HELENA, Mont. — Gov. Greg Gianforte continued his annual 56 County Tour this week, visiting small businesses, energy facilities, agricultural operations, and infrastructure projects across six counties along Montana’s Hi-Line and Rocky Mountain Front. The governor began his day in Toole County at Prairie Peddler in Shelby, a local gift and coffee shop that reopened Read More…
Montana voters will cast ballots Tuesday in primary elections that will shape the state’s most competitive federal races of the 2026 cycle, with talk radio host Aaron Flint entering primary day as the clear frontrunner in the Republican contest for the Western Congressional District. Flint carries the full weight of the Republican establishment behind him, Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is leading a coalition of ten state attorneys general in calling on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a rigorous review of any filings submitted by OpenAI ahead of the company’s anticipated initial public offering, citing concerns about undisclosed conflicts of interest involving chief executive Sam Altman. In Read More…
As the fourth largest state in the U.S. with the sixth smallest population, each agency relies on another for niche expertise, whereas bigger agencies can potentially accomplish everything on their own, said Adam Pankratz, deputy chief of Montana State University’s police department. These relationships start to form during basic training, which 14 future officers from Read More…
BOZEMAN, Mont. — A new study using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows Montana has the worst drivers in the country. This is the third time in four years Montana has topped the list. “It’s not a good category to win, if you want to call it that,” said Montana Highway Patrol Read More…
Montana’s top technology official and a key architect of the state’s IT consolidation, will be stepping down, officials confirmed to Government Technology. Chief Information Officer Ron Baldwin, who was appointed to lead the State Information Technology Service Division (SITSD) by Gov. Steve Bullock in January 2013, will be leaving “for a role outside of state Read More…
HELENA – Montana state prisoners are getting another chance to overcome addiction. Montana Department of Corrections officials announced Tuesday that 30 inmates are the first accepted into a new chemical dependency treatment program at the state prison in Deer Lodge. The secure, remodeled facility provides a 90 to 180-day intensive therapy program and has three Read More…
More than three decades ago, the lawsuits against W.R. Grace & Co. began cropping up with relative obscurity, brought by former miners and their families who were exposed to the asbestos-laced vermiculite mined in Libby. People were dying. And as that trend became clear in the mid-1980s, the first of many lawsuits asserted that company Read More…
On a map, or from the frozen skin of Dickey Lake, David Guild’s and Bill Krywolt’s properties look similar. Both are long, narrow lots about one acre in size, with a few pines and steep slopes plunging toward about 100 feet of lakeshore each. Krywolt reaches the water via a switchbacked path; Guild has a Read More…
Terry Sargent of Great Falls claimed a $100,000 prize in the Montana Millionaire lottery drawing. Sargent, a military retiree from Great Falls, won the prize on a Montana Millionaire ticket he bought at the Holiday Station Store on 15th Street North in Great Falls. He found out he won right after the winning numbers were Read More…
A whitefish native is headed to the Olympics. Maggie Voisin suffered a broken ankle in the Sochi Olympics, a heartbreak for the 15-year-old. This year, she will have the chance to finish what she started. READ THE FULL STORY.
In education news, the Northwest Commission on colleges and universities approved Rocky Mountain College for their first doctoral program. KULR-8’s Mary Jane Belleza spoke with the college’s provost academic vice president, Stephen Germic who said the college’s plan will begin a doctor of occupational therapy degree program in January 2019. Students can expect new state Read More…
The Big Horn County Attorney in Hardin announced Thursday plans to crack down on women who use drugs or alcohol while pregnant. Big Horn County Attorney Jay Harris said this new approach is an effort to protect “innocent, unborn children victimized” by their mother’s substance abuse. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & 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…