Featured Articles in Montana News

Gianforte Joins 21 Governors in Signing Federal Anti-Fraud Pledge

HELENA, Mont.—Gov. Greg Gianforte has joined 21 other governors in signing Vice President JD Vance’s Pledge to Protect Americans from Fraud, an initiative aimed at reducing fraud and improper payments in taxpayer-funded government programs. The pledge calls for stronger oversight of public assistance programs, improved fraud prevention measures and increased accountability for individuals who improperly Read More…

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Attorney General Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Risks to Children and Teens

HELENA, Mont.—Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of misleading consumers about the safety of ChatGPT and exposing children and teenagers to harmful advice and inadequate privacy protections. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 14 in Lewis and Clark County District Court, alleges OpenAI violated the Montana Consumer Read More…

30th Medical Brigade advances mobile surgical care with M1087 prototype

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade are rethinking how surgical care moves on the battlefield, using a prototype M1087 expandable van to turn a traditionally static medical setup into a faster, more mobile and more survivable surgical platform for large-scale combat operations. The prototype gives the 67th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment a Read More…

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Scott Twito Named Interim U.S. Attorney for Montana

BILLINGS, Mont.—Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito is resigning from his position to become interim U.S. attorney for the District of Montana, ending 16 years as the county’s top prosecutor. Twito’s final day as county attorney will be Sunday, Oct. 25, and he will assume his new federal position Monday, Oct. 26, according to his resignation Read More…

Gianforte Joins 21 Governors in Signing Federal Anti-Fraud Pledge

HELENA, Mont.—Gov. Greg Gianforte has joined 21 other governors in signing Vice President JD Vance’s Pledge to Protect Americans from Fraud, an initiative aimed at reducing fraud and improper payments in taxpayer-funded government programs. The pledge calls for stronger oversight of public assistance programs, improved fraud prevention measures and increased accountability for individuals who improperly Read More…

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Attorney General Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Risks to Children and Teens

HELENA, Mont.—Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of misleading consumers about the safety of ChatGPT and exposing children and teenagers to harmful advice and inadequate privacy protections. The lawsuit, filed Oct. 14 in Lewis and Clark County District Court, alleges OpenAI violated the Montana Consumer Read More…

Shorthanded Griz fall to Idaho

MISSOULA – The Montana Grizzlies traded blows with the Idaho Vandals throughout the afternoon but came up short in a 42-35 loss at Washington-Grizzly Stadium on Saturday. Despite five touchdown passes from quarterback Keali’i Ah Yat, the Griz were unable to complete the comeback as Idaho scored touchdowns on six of its nine possessions to Read More…

Free Speech Expert to Speak at Montana State University Oct. 22

BOZEMAN, Mont.—Erwin Chemerinsky, a nationally recognized constitutional law scholar and expert on free speech, will deliver a public lecture at Montana State University on Thursday, Oct. 22, examining First Amendment rights and the challenges facing American universities. The lecture, titled “The First Amendment and the Modern University: A Conversation with Erwin Chemerinsky,” will begin at Read More…

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Knudsen Presses Federal Action on TP-Link

HELENA—Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has joined two multistate coalitions pressing federal officials on separate national-security and terrorism-related issues, including scrutiny of TP-Link’s ties to China and access to frozen Taliban funds for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. In one effort, Knudsen joined 20 other state attorneys general in asking the Federal Communications Commission Read More…

30th Medical Brigade advances mobile surgical care with M1087 prototype

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Soldiers with the 30th Medical Brigade are rethinking how surgical care moves on the battlefield, using a prototype M1087 expandable van to turn a traditionally static medical setup into a faster, more mobile and more survivable surgical platform for large-scale combat operations. The prototype gives the 67th Forward Resuscitative Surgical Detachment a Read More…

Brown Praises $7 Million in Obamacare Refunds for Montanans

HELENA—More than 14,000 Montanans are set to receive a combined $7 million in refunds tied to overcharges on Obamacare health plans, according to Montana State Auditor James Brown. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services identified 14,093 Montana residents who are eligible for $500 refund checks, representing a total of $7,046,500. The refunds stem from Read More…

Labor Commissioner Sarah Swanson Elected to National Workforce Leadership Role

HELENA—Montana Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Sarah Swanson has been elected chair-elect of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, giving Montana a leadership role in a national organization representing workforce agencies across the country. Swanson assumed the position Sept. 17 during NASWA’s annual membership meeting at the 2026 NASWA Summit. The chair-elect serves Read More…

