The Montana Historical Society is accepting nominations for the 37th Montana Statehood Centennial Bell Award, which recognizes an outstanding schoolteacher for excellence in teaching Montana history. This year’s award will honor a teacher in grades 7 through 12 who has demonstrated exceptional work teaching Montana history during the 2025-26 school year. Nominations must be submitted Read More…
State officials are inviting public input on a proposed overhaul of Montana’s workforce development strategy, aimed at better aligning education, job training, and industry needs across the state. The Montana State Workforce Innovation Board is seeking comment on proposed updates to the state’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) plan, part of a broader effort Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a 24-state coalition urging the Trump administration to investigate the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the National Science Foundation, and to cut off federal grant funding tied to a climate science chapter used in a judicial reference manual. In a letter sent this month to Read More…
Montana’s Land Board approved a series of revenue-generating actions at its March meeting expected to produce more than $1.63 million for the state’s trust beneficiaries, including support for public education. The actions approved by the board included an estimated $1,093,308 from timber sales and $532,944 from an oil and gas lease sale. Combined, the measures Read More…
With a resume that goes far beyond tremendous accomplishments at the University of Montana, a Grizzly will get his due! Division I-AA champion. All-American. Walter Payton Award winner. Grey Cup Champion. Canadian Football MVP, Hall of Famer and Coach of the Year. On Monday, the National Football Foundation announced that Montana Grizzly football great Dave Read More…
The Bakken. A well-known oil field stretching across North Dakota, South Dakota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and of course, Montana. But Oklahoma investor ONEOK has released a statement with talk of a new pipeline starting right here in Montana, and stretching all the way to Kansas. The Elk Creek Pipeline would be an approximately 900 mile, 20-inch Read More…
President Trump signed an executive order and a presidential memorandum in Nashville on Monday afternoon directing his administration to use “all viable tools to accelerate the deployment and adoption of affordable, reliable, modern high-speed broadband connectivity in rural America.” According to the Federal Communications Commission’s 2016 Broadband Progress Report, 39 percent of rural Americans, roughly Read More…
With all the changes upon us with new technology, it should come as no surprise that there is now a way to utilize television spectrums to deliver broadband internet. Chuck Denowh, Montana spokesperson for the new coalition, Connect Americans Now (CAN), explained the importance and the purpose of CAN. “This issue has to do with Read More…
Is it your new year resolution to own a business, your chances of making that happen are looking better. One of the hardest parts of starting a business is coming up with the cash to get one up and running. What if I was to tell you that your could be the proud owner of Read More…
BILLINGS – Montana U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme issued a statement Friday on U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision to rescind the Cole Memo. The Cole Memo, issued under the Obama administration, gave guidance to U.S. attorneys saying prosecutors shouldn’t focus on states that legalized it, as long as they had strong, effective regulations to keep Read More…
HELENA, Mont.- A new program seeks to help victims of trafficking or kidnapping. Bryce Ackart, manager of the Helena Zip-Trip, said convenience stores are at the front lines for helping human trafficking victims and spotting their captors. The “More than Convenience, We Care” program has only been in place less than six months, but officials Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – Incoming University of Montana President Seth Bodnar faces a number of challenges as he takes the helm. Enrollment has fallen since 2010. Budget challenges remain. A process to set academic and administrative priorities is far from complete. Bodnar has a deep enthusiasm for the work of the institution, and he is optimistic Read More…
Five Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) troopers have been involved in crashes within the last month alone, according to a Facebook post by the MHP. In each case, drivers were not driving appropriately for the conditions. In some cases troopers were in their vehicles when their patrol cars were struck. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. Read More…
During his election bid, Missoula City Council member Jesse Ramos was a vocal critic of the $25 million dollar “accounting error” discovered by a local citizen in the city budget. Now that he is in office, Ramos has a front row seat to Missoula’s most recent error, one that has already led to dramatic cuts Read More…
