role, titled “director of special policy initiatives,” on Monday. Gordon’s office Read More…
The Montana Department of Justice launched a new statewide public service announcement to raise awareness of missing Indigenous persons and encourage the public to help bring them home. The 30-second spot highlights the toll these disappearances take on families and tribal communities and spotlights four Indigenous persons who remain missing in Montana: Ashley Mariah Loring Read More…
Montana State University will host an interdisciplinary symposium Oct. 1-2 to explore the possibilities and challenges of artificial intelligence for human knowledge. “The Future of AI” conference, sponsored by the Interdisciplinary Institute on Artificial Intelligence at MSU, will be held on campus. Attendance includes lunch and an evening reception on Thursday, and a light breakfast Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte announced Montana will end the “orphan tax” — the longstanding practice of diverting Social Security survivor benefits from children in foster care to cover the cost of their state care — following a federal directive earlier this year calling on states to end the practice. For more than two decades, the Montana Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced the Montana Motor Vehicle Division is extending its fee waiver for driver license and identification card renewals and replacements through September 30, following a strong response to the program that saw more than 18,000 Montanans add the new citizenship marker to their credentials in July alone. The waiver, originally set Read More…
A new University of Montana study finds that Meagher County — one of the least densely populated counties in the continental United States — has quietly become one of Montana’s most entrepreneurially vibrant communities, driven not by government programs or outside investment but by decades of investment in education, a culture of civic participation, and Read More…
Professors sue Texas A&M System over limits on teaching race, gender Four professors and a national faculty group asked a federal judge Monday to block the Texas A&M University System’s restrictions on teaching about race, gender and sexuality and to reinstate courses canceled under the policy. The university system bars professors from “advocating” race or Read More…
New York’s push to unmask ICE agents is on hold after a federal judge blocked provisions of a newly minted state law that restricts local cooperation with immigration crackdowns. In a Monday ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino said that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause doesn’t permit New York to regulate federal law enforcement Read More…
Montana State Auditor James Brown announced his office has helped stop more than $5 million in unsupported payouts by Mountain Health Co-Op, making it the second health insurer in Montana identified as a victim of a fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable Native communities using a loophole in the Affordable Care Act. The latest announcement brings Read More…
The total cost of employer-sponsored family health insurance now exceeds the median monthly mortgage payment for recent homebuyers, but employers cover most of that insurance bill. The average employer-sponsored family plan cost $26,993 in 2025, according to KFF’s latest annual survey. That works out to $2,249 per month. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a national median mortgage payment Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Director Christy Clark to cut the ribbon on the Siskin Island Fishing Access Site near Livingston, expanding public access on the upper Yellowstone River in the heart of Paradise Valley. Montana FWP accepted the donation of the 82-acre island complex earlier this month for the creation Read More…
The University of Montana’s Lodge Dining Center recently earned the grand prize for outstanding performance among new higher education dining facilities at the National Association of College and University Food Services annual conference. The Lodge also received top honors for New Facility of the Year and Carbon Neutrality in the organization’s 2026 Loyal E. Horton Read More…
Four Twin Cities men pleaded guilty to defrauding Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services program out of approximately $2.2 million and using artificial intelligence to fabricate records when auditors came calling — a case federal prosecutors say highlights a growing trend of fraudsters deploying AI tools to conceal healthcare fraud. Moktar Hassan Aden, 31, Mustafa Dayib Ali, Read More…
Sixty-two new officers who will serve in 39 agencies across the state graduated from the Montana Law Enforcement Academy within the Montana Department of Justice, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. Knudsen attended the ceremony to congratulate and address Class 190, the graduates of the Law Enforcement Officer Basic Course. “I am proud of the men Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions Friday on four individuals and nine entities tied to Iranian financier Babak Zanjani’s sprawling sanctions evasion network, targeting his domestic conglomerate and a web of foreign firms that supported his cryptocurrency exchanges. “The Iranian regime continues to pay a steep economic price for its reckless behavior, with Read More…
Trump administration ‘continues largest denaturalization effort ever’ The Trump administration continues its multifaceted approach to border security and national security, including its concerted effort to denaturalize citizenship of convicted criminals. The administration argues it’s the “largest denaturalization effort ever” in the history of the country. The most recent 10 denaturalization actions have been filed in Read More…
A man accused of orchestrating a $547 million Medicare fraud scheme through diagnostic laboratories in Louisiana and other states has been captured overseas and returned to the United States after nearly four years as a fugitive, federal officials said Tuesday. Khalid Ahmed Satary was captured Monday and transported back to the United States on Tuesday. Read More…
The University of North Dakota has launched four new degree programs spanning aerospace, law and nursing, all designed to address workforce shortages in North Dakota while expanding opportunities for students. The newest addition to UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences is a dedicated Bachelor of Science in Helicopter Operations, separating helicopter flight training Read More…
