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…
MISSOULA – Wildfires in Montana are nothing new. Last year, the Treasure State saw a bad fire season with more than 114,000 acres burned. In an attempt to better understand how wildfires may affect weather, climate and even health, a group of University of Montana scientists will fly directly into the smoke of a wildfire. Read More…
It seems like hardly a day goes by when you don’t see someone arrested in Gallatin County for a methamphetamine-related offense. It could be when a Bozeman police officer pulls over a driver for a traffic offense and discovers a small baggie with a crystalline substance and a residue-covered pipe. It could be when Read More…
Looking back, Kelly Lawrence thinks her son’s dependence on alcohol and drugs began when he was 14. But it’s hard to say — he hid his disease for so long. The first time he asked for help, he was in his 20s. She knew he was using heroin. They started making calls to see how Read More…
HELENA – Last Chance Handgunners holds competitive events from hand-guns to free range shooting. Saturday was a 3-gun match, meaning the competitor had to show their skill with different types of guns, for example a combination of rifles, pistols, and shot guns. The guns used were semi-automatic and manual operated. “My favorite part is the Read More…
CODY, Wyo. –Photo exhibitions all over America are getting people excited about a new book called, “People of Yellowstone.” The book explores the lives and passions of people who help protect Yellowstone National Park. The book features dozens of people, including a park horse wrangler, a backcountry cook, and three Yellowstone Park Superintendents, including Dan Read More…
A public hearing on Whitefish’s proposed $38.7 million budget tops the City Council agenda tonight. The budget is about $12.6 million less than last year’s budget, largely due to the completion of the City Hall and parking structure projects. A property tax mill-levy increase of 8.24 mills is proposed. The mill value is projected to Read More…
KALISPELL –Kalispell Regional Healthcare officials confirmed on Sunday that over 50 people were injured and transported in Saturday’s deck collapse at Glacier Camp, south of Lakeside. 36 of these patients were treated in the Flathead area, with 9 at North Valley Hospital and 27 at Kalispell Regional medical Center. Significant numbers of orthopedic and neurological injuries Read More…
Bozeman Mayor Carson Taylor said this week that he doesn’t intend to act on a request by neighborhood preservation activists that the city place a moratorium on major downtown developments. “I haven’t found any interest in the commission in discussing a moratorium,” he said in an interview Thursday. “I think we’re pretty comfortable with the Read More…
HELENA — Secretary of State Corey Stapleton said Friday that mail ballot voter fraud occurred in Missoula County during the May 25 congressional special election. The case involved a signature forgery on a mail-in ballot, he said. Stapleton said his office has notified the Missoula County Attorney’s office. “We’ve had mail ballot security issues in Read More…
Failed Democrat Presidential Candidate and United States Senator Bernie Sanders will come to Montana to campaign for Democrat congressional candidate Rob Quist. This is not the first time Mr. Sanders has campaigned in Montana. Mr. Sanders made campaign stops in Montana last year during his unsuccessful bid to beat out Hillary Clinton for the Democrat Read More…
The state’s Department of Revenue reported Wednesday that it has processed 212,899 individual income tax returns so far for the 2016 tax year. Refunds issued so far number 141,317, and the average refund totaled $447.16, the department said in a written release, adding that some refunds are taking longer due to extra security put in Read More…
High tech companies brought in more than $1 billion dollars in revenue in 2016 and the industry is growing seven times faster than the rest of the Montana economy. A University of Montana Bureau of of Business Economic Research (BBER) study showed $1.09 billion in revenue last year, up from $867 million in 2015. Companies in Read More…
On Wednesday morning, the United States Senate voted to confirm Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke as Secretary of the Depart of Interior on a vote of 63 to 31. Both of Montana’s Senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester voted to confirm Zinke. The Whitefish native will become the first Montanan to serve in a Cabinet position. Read More…
People who live in Missoula or are just going to be in the area will no longer have to leave their cars to pay for parking downtown. On Friday, the Missoula Parking Commission will roll out a pay-by-phone option. Tiffany Brander, administrative services manager with the Missoula Parking Commission, says people will never have to wait in line or Read More…
Someone is poaching bald eagles and hawks in the Mission Valley and selling their feathers. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service along with Tribal game wardens are working the case to find whoever is doing it. Last weekend, residents in the Saint Ignatius area between Missoula and Polson found several bald eagles and hawks dead Read More…
Could a collection of tiny home-style units, clustered into a village with on-site social workers, help Bozeman get a handle on homelessness? It’s worth trying, say advocates with St. James Episcopal church and social service agency HRDC. From Bozeman Daily Chronicle
People stood up again during the public comment period at the Bozeman City Commission meeting Monday evening to again ask commissioners to consider making Bozeman a sanctuary city. After everyone supporting the request had commented, Mayor Carson Taylor read aloud the proclamation he presented last week declaring Bozeman a safe and inclusive place for everyone. From KTVQ
Yellowstone County Commissioners are recommending naming Highway 3 near the Billings airport after Montana’s late U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns. Commissioner Denis Pitman sent the recommendation letter to the Montana Department of Transportation after gaining approval from commissioners Robyn Driscoll and John Ostlund. From KBZK
The first firearm forensically proven to have been used at Custer’s Last Stand sold for $258,750 with the buyer’s premium on Sunday. The rifle was auctioned at Brian Lebel’s Old West Auction in Mesa, Arizona. From KPAX
The Great Falls Police Department wants to warn people of a new scam that has hit the Electric City. It was reported that a phone scam has called Great Falls residents, and the number shows up as the police department’s phone number. They released this message on their Facebook page earlier Wednesday. From KFBB
