A new University of Montana study finds that Meagher County — one of the least densely populated counties in the continental United States — has quietly become one of Montana’s most entrepreneurially vibrant communities, driven not by government programs or outside investment but by decades of investment in education, a culture of civic participation, and Read More…
Professors sue Texas A&M System over limits on teaching race, gender Four professors and a national faculty group asked a federal judge Monday to block the Texas A&M University System’s restrictions on teaching about race, gender and sexuality and to reinstate courses canceled under the policy. The university system bars professors from “advocating” race or Read More…
New York’s push to unmask ICE agents is on hold after a federal judge blocked provisions of a newly minted state law that restricts local cooperation with immigration crackdowns. In a Monday ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Mae A. D’Agostino said that the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause doesn’t permit New York to regulate federal law enforcement Read More…
Montana State Auditor James Brown announced his office has helped stop more than $5 million in unsupported payouts by Mountain Health Co-Op, making it the second health insurer in Montana identified as a victim of a fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable Native communities using a loophole in the Affordable Care Act. The latest announcement brings Read More…
U.S. Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made a rare appearance before lawmakers on Tuesday to defend the high court’s $225.1 million budget request, which included increased provisions for security. The U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee on financial services and general government heard testimony from the two justices of the court’s fiscal year Read More…
Gov. Larry Rhoden marked the completion of South Dakota’s new Women’s Correctional Facility in Rapid City Friday, cutting a strand of razor wire in place of a traditional ribbon to signal the $87 million facility is ready for inmates. The 102,750-square-foot facility on Rapid City’s north side includes three 96-bed housing units along with a Read More…
Soldiers and airmen assigned to the Alaska National Guard executed four missions to save four people in the Alaska wilderness before the July Fourth holiday weekend. Air Force Maj. Kody Schmidt, Alaska Rescue Coordination Center senior controller, said the first mission started following a request July 2 from the Alaska State Troopers for a hoist-capable Read More…
Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown saved Montanans more than $18 million in fiscal year 2025-2026 by denying unjustified insurance rate increases, the agency announced. Brown’s actions saved 127,855 Montana insurance consumers a combined $18,459,920 from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. During that period, the agency reviewed 3,937 rate filings. “Increasing Read More…
A first-of-its-kind study published by University of North Dakota researchers recently in JAMA Network Open reveals a significant association between residential radon gas—a common, modifiable environmental hazard—and an increased risk of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality among postmenopausal women. The prospective cohort study, led by researchers at the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Read More…
Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced several new appointments across state government, headlined by the naming of Alberto Gonzalez as director of the Idaho Transportation Department following the retirement of longtime director Scott Stokes. Gonzalez, who most recently served as Idaho’s chief information officer and administrator of the Office of Information Technology Services, officially assumed the Read More…
Thirty-seven Montana students competed at the 2026 National History Day National Contest, held June 14-18 at the University of Maryland in College Park, in what organizers described as the largest Montana delegation to the national competition in recent memory. Montana students earned special prizes, Smithsonian showcase selections and top-20% finishes across multiple categories. This year’s Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions Friday on a Dubai-based Iranian financier accused of managing a global network of assets for Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, along with three Iranian exchange houses that move billions of dollars annually on behalf of sanctioned Iranian banks. The designations come as Iran has resumed attacks Read More…
Gov. Greg Gianforte suspended Public Service Commissioner Brad Molnar without pay for one year, effective immediately, citing findings from two independent investigations that concluded Molnar had engaged in sexual harassment, retaliation against staff and fellow commissioners, and continued retaliation after being warned to stop. The action, taken Thursday, is believed to be the first time Read More…
Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced the appointment of Kimberly Kutch as administrator of the Montana Department of Justice’s Forensic Science Division, which oversees the state crime lab and supports law enforcement agencies statewide. Kutch brings 30 years of experience in state and county government leadership to the role. She most recently served as a human Read More…