Hundreds of people, including Montana State University faculty, staff, students and alumni, along with community members, legislators and industry professionals, gathered Friday to celebrate the completion of the Combined State Labs building. The tri-lab agricultural facility, located on the west side of South 19th Avenue, brings together MSU’s Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Wool Lab, the Montana Department of Livestock’s Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, the Montana Department of Agriculture’s Analytical Lab. Established at Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced that $781,000 in federal grant funding is available to help small Montana businesses accelerate and grow international sales — an amount tied for the highest awarded to any state in the nation this cycle. The funding comes from the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered through Commerce’s State Read More…
Montana State Auditor James Brown announced his Securities Division prevented more than $1 million in fraud-related losses for Montanans in the second quarter of 2026, bringing the year-to-date total to more than $2 million. Working in conjunction with financial industry partners, the Securities Division prevented $1.15 million in fraud-related losses for 10 Montanans between April Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce has opened registration for the 2026 Global Talent Summit, a one-day event bringing together employers, workforce professionals, educators, community leaders and government partners to explore strategies for addressing workforce shortages through global talent. The summit will be held Sept. 3 at the National Energy Center of Excellence on the Read More…
Montana State University has named Michael Becker as its permanent vice president of university communications. Becker has served as interim vice president for the past year. He previously worked as director of the MSU News Service and university spokesman since 2017. In the role, Becker will lead MSU’s communications, marketing and branding teams, which include Read More…
Montana ranked ninth in the nation for year-over-year job growth, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced, citing a new report placing the state among the country’s strongest job markets. According to a report by Stat Ranker, which compared all 50 states on year-over-year growth in total nonfarm payroll employment between February 2025 and February 2026, Montana added Read More…
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry has been awarded more than $800,000 from the U.S. Department of Labor to expand the state’s Registered Apprenticeship system over the next three years, with a targeted focus on AI infrastructure and related industries. The award, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, comes through the Read More…
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced his Consumer Protection Division returned a record amount to Idaho consumers through voluntary dispute resolution in the first half of 2026, with more than $956,000 recovered without the need for lawsuits or court orders through the end of June. After Labrador reorganized the division in mid-2025 to strengthen investigations Read More…
The University of Montana recently earned an A+ grade for its undergraduate and graduate elementary teacher preparation programs for excellence in preparing future classroom leaders to teach reading. The recognition for UM’s Phyllis J. Washington College of Education comes from the National Council on Teacher Quality, a nonpartisan education policy organization. The achievement comes at Read More…
The Montana Department of Justice awarded nearly $150,000 in grants to four Children’s Advocacy Centers across the state to help improve care for child survivors of crime and abuse, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. The funding comes from a Johnson & Johnson settlement resolving allegations the company manufactured, marketed and knowingly sold baby powder tainted Read More…
North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong appointed Minot entrepreneur Kevin Black and Grand Forks physician and healthcare administrator Dr. Joshua Deere to four-year terms on the State Board of Higher Education, along with Mayville State University student Kelby Azure to a one-year term as the board’s student member. Black, who has served on the board since Read More…
The Trump administration allowed a national emergency declaration over Hong Kong to expire Friday, lifting some sanctions on current and former city officials — but Washington moved quickly to clarify that the underlying executive order stripping Hong Kong of its preferential trade treatment remains fully in place. The move set off a brief wave of Read More…
A federal judge on Friday blocked South Dakota from enforcing a new state law restricting advertising for abortion pills against a New York-based reproductive health nonprofit, dealing a temporary setback to the state’s effort to crack down on abortion pill information campaigns. U.S. District Judge Camela Theeler issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of House Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy rejoined the U.S. Navy Reserve in a ceremony at the Oval Office on Tuesday, where President Donald Trump administered the oath of enlistment to the Montana Republican and former Navy SEAL. Sheehy, who graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2008 and completed SEAL training before serving as a Navy SEAL Officer Read More…
Cocaine and methamphetamine seizures in Montana increased sharply during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period last year, while fentanyl seizures continued a downward trend, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. “Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs continue to threaten communities, and the battle against the cartels that are bringing them into our state Read More…
On June 4, UND’s newest space-research project rose into view above campus as cranes lifted two antennas onto the rooftops of the Collaborative Energy Complex and Odegard Hall. That morning, workers installed the most visible pieces yet of UND’s new bistatic radar system, with “bistatic” referring to the physical separation between the radar’s transmitter and Read More…