In a move aimed at improving services for veterans, the Montana Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) is now accepting additional documentation for veterans to obtain a veteran designation on their state-issued driver licenses. Veterans can now use a current Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) or American Legion membership card, in good standing, to receive the designation. Read More…
Montana State University announced this week that Craig Ogilvie, dean of the Graduate School and associate vice president of research, will step down from his administrative role at the end of December. Ogilvie, who has led the Graduate School since 2019, will remain at MSU as a faculty member in the Department of Physics within Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration over its plan to halt federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin, a region responsible for 85% of coal production on federal lands. Knudsen argues the decision will devastate Montana’s coal industry and harm the state’s economy. The lawsuit, filed in Read More…
Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has announced the appointment of Lee Johnson as the new administrator for the Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). Johnson, a veteran with over three decades of experience at DCI, previously served as the bureau chief of the division’s Investigations Bureau. “I’m confident Lee has the knowledge and experience required to Read More…
BOZEMAN – Nobel Prize-winning geneticist and immunologist Dr. Bruce Beutler will speak at Montana State University next month as part of the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology’s Hilleman Research Lecture Series. Beutler currently serves as the director for the Center of Genetics and Host Defense at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) commissioned 12 new troopers at a graduation ceremony at the Civic Center in Helena Friday. Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Sager addressed the new troopers prior to their badge pinning and taking the oath of office. “I’m confident that the new troopers are prepared to Read More…
BOZEMAN – Spring enrollment at Montana State University set a new all-time record, with 16,110 students attending classes at the state’s largest university. It’s the first time in the university’s 131-year history that the spring headcount has surpassed 16,000. The new total represents a 3% increase over last spring, or 393 students. It’s the fourth Read More…
BOZEMAN – Montana State University junior Sophia Adams says her childhood experiences as the younger sibling of a brother with autism shaped her wish to serve people living in difficult circumstances. “I felt a responsibility to look out for other people,” said Adams, an aspiring medical doctor and Honors College student majoring in biochemistry in Read More…
MISSOULA – Brandon Travis admits some of his favorite college memories involve doing taxes. Before you judge him, know the University of Montana alum appears outwardly normal. The 24-year-old hails from the tiny town of Sand Coulee near Great Falls, where he graduated in a class of 10. He then attended UM, where he earned Read More…
(The Center Square) – Polling from the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, the leading trade association of fuel, shows seven states oppose gas car bans. Polling from the presidential and senate battleground states of Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, shows most registered and likely general election voters oppose government efforts to ban new Read More…
BOZEMAN — Accounting students from Montana State University’s Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship are offering free help preparing tax returns for MSU students and individuals who made less than $60,000 last year. The 2024 help sessions will be held on the MSU campus in Jabs Hall, Room 215, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on the following dates: Feb. Read More…
BOZEMAN — An internationally recognized scholar will discuss rural education in the next installment of Montana State University’s 2023-24 Provost’s Distinguished Lecturer Series. Jayne Downey, professor in the Department of Education in the College of Education, Health and Human Development and director of the MSU Center for Research on Rural Education, will deliver “Rural Education Read More…
(The Center Square) – Montana plans on suing the federal government over its recent decision to list wolverines as a threatened species. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks on Friday filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after the agency in November moved to list wolverines in the contiguous U.S. as Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte announced an investment of up to $8 million to improve community-based response services for individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis. As recommended by the Behavioral Health System for Future Generations (BHSFG) Commission, the investment represents the second allocation of $300 million in funding the governor devoted last year to reform and improve Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced Montana set new records for total employment and labor force in December, according to data compiled by Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). “More Montanans are working than ever before thanks to the hard work of job creators and Read More…