Department of Homeland Security purchases facilities in California’s Kern and San Diego counties Private prison operator CoreCivic has sold two Southern California immigration detention centers to the federal government for $1.5 billion. Under the deal, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security takes ownership of the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego County for $739.2 Read More…
Two Romanian brothers illegally in the United States pleaded guilty in federal court to orchestrating a fraud scheme that stole more than $760,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from recipients across multiple states. Marian Ovidiu Dumitru, 37, and Catalin Dumitru, 39, both Romanian citizens who were residing unlawfully in the United States, each pleaded Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury released an analysis of the first filing season under the Working Families Tax Cuts, the sweeping tax legislation President Trump signed into law one year ago, showing American families and workers claimed more than $82 billion in individual tax relief through the April filing deadline. According to Treasury’s analysis, Read More…
Montana State University earned a spot on Forbes magazine’s annual list of “America’s Top Colleges,” which ranks universities according to factors such as students’ return-on-investment from their degrees and their ability to earn scholarships. MSU ranked 345th on Forbes’ list, placing it among a select group of 500 institutions recognized from approximately 2,600 four-year colleges Read More…
The U.S. Department of Commerce has named Andrew Silberstein as executive director of the U.S. Investment Accelerator, the federal office created by President Trump in March 2025 to attract and fast-track large-scale domestic and foreign investments. Silberstein brings nearly three decades of experience in real estate, private equity and investment banking to the role. He Read More…
Montana officially began implementing community engagement requirements for its Medicaid expansion program July 1, making the state one of the first in the nation to enforce the new rules, which stem from federal legislation signed into law last year. The requirements, known formally as community engagement requirements, mandate that most adults between the ages of Read More…
Medicare and Medicaid funding accounted for almost $12 billion of services provided through assisted living facilities, according to a new report released by the Government Accountability Office. The independent nonpartisan agency examined spending for services in assisted living facilities in 2024, the year with the most recently available data. The agency found $3.5 billion in Read More…
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday ruled the federal government can’t hold undocumented immigrants for more than 90 days without a bond hearing, rejecting a Trump administration policy that requires immigration agents to hold immigrants until they are deported. In 2-1 ruling, the three-judge panel based in New Orleans said the federal government Read More…
A Gallatin County man accused of strangling his now-deceased wife has been offered a plea deal that would result in no prison time, drawing public outrage and calls for the Montana attorney general to intervene — the latest controversy for a county attorney’s office already embroiled in a lawsuit over its refusal to cooperate with Read More…
The Justice Department announced charges against eight alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in two separate cases involving kidnappings and murders in Texas and Illinois, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche saying all eight entered the United States illegally between December 2021 and April 2024. In the Texas case, a grand jury Read More…
Billings Police Chief Rich St. John announced Friday he plans to retire Sept. 30, ending a 45-year law enforcement career in Montana’s largest city and one of its most crime-challenged. St. John began his law enforcement career in 1981 as a Billings patrol officer, a role he held for six years before moving into the Read More…
The Montana Department of Commerce announced that $250,000 in grant funding has been awarded to two Montana communities to support public safety and development projects in coal-impacted areas, allocated by the Montana Coal Board. “Commerce is proud to support the people who live in Montana’s coal country,” said Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio. “In the last Read More…
A former Powell County Sheriff’s Office captain and high school wrestling coach has been charged with sexual intercourse without consent involving a student, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. John Austin Micu, 42, was charged Wednesday in Powell County District Court following a more than year-long investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct involving a student and Read More…
Two hundred and fifty years after 56 delegates affixed their signatures to the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, the United States is marking its semiquincentennial — one of the rarest milestones a nation can reach — with a yearlong wave of celebrations, commemorations and reflection stretching from coast to coast. July 4, 2026 is the Read More…
Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance James Brown announced that a series of enforcement settlements with entities that failed to properly file required notices of business activity in Montana has added roughly $60,000 to the state’s Securities Fraud Restitution Assistance Fund in 2026. The fund provides financial assistance to Montana residents harmed in cases prosecuted Read More…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced it will accept large philanthropic contributions of publicly traded stock to support Trump Accounts, the federal child investment program launching July 4 to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary. Under the new process, eligible philanthropic contributors may transfer approved publicly traded stock to Treasury, which will then distribute the Read More…