According to a new report by insuranceQuotes, credit has a significant impact on what you pay for car insurance. Drivers with poor credit often pay double, or even triple, depending on where they live. Montana ranks top ten of all 50 states – with a 167% premium increase when credit drops from excellent to poor. Read More…
Gas prices in Montana are rising even as the national average begins to fall. “Average Gas prices in Montana continued their climb rising about three cents a gallon this past week ( January 8 – 14), the state wide average is about $2.28 while the national average has actually fallen about two and a half Read More…
Officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency say Lincoln County residents who have not had their property inspected as part of the massive Superfund cleanup have until March 31 to contact them. The EPA announced a “last call” for residents of Libby and Troy to participate in the asbestos cleanup. Since the early 2000s, more than Read More…
Attorney General Tim Fox said Tuesday in court papers that the term of Montana’s top political enforcer should have ended Jan. 1 – and the state Supreme Court should take over and decide the lawsuit trying to extend the term. Fox asked a state judge to allow him to intervene in the lawsuit seeking to Read More…
Legislative Republicans Monday introduced a bill to shore up the state highway fund this year – a move they said would enable the state to finance $144 million worth of construction projects that have been delayed. “We know it’s a temporary fix, but we’ve got to get the money back in there, so we can Read More…
Year over year, the number of human trafficking cases in Montana continues to climb, but thankfully the number of victims rescued is climbing too. In 2014, there weren’t any human trafficking cases in Montana, but Attorney General Tim Fox says there was a substantial increase in cases last year. “We just finished the tabulations for Read More…
According to Bozeman Police, this morning they responded to a call of a man walking near Bozeman High School, carrying an American flag and a rifle. The man was detained, questioned and then released when it was realized he wasn’t breaking the law. The man was asked to put the rifle away and then he Read More…
The House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday reviewed a spending plan for the House, Senate and Legislative Services Division then adjourned to discuss it another day after being told cuts may need to be made. Committee chairwoman Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, told members House Bill 1, also known as “the feed bill,” was 16 percent more Read More…
A Bozeman environmental group is challenging the state’s regulation of pollution from storm water runoff because, they say, the state’s standards don’t adequately protect streams from urban runoff. Upper Missouri Waterkeeper filed a lawsuit in Gallatin County District Court in late December contending that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality erred in how it Read More…
The upcoming Montana Legislature is likely to address many questions about medical marijuana, from taxes on its sale to cannabis storefronts, all while waiting to see what the Trump administration will do at the federal level. Montana voters in November passed I-182, a citizen initiative that repealed the three-patient limit placed on medical marijuana Read More…
With estimated shortfalls in the state highway fund, the Montana Contractors Association and other special interest groups are pushing for a 38 percent increase in the gas tax. Recently MTN reported that Governor Steve Bullock’s administration has spent $75 Million more than the fund has brought in since fiscal 2012. And now the balance has Read More…
A pair of New York City law firms have launched an investigation in to proposed acquisition of Montana based Stillwater Mining by Sibanye Gold Limited, a South African company. Harwood Feffer LLP and Levi & Korsinsky LLP both of New York City have announced that they are investigating shareholder concerns that the Stillwater Board of Read More…
The Gianforte Family Foundation once again has shown its dedication to supporting education and job creation in Montana, pledging $290,000 to the University of Montana’s Department of Computer Science. The two-year gift will help the department grow its enrollment capacity, ultimately graduating more computer science majors and minors for careers in Montana’s growing technology sector. Read More…
Helena – Fresh off a narrow re-election victory Governor Steve Bullock is laying out his priorities for the 2017 legislative session. Despite the gains made by Republicans on Election Day Mr. Bullock remains confident that he can secure legislative victories. Mr. Bullock told Lee Enterprises, “I don’t anticipate much different dynamics than we’ve seen in Read More…
Helena – Montana commissioner of political practices dismissed a state ethics complaint against Governor Steve Bullock and Commerce Director Meg O’Leary on Monday with no investigation. The complaint was filed by state Representative Brad Tschida of Missoula. Commissioner Jonathan Motl, who was appointed by Governor Bullock, said that trips taken by Meg O’Leary to a Read More…
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock proposed Tuesday to create new taxes on the wealthy and medical marijuana in an attempt to bolster state revenues that have stagnated amid a downturn in oil and coal production. One week after winning re-election, the Democratic governor released a two-year budget plan that would increase state spending $35 million by Read More…
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox and the Montana Public Service Commission, along with 25 other state attorneys general, co-authored and co-signed a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency objecting to a new rule that they argue is an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court. “The rule making is called the Clean Energy Incentive Program Read More…
A state district judge in Montana is facing a call for his impeachment after sentencing a man who admitted to raping his 12-year-old daughter to 60 days in jail, of which he will serve 43. A petition posted on the website Change.org calling for the impeachment of the Valley County, Mont., district court judge, Read More…
Following the advice of legal counsel, the Rosebud School District #12 Board of Trustees voted 3-1 Monday to secure the services of an outside investigator to look into a policy 5015 complaint filed against Rosebud School Superintendent Mike Silverman. Rosebud School District Personnel policy 5015 covers bullying, harassment and intimidation between employees or by third Read More…
Montana Attorney General Tim Fox is joining 20 other states that have filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to represent three victims of human trafficking. Those victims are all minors and they’re filing suit against Backpage.com, a website Fox says is one of the worst purveyors of criminal activity, including human trafficking of Read More…