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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 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…
Nominations are now open for the 2026 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced. “Our veterans answered the call to serve our country, and many continue that service long after taking off the uniform,” Gianforte said. “The Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation gives me the honor and opportunity to recognize these outstanding men and women, Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a multistate antitrust lawsuit seeking to block Paramount Skydance’s proposed $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. The filing puts Knudsen at the center of another major national antitrust fight, this time on the opposite Read More…
A University of Montana political science professor will spend the academic year sharing his expertise and research at one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. Dr. Robert Saldin, a political scientist and co-director of UM’s Democracy Studies Program, has been awarded the Leverhulme Visiting Professorship at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. The Read More…
Montana running back Eli Gillman added another chapter to his record-setting career Saturday, rushing for 147 yards and three touchdowns as the Grizzlies beat Utah Tech 35-14 at Washington-Grizzly Stadium. The fifth-year senior continued his climb through both the Montana and Big Sky Conference record books. After breaking Chase Reynolds’ Montana career rushing-touchdown record a Read More…
MISSOULA – Thousands of feet above Salt Lake City, chemistry students from the University of Montana spent this summer tracking air pollution. They collected airborne data over seven weeks as part of a major research campaign to understand factors driving poor air quality in Western cities. They are working to support efforts to make Read More…
The Montana Department of Environmental Quality is requesting public feedback on a draft programmatic environmental assessment for its Oil and Gas Registration Program, with comments due by Oct. 1, 2026. The Montana Environmental Policy Act requires DEQ to analyze impacts from all agency actions that may affect the state’s environment. As allowed under MEPA, and Read More…
Montana State was picked to finish second in the Big Sky Conference women’s golf preseason coaches’ poll, giving the Bobcats one of the league’s highest expectations heading into the 2026-27 season. The Bobcats received 88 points and two first-place votes from the conference’s 11 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own Read More…
Kris Nord spent 42 years as a Grizzly coach. 42 years of service to one team would be a hall of fame worthy career in itself. But when you learn he spent decades coaching two and often three different programs all at once, you realize that level of dedication makes a hall of fame induction Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte is calling for new protections for children and teenagers on social media, saying parents need more support as concerns grow over screen time, addictive design and the effects of online platforms on young people. Gianforte visited Skyview High School in Billings, where he met with students, parents, educators and lawmakers to discuss Read More…
The University of Montana and its partners have received nearly $5 million from the National Science Foundation to expand scholarship and mentoring support for low-income students pursuing graduate degrees in engineering and natural-resource fields. The award comes as Montana employers face growing demand for workers with science, technology, engineering and mathematics backgrounds. University officials say Read More…
The Billings Gazette is preparing to leave its longtime downtown headquarters and move several blocks away to Granite Tower, the latest real-estate move by parent company Lee Enterprises as the newspaper chain continues to reshape its business amid years of financial pressure. The Gazette said its staff will work remotely before moving into the new Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and 15 other state attorneys general have opened an investigation into OpenAI over potential violations of consumer-protection and data-privacy laws following a security incident involving one of the company’s experimental artificial-intelligence models. The investigation centers on an incident this summer in which an OpenAI model allegedly accessed outside computer networks Read More…
The day before fall semester classes began, a group of incoming Montana State University business students hiked the iconic “M” trail and continued forming connections with their peers. The college “M” on the Bridger Mountains pictured from Bozeman. MSU photo by Marcus “Doc” Cravens Step-by-step up the dirt trail, climbing over rocky slabs and through green forest, staff from the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship watched the new students get to know each other. Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte is accepting applications and nominations for an upcoming district court vacancy in Montana’s Eleventh Judicial District in Flathead County. The vacancy is expected to arise because District Court Judges Amy Eddy and Dan Wilson are running against each other for one seat on the Montana Supreme Court. The chief justice of the Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court has upheld the conviction and life sentence of Jason Allen Miller for the attempted homicide of Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Lewis Johnson, rejecting a series of challenges to his 2025 trial. Miller was convicted in June 2025 after prosecutors said he ran over Johnson in February 2023, seriously injuring the trooper. Read More…
