overnor Greg Gianforte this week recognized Montana veterans for their service to the nation and their lasting contributions to their communities, presenting the 2024 Montana Governor’s Veteran Commendation during ceremonies in Beaverhead and Silver Bow counties. “Montana is stronger because of the selflessness and leadership of our veterans,” Gianforte said. “These men and women answered Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is warning Montanans about the dangers of 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), a powerful opioid derivative that is being sold over the counter in gas stations, vape shops, and convenience stores across the state. 7-OH is a concentrated byproduct of the kratom plant and has been linked to a growing number of deaths. Read More…
The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) command staff has wrapped up its annual district tour, a statewide effort to connect directly with troopers, captains, sergeants, and professional staff across MHP’s seven districts. The yearly tour provides an opportunity to strengthen internal bonds, set future goals, and celebrate accomplishments. This year, Colonel Kurt Sager and MHP leadership Read More…
Prosecutors with the Montana Attorney General’s Office on Thursday charged a 31-year-old Carter County man with three felony counts of sexual abuse of children for possession of explicit images and videos depicting a child under 12, including at least one image digitally altered using artificial intelligence. Shy Herbert McCutchan was arrested in Alzada by the Read More…
Another weekend of tournament basketball is in the books. Thousands of fans packed into loud gyms over the past few weeks, but are they loud for the wrong reasons? Last month, the Montana High School Association released an op-ed titled, ‘Dear Mom and Dad – Cool It,’ telling parents and fans to stop the growing Read More…
For every 10 Montana teens who graduate from high school, six go on to some kind of college, but four don’t. That means thousands of kids get no training beyond high school. State legislators feel that’s a problem because so many Montana employers have complained they’re having a hard time finding well-trained, well-qualified people Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — Five bull bison from Yellowstone National park have been transferred to an American Indian reservation in northwest Montana under an effort to bolster herds of the animals outside the park. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports the animals were released into corrals on the Fort Peck Reservation on Friday. They’ll be under quarantine Read More…
A once in a lifetime hunt, quite literally! House Bill 390 in Montana’s 66th legislature is introduced to limit the harvest of certain game to one per lifetime. House Bill 390 states, “A person who has killed or taken any game animal, except a deer, elk, or an antelope, during the current license year is Read More…
BUTTE – Our latest blast of winter weather has NorthWestern Energy offering up some winter safety advice. The utility is looking to remind customers to make sure natural gas meters, as well as furnace and appliance vents, are free from snow and ice. Blocked vents could result in a loss of heat or buildup of Read More…
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, sat down with a panel of Kalispell Regional Healthcare officials and employees on Wednesday to discuss the state’s ongoing struggles with drug abuse and how Flathead County is battling what has been, and continues to be, a “major crisis” throughout Montana. The panel highlighted a troubling increase in the number of Read More…
BILLINGS-Senator Steve Daines, R-Mont., visited the Rimrock Foundation in Billings last week. The senator talked with people at the Willow Way Program home. Willow Way allows mothers to go through detox and rehab while staying with their children. Daines learned the importance of these programs are for those going through treatment. “What would happen if you didn’t Read More…
Preventing invasive species from wreaking havoc on ecosystems and regional economies is among the world’s greatest challenges, and with the help of a grant from NASA an investigative team of researchers at the University of Montana’s Flathead Lake Biological Station is launching a new project enabling officials to predict the spread of aquatic invasive species Read More…
After 25 years as the conductor of the Bozeman Symphony, Music Director Matthew Savery resigned Thursday amid an investigation into his conduct. A release from Great Falls law firm Ugrin Alexander Zadick, P.C. confirmed the resignation on Friday. “Matthew expresses his gratitude for and appreciation to the symphony for the opportunity to serve Read More…
Facing a nationwide shortage of teachers — and special-education teachers in particular — schools in Montana are feeling it acutely as the number of students receiving special-education services is on the rise. Statewide there are 18,803 students receiving special-education services. This is a more than 10 percent increase over the past five academic years. In Read More…
