he Montana Department of Commerce announced today that 26 rural safety agencies will receive more than $1.4 million in grant funding to enhance emergency service capabilities in areas experiencing increased tourism. The funding, allocated through the Montana Emergency Tourism Assistance Grant Program (METAP), aims to strengthen public safety across rural communities. “Emergency services are critical Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Montana Board of Regents today approved Montana State University’s proposal to establish a new institute to help address the nation’s security needs through applied research, technology development and education for the next generation of leaders. The Institute for National Security Research and Education, or INSRE, will serve as a hub at MSU, Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced today that Dustin Temple, director of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP), will retire at the end of the year after a distinguished 20-year career with the agency. “I am grateful to Dustin for his service to FWP for two decades and for the outstanding progress he has made at one Read More…
Montana State University announced today that William Thomas, a seasoned administrator and faculty member from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, has been selected as the new dean of the MSU College of Letters and Science. Thomas will officially assume his role on January 13, 2025. “William Thomas brings a wealth of experience as a scholar, educator, Read More…
HELENA, Mont. — The Department of Labor and Industry says Montana has paid out more than $10 million in potentially fraudulent unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also says it has stopped more than $220 million in fraudulent claims since late April. READ FULL STORY
When COVID-19 forced the temporary closure of Glacier National Park in late March, many residents of Northwest Montana assumed the pandemic would stall one of the region’s most prominent rites of spring — the plowing of the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road. Turns out, not even a global pandemic could halt the rumbling fleet of safety-yellow snowplows Read More…
The coronavirus pandemic could be a disaster or a blessing for Montana State University. It would be a disaster if hundreds of Montana students don’t show up for the fall semester, figuring they’d rather take a gap year than online classes. Even worse would be if hundreds of out-of-state students – on whom MSU Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — Montana is moving ahead with its attempt to ease crowding on one of its most popular rivers. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks has put forward a proposal for regulating fishing outfitters and easing crowding on the Madison River, one of the top fly-fishing destinations in the world. The proposal would cap the number Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Montana Department of Commerce Director Tara Rice announced the state received a shipment of 30,000 surgical masks as a gift from Taiwan. The Export Montana team at the Montana Department of Commerce coordinated the shipment from Taiwan to the state’s warehouse. “The Montana Department of Commerce has long valued our state’s Read More…
MISSOULA — For the Class of 2020, their families and friends, this year has been surreal. So it seems fitting to add another special memory to an unexpected end to their school careers. All this week, the University of Montana has been paying tribute to the graduates of all five of Missoula’s urban high schools, Read More…
BOZEMAN — The Montana State University Black Student Union and the Montana Racial Equity Project hosted the Bozeman Rally for Black Lives Sunday afternoon. The event was one of many happening in solidarity nationwide after 46-year old George Floyd was killed in police custody last week in Minneapolis. Speakers at the rally addressed concerns for Read More…
BILLINGS- Eight female inmates at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility have tested positive for COVID-19. Sheriff Mike Linder says RiverStone Health tested 43 inmates and 41 jail staff for the coronavirus on Friday, May 29, and results of those tests came back Saturday, May 30. Only one inmate has been hospitalized and is currently recovering. Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Melisia Muscat had been thinking of moving to Billings for about a year, but COVID-19 sealed the deal. It helped that in February she got a good offer on her home, a condo in a highly sought-after building in the lush seaside city of Anacortes, Washington, north of Seattle. “It was Read More…
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) and the Department of Livestock (DOL) encourage safe handling of live poultry to prevent potential human illness. According to public health, spring is a common time for Montanans to be raising young birds but want to make sure you are aware of the risks. Poultry can Read More…
Montana State University has started distributing $5.3 million in federal coronavirus relief to more than 7,400 low-income students. The university announced that direct student aid started going out this week from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act. Undergraduate and graduate students are receiving grants of $300 to $900 each, depending on Read More…
