Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 23-state coalition in a federal court case defending parental rights after a Delaware father alleged that school officials violated his constitutional rights by concealing his child’s gender identity decisions from him. The coalition filed an amicus brief Monday in Heaps v. Delaware Valley Regional High School Board Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour today with a stop in Chouteau County, where he held a ceremonial bill signing for legislation aimed at strengthening Montana’s water rights system and improving water administration across the state. Standing along the banks of the Missouri River, the governor was joined by Department of Natural Resources Read More…
Travelers heading to Montana this summer may face sticker shock at the rental car counter. Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) has been named the most expensive airport in the country for car rentals, according to a new survey from travel website Cheapcarrental.com. The survey, which analyzed rental rates across 100 U.S. airports for the peak Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen today announced the appointment of Billings attorney Emily Jones to the Montana Judicial Standards Commission, a key body responsible for upholding the integrity and ethical standards of the state’s judiciary. With more than 15 years in private practice, Jones brings extensive legal experience to the commission, which investigates allegations of judicial Read More…
Spectators packed the expansive lawn fronting the Main Stage at the Original Mineyard, stood awestruck in proximity to music that moved the spirit or danced with something akin to abandon. Solas, a favorite in Irish-leaning Butte, performs Friday at the Main Stage. Duncan Adams, The Montana Standard The renowned Montana Folk Festival kicked off Friday night Read More…
A celebration of life for Congressman Pat Williams will be held at the University of Montana Dennison Theater at 4 p.m. July 15. Williams died June 25 in Missoula. He was 87. Pat Williams Courtesy of Aidan Williams Doors to the theater will open at 3 p.m. and following the celebration, a reception will be Read More…
A former drop-in center for Helena’s unsheltered is set to be transformed into Montana High School Association office space, according to city permits. Plans for 631 N. Last Chance Gulch building, owned by Seeley Building LLC, show a two-story building with eight offices, a conference room and a shipping area. The building used to be Read More…
Alayna Hutchings, a Helena 9-year-old champion for children living with terminal illness, will be traveling with her parents, brothers, and Miss Rodeo Universe Kaili Hill to Kerrville, Texas on Monday. They will be cooking and serving food for first responders and victims of the flooding that has taken over the area, where at least 120 people have Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today that the state will receive $2.5 million as part of a nationwide $720 million settlement with eight pharmaceutical companies accused of fueling the opioid epidemic. The funds, which will be used for opioid abatement efforts across Montana, stem from a multistate agreement resolving claims that the companies played Read More…
For Elizabeth Arnold, mathematics has always been a family affair. While growing up, she spent lots of time solving problems and mathematical puzzles with her father, a now-retired community college professor of mathematics. She remembers going with him to campus as a fourth grader on “Take Your Child to Work Day,” attending his lectures and Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 23-state coalition in a federal court case defending parental rights after a Delaware father alleged that school officials violated his constitutional rights by concealing his child’s gender identity decisions from him. The coalition filed an amicus brief Monday in Heaps v. Delaware Valley Regional High School Board Read More…
A “large dog” was shot multiple times and killed by a Helena police officer Friday while law enforcement was conducting a vehicle identification number inspection, officials said. Officers responded to the 1100 block of Washington Street for a vehicle inspection requested by a homeowner. When they arrived, a dog known by responding officers from prior Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced today that three communities in coal-impacted areas will receive more than $240,000 in grant funding to support critical public safety upgrades and community development initiatives. The funding, distributed through the Montana Coal Board, will aid local governments and school districts in enhancing infrastructure, improving emergency services, and investing in Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte continued his 56 County Tour today with a stop in Chouteau County, where he held a ceremonial bill signing for legislation aimed at strengthening Montana’s water rights system and improving water administration across the state. Standing along the banks of the Missouri River, the governor was joined by Department of Natural Resources Read More…