The U.S. Justice Department sued California and Virginia Wednesday over new gun laws that went into effect the same day. Both states used their Democratic trifectas – a Democratic governor and both legislative chambers under Democratic control – to pass more restrictive gun laws earlier this year that went into effect on July 1. California Read More…
The South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources announced that the Board of Water and Natural Resources has approved $54.8 million in loans and grants for water, wastewater and solid waste projects across the state. The $54,856,749 total consists of $52,400,000 in low-interest loans, $2,000,000 in principal forgiveness and $456,749 in grants to be Read More…
The University of Montana recently selected Dr. Paul Lukacs to serve as interim vice president for research and creative scholarship. Starting July 2, he will take the reins of UM’s “R1” research enterprise, which tallied nearly $150 million in science expenditures in fiscal year 2025. Lukacs will serve as interim for one year, reporting directly Read More…
President Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission delivered its final draft report to the president during an Oval Office presentation, capping a yearlong review of religious-liberty issues across education, healthcare, the military and the private sector. Chairman Dan Patrick, the Texas lieutenant governor, and Vice Chairman Ben Carson presented the 224-page report alongside other commission members. Trump Read More…
The North Dakota Department of Commerce and North Dakota Information Technology have partnered to launch Dakota BOT, a new AI-powered chatbot designed to improve how citizens, businesses and visitors access information across ND.gov and affiliated state agency websites. Dakota BOT serves as a digital front door to state government, offering 24/7 support, multilingual assistance and Read More…
The Montana Lottery released sports wagering data for the week ending June 20, reporting a handle of $1,161,501, a payout of $955,500, gross gaming revenue of $206,001 and sales agent commissions of $34,845. The top three sports by share of total handle were baseball at 39.9%, soccer at 36.2% and MMA at 7.7%. The Montana Read More…
An Arizona woman pleaded guilty to attempting to steal more than $7.7 million in government funds by filing false tax returns with the IRS. According to court documents, Regina Durkin of New River, Ariz., conspired with others to defraud the United States by submitting false quarterly employment tax returns to the IRS. “No matter the Read More…
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal by Robb Elementary students and teachers who argued failures by the Department of Public Safety and Uvalde County contributed to a botched response to the 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. The court’s order, issued without comment, upheld a February ruling by the Read More…
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision on Monday, allowed President Donald Trump to fire Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the Federal Trade Commission. Trump fired Slaughter in March 2025. Under federal law, members of the FTC can only be fired for a certain cause, but Trump did not include a cause. Justices on Read More…
The Montana Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recently uncovered more than $1 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims and filed charges in two cases, Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced. The investigations were part of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a federal effort to combat fraud, waste and abuse in taxpayer-funded programs. “I am Read More…
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s office issued an official opinion clarifying that public school districts must follow state competitive bidding and design-build procurement laws when entering into construction contracts valued at $100,000 or more. The opinion states that districts may not use cooperative purchasing organizations to bypass those statutory requirements. “Open and fair bidding Read More…
Montana State University’s most prestigious scholarship was awarded to 22 high school graduates from across the nation and the world, including 13 students from Montana. The MSU Presidential Scholarship is awarded based on scholastic achievement, demonstrated leadership and exemplary public service. Recipients receive an annual stipend plus a tuition waiver, renewable for three additional years Read More…
Montana’s unemployment rate ticked down to 3.4% in May, Gov. Greg Gianforte announced, remaining below the national unemployment rate, which held steady at 4.3% over the month. “Since taking office, we’ve been focused on unleashing Montana’s economy to support business owners who create good-paying jobs, strengthen our workforce, and reduce barriers to employment,” Gianforte said. Read More…
Gov. Larry Rhoden announced the appointment of Cassidy Stalley as a circuit judge in South Dakota’s Seventh Judicial Circuit, filling a vacancy created by the appointment of Justice Robert Gusinsky to the South Dakota Supreme Court. “Cassidy is a bright, talented and highly respected professional who is deeply passionate about serving South Dakota,” Rhoden said. Read More…