HELENA — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana announced a $100,000 donation to the Montana Community Foundation. The money will benefit The Rebound Montana Relief Fund. The fund is a partnership between the Montana Television Network, AMB West Philanthropies and Montana Community Foundation. The fund will grant directly to nonprofit intermediary organizations such as community foundations and Read More…
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf has been arrested for misdemeanor domestic battery in Palm Springs, California. TMZ Sports first reported it. Leaf was taken into custody on Friday afternoon. Details of the incident itself are not clear. All that’s currently known, according to the information available on the Riverdale County Sheriff’s Department’s website, is that Leaf was Read More…
Ever since Montana’s stay-at-home order expired on April 24, Glacier Park International Airport Director Rob Ratkowski has noticed a gradual rise in travelers as summer approaches. With an all-time low of 21 passengers on April 18, Ratkowski says he’s seeing an average of 76 people daily this month, with 133 on Saturday, May 16. “Those Read More…
Every summer, thousands of cattle from this region are marketed through video sales. And with another busy summer video sales season already upon us, Superior Livestock Auction (SLA), like others, continues to persevere through these very unprecedented times. SLA’s president Danny Jones says they’re continuing to monitor and adapt to local, state and national restrictions, but they’ve Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — With the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s been a lot of focus on state leadership. We wanted to check in with our national delegation via video chat to gauge their concerns and ask what they want to see done in Washington, D.C., to help Montanans. Here is out extended interview with Senator Steve Daines where Read More…
GREAT FALLS — In an effort to honor the families of fallen servicemen and women, Great Falls Flower Growers and Rainbow Garden Club raised money to install a Gold Star Memorial marker along the western edge of the Montana Veterans Memorial. Rainbow Garden Club president Patricia Schlaeger explained the Gold Star Memorial marker’s purpose. “Every Read More…
MISSOULA – Montana movie theaters are thinking outside the box office, literally, to bring entertainment to people while also providing social distance. Outdoor theaters and drive-ins are popping up across the treasure state. One outdoor theater in the works will be behind Missoula’s iconic Roxy Theater in the alley. Right now construction is underway to Read More…
A University of Montana economist says since mid-February and COVID-19 Montana’s economy has declined too quickly to adequately measure, but one analysis shows a two-year recovery. “The downturn that is all around us right now in the economy as we sit here in the month of May will easily eclipse the largest downturn that we’ve Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Montana State University officials say a Kenny Chesney concert scheduled for July 5 at Bobcat Stadium has been postponed. Chesney postponed his entire tour, with plans to reschedule for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tickets will be valid for the rescheduled show date. Officials will also offer refunds for 30 days after Read More…
A California man pleaded guilty to a single count of blackmail in U.S. District Court in Missoula on May 7, four days before he was set to stand trial on a host of additional criminal charges alleging a years-long extortion and harassment campaign targeting wealthy Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen and his family. The defendant, Bryan Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — If it’s not enough that our state leaders and doctors are asking you to keep social distancing and wearing masks as Montana businesses reopen, they now have some celebrity manpower behind the cause. “The Dude” himself, Jeff Bridges, stars in a new public service announcement campaign launched by the Montana Hospital Association. Bridges Read More…
Visitors will be able to enter Yellowstone National Park from Wyoming beginning Monday, but the entrances on the Montana side of the border will remain closed until at least June 1. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly announced the park’s phased reopening plan Wednesday on a conference call with Grand Teton National Park Superintendent Gopaul Noojibail and Read More…
Myndi Holbrook is among the scientists working on the front lines for research regarding COVID-19 and those seeking a vaccine for the virus. Holbrook, who graduated from Whitefish High School in 2015 and earned a microbiology degree from Montana State University, is a post-baccalaureate fellow at Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton. “It’s a very unique Read More…
Pressure is intensifying on county officials to remove Dr. Annie Bukacek from the Flathead City-County Board of Health after she defied state and local policies surrounding the coronavirus outbreak and spread misinformation. According to a letter from city leaders in Whitefish, Bukacek’s recent actions “rise to the level of malfeasance, violate the public trust and cannot Read More…