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has a new job with a lobbying firm led by former aides of President Trump. Zinke, also a former Montana congressman, is now a senior adviser at Turnberry Solutions, which was formed in 2017 by Jason Osbourne, Mike Rubio and Ryan O’Dwyer, who all worked on Trump’s 2016 Read More…
The Montana Supreme Court is allowing a Bozeman man to enter a new plea agreement or stand trial in two sexual assault cases against him. Jerry Joe Henderson appealed his Gallatin County District Court sentencing to the high court and argued that state law does not allow no contest pleas, like the one he Read More…
Tom Vogele was born in Glendive in 1950. He grew up ranching with his grandparents in the hills just south of town. As a child, Voglele demonstrated a talent and love for all things mechanical, which quickly turned to obsession. This obsession took him far away from his roots in rural … READ FULL STORY
Montana’s Child and Family Services Division is tasked with safeguarding the wellbeing of some of the society’s most vulnerable citizens, but in recent months the agency has been criticized by sources who claim longstanding mismanagement has fostered a broken system. Nearly 20 sources with knowledge of Northwestern Division VI of Child and Family Services in Read More…
The University of Montana says it has found asbestos contamination in a second preschool facility. The Missoulian reported Friday that testing found asbestos on surfaces at the Craighead Child Care Facility. University officials say the asbestos levels didn’t pose a health hazard, but the children were moved and the facility was closed for cleaning. The Read More…
At a Glance Temperatures have remained below zero more than a week in North Dakota and Montana. Those streaks rank among some of the longest on record, but are not record breaking. Many locations east of the Rockies saw temperatures trend milder after the polar-vortex driven cold outbreak in late-January, but one region of the Read More…
A tongue-in-cheek online petition has a creative solution to paying off the national debt – although Montanans may have mixed feelings about it. The Change.org petition proposes simply to “Sell Montana to Canada for $1 Trillion to eliminate the national debt.” It goes on to say “We have too much debt and Montana is useless. Read More…
MISSOULA- Health officials say the amount of confirmed flu cases is on the rise, with over 200 cases reported in Missoula County alone, and nearly 500 new cases reported across the state last week. “When you have more people interacting together, you have more illness out in the community; people are going to get sick. Read More…
From the outside, ADF International is just another industrial building people pass on the way out of Great Falls, but the inside tells a different story. “They see a large building, a large yard and they think it’s impressive. But I don’t think they understand really the scope of the work we do in the Read More…
Veterans helping veterans. The Montana Veterans Meat Locker distributed meat to veterans at Messiah Lutheran Church on Saturday. Each veteran received some combination of 12 to 15 pounds of deer, elk, moose, beef and pork. Hunters donated big game and ranchers contributed beef and pork. The church served a meal with the help of the Read More…
VIRGINIA CITY – Montana’s historic Old West saloons are setting the scene for the set of supermodel Cindy Crawford’s latest photoshoot – and yes, that’s a live wolf and bear. Cindy Crawford and photographer David Yarrow organized the photoshoot as part of a fundraiser for animal conservation, according to Elijah Allen, executive director with the Read More…
Late January in the Flathead means its skijoring time in Whitefish. The 16th annual Whitefish Winter Carnival World Invitational Skijoring races up the ante this year with teams traveling from all over the West to compete for more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. The skijoring event will be held this weekend at Big Mountain Read More…
If the Custer County Commissioners accept the Veteran Administration’s offer of the old VA medical center in Miles City, one of the side benefits could be that Miles Community College (MCC) acquires more student housing. During a meeting Tuesday the MCC Board of Trustees and the commissioners discussed the VA proposal … READ FULL STORY
Montana’s snowpack is closer to average than our mild winter might suggest, as residents across the state grew accustomed to snow-less sidewalks in December and celebrated a decidedly not-white Christmas. The close-to-normal snowpack is largely thanks to autumn snowfall, when storms provided a base in the mountains before the tap ran dry for a prolonged Read More…
The Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame & Western Heritage Center (MCHF & WHC) extends an invitation to all to attend the Annual MCHF Induction Ceremony & Western Heritage Gathering, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, at the Best Western Heritage Inn in Great Falls. “This year we celebrate our 13th gathering and 11th class of inductions into Read More…
