Montana’s unemployment rate increased to 3.3 percent in November, continuing a streak of more than four consecutive years with unemployment at or below 3.4 percent, state officials announced. The state’s jobless rate remained well below the national unemployment rate of 4.6 percent for November, leaving Montana about 1.3 percentage points lower than the U.S. average. Read More…
MoFi, a nonprofit community development financial institution serving Western states, has received an $85 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund. The award comes as part of a record $10 billion allocation round that included 142 organizations nationwide. The New Markets Tax Read More…
Montana Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon is facing a misdemeanor charge of reckless endangerment of emergency personnel stemming from a November traffic stop in Broadwater County, a case that has drawn added scrutiny because of her public comments and separate, pending ethics complaints. McKinnon, 66, was cited after a Broadwater County sheriff’s deputy alleged she Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Gov. Greg Gianforte on Tuesday recognized Human Trafficking Prevention Month by encouraging Montanans to learn the warning signs of human trafficking and report suspicious activity to help stop the crime. Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers—often part of organized criminal enterprises—exploit adults or children for Read More…
Many of us have tried our luck with a lotto ticket, but it’s safe to say, the grand majority of us don’t win. But did you know the money from the Montana Lottery plays a big role in our local economics across the state? The Montana State Lottery money is disbursed in two different ways. Read More…
GREAT FALLS – A new regulation regarding abortion services and federal funding has Montana residents on both sides of the issue speaking out. The new rule originally implemented earlier this month does not permit clinics receiving government funding to give abortion referrals. Two other key changes include physical and financial separation of abortion services from providers Read More…
Montana Lt. Governor Mike Cooney today was awarded the first-ever Recycling Impact Award, a nationwide recognition of his work on recycling stewardship. The Recycling Impact Award is presented to a National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA) member who is committed to working within a state, region, and/or communities to positively impact resource conservation and recycling. “Lt. Governor Read More…
A 15-year-old Montana girl who escaped from a mental health hospital has died after being struck by a pickup truck on a nearby interstate highway, police say. Kayla Neal, of Missoula, was walking on the southbound lanes of I-15 around 2 p.m. Monday in Helena when she was hit by a 56-year-old woman driving a Dodge truck, police there told KURL-TV. Minutes before, she had run Read More…
MISSOULA – The University of Montana is quietly hitting a very high mark in the on-going effort to retain newly-trained physicians to work in Montana, with a strong majority of graduates deciding to stay and serve patients across the state. Just five years ago, there was a growing concern of finding enough physicians to meet Read More…
Rep. Greg Gianforte said he has gotten language included in the new defense bill that calls on the Secretary of the Air Force to consider improvements at existing facilities, such as fixing the runway at Malmstrom Air Force Base, rather than build new ones. “Malmstrom Air Force Base is home to the 341st Missile Wing which Read More…
MANHATTAN, M.T. – According to the U.S. Geological Survey a 4.0 magnitude earthquake occurred at 7:52 p.m. Mountain Time, 2 miles northwest of Manhattan, Montana. More than 500 people have reported feeling the quake. READ FULL STORY
When someone in Montana enters a hospital with private insurance, the price for care can be two-to-four times beyond what the federal government sets as fair. Rand Corporation, a global think tank, released a study earlier this summer that showed private insurance companies paid twice what Medicare paid for the same services nationwide from 2015 through 2017. Read More…
The month of June was the deadliest on Montana roadways in a decade. With the alarming increase in crashes, the Montana Department of Transportation is urging travelers to drive safely this summer. Memorial Day to Labor Day is known as the “100 Deadliest Days of Summer” due to the increased traffic deaths nationwide. At other Read More…
MISSOULA – Are you buying a used car that previously may have been used to transport meth? Or is your child going to a daycare that could have been a meth lab in the past? These are the questions a Montana pair are trying to answer with a new form of methamphetamine testing. The Montana Department Read More…
ANACONDA – According to U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, this year’s open house at the Anaconda Job Corps Center was anything but routine. While the Anaconda Job Corps’ open house is an annual event, Tuesday’s had a special feel to it. Last May, the career-training program was set to be closed, and some Job Corps participants Read More…