HELENA – Montana state Sen. Cynthia Wolken, who played a key role in the 2017 enactment of sweeping criminal-sentencing reforms in the state, will be the state’s new deputy director of corrections. State Corrections Director Reginald Michael announced Wolken’s hiring on Tuesday and said her role in the reforms “will prove invaluable to the (Department Read More…
Some of the most vulnerable people in our society are at risk of becoming a casualty of a disturbing crime. It could start as innocently as a young person befriending a stranger on the Internet, or a teenager feeling entrapped and looking for a way out. The criminals might use flirtation, or psychological manipulation, to Read More…
Like many young Montanans, Ella Anderson’s first time pulling a trigger was on a BB gun. She took to shooting right away and it wasn’t long before she was begging her parents to shoot the “big gun,” a bolt-action .22 rifle. On Christmas morning children across the state ripped wrapping paper from new BB guns, Read More…
A tractor-trailer crashed into and totaled a Gallatin County Sheriff’s vehicle on Saturday morning. The collision occurred on the Bozeman Pass on I-90, where Deputy Randy Schott had responded to the scene of an accident. Deputy Schott parked behind the accident scene to protect it when a semi truck slammed into his vehicle. No one Read More…
BILLINGS — The Office of Public Assistance will close 19 locations in Montana because officials say the Legislature’s recent budget reductions forced them to cut back. The Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services, which oversees Public Assistance, had to reduce its budget by $49 million, so it’s closing half of its 38 OPA Read More…
Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester and U.S. Representative Greg Gianforte push a bill to honor the life of renowned Montana conservationist, Alex Diekmann, by naming an unnamed peak in his memory. The previously unnamed 9,765-foot peak will be named “Alex Diekmann Peak.” READ THE FULL STORY.
HELENA, Mont.- There are some shocking numbers out of the office of public instruction, last year, about 10 percent of Montana high school students attempted suicide. Now Superintendent Elsie Arntzen announcing her plan to help save Montana student’s lives. Arntzen selected 16 educators, parents, and experts to serve on the Suicide Prevention and Response Negotiated Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from Montana Department of Justice: Attorney General Tim Fox announced today a $13.5 million settlement with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI). This settlement is in regard to BIPI’s alleged off-label marketing and deceptive and misleading representations made in its promotion of four of its prescription drugs: Read More…
The Stimson Lumber Company owns forestland across the Pacific Northwest, but it sees challenges in Northwest Montana’s growing population. Barry Dexter, the firm’s director of resources, says that developing areas’ lands “come out of timber production and go into mini-ranches or home sites for folks, and so that’s a little challenging for a fire management Read More…
A reward has been offered for information about the murder of Matthew Grant. Grant’s body was found in Browning last December. The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced the reward of up to $10,000 during a press conference in Great Falls on Thursday. Grant had recently arrived in Montana from Canada and was reported missing on Read More…
BOZEMAN – With the big winter season in Montana you would think hockey would be a popular sport. But in it has found itself struggling to catch on with the community. However, the Bozeman Amateur Hockey Association is changing that. This winter they are hosting five youth hockey tournaments at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds for Read More…
BILLINGS — A pair of films shot in Montana will make their world premieres in 2018 on the big screens at the Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute recently made the announcement that the two films – “Wildlife” and “Dark Money” – will premiere in January. “Wildlife” is based on the 1990 novel by Richard Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – The following is a press release from the Montana National Guard: Fifty-four Montana wildland firefighters and 16 wildland engines are headed to California to assist in firefighting efforts. The state of Montana received a request from the California Office of Emergency Services Tuesday afternoon to provide critically needed firefighting resources to support Read More…
It’s hard to miss Wheat Montana’s giant silos outside Three Forks, but now with their partnership with Walmart, you’re going to see their sign a whole lot more. The Montana-based company was chosen by the superstore to be part of a tour that has committed Walmart to purchase an additional $250 billion in American-made products. Read More…
Five men are facing charges in federal court related to two outfitted mountain lion hunts in 2013 near White Sulphur Springs and Wolf Creek that authorities allege were illegal. Charged in U.S. District Court are Ernest Jablonsky, a licensed outfitter with Montana Big Game Pursuits; Mitch Theule, a guide with Montana Big Game Pursuits; James Read More…