DEQ Commits $1.89 Million to Missoula Affordable Housing Project

MISSOULA—The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has committed $1.89 million in low-interest financing to the Wildflower Apartments in Missoula, marking the first loan issued through the state’s Multifamily Energy Retrofit Loan program. The financing will support energy-efficiency upgrades at the affordable housing complex near Missoula’s south hills, with a focus on heating, ventilation and air-conditioning Read More…

Sibanye-Stillwater Strike Ends After Workers Approve New Contract

COLUMBUS, Mont.—A strike involving hundreds of workers at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Stillwater Mine and Columbus metallurgical facilities has ended after union employees approved a new three-year collective bargaining agreement. The strike began Sept. 3 and lasted more than a month. Employees are expected to return to work Oct. 9. The agreement provides a 4.5% wage increase in Read More…

Montana State doctoral student receives inaugural fellowship for human health researchers

BOZEMAN – A Montana State University graduate student planning a career in cancer research is the first recipient of a newly established fellowship for emerging MSU scholars working to address and expand scientific understanding to advance human health. Chloe Rifai, a second-year doctoral student in biochemistry, said the $30,000, two-year award from the Kathryn Follis Read More…

Medal of Honor Monday: Army Sgt. Alvin York

Army Sgt. Alvin C. York, an infantryman, received the Medal of Honor for valor due to his heroic actions during a World War I operation in France, actions that would be immortalized in the 1941 film “Sergeant York.”     York was born Dec. 13, 1887, in Pall Mall, Tennessee. His father, William Uriah York, Read More…

Griz drop ranked shootout at NAU

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The No. 2 Montana Grizzlies traded blows with No. 13 Northern Arizona throughout the afternoon but fell to the Lumberjacks 49-44 in a ranked shootout at the Walkup Skydome on Saturday. The loss drops Montana to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in Big Sky Conference play, while Northern Arizona improves to 5-2 overall Read More…

Gianforte, Chamber Announce Tech-Focused Economic Summit

BOZEMAN—Gov. Greg Gianforte and the Montana Chamber of Commerce will host the third annual Big Sky, Bright Future Economic Summit on Oct. 15 in Bozeman, with this year’s event focused on technology and innovation in Montana. The summit will bring together business leaders, policymakers and technology executives to discuss artificial intelligence, national security, precision agriculture, Read More…

Treasury Completes Automatic Enrollment for Trump Accounts

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of the Treasury said it has completed automatic enrollment for Trump Accounts, extending access to tax-advantaged investment accounts for eligible American children under age 18. Treasury said more than 60 million additional children now have accounts ready to be claimed following the completion of automatic enrollment. “Millions of children have already enrolled Read More…

Longtime MDT Official Larry Flynn Named Department Director

HELENA—Gov. Greg Gianforte has named Larry Flynn director oAll Postsf the Montana Department of Transportation, elevating a longtime agency official who has spent more than three decades working for the department. Flynn replaces outgoing Director Chris Dorrington and takes over one of Montana’s largest state agencies, with more than 2,000 employees and an annual budget Read More…

Montana-Based DeliverFund Expands Human Trafficking Intelligence Partnership

A Montana-based nonprofit is expanding partnerships with data and investigative-technology companies in an effort to make human trafficking intelligence more accessible to law enforcement agencies across the country. DeliverFund said it is working with technology partners to integrate its trafficking intelligence into investigative platforms already used by police and other agencies. The goal is to Read More…

NSF grant to fund low-income graduate, undergraduate students at Montana State and University of Montana

For some students, earning an undergraduate degree can create financial pressure to enter the workforce immediately, putting graduate school – and the specialized knowledge, research experience and expanded career opportunities an advanced degree can provide – seemingly out of reach. In this MSU file photo, a student works in a lab in MSU’s Norm Asbjornson Read More…

Fort Peck, UM Create New Pathway to Business Degree

Students at Fort Peck Community College can now transfer directly into a bachelor’s degree program at the University of Montana College of Business under a new agreement between the two schools. The articulation agreement creates a 2+2 pathway for students who earn either an administration associate degree or a technology associate of applied science degree Read More…

Billings Man Charged With Insurance Fraud

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…

Montanans May Be Eligible for Payments From $96.5 Million Generic Drug Settlement

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…

Attorney General Austin Knudsen

Knudsen Leads 22-State Coalition Urging SEC Scrutiny of Moody’s

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…

Montana Land Board Approves Oil and Gas Lease Sale Generating $2.1 Million

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…

Montana State opens new nursing education building in Billings

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…

Montana Historical Society Launches New Book Prize

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…

Gianforte Highlights Forest Management Project in Lakeside

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 Unemployment Holds at 3.2% in August

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…

Knudsen Urges Congress to Act on MMIP Crisis

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…