BOZEMAN – Author and filmmaker St. Clair Detrick-Jules will speak at Montana State University as part of the Black History Month Celebration hosted by the Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons and the Associated Students of MSU. The event will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 7, in the Strand Union Building, Ballroom A, and Read More…
BOZEMAN – With Montana State University seeing five straight years of growth in its annual research expenditures — setting a record of $230 million in its most recent report — the university hosted its second annual Research Development Day on Thursday, Jan. 11, to further discuss the state of research and to help create connections Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State University hosted its inaugural Undergraduate Research Fair on Monday, Jan. 22. The event, sponsored by MSU’s Office of Research and Economic Development, is designed to introduce students to on-campus research opportunities. “The Undergraduate Research Fair is important as it makes opportunities to participate in research more accessible to all students,” said Read More…
BOZEMAN — Forty of Montana State University’s top seniors and their faculty and staff mentors will be recognized Friday, Feb. 16, at the 42nd annual Founders Day Awards for Student Excellence event held on the MSU campus. Honored students are nominated by faculty in their respective colleges or departments. Qualified nominees must have at least Read More…
MISSOULA – Kidnapping a mounted moose head comes with challenges. Just ask the students in the University of Montana’s Alexander Blewett III School of Law. A small group of law students snuck into the forestry building on a cold night last week to steal Bertha, the mounted moose head hanging from the banister. The heist Read More…
Despite a sluggish start to winter in Big Sky, recent snowfall has sparked optimism among local businesses for a successful winter season. Matt Rolfson, an employee at Gallatin Alpine Sports, notes that the area is experiencing its slowest winter start in the seven years he’s lived there. Despite the lack of snow, businesses like his Read More…
(The Center Square) – An illegal foreign national in Montana faces up to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in Bozeman to mitigated deliberate homicide for stabbing a man to death. Francisco Padilla Canales initially pled not guilty and faced charges including deliberate homicide, aggravated kidnapping, tampering with witnesses and information, and aggravated burglary. Read More…
BOZEMAN – Montana State University, the state’s largest research entity and a designated Carnegie R1 institution, has received a $500,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to significantly expand its computational infrastructure for research. The grant was awarded to MSU’s Research Cyberinfrastructure Core Facility, which manages the advanced information technology systems that support large research Read More…
Rocky Vista University (RVU), which inaugurated the RVU Montana College of Medicine (MCOM) in July 2023, announced its plans for the establishment of the Rocky Vista University College of Veterinary Medicine in Billings, MT. The college will provide a comprehensive Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program to train future veterinarians. RVU has been diligently working Read More…
Scheduled for a mail-in ballot this March, the $4.6 million levy, if sanctioned, will finance the acquisition of new equipment and the recruitment of additional personnel for Kalispell’s police and fire departments. After experiencing a rise in call volumes and delayed response times over the years, Kalispell city officials are initiating an educational campaign ahead Read More…
HELENA – The Montana Department of Justice is seeking applications to fill two spots on the Tow Truck Complaint Resolution Committee. The positions available are a representative of the tow truck industry from eastern Montana and a representative of the commercial truck industry. The Committee reviews and resolves complaints involving tow truck issues. The term Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced his appointment of Paul Green to lead the Montana Department of Commerce as its director. “As a veteran with a background in business and economic development and strong leadership skills, Paul has my full confidence, and he will make an outstanding director for the Department of Commerce,” Read More…
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte and Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen today announced a record number of new businesses were created in Montana last year. At Copperline Smashburgers! in Helena, Sec. Jacobsen reported that Montanans registered more than 59,420 new businesses with her office in 2023, surpassing the previous record set in 2022 by Read More…
New data suggests incidence of violent crimes in the state, revealing a notable decline in various criminal activities based on data provided by the Montana Board of Crime Control. The most significant drop was observed in the number of murders, which decreased by 38.6% from 57 cases in 2022 to 35 cases in 2023. This Read More…