The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders visited Malmstrom Air Force Base recently to spend time with airmen and families of deployed service members as part of their 82nd USO tour. The cheerleaders met with airmen and had lunch with family members of deployed airmen to enhance morale and welfare and show appreciation for their service. READ THE Read More…
HELENA – Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks and Trout Unlimited are offering a reward of up to $35,250 for information on illegally introduced fish in Swan Lake. According to a Facebook post from FWP’s Region 6 Office, two walleye were found in Swan Lake in October 2015. The two walleye were caught in a gill Read More…
HELENA- Montana Attorney General Tim Fox announced Dec. 4 a consumer protection lawsuit against Purdue Pharma, which manufactures opioid medication Oxycontin. Fox’s office claims that Purdue should be held partly responsible for the prescription opioid epidemic. In a press release, Fox said: “As our investigation revealed and our complaint alleges, for years, Purdue knew the Read More…
Northwest Montana’s county commissioners want to see more fire-scorched timber salvaged from Lolo National Forest. The Forest Service is racing to complete the assessments, environmental reviews and public review processes required for area salvage operations to proceed. If timber isn’t cut within one year of a wildfire, weather and insect damage can render it useless. Read More…
Special Olympics Montana has canceled the 2018 State Winter Games in Whitefish, a move that leadership says is part of its attempt to revamp the way the organization serves athletes, coaches and volunteers across the state. The games were scheduled to run from March 4-6 at Whitefish Mountain Resort. According to Bob Norbie, president and Read More…
Montana saw an increase in November in the number of sexual harassment complaints filed such as those that have toppled the great and near great across America, but a state official hesitates to say if it is reflecting the national trend. In 2017, Montana has seen 25 sexual harassment complaints, said Tim Little, attorney for Read More…
MISSOULA, Mont. – In a highly anticipated announcement, The University of Montana is officially naming Bobby Hauck the 37th head football coach for the Grizzlies. Director of Athletics Kent Haslam will formally reintroduce the returning coach in the Washington-Grizzly Stadium Canyon Club this morning at 10:30 a.m. READ THE FULL STORY.
The Montana State Fund’s board of directors has decided to withdraw a lawsuit seeking to stop the state from putting a $30 million charge on some of the fund’s investment holdings. During an emergency meeting Wednesday afternoon, the board voted 5-2 to pull out of the lawsuit, filed earlier this month in district court in Read More…
MISSOULA — Montana officials are working on determining how much timber burned in summer wildfires at Lolo National Forest is salvageable. The Missoulian reports nearly 10 percent of the 3,125-square mile (8094-sq. kilometer) national forest in western Montana was burnt. Lolo National Forest Supervisor Timothy Garcia says based on their Forest Plan allocations and past experience with Read More…
(HELENA) Montana state leaders paid their last respects Friday morning to former Governor Judy Martz, the state’s first female governor. Montana Highway Patrol troopers and Butte-Silver Bow police escorted Martz’s family from Butte to Helena. When they arrived at the Montana State Capitol, Gov. Steve Bullock, Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, Attorney General Tim Fox and other Read More…
HELENA – Judy Martz, the first and only woman to serve as Montana’s governor, has died at age 74. Martz, who had pancreatic cancer, died in Monday morning at her home in Rocker, west of Butte. A Republican from the Democratic stronghold of Butte, Martz served a single term as governor, from 2001-2004. READ THE Read More…
HELENA – Montana officials have decided to decommission all but one of the state’s old airway beacons that pilots used to rely on to find their way at night. More than 1,500 airway beacons used to dot the landscape nationwide but modern navigation equipment made them obsolete. Federal officials began decommissioning the beacons in the Read More…
Puerto Rico’s power authority is working to cancel a controversial contract it awarded to a small Montana-based utility company. Ricardo Ramos, the CEO of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, said he is “asking for a resolution” that would allow for the cancellation of the contract with Whitefish Energy. The $300 million deal with the two-year-old Read More…
MISSOULA – A Missoula man who won a 14-year fight to erase a rape conviction was freed from jail last week and will spend another 200-plus days under state supervision, for a probation violation – but then he’ll be an entirely free man. A state judge last Thursday placed Cody Marble on conditional release for Read More…
Columbia Falls Aluminum Company has reimbursed the federal government for some of the costs of investigating its former Columbia Falls plant. The aluminum mill was permanently closed in 2015 and declared a Superfund site last year. The company is currently investigating the site under the Environmental Protection Agency’s oversight and direction. In its Agreement on Read More…