HELENA — Montana would have to shell out an extra $59 million over two years to keep its Medicaid expansion program running, but the state is expected to collect enough revenue to more than cover the additional costs, legislative analysts said Monday. Legislative Fiscal Division staff members presented a new report to lawmakers that analyzes Read More…
By Tucson News Now | November 15, 2018 at 11:22 AM MST – Updated November 15 at 11:36 AM TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on Thursday, Nov. 15, that part of the border wall in Arizona will be built by a Montana-based company. According to information from the Read More…
The Montana Board of Regents is moving to approve 2 percent raises for 13 of its highest-paid administrators, including the two flagship campus presidents and the commissioner of higher education. The regents, meeting for two days in Missoula, expressed strong support for the raises, which will go to some of the state’s highest paid employees. Read More…
Updated: Nov 11, 2018 8:50 PM MST In observance of Veterans day, the only veteran elected to statewide executive office spoke in front of dozens of current and retired service members at the historic fort Missoula. Montana Secretary of State Corey Stapleton was the guest speaker at the Veterans day opening ceremonies for the 100th anniversary of Read More…
BILLINGS – MetraPark announced Monday that “Weird Al” Yankovic will perform at the Rimrock Auto Arena next summer. Yankovic will bring the Strings Attached Tour to Billings on Aug. 25. Here’s the full press release: Weird Al” Yankovic will bring his tour to Rimrock Auto Arena on August 25, 2019. His Strings Attached tour is a Read More…
A group of local food and retail union members have appealed the city’s decision to approve site plans for WinCo Foods, requiring review by the Bozeman City Commission before the grocery retailer can move forward with plans. The six workers from Bozeman and Belgrade broadly criticized nearly every aspect of WinCo’s plans in their appeal, Read More…
Just days after he was formally elected as Flathead County’s next sheriff, Brian Heino is building his team. Heino has selected two long-time Flathead County Sheriff’s Office veterans and one new face to join him when he takes over as the county’s top lawman on Jan. 1. Wayne K. DuBois, a police sergeant in Richland, Read More…
It’s no secret that outdoors recreation in Montana is big business. Gov. Steve Bullock wants to see the growth continue. The state’s outdoor recreation economy generates more than $7.1 billion in annual consumer spending and employs more than 71,000 people each year, making it the second largest sector of the state’s economy, according to the Read More…
HELENA – Members of Montana’s law enforcement community and others told Sen. Steve Daines on Thursday they were understaffed and underfunded in the growing war on drugs. “Meth is out of control here in the state,” said Stacy Zinn-Brittain, a regional agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Daines, R-Mont., had assembled a roundtable Read More…
If you need a hotel room near Bozeman this weekend, good luck. With both a Montana State University football game and President Donald Trump’s rally on Saturday, local hotels and the airport are gearing up for a busy weekend. While Bozeman hotel workers say rooms almost always sell out on weekends, hotels out in Read More…
University of Montana Police have released photos and are asking for the public’s help in identifying two men who reportedly attacked a bus as they disembarked near UM housing at the Lewis and Clark Village on South Higgins Avenue. “We got a report of disorderly conduct on one of the UM transportation buses,” said UM Read More…
FRENCHTOWN – The Montana Department of Transportation held an unusual Construction Carnival to thank the Frenchtown community for its patience with six months of construction work. After more than six months of road construction in Frenchtown, MDT wanted to thank the community for being patient, and organized the free family event at Frenchtown High School Read More…
STEVENSVILLE – Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks said the trapping of a young grizzly in the Bitterroot may be “uncommon” but it serves as a good reminder to carry bear spray no matter where you are in the Montana outdoors. The “sub-adult” male grizzly — kind of like a teenager — was caught over the Read More…
Three more Montana tribes will gain access to a United States Department of Justice database. The Blackfeet Tribe, Crow Tribe, and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe will be able to use the Tribal Access Program for National Crime Information (TAP) in 2019. The Justice Department started TAP in August of 2015 and has expanded the program Read More…
LAUREL – A Laurel school resource officer is on administrative leave pending an investigation into alleged sexual contact with a student. Laurel Police Chief Rick Musson said the city administrator was tasked with leading the internal investigation by Laurel Mayor Tom Nelson. The officer’s name has not been released. On Monday afternoon, Laurel Schools Superintendent Read More…