At the yearly Northern Cheyenne Chief’s Powwow, about 60 dancers entered the arbor for the third annual Red Hand Special — an honor dance hosted by local nonprofit Pretty Eagle Woman Resources to raise awareness and remembrance for the nationwide crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, which has impacted many families in southeastern Montana. Read More…
On the morning of June 28, Idaho native Carsen Colbert woke up eagerly to marry her fiancé Travis Snider in a rustic barn venue outside of White Sulphur Springs. The trashed wedding venue on the morning of June 28. Courtesy Travis and Carsen Snider Yet, her excitement was toppled by the shocking discovery her wedding Read More…
The Grizzly Bar, located at 22 East Rosebud Rd., in “Where the hell is Roscoe,” Montana, has now been on the market for over a year, listed at $1 million. Owner Jennifer O’Shea is done waiting, though, and has decided to shutter the establishment she took over 22 years ago, at season’s end. The closure Read More…
The Helena Area Chamber of Commerce and Helena Public Schools district will be discussing bonds over a cold one at various establishments throughout the Queen City ahead of a September vote. Brothers Tapworks, Ten Mile Creek Brewery and Speakeasy 41 will be host venues for Bonds and Brews for discussions about proposed bond issues that Read More…
Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen freshened up their wildland firefighting knowledge this week at Fort Harrison in Helena. The 76 soldiers took the basic wildland firefighter course led by instructors from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation as part of an ongoing partnership between DNRC and the Montana National Guard. The course Read More…
Montana National Guard soldiers and airmen freshened up their wildland firefighting knowledge this week at Fort Harrison in Helena. The 76 soldiers took the basic wildland firefighter course led by instructors from the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation as part of an ongoing partnership between DNRC and the Montana National Guard. The course Read More…
A federal judge in Missoula on Thursday appeared skeptical that he had the authority to release from custody a Mexican man pursued by law enforcement in Helena who mistook him for a different Latino man, but arrested him anyway. Christopher Martinez Marvan, 31, saw his family in the U.S. District Courthouse on Thursday and embraced Read More…
Body and dash camera video from the Helena Police Department obtained by the Independent Record shows the July 1, 2025, traffic stop that led to the detention of Christopher Martinez Marvan by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The video shows police originally pulled Martinez over for an expired license plate tag but that immigration officers quickly Read More…
The Helena City Commission has awarded the local YWCA $150,000 in funding to renovate the exterior of its building. This Tax Increment Financing, commonly known as TIF, will partially cover the costs for the replacement of 60 windows on the facade of the 107-year-old property at 501 N. Park Ave. Helena Community Development Coordinator Christopher Brink explained at Monday’s City Read More…
DUNCAN ADAMS Giovanni’s Concessions from Idaho prepared Thursday to set up near the Original Mineyard stage. Hayden Cole, a cook for Giovanni’s Concessions, cleans the food vendor’s already shiny exterior in preparation for the crowds that will flock to the Original Mineyard beginning Friday for the Montana Folk Festival in Uptown Butte. Duncan Adams, The Read More…
Boosters aiming to goose Anaconda’s sagging fortunes 35 years ago tried converting lemons into lemonade. That happened in 1990. It came nearly 10 years after shutdown of the community’s lifeblood copper smelter and seven years after the smelter and vicinity were listed as a federal Superfund site. The Anaconda Chamber of Commerce adopted a Read More…
Lewis and Clark County Sheriff and Coroner Leo Dutton identified a Georgia man who fatally shot himself at Pioneer Park in Helena on July 6. Joseph Brewer, 38, died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head that occurred in the presence of Helena Police Department officers, officials said late Wednesday. According to law enforcement, Read More…
Hoot-owl fishing restrictions will go into effect 2 p.m. Thursday on portions of five rivers in southwest and central Montana because of warm water temperatures and low flows. The restrictions mean anglers will have to stop fishing between 2 p.m. and midnight on the designated stretches of the rivers in order to protect cold-water species Read More…
Beginning July 14, Lewis and Clark County will close a portion of Lake Helena Drive between the Causeway Bridge and Lincoln Road for roadwork and paving ending July 17, officials said Wednesday. A fisherman casts his line into open water at the Causeway fishing access site in this IR file photo. Thom Bridge, Independent Record Read More…