Montana gas prices have fallen 1.9 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.79/g today, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 615 stations. Gas prices in Montana are 9.9 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, yet stand 12.5 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. According to GasBuddy price reports, Read More…
Montana’s Lt. Governor Mike Cooney met with radio and television executives at the Montana Broadcasters Association convention at Big Sky on Sunday morning. Cooney provided a preview of the discussion with KGVO News on Saturday night. “We’re going to talk about the importance of the census to all the people of Montana, and we’re going Read More…
DARBY — Republican Sen. Steve Daines heard from Trapper Creek Job Corps employees about the president keeping the program open in Darby on Friday. “I was just a kid growing up in Montana like many of you have done and are doing,” Daines said at the event. “And it was an honor for me to Read More…
RED LODGE – Beartooth Pass is now completely open, according to a press release Sunday afternoon. It is completely open on both the Montana and Wyoming sides. The status of the pass can change quickly due to adverse weather and rock/snow slides, however. Drivers are asked to use caution. READ FULL STORY
The possibility of a nurse’s union forming at Kalispell Regional Healthcare is coming to a tipping point as employees gear up to cast their votes on the matter during a two-day union election slated for July 11-12— a fast-approaching resolution hospital officials say could signal an end to the hospital’s independence, should they vote in Read More…
Acadia Montana, the troubled residential psychiatric treatment facility for children that has operated in Butte under several different names and owners over the past 31 years, announced Tuesday it will close. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be lost, though Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive Dave Palmer said the number could be more Read More…
In a media release issued Tuesday night, Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin delivered the following message to anyone seeking the Forrest Fenn Treasure in the area of Yellowstone National Park: “In the last couple years, two people have died, two have been rescued near death, several have had run-ins with local and federal law enforcement, Read More…
Montana’s congressional delegation made a successful bipartisan push Wednesday to advance legislation that would, for the first time, federally recognize the Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians. According to a press release sent to MTN News, Sens. Steve Daines and Jon Tester have stapled their tribal recognition bill as an amendment to must-pass defense spending Read More…
MISSOULA – Montana boaters will see another mandatory inspection this summer. A new aquatic invasive species (AIS) rule calls for all watercraft with ballast tanks or bladders to be decontaminated upon entering the state or crossing the Continental Divide into the Columbia River Basin. READ FULL STORY
The Montana Highway Patrol and local authorities near Bozeman, Montana were called to a crash scene in which a semi-tractor trailer careened off a roadway, and millions of bees were released. The incident happened at an intersection — the truck’s trailer overturned. Assistant Fire Chief Brian Nickolay told media it was an unusual rescue scene for his crew Read More…
Dare to make a Difference is the theme for this year’s Miss Montana and Miss Montana’s Outstanding Teen Scholarship Program. Twenty-four amazing young women arrive in Glendive on June 16 to start a whirlwind week of excitement, adventure, community service, and the chance to win the state title. Each contestant besides being talented has a Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — NBC Montana recently obtained surveillance video from a 2016 lawsuit involving the Montana State Hospital for allegations of violating patients’ rights. Disability Rights Montana is a federally-mandated organization that oversees the Montana State Hospital and represents the disabled in court cases. Courts documents said plaintiff and Montana State Hospital patient Ryan Bragg broke Read More…
KALISPELL, Mont. — Montana’s homeless population has decreased from last year, according to recently released data. Point-in-Time survey numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development show decreasing populations across many of the state’s cities and towns. The Point-in-Time survey attempts to count every homeless person across the country during the last week of Read More…
BOZEMAN — Dane Fletcher didn’t need to go far to earn a college football scholarship. The former Bozeman High School standout caught the attention of former Montana State head coach Mike Kramer and his staff in the early 2000s, keeping the all-state linebacker and tight end in Bozeman. Fletcher made the most of the opportunity, Read More…