Montana State University will hold a grand opening ceremony for Gianforte Hall, a new building housing computing-related fields including cybersecurity, film, photography and music technologies, at 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10. The outdoor event is free and open to the public. Scheduled speakers include Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, MSU President Brock Tessman, College of Arts Read More…
Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte joined Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson and tribal leaders to launch the Workforce Warrior poster and video series, a campaign that features Native Montanans and their career journeys and community contributions in fields including skilled trades, entrepreneurship, health care, education, public service and business. “The Workforce Warrior Read More…
Final EIS moves 525-kilovolt line linking Western and Eastern power grids closer to construction approval The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the North Plains Connector Project, a major transmission line proposed to link the Western and Eastern U.S. electrical grids, clearing a key hurdle in the state’s Read More…
Named after the state she always dreamed of living in, Montanna Zajac was thrilled to be admitted to the University of Montana’s new physician associate program. Zajac, from Wausau, Wisconsin, studied psychology as an undergraduate but discovered a passion for medicine while working various jobs as an EMT, firefighter and medic for an outdoor wilderness Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of 25 state attorneys general urging Trump administration officials to investigate and cancel federal grants to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, arguing the organization used taxpayer money to produce a biased report aimed at influencing climate-related litigation. In a letter sent Thursday to Read More…
A federal court has cleared the way for a major forest-management project in western Montana that calls for thousands of acres of timber harvesting and other treatments aimed at reducing wildfire risks near communities. The U.S. District Court for the District of Montana allowed the Forest Service’s Gold Butterfly Project on the Bitterroot National Forest Read More…
Montana could receive more than $127 million from a sweeping multistate settlement with Meta Platforms over allegations that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to encourage compulsive use among children while misleading the public about risks to young users. The state is guaranteed nearly $89 million under the agreement, according to Montana Attorney General Austin Read More…
Montana’s state auditor has permanently revoked the insurance producer license of a Kalispell bail bondsman accused of exploiting people under his supervision, including allegedly demanding sexual favors in exchange for reducing debts owed on bail bonds. State Auditor James Brown’s office opened an investigation into Laine Kendall Callahan following a referral from the Montana Department Read More…
Ruling cites inadequate water-supply analysis, as delay costs state more than $8,000 a day A Yellowstone County district judge has halted all construction, groundbreaking and permitting on Montana’s proposed forensic mental health facility in Laurel, a ruling that is now costing state taxpayers more than $8,000 a day as the project sits idle. The state Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and the Montana Department of Justice’s Office of Consumer Protection are warning Montanans about fraudsters creating spoof websites that look nearly identical to legitimate businesses in order to steal personal and financial information. The warning highlights two common schemes. In the first, scammers — primarily based overseas — post fake product Read More…
A new large-scale art installation celebrating Montana State University’s student-athletes is now on display for public viewing. The artwork is on the west-facing exterior of Shroyer Gym on the MSU campus, located between the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse and Jones Hall. It is viewable to passersby and those traveling in vehicles through campus on 11th Avenue and Lincoln Street. A new mural, designed and illustrated by Montana State University Co-Creative Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate fell to 3.2% in July, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced, continuing the state’s record stretch of low unemployment and remaining nearly a full percentage point below the national rate, which also declined over the month to 4.1%. “As Montana’s unemployment rate continues to decline, businesses across our state are expanding, creating high-paying jobs, Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte recognized twelve Montana veterans with the 2025 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation during ceremonies held in Cascade, Fergus and Musselshell counties as part of his sixth annual 56 County Tour. “Montana veterans represent the very best of our state,” Gianforte said. “Their courage and sacrifice have defended our freedoms, and their continued service Read More…
U.S. Army Sgt. Adam M. Lee received the Soldier’s Medal during a ceremony at the Belgrade Armory Aug. 16 for heroic actions that saved the lives of two critically injured hikers in California. Brig. Gen. Trenton J. Gibson, adjutant general of the Montana National Guard, presented the award to Lee, a combat medic specialist assigned Read More…
Sen. Tim Sheehy made a fitting entrance at the Yellowstone International Airshow in Billings on Friday, parachuting onto the grounds at Billings Logan International Airport while carrying a Montana state flag. The former Navy SEAL, FAA-certified commercial pilot and flight instructor arrived during media practice day for the show, joining the U.S. Army Golden Knights Read More…
Close to 500 University of Montana students are degree candidates after this year’s summer semester. The students listed in the links below are UM degree candidates or have been awarded their degrees. Students with “cum laude” after their name indicate a GPA of 3.40 to 3.69. “Magna laude” indicates a 3.70 to 3.89 GPA, and Read More…