On a single night in 2022, 582,462 people experienced homelessness in the United States, and numbers are on the rise. Since 2017, there has been a 6% increase in homelessness. About six in 10 of the people experiencing homelessness in 2022 had access to emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, or safe havens, while the remainder Read More…
In a press conference held Thursday to observe Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Governor Greg Gianforte was joined by Attorney General Austin Knudsen, law enforcement officials, and nonprofit leaders. Governor Gianforte expressed his strong stance against human trafficking, condemning the perpetrators who prey on individuals and engage in heart-wrenching crimes. He emphasized Montana’s unwavering commitment to Read More…
The first two years of the coronavirus pandemic had a profound impact on the U.S. housing market as Americans fled expensive, high-population areas to mid-sized cities or adjoining suburbs in lower-cost parts of the country. (See how the cost of housing has skyrocketed in these major U.S. cities.) Low-mortgage rates and high demand for homes Read More…
As Human Trafficking Awareness Month begins, Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen urges Montanans to familiarize themselves with the indicators of human trafficking and report any instances they observe to aid the state in combating this reprehensible crime. In a stern message, he warns human traffickers and their accomplices against conducting business in Montana, emphasizing that Read More…
The implementation of a Montana state law scheduled to ban the TikTok app on January 1 has been temporarily halted by a federal judge pending the outcome of a lawsuit challenging the law. Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen has filed notice of an appeal to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, contesting the preliminary Read More…
Montana Highway Patrol Sgt. Jay Nelson has verified the evacuation of the Montana State Capitol in response to a bomb threat received around 8:30 a.m on Wednesday. MHP troopers efficiently cleared the Capitol, evacuating both staff and visitors. This incident is part of a series of threats directed at state capitol buildings on Wednesday morning, Read More…
Efforts to convene a special session of the Montana Legislature aimed at addressing tax-related concerns have fallen short. On Friday evening, the Montana Secretary of State’s Office disclosed the outcomes of a legislative poll. Of the total votes cast, 55 were in favor of scheduling a special session on January 15, falling short of the Read More…
A 58-year-old Billings woman, Mary Ann Whitecrane, who was previously charged with attempted murder for shooting a police officer during a standoff earlier this year, has entered a guilty plea. Whitecrane appeared in Yellowstone County District Court on Friday, having reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. As per the agreement, Whitecrane pleaded guilty to the Read More…
The Montana Lottery has announced the locations that sold the 3 $1 Million grand prize winners in this year’s Montana Millionaire raffle. The winning ticket numbers and locations are: 299951 – Kalispell (Town Pump of Kalispell #5) 315800 – Billings (Town & Country Supply Assoc.) 346589 – Great Falls (Heidelberg Lounge & Casino) by: Montana Newsroom Read More…
The mayor of Joliet, Dakota Zachariah Mitchem, who also holds the position of the town’s Postmaster, is facing a felony assault charge. The charge was filed in Carbon County District Court on Monday. According to court records, the charge is related to an incident that occurred on Sunday at a residence on Second Street in Read More…
BOZEMAN — Montana State University Extension and the Montana Stockgrowers Association awarded 2023 Steer of Merit certifications at the association’s Dec. 7 convention in Billings. MSU Extension beef cattle specialist Megan Van Emon presented the top five winners of the carcass and ultrasound Steer of Merit contests at a Best of Beef Luncheon. MSU Extension Read More…
Governor Greg Gianforte has announced a strategic investment of up to $17.5 million to enhance access to community-based behavioral health and developmental disabilities care for Montanans. This marks the initial allocation of the $300 million funding commitment made by the governor this spring to overhaul and enhance Montana’s behavioral health and developmental disabilities services systems. Read More…
In a pulsating clash at Washington-Grizzly Stadium, the Montana Grizzlies etched their names in history, overcoming the North Dakota State Bison in a double-overtime spectacle to earn a coveted spot in the FCS national championship game. The heart-stopping 31-29 victory not only marked the end of the season at home, as symbolized by the iconic Read More…
On Friday, a legal challenge was initiated by James Goetz, a longtime trial lawyer from Bozeman and a prominent Democratic Party contributor. The lawsuit questions the constitutionality of four bipartisan laws recently enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature in Montana. These laws were designed to address the state’s housing shortage by promoting proactive land use planning Read More…
The second “Early Bird” drawing in the annual Montana Millionaire raffle was conducted by the Montana Lottery on Friday. In this year’s raffle, there were two Early Bird prizes: one for $25,000, drawn on Nov. 24, and another for $100,000, drawn on the most recent Friday. The winning ticket for the $100,000 prize bears the Read More…