DUNCAN ADAMS Severe drought adds substantial stress to the already imperiled aquatic life in the upper Clark Fork River. Streamflows drop and temperatures rise. Algae blooms deplete dissolved oxygen. In such circumstances, cold water becomes a hot commodity. On Wednesday, Butte-Silver Bow County and the state’s Natural Resource Damage Program, or NRDP, announced an agreement Read More…
Hunting regulation season setting scoping meetings are underway around the state this month with more meetings remaining over the next few weeks. These meetings and your input are critical for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks staff as we work to develop regulation proposals for the Montana Fish and Wildlife Commission to consider this fall. If Read More…
Hoot-owl restrictions take effect July 2 at 2 p.m. on the lower Madison River from the Warm Springs BLM day-use area downstream to the Jefferson River, and on the Sun River from the mouth of Muddy Creek to the Highway 287 Bridge. Hoot-owl restrictions remain in place on the upper Madison above Hebgen Lake. Hoot-owl Read More…
Milford Wearley, a retired agriculture education teacher and long-time resident of Choteau, was honored with the 2025 Montana Range Days Hall of Fame Award during banquet festivities at Montana Range Days in Miles City on June 24. Montana Range Days (MRD) is a rangeland educational event for young children through adult age individuals that inspires Read More…
The Get Your Kicks at 6 free summer concert series will kick off on July 10 with a performance by Scratchin’ Gravel at the Choteau City Park Band Shell. Each week, a different musical artist will perform in the series every Thursday until Aug. 14 and the concerts will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Read More…
We’re getting close to the Fourth of July, our national Independence Day. This celebration may get you thinking of the many freedoms you enjoy. But have you thought of what you might need to do to attain financial freedom? Your first step is to define what financial independence signifies to you. For many people, it Read More…
A Helena man detained by ICE on July 1 could not present a Montana driver’s license to law enforcement and was deported multiple times before his latest arrest, the U.S. attorney’s office said in a court filing. Christopher Martinez, 31, listed in court documents as Christopher Martinez Marvan, was detained by federal agents July 1 Read More…
The Montana Folk Festival returns Friday to Uptown Butte, offering a weekend of free music performances across six stages and much more. The free event traces its origins to the storied National Folk Festival. Audience members dance to a performance during the Montana Folk Festival at the Granite Street stage on Saturday, July 13, 2024. Read More…
A Helena man detained by ICE July 1 could not present a Montana driver’s license to law enforcement and was deported multiple times before his latest arrest, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a court filing. Christopher Martinez, 31 and who was listed in court documents as Christopher Martinez Marvan, was detained by federal agents Read More…
June 30 2:54 p.m., a hay field fire was reported at 2110 11th Lane NW in Choteau. Pendroy and Choteau volunteer fire departments responded. 4:03 p.m., individual reported a cybercrime to the Sheriff’s Office. 4:25 p.m., deputy was advised of a potential scammer that called an individual in Choteau requesting payment. 5:21 p.m., Choteau VFD Read More…
Rod Karst / For the Courier On July 1, the City Fire Department and the Long Run Fire Department members were busy setting up for the fireworks display that were launched at the Fairgrounds on July 4. Michelle Bigelbach / The Courier Members of the Glasgow Swing Choir, pictured left to right, MJ Stagenborg, Aspen Read More…
Brandon Bigelbach / For the Courier Pictured left to right, front, is Dakota Franzen, Claire Bergtoll, Bria Bergtoll, Bennett Bergtoll, Kay Fjeld and in the back are Mason Fjeld and Matthew Fjeld. Driving the truck “Gertie,” which is named after Kay’s Aunt Gertie, are Gifford Fjeld and Beau Franzen. Bryon Fjeld (whose sons are Mason Read More…
It was a very busy July 4th holiday evening for Valley County fire department as Nashua, Fort Peck and Long Run were paged out to a number of fires between 9 p.m., and 2 a.m. The first call came in at 9:27 p.m., with Nashua fire being paged to a tree…
Editor’s Note – This story was originally published in the July 1, 2025, issue of the Daily Montanan. Information has been added to include the impact on local Valley County schools. The Trump administration has put on hold $6.8 billion in federal fu…
Courtesy Photo / For the Courier A show of Vikings pride was the top winner of the Opheim Parade on June 29. Pictured left to right are Opheim High School Class of 1979 alumni Viking Randy Stolen, of Colorado, Kasey Shumway, Jax, Betty and Eli and Kolby Pankratz.
A 59-year-old man died Monday night after colliding with a truck on Montana Avenue and Ptarmigan Lane, officials said. Officers responded about 9 p.m. to a traffic collision involving a motorcyclist and vehicle, Helena Police Department officials said Tuesday. The motorcyclist was riding north on Montana Avenue, while the vehicle was heading south before attempting Read More…