Montana, and Bozeman especially, is a tourist magnet. People flock here for a variety of reasons: the wide-open spaces, our proximity to the first national park, the world-class skiing, the small-town feel. But with COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines still in effect, businesses that depend on nonresident travelers are feeling the pressure. “June, July, August, September, Read More…
Phase One of reopening in Montana allowed students to return to schools. In Musselshell County, Melstone Public Schools reopened on Thursday. The board voted on April 28 to give kindergarten through eighth-grade students an option to return. Melstone operates on a four-day week and has eight days left starting on Monday. “Just to give the Read More…
KULR- The national restaurant chain, Wendy’s, is facing some shortages of beef. However, they have not run out of beef here in the Treasure State. According to Jonna Jones, Director of Marketing for Wentana, the shortage is hitting Wendy’s first, because they serve fresh beef. READ FULL STORY
HELENA — The Montana Department of Labor & Industry has announced residents can now access an additional 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits due to the expanded passage of the recent stimulus package of the CARES Act. Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation provides 13 weeks of additional benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment insurance Read More…
When Anthony Nelson was a kid growing up in Minnesota, he already knew he wanted to retire in Northwest Montana near Glacier National Park. “I was one of those kids who always visited every summer,” Nelson said, and through those trips he fell in love with the Glacier Park and the surrounding area. On guided Read More…
When the Flathead City-County Health Department ordered bars and restaurants to close their doors to the public to prevent COVID-19’s spread on March 19, Cypress Yard General Manager Morgan Cawdrey began a takeout service in hopes of maintaining some business. But Cawdrey ended up halting takeout and delivery to allow his employees to shelter in Read More…
Montana gym owners started a petition in an attempt to have Gov. Steve Bullock allow gyms to reopen under Phase One. A gym owner from Billings created the petition and has close to 5,000 signatures, as of May 3rd, 2020. MTN news spoke with the general manager at Crossroads Fitness Center, a supporter of the Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. — Gov. Steve Bullock gave Montana churches the green light to open back up under his phased plan to reopen the state, but there are strict guidelines. Now, churches are navigating how to reopen and also keep people safe. The team at Valley Assembly in Sheridan worked through new protocols before reopening. Even so, Read More…
Montana State University is planning to reopen the Bozeman campus to students this fall and is working on ways to protect students, faculty and employees from the threat of coronavirus. MSU President Waded Cruzado said in a statement Thursday that MSU wants to keep people safe while offering “a high-quality, on-campus educational experience.” “Thankfully, as Read More…
Although not needed right now, a training project has the Montana National Guard building a 90-bed surgical medical facility in Billings. If ever needed, the beds would be for non-acute and non-COVID patients for Montana and across the region. The guard has built similar projects in the state and around the world. It gives the Read More…
Commercial air service into Missoula International Airport has fallen to a trickle over the past month, and airport officials are bracing for a challenging future as airlines respond to the economic headwinds. Fewer than 125,000 passengers are passing through airport security nationally on a daily basis, leaving commercial air travel just 5% of what it Read More…
You can check out the full map by clicking here. Montana’s jobless claims numbers were worse than nearly every other state in the Rocky Mountain West and Great Plains Region stretching from Canada down to Mexico. This is also interesting news from another standpoint- why is Montana’s economic data so much worse than North and South Read More…
Researchers at the University of Montana and two Missoula-based biotech companies with ties to venture capitalist Mike Goguen are engaged in separate efforts to develop a COVID-19 vaccine and gain authorization for a mass-scalable viral test. Inimmune, a private company involved in UM’s vaccine work and founded by nationally reputed vaccine scientists, is also gearing Read More…
HELENA- On Wednesday, Governor Steve Bullock outlined protocols to increase testing capacity in Montana. A part of the state’s core preparedness responsibilities in the Reopening the Big Sky plan is ensuring those who are symptomatic can be tested for COVID-19 and trace contacts Bullock said. A testing target of 60,000 tests for the virus per Read More…
When Bryan Kirkland started taking appointments for haircuts Monday, the schedule filled up fast. Kirkland, co-owner of The Barbershop and Shaving Parlor, had 67 messages from people who couldn’t get a spot on his list. “They were so ready to come back to get their hair cut,” Kirkland said. READ FULL STORY