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is doing some digging to figure out who exactly owns fossils found buried in Montana. The long-standing dispute is between landowners and mineral estates in Garfield County, who are making competing claims for the rights to the valuable finds. On Monday, the federal appellate court bounced the case back Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — A Montana organization has been awarded a $500,000 contract to develop a village of 200-square-foot homes for people who are homeless. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports mortgage company Fannie Mae announced Wednesday that Bozeman-based Human Resource Development Council was among the five winners in a competition looking for innovative proposals addressing affordable Read More…
HELENA – Highway Patrol Trooper Wade Palmer will return home to Montana on Wednesday, May 22. He is currently receiving treatment at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City, where his doctors have determined he is ready to transition to the next phase of care. Palmer will be flown to Missoula and is Read More…
BOZEMAN – Congressman Greg Gianforte announced the winners of the 2019 Congressional Art Competition, Jessie Graveley, a student from Powell County High School, is Montana’s winner. “Every year, I’m impressed with the talent of our high school artists. Every piece submitted was unique and showed a different aspect of our state. Thank you to all of Read More…
BUTTE, Mont. — Organizers announced the remaining performers for the annual Montana Folk Festival in Butte this summer. Led Kaapana, Mick Moloney, Rahim AlHaj Trio, Charlie Walden, Jasmine Bell and North Bear, Yuliyana Krivoshapkina, Rahzel and Himalayan Heritage Band are slated to perform. There will be 21 performers at the event. “We can now give everyone Read More…
University of Montana President Seth Bodnar is taking his message statewide. On Tuesday, he spoke to service club members at the Meadowlark Country Club in Great Falls. Bodnar, who took over the top job at UM in January of 2018, said the University needs to do a better job of telling its story to combat Read More…
The number of prisoners in Montana under jurisdiction of state or federal correctional authority on Dec. 31 decreased by 3 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to a report recently released by the national Bureau of Justice Statistics. The 43-page report is packed with a variety of stats related to a snapshot taken of people Read More…
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester has entered into an agreement to write a memoir, Publishers Weekly reported in its April 22 edition. It is to be co-written by Aaron Murphy, the former chief of staff for the Montana Democrat, the article stated, adding a fall 2020 publication date is planned. Tester entered into an agreement with Read More…
BILLINGS – Mothers, daughters, sisters, granddaughters and friends came together for the Montana Women’s Run on Saturday. Almost 5,300 women participated in the 38th annual run. “This is my first year of doing the women’s run,” said Kealy Milton. “I thought I would just come out and see what it was all about and kind Read More…
BOZEMAN – As the opioid crisis and drug epidemic deepen nationwide, we’re feeling the effects right here in Montana. So far this year, law enforcement in southwest Montana have seized nearly 35,000 grams of drugs, ranging from marijuana to meth to prescription drugs. They’re already on track to surpass last year’s seizures of close to Read More…
BILLINGS- A former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service special agent in Billings admitted in federal court Tuesday to possessing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. Shawn Thomas Conrad, 48, faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release on one count of possession Read More…
Meth isn’t a new problem for Montana, but it is a growing problem. For members of law enforcement and state prosecutors, it’s growing at an alarming rate. For instance in 2018, the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Program seized more than 129 pounds of meth. At $80 a gram on the street, that Read More…
Montana’s congressional leaders have taken up the Restore Our Creek Coalition’s cause of demanding a fully restored upper Silver Bow Creek from Texas Avenue to the confluence at George Street. Sens. Jon Tester, a Democrat, and Steve Daines, a Republican, and Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte sent letters Wednesday expressing concern and disappointment over the Read More…
Getting healthcare to people in rural areas is something Congressman Greg Gianforte addressed when he visited Benefis Health Services this morning. Doctors, nurses and other hospital officials voiced their concerns about staffing, especially the lack of resources, when it comes to helping those with behavioral health needs. Gianforte serves on the House Energy and Commerce Read More…
BILLINGS, Mont. — A Montana man has been charged with defrauding a Canadian financial institution of $43 million by posing as a legitimate business owner. Todd Capser was arrested Wednesday in Billings, Montana. Prosecutors in New York said Capser defrauded the Toronto, Canada, entity and tried to defraud nine other institutions of between $46 million Read More…